Jun N.
The beam pattern is good as others have noted. However, the battery life is much less than advertised. I got from 5 bars to 3 bars just running the light for a little over 40 minutes on pulse mode whereas this site claims 8 hours. Also, after light use, the rubber button on the top came loose. I was able to squeeze it back into shape, but it makes me concerned about the water resistance of the unit.
Karsten
Finally a light in the North American market that is designed for road usage.
Pros:
- doesn't blind oncoming traffic
- good range
- wide near-field illumination
- separate be-seen LEDs
- small enough
- easily removable with rubber strap
- good number of modes
Cons:
- battery capacity could be bigger
- beam shape is not very even, it's essentially a circular near-field beam and a small rectangular far-field beam, with a very harsh transition in between. That means there's a dark-ish spot about 6-8ft out from the bike where obstacles can get lost. Would be better if the beam had a smooth gradient from near to far.
- battery indicator on top gives me constant battery anxiety, would be nice if it turned off after a couple of seconds.
- charging port cover is a bit tricky to close.
- charging port cover opens from the top, so if it's not perfectly closed, will funnel water inside.
- the sliding mount has some lateral play and makes some noise from road buzz. Also a bit odd to have 2 different release mechanisms, would be simpler, more compact and more solid if the mount was only the rubber band without the sliding part.
- would be good to have a way to toggle only between high/low steady beam, without going through the pulsing/blinking modes.
Overall, still the best light on the market right now. Would happily spend $50 on a version 2.0 with some of the issues fixed.
TL
I was spoiled by Busch & Mueller optics on my dynamo-equipped bikes, and wanted something similar but cheaper and swappable. The B&M battery-powered models are hard to come by in the US, whereas PDW gear is ubiquitous, so I took a chance on the Pathfinder.
Overall, it's a great light! Amazing how effective 200 lumens can be when they're controlled and distributed well--no overwhelmingly bright center that fades to nothing. Also far more pleasant for oncoming riders, especially since I commute mostly on a two-way bike path and am regularly blinded by others' high-beams. The Golden Rule of bike headlights, I suppose.
My only complaints are a little nitpicky:
- A wider beam would be nice (for vision around dark corners), but only if it's possible to preserve the squared-off beam
- Side cut-outs for visibility are sorely missing
The battery life is unimpressive, as others have noted, but it's also an inexpensive light that weighs next to nothing. More of a trade-off than a fault. I would have been happy to sacrifce a few more dollars and grams for more battery capacity, but the quick charging time means it's not a problem for average commute-length rides.
Matt
Quite good light for being seen by; good enough for seeing by, *so long as* your needs are modest. For commuters in town, going slow-ish down good paths, it's bright enough to see the next pothole by - but really, only just.
I wish PDW could scale this up to take an 18650 Li cell, and double or triple the lumens. I'd pay $50-$75 for such a light, happily.
On a side note, my mount has been plenty solid - the rubber strap cinches down quite tight, the mount hasn't moved at all in commuting use.
idlebytes
Bought this from a local shop after talking about the benefit of having a light that doesn't blind people. It works great I've tried lots of different angles and it's very hard to accidentally shine the beam in someone's eyes it literally has to leave the road to do so.
I only gave it 3 stars though cause the bracket doesn't keep it steady. I can't go through a typical street of potholes without it shifting down to point a couple feet in front of my bike. If I tighten it too much the design causes the strap to come undone. Even with tape holding the strap it still can't get as tight as a Planet Bike bracket.
So, if you have another bracket that works it's great but otherwise it's kinda useless if it's pointing 4 feet in front of you wobbling around.
Still I'm buying their rear light cause I can make things work and the light part is great. So if you don't mind working a bit to make it worth it, it is :)
gpshead
This bike light is pure awesome for all night time road riding needs. The cut off beam pattern does not blind other cyclists, peds, or cars. Being more properly focused where you need it the lumens do a great job with a much lower number (less waste).
The only downside? If you run in full brightness mode, you'll only get 90 minutes. Well within most people's commutes... But it would be nicer if I didn't have to charge it every day for that. Five stars regardless, the world needs more road cyclists to choose a properly reflected light like this one.
Taking the light off of its mount for recharging or security is easy. The mount allows for a small degree of swivel if you need to adjust its aim or move it out of the way of your twist-lock GPS mount.
I would not go nighttime trail riding with this light, you want a wide beam for that.
Alan
This has been the best headlight I've had of three different brands. Yes, the unit needs to be charged often- but the indicator light is a huge assest. The light produced works perfect even in my rainy day commutes. I love the daylight flashing mode. Customer service is excellent. My first unit's USB port broke and when I emailed the company I received a reply within hours and had a replaced unit within a week. I especially appreciate the price. If I forget to remove my unit when street parking, and it is stolen, then I don't feel bad about purchasing this unit again.
Brendan
This light replaced my Moon 300 and it has been great since I started using it in early November. My commute is 11 miles (40 minutes) and 7 miles of that is on an unlit track. Yes, it can wobble about a bit due to the strap, but it's beam is clear and constant and gives great coverage on the dark section. I lose @ 3 bars for the 40 minute commute, which is more than ample for me, as that's what I got it for!
Overall, I'm very impressed as it does exactly what I require it to do and it was a very reasonable price.
John
This light is solidly built. Just like my old pdw light, no matter how many times it hits the pavement, it keeps on going with only superficial scratches on the case. The Vertical Cutoff Beam is a great feature too. I really hate bike lights aimed right at my eyes, as a cyclist or as a driver.
On the downside, this light either has to be on the bike, or on the charger. My commute is only about 35 min each way, but if I don't charge after each ride, I'm left with 1 bar before I can make it to my destination. I do appreciate that it dims itself when it gets down to 1 bar so I can at least be somewhat visible instead of a total bike ninja, but I was hoping for longer battery life between charges, I've never gotten close to 2 hours of light.
I've also found that not all micro USB chargers will work, I can only make the one that came with it fit into the port, as most plugs are too big to make a good enough connection.
The rubbery strap mount that comes with it is pretty weak and flops around a lot on the bumpy Portland streets. Luckily the light fits nicely on my old Mission Control mount that screws down tight.
While I appreciate that I'm not burning through an 8 pack of Duracells every winter, I'm bummed that I still have to keep a backup light in my bag for those days when I forget to charge it between rides.
