Cateye Viz Rear Light

Product Information

The Group mode is next in line for output at 50 lumens. To be honest, because its flash pattern is so much more sedate it actually seems brighter, but it's a bit too much for those sitting on your wheel. The recharge time is 3hrs, dependent on your charging source. An LED on the side shows the battery status. That's all the facts and figures out the way, so how does it work as a light? Easily, as it turns out. The four modes are: Daytime Hyperflash, 100 lumens (15 hours); Constant, 15 lumens (5 hours); Flashing, 10 lumens (70 hours); and 'Group Ride', a pulsing 35 lumens. The ladder strap hooks into lugs either side, and I've had no issues with standard round profiles between 25.4 and 30.8mm. It's compatible with some box-section trailer tubing and helmets, too.

It's hard to tell exactly, as looking at this straight on can literally make your eyes hurt, but Group Ride appears to switch each LED between two brightnesses, and leave either two dim or one bright one on at all times. Thus it's never fully dark, and consequently easier on the eyes (I was looking from the side, in case you were wondering...). Or buy a Rotlicht instead, where you can replace (and recycle) an exhausted battery. I'm getting the sense that you can't do that with the Cateye? Cateye's previous Rapid range of rear lights offered excellent all-round visibility using a line of LEDs that were visible from the sides and the rear. I still have some that I tested six years ago and they still work fine, which is a decent innings – other brands' lights have not lasted nearly as well. Although functional and reliable enough, it's a bit fiddlier than others, especially in the dark. Exchanging it for an oversized o-ring type improved matters. Modes The Cateye Viz 100 is a good rear light that covers most bases well. The only thing that merits some revision, to my mind, is the strap. VerdictThe 15-lumen steady is up to the job of built-up areas; I seemed to register on friends' radars at 70-80 metres. Run-times The shortest claimed run-time is a useful 5hrs, and that's pretty accurate – surprisingly it's not for the eyeball-grilling 300lm 'Daytime Hyperflash,' which can signal nearby planets (probably) for up to 10hrs, but for the 30lm Constant mode. One thing I did notice though is still the use of micro USB. With the move of many electronics now to USB C, it would be nice to see companies making this change on bike lights as well. Plus with the higher potential power draw for faster charging, there is an additional upside beyond just being able to plug the cable in either way up. That doesn't sound very bright, but the 30lm glow from all three LEDs through the transparent case is actually pretty eye-catching outside of bright sunshine or night-time commutes.

Minor niggles aside, the specification and performance are favourable and the price is good, although there's still a fair bit of competition. So Cateye decided it would be a great idea to discontinue the cheap and much loved Rapid Mini and Rapid Micro lights just so they could bring out a new product line with more eyeball searing lumens than you'll ever need that does nothing apart from blinding everyone behind you and inflating the price, Just so they could make more money off you.

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Happily, there are less bright, less expensive options from the same range, and for my money the Viz 100 at half the price would be all the light I'd need. Verdict The overall build quality is up there though, and I like the angular style CatEye has gone for on their higher models. It looks at home on a modern aero frame, so won’t be cramping your style for the pursuit of safety (nor performance at only 47 grams)! Returning to the review, I honestly cannot see how anyone thinks 300 lumens is appropriate for a red light aimed at following vehicles or riders, whether at night or in daylight. I find 30 lumens is more than enough to draw attention. The Viz 150, which appears to have a very similar shape, has more than enough punch and is significantly cheaper than this unit.

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The most startling thing about this light is how bright a mere 40 lumens can be when funnelled through effective lenses. The constant mode is very bright when seen from 300 metres away at night, and vastly more so than the higher lumen output from the lens-less Knog Blinder Skull. On this basis, unless your commute takes in a lot of fast daytime dual carriageways (my sympathy), I just don't think a case can be made for needing more than 10 times this output, as here. Bargain on being visible at 125 metres (about the length of a football field) on a clear night, dipping to 80 when it's cloudy. Charging times are similarly faithful: 3 hours from a laptop, 15 minutes faster at the mains. That's longer than some, especially those using USB-C, but on a par with other, such as the Sigma Blaze. Plugged into a dynamo USB it's a bit more variable, but has gone from zero to hero in just over 4 hours. Value