CYGOLITE Hotshot– 100 & 50 Lumen & 2W Bicycle Taillight Models– 6 Night & Daytime Modes– User Tunable Flash Speed– Compact– IP64 WaterResistant– Secure Hard Mount– USB Recharging– Great for Busy Roads

This tail light appealed to me for several reasons,It is bright, two watts max output, it is USB rechargeable and it can last a long time with the right settings. It also comes with a seat post mount and a seat stay mount. The light is the Hotshot 2watt led from Cygolite. A very nice feature of this light is you can change how fast the flashing modes flash and you can also change how bright the light is. If you are going to be doing a night ride with your friends then you can lower the intensity of the light so you don't blind everyone else on the ride. If you are riding by yourself in the daylight you can dial up the brightness making it easier for cars to see you and if you get caught in some unexpected low visibility conditions like fog you can crank the brightness up to full. Due to the fact you can change how bright the light is the run times stated by the company cover a range depending on the mode to cover the various brightness and speed of flashing options you can set. The steady mode advertises a run time from 4.5 to 500 hours The triple flash mode is stated as 120 to 320 hours. Zoom mode is 12-29 hours single flash 28-120 hours random flash is 26-110 hours and steady pulse is 20-22.The light comes with a USB cable to recharge the light which uses a USB mini plug on the light. There is a charge indicator so you know when it is fully recharged. There is a low power indicator as well. Another nice feature is on the company web site you can buy spare parts such as additional mounts in case you have multi bikes but don't want to buy multi lights. There is a two button system to program the brightness and flashing speed. One button turns the light on and off and switches between modes. The other button speeds up or slows down the flashing speed, if you are in a flashing mode or increases or decreases the brightness if you are in the steady mode. I've only had the light for a few days so no idea on long term durability but so far it seems like a really nice little light. The only thing I could want that it doesn't have is a built in reflector. I like the idea that a taillight also has a reflector in case something happens and the light dies on you in the middle of a night ride. With a built in reflector at least you have something instead of just a dead light.

My daily fourteen mile rides begin around 4:00 a.m., so I want my bike to be as visible as possible. I will not spend time commenting on the quality and brightness of the Hotshot, because hundreds of other reviewers have said it all. It is BRIGHT, but it is also DIRECTIONAL, so you need to consider that when you choose where and how to install it. I could not put mine on the seat tube because I have a seat bag, so I decided to put it on the taillight hanger on the back of that bag. First, I adjusted the bag so the back-end was as close to vertical as I could get it. Then I slipped the Hotshot's clip over the bag's nylon hanger. To test it, I waited till dark and then put the bike's back-end a few feet in front of the garage door. From there, the Hotshot projected a one foot diameter beam onto the garage door. With the bike in the upright position (not on the kickstand), the light was straight in line with the bike frame and wheels (so no left or right adjustment was needed). I then moved the bike about four car lengths away from the doors and checked again. The left/right positioning was still good, but the light pointed down a little too much to be seen from a long distance by drivers (and I wanted to give them as much early warning of my presence as possible). So I attached a 3/4"x3" strip of Velcro hooks to the back of the bag, centering it right under and up against the bag's taillight hanger (so when the Hotshot was slipped on the hanger its bottom edge would be 1/2" or so below the top edge of the Velcro hooks). Then I cut two sets of 3/4"x2" pieces from both hook and loop pieces of Velcro, and glued the back of the loop sides to the back of the hook sides. Now I had two small pads to stick behind the bottom of the Hotshot's body to adjust the vertical angle of the light beam. I centered the first pad on the three-inch strip I had already glued to the bag (loop side toward the bag, hook side toward the light). Then when I clipped the light on the bag, the bottom part of it came to rest on top of the little pad, which pushed it out and caused the light to be aimed up a bit. Then I put the second pad on top of the first one, to aim the beam even higher. After moving the bike about sixty feet from the garage and checking the position of the light beam on the garage, I decided to go with just one pad. Now I am comfortable that drivers can see my light at the greatest possible distance because it is aimed at their windshields. BTW, I leave the Hotshot on Solid, on the brightest setting (it's adjustable, read the info with it), because that makes it visible at the greatest distance. Plus, I have two other lights almost as bright, one located at the top of one seat-stay and another light on the other seat-stay. Those two lights are set for rapid blinking and they are not directional so they can be seen from the sides, too). Because I use the Hotshot in the steady, brightest mode, I charge it after every ride so I always have max light.) BTW, the glue I use is a two-part epoxy with a five-minute cure time (which can be bought at any hardware store) Other glues might work, too. If this review helped you please click the button to say so, giving others a better chance to see it. Ride safe! Later: I called the company with a question and connected immediately with someone who was very polite and helpful. Quality product; quality support. [Later: I have now added a five-LED, Serfas light to the back of my helmet, using the same Velcro techniques--I'm beginning to feel well-lighted and reasonably safe (although, I keep a sharp eye on my rear-view mirror and always try to have an escape route in mind when a car is approaching--drunk drivers might not see me even if the bike and I both glowed brightly in the dark!)].