Over the past 9 months or so we’ve rolled out a bunch of updates on our Blaze headlights (both battery operated and USB rechargeable models). The biggest change has been to include amber side lenses to increase the side visibility of the lights. This allows the light to be visible from 275 degrees and the use of amber gives other road/path users better perspective on the orientation of the bike. The optics of the lights have been improved by using a reflector to better diffuse the beam and create a wider beam pattern. We have also introduced our new courtesy flash mode (currently on our USB rechargeable headlights only) that is a suitable choice for multi use paths. The light beam slowly fades from 30% lumen output to 90% output to catch the eye of other road users but with a more mellow approach than our Superflash pattern.

In addition to these functional changes we’ve also renamed our lights to more clearly convey the lumen output. In the past we named our lights using watts (ie. Blaze 1/2W, 1W, 2W) but this reflects only the amount of power the light consumes. Actual light output can vary depending on many factors, thus our lights are now state the lumen output directly in the name (ie. Blaze 45, Blaze 140, Blaze 300, etc.) We’ve also given the lights some aesthetic updates as far as logo placement and overall look. In general the lights have a more simple and subdued appearance. Our packaging has also gotten a major overhaul with a new look that utilizes recycled material and soy ink. This is useful for recycling material scraps at the factory as well as for post-consumer recycling.

Blaze 140 SL– formerly known as our Blaze 2W Micro this light utilizes a reflector for an optimized beam as well as the new amber side lights. This light puts out 140 lumens of output and gets extensive life from 2 AA batteries – 10 hours (140 lumens), 16 hours (70 lumens), 64 hours (Superflash). Available in black or red the MSRP on this light is $39.99. It can also be purchased light set for $64.99

Blaze 180 SL – formerly known as our Blaze 180 USB this light utilizes a reflector for an optimized beam as well as the new amber side lights. Additionally the light offers the new Courtesy mode. This light uses a lithium polymer battery and is USB rechargeable. It will get 2 hours (180 lumens), 4 hours (100 lumens), 25 hours (Superflash), 6 hours (Courtesy) of battery life per charge and takes 3 hours to charge back up. The MSRP on this light is $44.99. It can also be purchased light set for $74.99

Blaze 300 SLX – a brand new light for us this one is USB rechargeable and utilizes a lithium ion battery that will get you 2 hours (300 lumens), 5 hours (150 lumens), 36 hours (Superflash), or 15 hours (Courtesy) of life per charge. The light has amber side lights and optimized optics and also comes with our new rubber strap handlebar bracket. The MSRP for this light is $49.99.