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Why does nobody talk about cheap bike lights failing in the rain?
I bought a $15 set of front and rear lights from a big box store for my commute in Seattle, and they both stopped working after just two weeks of light drizzle. I had to ride home in the dark last Thursday, which was pretty scary on the Burke-Gilman Trail. Has anyone found a good waterproof light that actually lasts?
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jessica3972mo ago
Honestly, I used to grab whatever cheap light was on sale. Figured a light was a light, you know? But getting caught in a downpour with a dead front beam on a busy street totally changed my mind. That shaky feeling isn't worth the twenty bucks you saved. I finally bit the bullet and spent more on a brand known for waterproofing, and it's been solid through a whole rainy season now. The cheap ones just aren't sealed right at all, the water gets in and fries the circuit board almost right away.
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rowan_black2mo ago
Remember when waterproof meant something? My dad had this old rubber flashlight from the 70s he kept in his fishing tackle box, and the thing was practically a submarine. You could drop it in a puddle and it would just keep working. Now it feels like they use the word for anything that survives a light mist for five minutes.
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