Lights and Rain - incompatible?

[fossyant]

My Cateye front LED lets in condensation, but removing the cover and putting on the radiator drys it - doens't stop it working. The rear Cateye LD600 is tatally waterproof.

My old BLT halogen lamps are waterproof, but I do have to pop the battery bottle somewhere to dry due to condensation on the inside.

A bit of grease around the seals can help !

It has been VERY WET the last few days...going through lube like something else !

 

[piedwagtail91]

i got a smart Polaris 5 led for a "be seen" front light, it replaced a cheap but bright 3 led one of unknown make which had worked well in all conditions for a few years.
put the Polaris on today , the first time I've used it in the rain and was not too happy when it kept switching off very few minutes.
we shouldn't have to wrap tape , stick silicon on or wrap lights in cling film. you wouldn't buy a frayed climbing rope from a shop and think "well that'll be OK with a bit of sticky tape around it" so why should we put up with lights that are not suitable for use in wet weather, our life could depend on these lights and we are being put at risk for the sake of a small amount of money saving by the manufacturer, a company which i thought had a good reputation.
lights that do not work in the wet are not fit for purpose.it wouldn't cost that much for smart to make them waterproof and reliable.

 

[piedwagtail91]

a bit of good news, well if you have good memory.
just had someone on the phone from fishers the importers in response to an email. he says he uses varius smart lights every day on a 26 mile each way commute with no problems and that the amount of returns for faulty lights is small in comparison to the numbers sold, he said if you return the light to where you bought it then it should be exchanged.
he sounded quite a decent sort so maybe those with faulty lights may get a new one that works.
i can't remember where i got mine from so i'm out of luck!!

 

[Danny]

If a supplier is any good they will want to know that there is a problem with their product - it's better than having disgruntled customers going somewhere else.

Of course not all suppliers are that enlightened.

 

[andrew_s]

I'm also using a Fenix L2D as a helmet light. On my last 2 rides the flat rubber button at the rear has been bulged out into a hemisphere, making it difficult to switch off. When I unscrew the buttcap there is an audible hiss..
I'm not yet sure if there is some gas leakage from the rechargeable AA's or if water is leaking in and being heated to steam by the LED. Going to try it with a different set of batteries.

I've had that too, indoors.
It's gas leakage from the rechargeables. It only happened with one old pair of batteries, so I just assumed that they were on the way out and ditched them.
If it's gas-tight, it should be watertight too.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

disgruntled goat says it right. also works with computers, i've seen pros do it.

 

[palinurus]

My superflash ended up in the washing machine a couple weeks ago. It was flashing just fine when I fished it out after the spin cycle. Dried it on a radiator, was OK after.

I find that water can get into them if the weather conditions are really bad but both my superflashes tend to fail in that I can't turn them off, rather than can't turn them on. Which is OK by me.

Cats an' dogs? wrap 'em in clingfilm.