Reviewed: Blackburn Designs Flea Lights

Words: Chris Lesser
2/9/09

Reviewed: Blackburn Designs Flea commuter lights
How Much: $55 (Combo Package)
More Info: Blackburndesigns.com

The Flea front and rear commuter lights obviously get their name from their relatively small, flat appearance. But what isn't immediately apparent is how bright these little buggers are—a claimed 40* lumens apiece.

In terms of utility, Blackburn hits the nail right on the head. Even though the Flea lights manage to retain a little bit of molded styling about them, they do so without wasting much material. Both lights come with a simple Velcro strap embedded with a silicone stripe that grips either a handlebar or seatpost. This makes for easy-on/easy-off functionality, which is key for commuters concerned about protecting their $55 investment.

In a nice nod to versatility, the rear light incorporates a snappy little steel spring, giving the user the option of ditching the Velcro in lieu of snapping the Flea onto the back of a bag, and making for one less light to remove from your bike when you reach your destination.

The Flea lights each use a 1.5-volt lithium ion battery, which is rechargeable via an included smart charger that, remarkably, is even smaller than the Fleas themselves. The charger can easily live on a keychain or in a pack or desk drawer, and it magnetically affixes to contacts on the Flea lights while its wires unfurl to magnetically connect to any 1.5-volt battery source—ie: any AA battery. Recharging hasn't been this cool since the Flux Capacitor from "Back to the Future"—putting the Flea lights into a category of their own. Even the New York Times is talking about them.

Once charged, the Flea lights yield a reported 3 hours in steady mode and 6 hours in flashing mode; and 6 hours steady/12 hours flashing for the front and rear units, respectively.

Easy to find rubber buttons (even with gloved fingers) make toggling the lights on, off and through their different settings easy and painless. So, for example, when you're in lit city traffic you can run the front light in flashing mode for maximum visibility, but when you're along a stretch of dark bike path you can toggle off the epileptic-seizure-inducing flasher and crank up the brightness to actually see a little bit in front of you.

These are commuter lights, not trail lights, meant more to "be seen" than to see. But they're well worth considering for anyone who commutes or ever finds themselves riding in traffic. Several different brightness levels and a flashing mode up front and a few different flashing modes in the rear make the Flea lights visible to even the most ignorant motorists.

*Editor's Note: As the official Bike Magazine LumenMeter 2000-a-Tron is currently on loan to the German-language BIKE magazine, we can't confirm the Flea's lofty-sounding 40-lumen rating. But suffice it to say that the Flea lights are bright enough that you won't want to spend much time looking right at them—and plenty powerful enough to make your presence known on the road.

Yes - we realize that this Chinese Army Surplus battery expired early in Bush's second term, but you get the idea.

The Flea doesn't take up much handlebar real estate

The rear Flea light clips to a Velcro strap or any where else its secondary steel spring can hold onto

Reader Comments

Posted Mon Feb 9, 2009, 3:21 PM — By Eric Vosser

This is fantastic! Keep it up

Posted Mon Feb16, 2009, 11:06 AM — By nicawaves.com

these look pretty handy

Posted Wed Mar 4, 2009, 12:02 PM — By Kevin

yes, they are small, but the charger is fragile, and sloppy... and AA batteries?? the cool factor fades quickly when you find yourself digging through the couch cushions to get your way to work in the morning. Blackburn, give us something to plug into, something reliable that I don't need to "have in stock." check out the mini newt with USB charge from niterider- now thats a smart idea.

Posted Fri Mar 6, 2009, 7:02 PM — By Marco

Mini Newt ha, that thing is gigantic. Just got the Flea and it's incredible. Brighter than my 2 D cell Maglite and it's the size of a matchbook. Wish it had a click-on handlebar bracket instead of Velcro strap. Agree that some kind of wall adapter or USB charger would be a big improvement. Maybe they'll ship that later as an accessory.

Posted Sun Mar 8, 2009, 8:25 PM — By Frank

Kevin or Marco: How long does it take to charge with the AA or other cell? And do the lights have to be removed everytime to charge? Thanks

Posted Sat Mar28, 2009, 2:30 AM — By Dan

I just charged the front light and it took about 4 hours. I could tell it was low when it started turning itself off after a couple minutes. I could tell it was finished charging when it stopped flashing. I understand that you can charge these lights 30 times from a single D battery so I am counting. The back light probably takes just as long to charge but it doesn't signal to let you know it's charging as far as I can tell. You do have to remove them to charge them but removal is very fast and easy.

Posted Mon Jun22, 2009, 8:12 PM — By Igor

Rear light also flashes when being recharged, funny thing is that all 4 leds in front light blink when charging while only the two on the right side of the rear does.

Posted Mon Jul20, 2009, 5:29 AM — By Chuck

Wait: So, I have to buy (and dispose of) alkaline batteries to charge the rechargeable batteries? Ha! What? No. Really? When I started reading the article I thought that the AA thing was a clever handy backup plan. If that's the only way to charge them, it must be the stupidest thing I've heard of in a long long while.

Posted Tue Jul28, 2009, 6:35 PM — By Dave

Possible to charge from a rechargeable AA or D Ni-MH cell? This would permit recharges daily, then do a major recharge of the larger Ni-MH battery once a month or so.

Posted Tue Jul28, 2009, 9:34 PM — By Jon

Ditto on the rechargable Ni-MH. I have several rechargeable AA batteries that I use for my camera flashes anyway. This works really well and you are not constantly disposing alkaline batteries. I suspect they had this in mind. The lights are incredible small but extremely functional. I highly recommend them.

Posted Sun Aug 2, 2009, 4:10 PM — By joeytwin

A friend of mine gave me this amazing flea lite but she didnt have the charger. Can you please help me aquire a charger , I really need it> joeytwin a fellow cycles.thank you

Posted Wed Aug 5, 2009, 3:46 PM — By Ed

You can charge the Flea lights from *any* 1.5v alkaline or 1.2v rechargeable power source... be it AAA, AA, C or D. I charge mine during office hours so that I always have juice for the trip home. The front white lights definitely require more frequent recharging than the rear I have found, I assume most likely due to the increased power output of the front lights. A USB cable charger option for office nerds like myself would be awesome... saves fumbling for batteries.

Posted Sun Aug 9, 2009, 11:22 AM — By Jack

I have been using the Flea lights for a month now and am very pleased (purchased through a recommendation). I am an early morning biker accustomed to workout rides at 3am. The lights have proven to be effective and easy to use and charge (Note: do not forget to charge after every ride...I experienced lights out one morning). The front light is best used for being seen; an additional light should be added to see the roadway (i.e. you need to be able to spot the occasional animal crossing your path). The addition of a USB port to charge the lights would definitely be a plus but not a reason to overlook the buy. Keep up the good work.

Posted Wed Aug19, 2009, 9:32 PM — By Kevin

I just picked up the front/rear Flea lights today and they did come with a USB charger (no battery to battery option tho) and I attached them to my helmet.

Posted Fri Sep11, 2009, 9:59 PM — By ROGER

I purchased a Flea headlight about a month ago for use as a daylight front visibility light (I use it only in flashing mode). I was very impressed with the brightness and light weight, but....it doesn't meet the specs for run time. I get only 3.25 hrs on flash and it's supposed to get 6. I contacted Blackburn about this and they admitted that it does not meet their listed specs. Since I only run it on flash, I end up having to charge it much more than anticipated to prevent it from going dead mid-ride. The weak feature of this light is that if the light does go dead, you have no option of popping in another battery.

Posted Sun Sep20, 2009, 7:38 PM — By Jon

I have not used my flea lights for several months, and now appear not to take a charge anymore? Has anyone else had this problem?

Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009, 10:21 AM — By Linda

I have purchased two Flear rear USB and having trouble getting to fully charge on a USB port. Any suggestions? I keep going out for a ride thinking they're charged, and they stop flashing after about 10 seconds - it's been maddening!

Posted Thu Nov19, 2009, 12:23 PM — By TheSickness

I grew tired of reading all the whining posts about the charging method for he BlackBurn Flea lights, so if this was mentioned, please excuse me. They make a USB charger AS WELL AS a SOLAR charger for the Flea's - no need to use alkaline disposables or rechargable cells for that matter. Also, some stated that the lights run a continuous 3 hrs/6 hrs on flash....incorrect; they claim to run 6 hrs on low level and obviously more on flash. My only question to the ones complaining would be; if you don't like the charge system, why the h3ll buy them in the first place? They are a GREAT system and CAN be used for train riding (I have 2 mounted on my helmet), in addition to my bar mounted LED set-up....they work GREAT !

Posted Tue Dec 1, 2009, 4:58 PM — By Yuki

Definitely highly recommend these lights. The charging method is quick&easy (mine charges in a little under an hour, it seems), and the lights are BRIGHT. There are undoubtedly brighter lights out there, but given the weight, size, and ease of attaching to the bike (I commute in an area I don't feel comfortable leaving the lights on my bike when locking up for the day), the Flea lights are definitely winners. One minor complaint I have is that the velcro attachment strap is a little flimsy, and has started to show some wear and tear, but I am just careful now to not really yank on it, and it seems to be holding up. A great light for a rider who doesn't want a clunky attachment on their handlebars, or can be used as an emergency backup for other lights.

Posted Thu Dec 3, 2009, 8:10 AM — By patrick

Linda, I'm guessing that you have not taken the lights out of display mode - depress the switch for 1 minute and the device will come out of the mode and you will have access to continuous modes. I think the lights are amazing for their size. The front will only run for 3.5 hrs in flash mode and about 1.5 hrs on high. The silicone strips off the velco strap in about 4 wks of daily commuting - leaving the strap system a frustration.

Posted Thu Dec10, 2009, 11:42 AM — By Ty

Does anyone know, or have the ability to find out, what the voltage is at the point where the USB charger connects to the flea? Based on the minimalist design of the charger, I'm guessing that it provides 5V to the flea, and that the flea "bleeds" off the excess while charging its 1.5V battery. If that's the case, then a USB charger could easily be made from an old USB cable. However, it sure would be nice to know before risking damage to the light.

Posted Thu Dec17, 2009, 4:33 PM — By Benji

did you say....Flux Compacitor?!