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I managed to limit my Flare's decline in to uselessness by putting very stiff springs in it to ensure decent connection between the battery and the contacts, but it never lasted particularly long as a fix. I would be willing to give the Tracer a go, as I do rate Exposure's build quality apart from the crap with this Flare.
Pretty tempted to get something honky for up front like a Joystick or an Axis for night riding and winter lanes.
Hope stuff is obviously brilliant, but I can't bear all the cables.
MechaMorgan-
Hope stuff is obviously brilliant, but I can't bear all the cables.
Even on the Robin Mather which produces enough power from the dynohub to power front and tail, I only power the front.
I just don't run cables back and forth, and if I had the Hope I would buy the battery pack for it and fix it between the saddle rails with a single short cable going to the light.
Of course, we haven't even mentioned the Dinotte.
Velocio
That's what has happened to the three Flares I've owned.
I think it's that the threads of either the head or the unit got worn down, and then the contacts become a bit iffy. After a while I'm there tightening it as much as I can, but even if I get it on there's no guarantee it will still be on if I hit a bump at all. Riding up Horseguard's Parade where there are a lot of vibrations will almost certainly turn it off. It's hard to even get it into the mode I want, I tend to use 2 Flares at once, one in flashing mode and the other in constant mode... but both are iffy and I can be faffing around for a while to attain the modes I want and by the time I get home one of them will be turned off, and who knows what mode the other will be in.
I like the Moon Comet for what it is... cheap and bright. But I'm not betting on it being a keeper for more than one winter (if it survives that long).
The Tracer looks good, but the experience with the Flare has put me off it and I'd still rather put my own batteries in it or use an external battery pack when we're around the £50 mark.
For me: £25 and below is disposable, £40+ and it should be a keeper. When we're nearing £100 for a tail light I'm expecting many years of use and a brilliant light for all conditions. Hell, it should rock as an overnight ride light, rock in a downpour, rock in the fog. I should be singing superlatives.
The Hope looks the best, but is way beyond what I could afford to spend. A few years ago I wouldn't have hesitated, and I bet I'd still have the thing now. Instead I opted for mid-range lights and have gone through enough that I should've just invested in something like the Hope at that time.