Commercial Battery Tail Lights Analyzed

I've bought a bunch of battery-powered bicycle tail lights for luggage rack mount and took a closer look at every single one:

Overview

ProductBasta
Zoom		Busch + Müller
TOPLIGHT XS permanent		Move
Curve TL271R		no-nameSpanninga
Ultra XB / XBA		XCLight
CostEUR 13.50 / NL / 2008  EUR 20 / DE / 2007EUR 10.45 / NL / 2008  EUR 5.- / NL / 2008  XB: 10.55 / DE / 2008
XBA: 15.- / NL / 2008		below EUR 10 / NL / 2008
Mounting options80 mm, 50 mm80 mm, 50 mm80 mm, 50 mm80 mm80 mm, 50 mm80 mm
Batteries2x AA2x AA2x AA2x AA2x AA2x AA
Light source1 LED, unregulated2 LEDs, unregulated3 LEDs, unregulated5 LEDs, unregulated1 LED, regulated3 LEDs, unregulated
Battery low indicatorn/aat 2.3 Vn/an/aat 2.3 Vn/a
Current draw at 4.2 V *60 mA150 mA170 mA520 mA30 mA170 mA
Current draw at 3.7 V *50 mA110 mA130 mA410 mA30 mA130 mA
Current draw at 3.0 V30 mA70 mA80 mA250 mA20 mA80 mA
Current draw at 2.4 V20 mA40 mA40 mA120 mA20 mA40 mA
Current draw at 2.2 V10 mA30 mA20 mA80 mA10 mA30 mA
Current draw at 2.0 V4 mA9 mA7 mA15 mA2 mA9 mA
Quiescent current "off"0 uA0 uAbelow 1 uA @ 3 V0 uAbelow 1 uA @ 3 V0 uA
Quiescent current "auto"  n/an/an/an/abelow 9 uA @ 3 V (XBA)  n/a
RemarksFairly unbreakable
plastic		Switch is hard to slide and
feels unreliable on 2 samples.
Can be opened without
using a tool		Switch is hard to pressReal cheap.
Very high power
consumption		Low power consumption.
XBA-version nice "auto"-
feature		Difficult to open, battery
support gets stuck on LEDs
*Overvoltage measurement, this will not occur with standard batteries

A word on battery runtime: This not only depends on the batteries themselves, but - assuming unregulated lights - mainly on the drop in light output that YOU tolerate. If you can get along with just 5% of the initial brightness, your battery runtime is so much nicer than if you demand 80% of the initial brightness.
Regulated lights maintain a constant light output for most of the battery lifetime. They maintain the required light level for much longer than unregulated lights, by not burning brighter than needed with fresh batteries.
Bottom line: Manufacturer-claimed runtime figures be best treated with caution, particularly on unregulated light.

Modding notice: Most of these tail lights accept a CR123A lithium primary cell when some plastic ribs are cut away (appropriate battery holder needed). Some will even accommodate an 18650 LiIon cell.

My favourite is the Spanninga Ultra, due to its regulation and ensuing long runtime with constant light output. I very much hope to see more regulated lights in the future.

Basta Zoom

  • Purchased in the Netherlands in yr 2008 at EUR 13.50
    (includes 2 pcs DURACELL PLUS AA-cells)
  • Mounting bolt spacing of both 80mm and 50mm possible
  • Held together by one bolt
  • Single LED, current unregulated
  • Manual on/off switch on left side
Basta Zoom NIB
Basta Zoom Battery Tail Light, top Basta Zoom Battery Tail Light, straight into the eyes Basta Zoom Battery Tail Light, back

Basta Zoom Battery Tail Light, look inside

Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent

  • Purchased in Germany in yr 2007 at EUR 20
  • Mounting bolt spacing of both 80mm and 50mm possible
  • Held together by snap-in mechanism
  • Two LEDs, current unregulated
  • Manufacturer-quoted runtime is 60h on Alkalines
  • Manual on/off switch on bottom side
Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent NIB
Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent, back Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent, look inside Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent, carrier Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent, PCB1 Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent, PCB2 Busch & Mueller DTOPLIGHT XS permanent, PCB3

Move Curve TL271R

  • Purchased in the Netherlands in yr 2008 at EUR 10.45
    (includes 2 pcs Alkaline AA-cells)
  • Mounting bolt spacing of both 80mm and 50mm possible
  • Held together by 2 bolts
  • Three LEDs, current unregulated
  • Manual on/off switch on bottom side
Move Curve TL271R NIB
Move Curve TL271R, back Move Curve TL271R, look inside Move Curve TL271R, carrier

no-name

  • Purchased in the Netherlands in yr 2008 at EUR 5.-
    (includes 2 pcs zinc-carbon AA-cells)
  • Mounting bolt spacing 80mm only
  • Held together by 1 bolt
  • Five LEDs, current unregulated
  • Manual on/off switch on bottom side
no-name cheapy, no packing
no-name cheapy, back no-name cheapy, look inside

Spanninga Ultra

  • XB-version purchased in Germany in yr 2007 at EUR 10.55
    XBA-version purchased in NL in yr 2008 at EUR 15.-
    (price includes 2 pcs zinc-carbon AA-cells)
  • Mounting bolt spacing of both 80mm and 50mm possible
  • Held together by 1 bolt
  • One LED, current regulated (!)
  • XB-model: On - Off, push button below LED
    XBA-model: On - Auto* - Off, push button below LED
    *turns on if bike is moving and it's dark
Spanninga Ultra NIB
Spanninga Ultra Spanninga Ultra, back Spanninga Ultra NIB, back Spanninga Ultra, look inside Spanninga Ultra XB, PCB Spanninga Ultra XBA, PCB

XCLight

  • Purchased in the Netherlands in yr 2008 below EUR 10
    (includes 2 pcs zinc-carbon AA-cells)
  • Mounting bolt spacing 80mm only
  • Held together by 1 bolt
  • Three LEDs, current unregulated
  • Manual on/off switch on bottom side
XCLight NIB
XCLight, back XCLight, look inside XCLight, PCB

Subject to change without notice, errors and omissions excepted. Änderungen und Irrtümer vorbehalten. Abbildungen ähnlich.

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