Of course the Mini and the Micro are nowhere near the blinding output of the Viz 300. But having owned a Micro and still do. Even 25 lumens can be pretty blinding and dont ask me how I found that out. (just dont look directly at it and turn it on) I also avoided the Daytime Hyperflash in anything but strong sunlight, because it's so bright and so luridly chaotic it's like riding around on a distress beacon. Again it's a personal choice, but I don't want to give the worst drivers another excuse to throw a cretinous shut-your-eyes pass. 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.

Group ride is also a surprisingly good choice for these duties. That said, something like the Knog Cobber Mid Rear Light is a superior choice for nocturnal couplings, but a good deal dearer, too. 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. But you can use standard AAA batteries with Cateye's inexpensive Omni and LD610 rear lights, which are still available. 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. ValueSo 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. ViZ100] φ21.5-32.0mm. Fits up to 130mm outer circumference. (SP-15) Recharge/discharge number of times： about 300 times（until the rated capacity drops to 70%） Water resistant： [AMPP200] IPX4 The Flashing mode dishes out just 15 lumens and is noticeable in the dark, if not exactly outstanding – and again, it's hypnotic in its pattern design. At least its strobing effect is noticeable under streetlighting.

On the bike the CatEye ViZ is simple, secure, effective and long-lived. The clamp needs a bit more attention once you remove it – and if you don't use lights on bright days it's a bit excessive – but other than that it's very good; it gets the job done well. Verdict 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. You only get the full beans in the Daytime Hyperflash mode, and only for the briefest of flashes. This mode name has been around for a while but what it does here is different to Cateye's older lights. It used to mean 'always on, with brighter flashes' and I thought it was a great choice for daytime running or well-lit busy night-time environments. Here it goes Full Rave with all five LEDs flashing at different speeds and the full 450 lumens deployed a little over once per second. Obviously that's not a picture (above) of the full brightness, or indeed any of it... use it in the dark and it's likely to irritate anybody behind; not so much because of the intensity, but because of the pattern. Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply.With an 8hr claimed run-time from the 800mAh li-ion battery, Group Ride is very usable too. I certainly never had it shut down even after multiple rides, as there's ample opportunity to top up before it gets critical (and a red warning light at 1hr left, when it also switches to a special power-saving flash pattern). Value 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. 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 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 rest of the burntimes are 15 hrs, 11hrs and 70 hrs as you drop down through modes. After a few charging rounds I found those times to be easily achievable on all but the coldest of rides. Sub-zero I'd say they drop by around 5%. 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.

Cateye ORB Rear Light

Daytime Hyperflash (100 lumens)：15 hrs Battery： [AMPP200] Li-ion rechargeable battery (3.7V-800mAh) 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. 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? 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. 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.