Let me just preface this by saying shooting photos of bike lights is a pain in the ass! Ever since Portland Design Works sent me their lights back in February, I've been using the hell out of them. Lighting is one of the last things I wanna buy when it comes to accessories. No matter what you pick up, they usually die out after a while or they just suck. When I first put on the Spaceship and Radbot 500 I was blown away at how bright they were.
Check out more of my review below.
You know when you walk into a bar with your backpack on? Well, the bar would literally light up red if I forgot to turn off the Radbot 500. While you can mount it on your bike just fine, I chose to mount mine to my bag using one of their clip plates and a few zip ties. In the time I've had it, I've had to replace the batteries once. I might ad that the precision reflector really does work!
Rear lights are great but front lights are where I'm most critical. They actually let you see the road a little bit better and your chances of having a head-on collision are greater than being rear-ended.
I can honestly say that I have never used a clip-on light as strong as the Spaceship. If I'm riding down the street, I can see the street signs 3 blocks away reflect its light. The Japanese LEDs and the German-engineered lens is a winning combination.
.... and it actually looks pretty good. My only issue with it is that it won't clamp on oversize bars. Other than that, It's my go-to light and I actually haven't had to replace the batteries yet on it. The clamping mechanism makes it easy to take on and off if you ride a lot of different bikes like I do.
The Portland Design Works Spaceship and Radbot 500 are a lotta bang for your buck. The set runs $45 at PDW or your LBS and is worth every penny. With light-season upon us, I highly recommend purchasing these. PDW's got a great warranty system too if your lights unexpectedly crap out on you.
Thanks again guys!
Previously:
Portland Design Works: Incredible Packaging
Comments
I'm just going to say I bought these about 4 months ago and are the best damned lights I have ever used. I never leave home without them.
Posted by: RobNoir | August 30, 2010 10:28 PM
You need to check out the Radbot 1000 even brighter. Also check out the new Fenderbot!
Posted by: nick d | August 31, 2010 11:33 AM
looks brighter than the headlights on my mom's old car
Posted by: brendan | August 31, 2010 12:56 PM
What happened to the radbot 1000 you got? How does it compare with the 500?
Posted by: Gordon | August 31, 2010 2:24 PM
i like their "danger zone", it's like two radbot500's in one light, spazzing out. radbots all over my kids trailer
the spaceship is really nice but can't touch my princeton Tec EOS bike - handlebar light, helmet light and headlamp in one, 70 lumens, wider beam. yeah! (ok it is way more $)
Posted by: dontcoast | October 6, 2010 4:21 PM
do you feel obliged to write a good review because they give you free stuff ? Honestly the spaceship shouldn't even be called a light, its a kiddies flashlight and should never be mistaken for something that will actually light the road in the pitch black. I have $15 lights from Dealextreme that do a 1000% better job than that (250 lumen if you know what that means). Its dengerous to con people into thinking that this light is something that may one day save them on the road
Posted by: mark | December 22, 2010 11:15 AM
There is a HUGE difference between a bike light and a lamp my friend. This is no lamp, it's a light, to show cars you're around...
I feel no obligation. I turn down tons of products for reviews that I just don't like!
Posted by: prolly | December 22, 2010 11:45 AM