1/13/13 12:08 PM

I know that we've discussed lights before, primarily in terms of their brightness, but I don't think we've talked about them in terms of efficiency in wet weather. I've got an inexpensive Planet Bike headlight (a "to be seen" type) that conked out on my ride this morning, a foggy, drizzly day. What experiences do folks have with headlights that can handle a little wet weather?

1/13/13 12:36 PM

Plastic sandwich bags over the lights, computer. In other words, unimpressed.

I once had a Performance unit that was impervious, late 90's tech. It ended up failing somehow and its proprietary parts were long out of stock so I recycled the lead-acid battery.

I was sold enough on the Zefal flashlight type sets that I bought a set for my daughter. A couple of days later mine broke. I went to the Big Lots or some other bargain store and found that the cheap-o flashlights fit the Zefal handlebar bracket. THEN, I found the button-bottom on the cheap-o fit the Zefal and now it's fixed. It doesn't pattern blink anymore but I hated that feature. Better than new I guess.

1/13/13 2:05 PM

I haven't had that problem, but since I commute year round, I use good lights. I have B&M lights with Schmidt generator hubs on 2 bikes, and a set of DiNotte lights with rechargeable batteries. Plenty of riding in the rain with no problem.

One rainy century I just left the generator lights on - a guy passed me near the end and said - "Oh, that's a generator - no wonder your lights have been on all day."

1/13/13 3:46 PM

My bike headlight had seen relatively few water droplets. But I have another that would qualified as 'to be seen light' (read: LED), which I used mostly for kayaking! We're talking salt water here.

I've had it for over 5 years (since I moved back to New York), in which countless kayak camping trips were taken. When I'm not actually out paddling, the light lives in the day hatch of the kayak which can remain slightly dam from the not-so-perfectly-dry gear that also live there. It's finally showing some signs of corrosion, enough I now carry a backup, but it haven't actually failed yet.

In my sea kayaking circle, I haven't heard too many light failures. It's possible that you were just unlucky to have a defective light that are not water resistant enough. So a decent replacement should work more reliably.

1/13/13 5:24 PM

For me to "to be seen light" I use the Blackburn Flea, while I haven't used it in a full on downpour, I sure have used it on foggy damp days and it seems no worse for the wear.

1/14/13 7:19 AM

I have a Planet Bike 1W "Blaze" be-seen headlight on my rain/errand bike (same light as Irzipris?) and it is exposed to rain, often heavy, on most rides. It's been in use for about two years and has given no problems so far.

1/14/13 9:05 AM

Yes, Dave, that's the light I have. There's a large O-ring; maybe that's deteriorated a bit on mine? There definitely was moisture on the inside of the lens.

1/14/13 7:42 PM

I no longer commute to work so my lighting system has deteriorated but I rode a Vista light system year round and never had any water penetration problems.

1/16/13 8:05 PM

If there is a known entry point where, say, a cover screws on or is sealed by an O-ring, I use a dab of Grip-Shift Jonnisnot grease to assist the sealing.

Not only is the silicone/Teflon formulation water-repellent, but it doesn't dry out over time the way petro greases do, and doesn't attract dirt since the oil in it does not migrate.

That said, my DiNotte and NiteRider Lumina 650 lights have had no problems so far with water intrusion. I did however just return the other additional Lumina 350 that I bought because run time on high only lasted 37 minutes instead of the advertised 90 minutes.

1/17/13 6:57 AM

quote:

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I use a dab of Grip-Shift Jonnisnot grease to assist the sealing.

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1/17/13 12:31 PM

Let me put in a good word for Planet Bike's customer service: I receivde an email saying that if I did need to return the light, there would be no problem.