Posts Tagged ‘Blackburn Flea’

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.