Urban Velo - Bicycle Culture on the Skids

Knog Blinder Arc 1.7

There are a lot of good things about the Knog Blinder Arc 1.7. Is it bright? Yes. Can you charge it via USB? Yes. Is it going to break if it falls off a bike? No.

With a half rubberized, half anodized aluminum body, the Blinder Arc 1.7 is meant to withstand some action. A flip-tab on the underside of the body facilitates charging, made easier with the included short extension cable. The construction is nearly as good as one-piece, and so well sealed to be completely immersible.

The Blinder Arc 1.7 has four settings: high, medium, low and flash with claimed runtimes of 1.4, 2.7, 5.9 and 11.7 hours respectively. Unlike the unfocussed reflectors of old, the Blinder lens projects a 16º x 24º elliptical beam that extends the reach of the LED to light more of the road that it otherwise would. The low mode is an effective “be seen” mode, while the 170 lumen output high setting from the CREE XB-D LED provides ample light to navigate dark roads and river paths, which tend to be uncomfortable with less-than-adequate lighting. It’s not mountain bike bright, but it’s enough to see along most surfaces as long as your speed is kept in check. The flash setting is powerful and flickers quickly, great for entering main street traffic from dark and narrow side streets.

The smart button requires an extended hold to turn on on/off, long enough to prevent jostling from turning on the light when it is stored. As someone who takes my lights off my bike every time I lock it up, I hate opening my bag to find a blinking light and draining battery. A small indicator light gives a rough idea of battery power, and changes to blue to indicate the high beam mode. The Blinder Arc 1.7 comes with two interchangeable silicone mounts, one for 25-30 mm diameter bars, another for 30-35 mm bars, each featuring a magnetic clasp. The clasp is easy to open and close; just a flick of the finger will release it. Still, it’s secure on the bars, no amount of bumps in the road or trail were enough to jar it loose. Though the magnetic closure is handy, the adhesive used to glue the magnet to the bar mount failed after a few weeks of use. Even missing the magnet the clasp holds closed around the bar or included helmet mount.

The light has proven durable—even after unplanned ejections the light remains working as usual, the recessed lens protected and with just a few scrapes to the aluminum body. Knog’s claimed charge time proved true, the battery indicator always turned green within 4 hours, so I could plug it in overnight or in the morning on the weekend and be set. Batteries are heavy, and the Blinder Arc 1.7 is heavier than it looks at a dense 100g and isn’t the most comfortable as a helmet light.

The $65 Knog Blinder Arc 1.7 makes a good choice for a compact light bright enough to actually light the way on dark city streets. If the 170 lumen output isn’t enough, check out the 550 lumen Blinder Arc 5.5 for $120. www.knog.com.au


	Knog Blinder Arc 1.7 There are a lot of good things about the Knog Blinder Arc 1.7. Is it bright? Yes. Can you charge it via USB? Yes. Is it going to break if it falls off a bike? No. With a half rubberized, half anodized aluminum body, the Blinder Arc 1.7 is meant to withstand some action. A flip-tab on the underside of the body facilitates charging, made easier with the included short extension cable. The construction is nearly as good as one-piece, and so well sealed to be completely immersible. The Blinder Arc 1.7 has four settings: high, medium, low and flash with claimed runtimes of 1.4, 2.7, 5.9 and 11.7 hours respectively. Unlike the unfocussed reflectors of old, the Blinder lens projects a 16º x 24º elliptical beam that extends the reach of the LED to light more of the road that it otherwise would. The low mode is an effective “be seen” mode, while the 170 lumen output high setting from the CREE XB-D LED provides ample light to navigate dark roads and river paths, which tend to be uncomfortable with less-than-adequate lighting. It’s not mountain bike bright, but it’s enough to see along most surfaces as long as your speed is kept in check. The flash setting is powerful and flickers quickly, great for entering main street traffic from dark and narrow side streets. The smart button requires an extended hold to turn on on/off, long enough to prevent jostling from turning on the light when it is stored. As someone who takes my lights off my bike every time I lock it up, I hate opening my bag to find a blinking light and draining battery. A small indicator light gives a rough idea of battery power, and changes to blue to indicate the high beam mode. The Blinder Arc 1.7 comes with two interchangeable silicone mounts, one for 25-30 mm diameter bars, another for 30-35 mm bars, each featuring a magnetic clasp. The clasp is easy to open and close; just a flick of the finger will release it. Still, it’s secure on the bars, no amount of bumps in the road or trail were enough to jar it loose. Though the magnetic closure is handy, the adhesive used to glue the magnet to the bar mount failed after a few weeks of use. Even missing the magnet the clasp holds closed around the bar or included helmet mount. The light has proven durable—even after unplanned ejections the light remains working as usual, the recessed lens protected and with just a few scrapes to the aluminum body. Knog’s claimed charge time proved true, the battery indicator always turned green within 4 hours, so I could plug it in overnight or in the morning on the weekend and be set. Batteries are heavy, and the Blinder Arc 1.7 is heavier than it looks at a dense 100g and isn’t the most comfortable as a helmet light. The $65 Knog Blinder Arc 1.7 makes a good choice for a compact light bright enough to actually light the way on dark city streets. If the 170 lumen output isn’t enough, check out the 550 lumen Blinder Arc 5.5 for $120. www.knog.com.au	Mission Workshop

Mission Workshop