Bicycles

Carbon fiber bike light powers up with a magnetic mount

Carbon fiber bike light powers up with a magnetic mount
The Luislight L300 is presently on Kickstarter
The Luislight L300 is presently on Kickstarter
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The Luislight L300 is presently on Kickstarter
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The Luislight L300 is presently on Kickstarter
A special edition of the Luislight L300 comes with a GoPro-compatible mount
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A special edition of the Luislight L300 comes with a GoPro-compatible mount
The Luislight L300 is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, reportedly tipping the scales at 102 grams (3.6 oz)
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The Luislight L300 is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, reportedly tipping the scales at 102 grams (3.6 oz)
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It was just last week that we heard about the Otto, a simple-to-use bike tail light with some "smart" features. Well, the unrelated Luislight L300 could be considered the Otto's headlight equivalent.

Created by German entrepreneurs Luis Marx and Leo Bruch, the L300 features a cylindrical carbon fiber body that quickly and easily pops on and off of an included magnetic handlebar mount. The light automatically powers up as soon as it's placed on the mount, and powers down upon being taken off.

Because the mount is equipped with six neodymium magnets, the headlight should stay attached even when going over rough roads. That said, if it's accidentally knocked off, an integrated accelerometer will detect the fall and cause it to start flashing, making it easier to find.

A special edition of the Luislight L300 comes with a GoPro-compatible mount
A special edition of the Luislight L300 comes with a GoPro-compatible mount

Keeping things simple, the L300 features just two output modes – High and Low – which are selected using a switch on the back. In High, it puts out 300 lumens for a claimed 4.5 hours per USB charge of its lithium-ion battery. The runtime climbs to nine hours while the output drops to 200 lumens in Low mode.

The headlight itself is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, reportedly tipping the scales at 102 grams (3.6 oz).

Should you be interested, the Luislight L300 is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of €69 (about US$83) will get you one. The planned retail price is €79 ($95).

It's demonstrated in the video below.

Sources: Kickstarter, Luislights

Luislight L300 Kickstarter Video

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3 comments
3 comments
jeff565
It would be a great feature if it had a switch to work as a regular flashlight when not connected to the magnetic connector on the handlebars.
Rustgecko
Instead of all this technology to find a light if dropped, why not just make it yellow in colour? The magnets are a good idea, but for $60-80 there's a lot better lights to be had.
ljaques
Um, what happens on a dark night, haulin' A down a trail where you catch air? The flashlight decides to heed the accelerometer and go black until it starts flashing. Good luck stopping the nice way.

I have a 1000 lumen light for my bike which cost $7, with charger and 18650 lithium battery. The hood adjusts the focus. I'm good.