Cygolite Metro 400 Lumen USB Rechargeable Bicycle Headlight

I recently started bicycling into work and found that as the sun was rising later in the morning that I was going to need a light if I was to get into work safetly. After browsing around on the internet, I heard tons of awesome reviews about the Cygolite Metro 420 Lumen USB Rechargeable Bicycle Headlight, Black, One Size and was about to order one up. Amazon then suggested that I move up to the latest model for just a couple more dollars so that's what I did.When I got the light originally, it had it written on the box that the light comes discharged and that it requires at least 5 hours of charging before you should use it. I put it on the included charging cable (plugged into my computer to charge it slowly) and within 30 minutes it showed that it was fully charged. There is one single button on the light that is illuminated when the light is on. The button also blinks when charging and stays illuminated when fully charged.This light has several different modes for pretty much all situations: low, medium, high, DayLightning(tm), SteadyPulse(tm), and walking mode. I use SteadyPulse(tm) most of the time as it keeps the light on high and flashes every second or so to make yourself more visible to oncoming cars. I found that the DayLightning(tm) mode was bright enough to give myself a headache when I tried using it. It does increase the output of the light to 600 lumens when it pulses so that could be a reason why I got a headache. The other mode that I find myself using a lot is the walking mode which is just a normal light that is comparable to a flashlight that you would pick up at the store. Very useful for when you are camping and biking and you would like to only carry one flashlight.While the description says that it has side ports for increased visibility from the sides, I really only provides enough light that would be visible if it was pitch black outside for you to be able to see it easily (you'll notice the beam of light from the front long before you notice the side ports).In terms of battery life, my ride into work is about 30 minutes so I have never run out of battery. Looking at the Cygolite website, it gives the following information for battery life:Med (350 lm): 2:15 hrsHigh (500 lm): 1:30 hrsLow (80 lm): 10 hrsSteadyPulse(tm): 3 hrsDayLightning(tm): 6 hrsWalking: 30 hrsPros:1) Modes- Lots of different modes for just about any situation that you need.2) Bright- The headlight does an awesome job at illuminating your path.3) Battery life- It seems to be very good. I still have yet to run out of battery so I will report back when I find out how much life you get out of each charge.4) Compact size- It is a fairly small light so it helps keep the clutter down on your handbars which is something that I really like.5) Solid construction- It feels very well built and solid. I haven't crashed or ridden in the rain yet so I can't judge it on those aspects but it does feel very well built.Cons1) Battery level indicator- Would be nice to have a battery level indicator. It only has one light that shows if the light is being charged or if it is fully charged.2) No wall charger- It would be nice for it to have a wall charger since you need to plug this into USB. There aren't really any recommendations as to what kind of charger to use (0.25 amps, 1 amp, etc.) so I have just been plugging it into my computer to trickle charge it to prevent damage from occuring to the battery.Overall ImpressionI would highly recommend this light to anyone who is getting into bicycling and wants a high performance light for a very good price. There are several modes for pretty much any riding situation that you might be in whether you are on a busy road, a mountain bike trail, or a secluded road. There are some things that would be nice to have on this light such as a battery level indicator but that is asking for quite a bit considering that this light already has lots of features and is an awesome deal already.

I have been through several bike lights over the years, and by far, this is the best one I have ever used, for so many different reasons.First, and to me most importantly, you can actually see everything in front of you. Many of the lights I have used had one small area that was lit well, with minimal lighting outside that area. This light is bright enough to clearly see everything in front of you for at least 20-25 feet and to the sides for about 3-5 feet each way. It's enough light from this one unit to light the way for two additional riders if they ride on either side of you.Second, the options. OH THE OPTIONS! I live in New York, and battling traffic has been, well, a battle. This light literally has an option for every situation of riding I have, including daytime in traffic, nighttime in traffic, nighttime on unlit roads, and nighttime on unlit bike paths. It has:Standard low-med-high setting (the high setting is ridiculous, its lit pretty much as well as a standard streetlamp, if not better)SteadyPulse setting, (the one I use most frequently) which basically keeps the light on and then flashes every second to really get the attention of driversDayLightning setting which is just a super bright flashing setting to get the attention of drivers during the daytime, and trust me, IT WORKS.It is also pretty easy to switch between all the settings mid-ride by just pressing the button on top of the unit. My ride takes me through all different types of terrain and road conditions and never found switching through the settings to be difficult or cumbersome.Third, it is rechargeable. I hated having to deal with buying batteries for my lights, but that is no longer a concern for me. My rides generally last 1-2 hours, and i would ride 3-4 times before finally recharging the battery, and even then it never showed signs of dying. ( I rather charge and have light than risk a dark ride home just to see how long the battery lasts) The only negatives here are first, obviously, when its dead, its dead. No carrying extra batteries to get light back if it dies, but for that just make sure you're fully charged and you won't have to worry about it to begin with. Second, the charger itself is a mini USB, instead of the current micro USB used by most cell phones nowadays. It's a little annoying, but certainly not a deal breaker.Fourth, but also important, is this unit is SMALL and LIGHT. It only rises 2 inches from the top of the handlebar and is only about 5 inches long. It doesn't have one of those external power units like many of the other lights that get this bright do. How they get the power of the sun from this thing is beyond me, but they did it, and it works.This was probably the single best investment I've made for my bike, and I couldn't be happier. If you frequently ride at night, this is it. I showed one of my friends how bright this thing is and she was shocked. (her exact words were "holy s***!") Happy riding!