Knog Blinder 4V Review

The Knog Blinder 4V is a bright rear light with 44 lumens of light, visible from upto 800 metres. It is USB rechargeable and easy to fit. It’s also pretty sleek and aerodynamic. The Knog Blinder 4V is a different shape to the original square Knog Blinder.

Recently, I’ve been looking for a bright rear light, which is easy to fix and take off. Ideally, it could be also used on my time trial bike (with aerodynamic fitting)

When it arrived, no light came on because it initially needed charging in a USB port first. When it was charged and I turned it on and looked into light, there really was a blinding effect in the eyes.

Light

It’s very light. 44 lumens is pretty strong. It stands out on the road from quite a distance. They say it can be seen unto 800 metres, which is pretty impressive. You need this kind of lumens when riding on busy roads, otherwise, the light can be too weak.

Fitting.

The fitting device is very simple. Just click and unclick a catch. No tools, screwdriver or real intelligence required.

It fits to 22mm and 32mm saddle posts very well.

A limitation of the fitting device is that it’s hard to fit into other areas (such as clipping onto the back of a saddle bag, or onto the narrow chain stays at the back of the bike.

shame it doesn’t fit awkward shaped aero seat tube – because it’s aerodynamic shape will be liked by time triallists.

I was able to fit to my road bike no problem (very quick). It didn’t fit to aero seat post on time trial bike (which is unsurprising), but I did find an unorthodox position on time trial bike (see above). It’s not ideal because it points upwards rather than straight behind.

Charging

This is the first bike light I’ve used which doesn’t use batteries. It just uses a rechargeable USB stick. This is really good. No more worrying about spending money on batteries, just plug into a USB charging device, and it lasts up to 50 hours in eco flash mode. I haven’t had it on for 50 hours yet. But, it lasts long enough for my purposes.

Overall

• This is an excellent rear light. It is very bright, lasts along time and is easy to clip on and off. (so easy to clip off, it is vulnerable to theft if left in town). It is very easy to use. Just unpack, charge up and it’s ready to go.
• Not having to buy batteries is a real bonus
• If it could be improved I would say a signal to show % of battery use left would be very useful. To avoid running out of light on a ride, I will probably end up recharging more frequently than necessary.
• Another limitation is that the very simple fixing device does limit it for some uses. But, given how easy it is to attach, you can’t have everything.

Comparisons

Last year, I tested the Knog Boomer. That particular boomer is often difficult to turn off. This Knog Blinder is much brighter and on/ off is much more reliable. A similar bright light is the Cateye TL- 610D, the Cateye is cheaper, but the Knog has rechargeable power and 50 hours on flashing, as opposed to 30 hours for the Cateye.

Would I buy it?

Yes. It will retain for around £30 ($44US). It would make an excellent present. It will also encourage me to use a rear light during the day more often. This summer is so murky, that having a flashing rear light will help with visibility. Definitely you can get cheaper, but overall this is fair value for what you get.

Related

• Best rear bike lights
• Knog Blinder 4V at Knog.com
• Knog Blinder at Amazon.co.uk
• Knog Blinder at Wiggle