In short, save your money boys and girls. While sleek and sexy, functional it is not. While I took the Flea, its charger and instruction manual out and examined them thoroughly before my purchase, I missed several things that would have, in hindsight, kept me from purchasing the finicky little bug. Here’s a list of the things that should have been included or were included and should have served as warning in the instructions:
1. The ‘Charging’ section of the instructions use the words ‘carefully’ and ‘do not force.’ They should say, ‘Warning: If you’re going to use this product on a regular basis, it’s doomed to fail shortly after you buy it.’
2. It also says blinking will stop once charging is complete. Great. One time it stopped blinking during charging and the light and then, in blinking mode, it didn’t last the 35 minutes to work. Thanks.
3. No claims about runtime are provided. Performancebike.com’s description says that the Flea will have 3-6 hours of runtime depending on the mode chosen. These claims are bullshit. I’ve never gotten more than 2 hours out of flashing mode.
4. There are no instructions about what milliwatt output your battery should have in order to charge the light. I use rechargeables for all my biking needs as its the right thing to do when you use batteries as much as I do. How do I know they’re working correctly for this light? (Rechargeables typically have a lower milliwatt output than Lithium ion or other standard batteries.)
5. No indication of charge time is given. Typically, with something that has an internal chargeable battery, this information is provided. Typically, batteries with shorter charge times have a shorter life than batteries which charge via a slower or trickle charge method. Maybe Blackburn should talk to SigmaSport about how to provide battery-related information.
When charged and flashing, this light is impressive. Drivers of undesirable vehicles definitely notice you. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the runtime, I had to attach a backup light which I use more than the Flea.
Pros: Great illumination for something so small
Cons: See above, Dainty charger which does not lend itself to multiple uses or transport, poor instructions/product information
Overall Rating: Two Broken-Down Undesirable Vehicles.
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I am also having issues with this bug. I bought one, and returned it since I could not get it out of the demo mode. the guys at the store asked me if I charged it, YES..did it flash, YES.
the instructions are also out of date, and confusing and they use a 6pt font to add insult to trying to get this thing to work.
I returned my first one, got another one, changed it, it blinked all night,
tried it in the morning, still in demo mode. What am I missing here?
I’m trying to charge it with my computers at work. Don’t like the PC either.
It’s most likely going back unless it starts working really soon.
I didn’t have much trouble getting it out of demo mode. I did have to do it at least twice. Yes and do make sure it is charge, otherwise it does act like it’s in demo mode and shuts off automatically. I assume you have the newer model with the USB charger. Make sure your USB port is powered. Some USB ports are not powered and since you have no stated indication that charging is complete, you may not actually be charging the dumb thing. I can think of many design changes that would turn this average product into a reliable, impressive little light.
I had a similar issue; front light wouldn’t hold a charge - lasts 10-15 minutes tops (yes, I took it out of demo mode, keep trying to do that.) E-mailed blackburn; they sent me a new front light. It won’t even take a charge - nothing; no blink, nada.
I really like the idea of the flea, and the back light works like a charm otherwise I’d give up, but c’mon!
Norm,
Good to know the back Flea light works well. I may have to try it in the future.
I really like the idea of the Flea too. When it’s working it’s great. I love how easy it is to move from bike to bike with no hassles. If they could just make the battery do what they say it does and also give you some kind of indication of charge level, it would be great.
Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Mason
Bought this rechargeable system and it worked awesome. Very bright. Factory charge lasted a long time. Now I am screwed. Neither front or rear light will take a charge. No blink, nothing.
Any luck with the customer service department at Blackburn? If they’re anything like Sigma Sport, they’ll send you new lights free of charge.
I have had issues with my set.I returned the rear one as it would’nt switch off. now the new rear light once tested fine (out of the pack) was charged and flashing bright during charge( as opposed to dim) once removed from charge it swtiched itself on. the only way i could change the mode was while on usb charge. I tried switching off demo mode like this too. after a few times i left it on all night, in the morning the light had dimmed, but now seeems to work, hopefully fixed but both times the rear has been the problem. hope the velcro things survive too otherwise the front is definitely no use though. nice and bright, like the design , but…
Thanks for the comment Rich. I’ve gotten good life out of the velcro. I actually think is a great feature as I use several bikes and switching the light between them is quick and easy. Have you contacted Blackburn about the rear light?
I got the front & rear combo USB Flea kit. I agree that there is practically no help in terms of instructions on how to charge. To get the light out of demo mode, hold down the button for 20 seconds, the light will initially turn on but should turn off after you hold it down long enough. Then to test if it is out of demo mode, turn it on and if it stays on for more than 20 seconds, you have beat the tricky demo mode. When charging, the rear light will have 2 LED’s blink very softly while charging, then once fully charged, it will turn on all LEDs at full blast. Same scenario with front light, except all 4 LEDs dimly blink while charging, and then full blast when it is fully charged. That being said, I only go on relatively short rides and so don’t really test the battery power time life all that much. I will say that for safety, I have a more powerful battery powered headlamp for my helmet, as well as the Mars 3.0 battery powered rear light, the safer the better for us knight riders.
You must have the USB charger model. Still must not be good instructions with the newer models. I still like the safety the front light affords. Drivers notice it immediately. I just it was more reliable in terms of run time. Plus, when the battery gets low it just shuts off, providing no performance. Other lights dim but still provide some illumination.
Maybe I am missing something but I am charging my flea acording to the instructions and the unit continues to blink for almost 1/2 hour after I disconnect it. I try taking it out of the demo mode, turn it off, cycle through the low/high/blink/off modes and it still blinks for about 30 minutes before it finally turns off. I emailed Blackburn “customer service” (kinda like military intellegence) and never received a response.
Thanks for the comment, Jeff. Again, although the Flea is a great safety light, it’s unpredictability is it’s downfall. Maybe you should send them a link to my post so that they can see that numerous people are having issues. I’m surprised Blackburn hasn’t responded to you. They do make some real quality products. Maybe you caught them on a bad day. I would try again. I’ll see you on the trail.