# Disgusted with SMART lights



## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Oct 2011)

I am quite disgusted, in fact I'm bordering on angry that such a rip-off product should be sold

Only thing is, I'm disappointed too as the Smart range of lights are, in my experience, the most versatile for mounting on racks, seatposts, trailers, pretty much anywhere which is why I stuck with them this year after some problems with water ingress last year with the smart 1/2 watt

I "upgraded" this year to two 1 watt units. The switch is rubberised instead of the "press the thin bit of casing" affair and there looked to be a substantial seal around the body and the backplate. It looked like the newer ones had addressed the water ingress issue.

I've had these two lights for two weeks - no longer. Pretty much every day I have had them mounted on my trailer - that's behind the wheels away from any upward spray and they've been fine

THE *FIRST TIME *I've mounted the light on my rear rack (using the Smart bracket disigned for such fitting) I have got to work and my light has changed modes and will not switch off - it's not even raining, that is purely from road spray!

Two lights cost about £35 and what bloody use are they? I'm considering raising an issue of "not fit for purpose" - what if I was on a dark country road in the rain and my lights start changing modes into "off" mode without my knowledge?

What other alternatives are there out there for a bright light that will mount to the tubing of my trailer and onto my rack?


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## fossyant (13 Oct 2011)

Mars 3 and 4 are good, RSP Astrum or all killer magicshine 818's. Or Exposure flare.

I've had one superflash that didn't like water - used to stop. So far OK with current two used as backups to the Magicshines.

I have Mars 3 and 4's that are on the MTB - they are very water proof.

That's such a shame with the new 1w - looked promising. Also avoid the Raleigh Dual 1/2 watt - that too looked promising, but it blows the circuits if it gets slightly damp (two dead ones) - unlike the smarts which work once you've shoved it on a radiator.

Try pulling to bits and apply vaseline to the rubber seals/switch


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## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Oct 2011)

fossyant said:


> Mars 3 and 4 are good, RSP Astrum or all killer magicshine 818's. Or Exposure flare.
> 
> I've had one superflash that didn't like water - used to stop. So far OK with current two used as backups to the Magicshines.
> 
> ...



I'm going to try this stuff
http://www.towsure.com/product/Contralube_770_Electrical_Weatherproofer

See if that does any good

Shouldn't have to spend money on lights that are pricey enough as it is and I'll be sending my comments to Smart


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## Manonabike (13 Oct 2011)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> I'm going to try this stuff
> http://www.towsure.c..._Weatherproofer
> 
> See if that does any good
> ...




Interesting option. Would love to know your results


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## mickle (13 Oct 2011)

Smart are perfectly good lights. The eternal problem with certain groups of products is their high 'failure' rates. The only two industries I know anything about: Bathroom and kitchen products have a 15 to 20% returns rate. Bicycle electronics have (in my estimation) a 5 to 10% failure rate. With bike lights and computers any manufacturing faults will become apparent within the first few days or even minutes of use. ie - if it doesn't go to shoot in the first week it probably wont go to shoot at all. And it's the same story with any brand.

The likelyhood of every example of that particular light being faulty is extrememly slim. You just got a bad one in the lottery that is mass-produced inexpensive electronic goods. It's just the nature of the beast. 

Take it back. Try another example. #2 will probably work perfectly well.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Oct 2011)

mickle said:


> Smart are perfectly good lights. The eternal problem with certain groups of products is their high 'failure' rates. The only two industries I know anything about: Bathroom and kitchen products have a 15 to 20% returns rate. Bicycle electronics have (in my estimation) a 5 to 10% failure rate. With bike lights and computers any manufacturing faults will become apparent within the first few days or even minutes of use. ie - if it doesn't go to shoot in the first week it probably wont go to shoot at all. And it's the same story with any brand.
> 
> The likelyhood of every example of that particular light being faulty is extrememly slim. You just got a bad one in the lottery that is mass-produced inexpensive electronic goods. It's just the nature of the beast.
> 
> Take it back. Try another example. #2 will probably work perfectly well.



No, it's not failure rate or a "bad one", it is poor design and water ingress which other models of Smart lights are noted for.

It is working fine now it has dried out

However, it is a product designed for outdoor use on a bicycle and it fails to do what it is designed for

Foolishly I thought the seals on these new ones looked to have addressed the issue. I was wrong


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## upsidedown (13 Oct 2011)

I used to have 2 smart rear lights. One fell off and was run over by a van, the second is now my emergency backup to the Flare. I just don't have the confidence in the 1/2 watt that it will still be going when it gets wet. So far it's always failed safe in the rain, but I'm not willing to take the chance that it might fail to off mode.


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## mickle (13 Oct 2011)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> No, it's not failure rate or a "bad one", it is poor design and water ingress which other models of Smart lights are noted for.
> 
> It is working fine now it has dried out
> 
> ...



Fair do's. I don't know the model to which you are referring, but I've used Smart lights for three or four years without experiencing the types of problem you've had. 

You've bought a poorly designed bicycle lamp. No need to get your panties in a bunch, just return it to the shop and buy a CatEye.


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## lukesdad (13 Oct 2011)

Having had the same problem with a Smart rear I would never buy one again.


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## mickle (13 Oct 2011)

lukesdad said:


> Having had the same problem with a Smart rear I would never buy one again.



I've heard people say the same about CatEye, Vista, etc. But I've never heard anyone saying that they'd never eat another apple because they happened to get a bad one once upon a time.


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## Davidc (13 Oct 2011)

ALWAYS, WITH ALL MAKES AND ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ON A BIKE put a smear of silicone grease round the seal and anywhere else moisture might enter.

The tube I've linked to should last you about 20 years (unfortunately it goes off before it's used up - after about 10 years)

I have dropped a 1w Smart rear light in a puddle on two occasions. It just goes on flashing and works perfectly afterwards. I've never had a problem in any downpour or similar with any Smart rear light and I've been using them since the 1/2 watt superflash came out That's because I put a minute smear of silicone grease on the seal each time I change the battery.

On another thread someone suggested doing the same but using vaseline. Messier but it should work if you want an even cheaper alternative.

Even professional electronic equipment costing 10s of 1000s of £ needs silicone grease on the seals to keep the water out, so what do you expect of bike lights.


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## lukesdad (13 Oct 2011)

mickle said:


> I've heard people say the same about CatEye, Vista, etc. But I've never heard anyone saying that they'd never eat another apple because they happened to get a bad one once upon a time.




You pays your money and you make your choice. Its my money I ll make my own choice thank you.


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## ohnovino (13 Oct 2011)

Another thread on Smart lights (that I can't seem to find) suggested the faults are caused by water coming back up from the rear tyre. If you ride with mudguards you should be able to go through a torrential downpour and the light will be fine; without them a small amount of spray can be enough to cause problems.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Oct 2011)

Davidc said:


> Even professional electronic equipment costing 10s of 1000s of £ needs silicone grease on the seals to keep the water out, so what do you expect of bike lights.



I expect branded, £17-ish units to be better sealed than "MyCycle" branded units (Poundland's cycle accessory brand), and on a unit that has been out a few years in its basic design, for initial design flaws to be adressed in susequent models

At least that was the outlook when I was studying design engineering


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## wiggydiggy (13 Oct 2011)

Smart Lunar 10's, thats what I have and so far fine, like ohnovino says though mine is mounted above my mudguards so spray is minimal.


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## snailracer (13 Oct 2011)

Mounting a light where it gets blasted by road spray sounds unreasonable - even if it didn't leak, the spray and dirt would obscure the light and scatter the beam.


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## subaqua (13 Oct 2011)

Davidc said:


> *ALWAYS, WITH ALL MAKES AND ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ON A BIKE put a smear of **silicone grease** round the seal and anywhere else moisture might enter.
> *
> The tube I've linked to should last you about 20 years (unfortunately it goes off before it's used up - after about 10 years)
> 
> ...




and never ever ever use petroleum jelly as it will rot rubber very quickly


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## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Oct 2011)

snailracer said:


> Mounting a light where it gets blasted by road spray sounds unreasonable - even if it didn't leak, the spray and dirt would obscure the light and scatter the beam.



Point being that the poundland ones which I use as backups/supplementary aren't affected by the same type of relatively small amount of road spray as there was this morning

As for mounting....with a laden rear rack (2 panniers and top bag) there is little option of mounts other than the official smart brackets produced for mounting the smart lights on the end of a rear pannier rack


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## Sittingduck (13 Oct 2011)

I have a cheap Smart rear light on my commuter. Sure enough after a few days and the first wet ride, the light started behaving very oddly. Unable to turn on/off or cycle through flash modes correctly. After a fair while it seemed to go back to normal and I have found evidence of water / rust inside, by the switch. It does work ok at the moment but freaks out every now and then. Pretty dissapointing stuff and I will be sticking with Cateye or Blackburn in the future.


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## wiggydiggy (13 Oct 2011)

Could the fact the button for the Smart rear lights is on the bottom? And more likely to get water penetration than one on top?


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## Sittingduck (13 Oct 2011)

I dunno, rain comes down from the sky but spray comes up from the road... go figure


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## HLaB (13 Oct 2011)

When I use my SMART on the road bike (its clipped to the back of the saddle bag it fails quite often but it fails to on solid (rather than flashing) and I can't switch it off so I don't worry about it. Even my Mars 4 has done similar but it has to be really wet for it to fail, the Smart will just fail from the surface spray. On my town bike with mud guards and the lights seatpost mounted to my knowledge have never failed.


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## fossyant (13 Oct 2011)

With the Smart Superflash, it's weakness is the microswitch - slightest bit of moisture it stops functioning until batteries are out and the unit dried out. I would spray the microswitch with WD or similar, this cured one unit's problem I had.

I've had problems with fibre flares - their weakness is the micro switch - and moisture and if starts to fail - mine corroded over a few months - back to Wiggle they went.

Go for a full dry out and then make sure you use some silicon or similar on the seals.


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## potsy (13 Oct 2011)

I have 2 Smart's, a 1/2 Watt and an R2, never had a problem with either of them and it does rain a fair bit in Manchester. I have one mounted on the seatstay and one on the rear rack bag, have never put any kind of sealant on them.

I do agree though that one bad experience with a certain product/manufacturer and I will steer clear in future, my own funnily enoughis Cat-eye


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## cyberknight (13 Oct 2011)

My smart r1 used to fail in the wet and the cold, the replacement r2 has had a drenching and carried on working fine.

The brackets not holding the light tight enough i solved by gluing a piece of normal paper inside the bracket to make the gap the slightest bit smaller and now they are snug and i have never had a light fall off.


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## SavageHoutkop (13 Oct 2011)

potsy said:


> I have 2 Smart's, a 1/2 Watt and an R2, never had a problem with either of them and it does rain a fair bit in Manchester. I have one mounted on the seatstay and one on the rear rack bag, have never put any kind of sealant on them.



Another wet weather Manc here and my 1/2 watt is fine (2 years in!) - never had a problem. However I do have a Bromtpon with mudguards and it's mounted pretty high up under my saddle so guess it's protected from most water?


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## dellzeqq (13 Oct 2011)

I'm afraid that once you've bought a light a couple of times and they've failed, you never go back. I'll never buy another Smart light again.


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## wiggydiggy (13 Oct 2011)

No so smart then are they lol


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## Sheffield_Tiger (13 Oct 2011)

wiggydiggy said:


> No so smart then are they lol



Shame that when they are working they are bright, visible, come with a range of brackets - in fact I have loads of brackets for multiple lights on multiple bikes, trailer, trike etc, which is why after pontificating I bought the Smart

I think I'm going to go with some magicshine rears now they are back in at DX

However, I've put some of the Contralube in the microswitch (generous application but in terms of the contents of the tube hardly used any), I'm going to run both on the rack mount side-by-side, one with contralube, one without, and compare

I'm hoping that it negates the need to put sealant on every time I change/recharge the batteries (which is regularly)


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## Davidc (16 Oct 2011)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Shame that when they are working they are bright, visible, come with a range of brackets - in fact I have loads of brackets for multiple lights on multiple bikes, trailer, trike etc, which is why after pontificating I bought the Smart
> 
> I think I'm going to go with some magicshine rears now they are back in at DX
> 
> ...



Not sealant, just the slightest smear of grease. As I said a 5ml tube should last the 5 years shelf life if you recharge all your lights once a week in winter 2 in summer.

I don't use magicshine, but a friend does and recons they're just as bad as Smarts without silicone grease on all the joints, so worth getting some for those as well, though some on here don't agree.


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## Zoiders (16 Oct 2011)

I have yet to find a brand that hasn't suffered from this, Cateyes do it as well.

I always double up on rear lighting with a spare carried off the bike in the courier bag - two is one, one is none.


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## Davidc (16 Oct 2011)

Zoiders said:


> I have yet to find a brand that hasn't suffered from this, Cateyes do it as well.
> 
> I always double up on rear lighting with a spare carried off the bike in the courier bag - two is one, one is none.



I have yet to find any electrical or electronic kit for bikes that's waterproof without using water repellant grease

After dark I always try to have 2 battery and one dynamo going at the back (one flashing), to allow for not being able to see them all thetime. It's probably overkill in these days of LEDs with long lives but I started doing it in the dsys of incandescent bulbs.

Like you I also usually carry a spare complete light as well.

Paranoia perhaps but I'm not inclined to being squashed for the lack of a few quids worth of lighting.


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## Svendo (16 Oct 2011)

Fwiw my smart polaris superflash failed quockly due to water, presumably into the electronics. It did at least fail to constant rather than off. Stillgot it so could see if it's still kerput.


On the other hand the (now discontinued for a 1watt version) smart lunar 1/2 watt soldiers on on the seat post of my mudguarded commuter.


But most impressive is the RSP Astrum on the seat stay above the brake of the road bike without mudguards, fully exposed to the spray of all the wet rides I've done recently, from damp to torrential! It also has an alternate flash mode with the two LEDs, so you get a combination of flashing and constant in one light. Others mileage has varied, e.g. this review on Road.cc.


I'm thinking of adding a Smart Lunar R1 Rear Light to the road bike as the nights draw in and I'll be doing dark rides more often. It backs up the other light as well as itself with the low powered leds only mode. I'll get some silicone grease for the seal though.


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## gbb (16 Oct 2011)

Just my twopenneth..
Buying moderately priced rear LED lights...they've all failed after a couple of years or so, 1x Smart, 2 or 3 Cateyes, 1x Zefal, cheap ones, some i tape up to protect them somewhat....they've all failed. 
First sign is having to dry them out, it works for a while, but they'll go anyway.


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## Sleeper (16 Oct 2011)

Put cling film over it!!


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## yello (17 Oct 2011)

Cheers for the silicon grease tip Davidc 

My Smart 1/2 watt is maybe 5 years old and normally an excellent light but does suffer from the water ingress problem (my only light that does btw). It died on me during PBP too, which was rather disappointing. But, like others, I always have a couple of LEDs at the rear plus a spare.

I have been in the habit of putting electrical tape around the seals but it's obviously insufficient. I'll give silicon grease a go.

Edit: when the smart fails, I just let it dry out naturally... it's 'right as rain' after a couple of days


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## JDP (3 Nov 2011)

Davidc said:


> ALWAYS, WITH ALL MAKES AND ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ON A BIKE put a smear of silicone grease round the seal and anywhere else moisture might enter.



Will lithium grease do insetad of silicone grease? I have some of tha tin the shed and I'm going to to start using my Smart lights soon.


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## Svendo (26 Nov 2011)

Svendo said:


> I'm thinking of adding a Smart Lunar R1 Rear Light to the road bike as the nights draw in and I'll be doing dark rides more often. It backs up the other light as well as itself with the low powered leds only mode. I'll get some silicone grease for the seal though.



Thought I'd bump this thread as today the R2 in ended up getting from Planet X got a right drenching...

...and defaulted to half on (first setting, top LED on constant). Grrrr. I'd not greased the seals or the microswitch, so having read this and other threads I should know better. Drying out now in a tub of rice in the airing cupboard, so we'll see how it goes, otherwise it'll be back to Planet X with it. It was on the seat stay below the top of the wheel so I'd hoped ot wouldn't get too much spray off the wheel. Ha!

I did have a look at the old 1/2 watt smart polaris I've got. It switches on and through it's functions correctly, nut I found it has a current drain and one of the batteries drains even when it is off. Hey ho, means I have a spare bracket at least!

And to reiterate my earlier, the RSP astrum 2x 1/2 watt rear is still going strong, on the seat stay directly in the rear wheel spay.


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## Svendo (27 Nov 2011)

Following from the above, The light has dried out and now works properly again. As far as I can tell unlike the other smart that died (polaris 1/2 watt rear, kidney bean shaped one) it doesn't seem to be draining the batteries when off. I've got as much grease as I can (Finish Line teflon while I await my silicone grease I ordered) in the rubber switch cover and the main seal. Hopefully it is now proofed. I'm going to try mounting it the other way up (switch on top) this time, it clicks into the back body either way up. Probably be ages now until I do another drenched ride, so you can all thank me for the forthcoming dry weather!


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## chugsy (27 Nov 2011)

My 1/2W Superflash used to turn itself off in cold and damp too - in the end I snipped the plastic that covers the micro switch away and wrapped a slice of inner tube around the body of the light to waterproof it. It's never turned off since. Yeah, I wasn't too chuffed about riding 10 miles home in the dark with nothing but the blinky on my helmet but I wasn't going to sling it in the bin without a fight! Try it - you've nothing to lose have you?


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## jonathanw (27 Nov 2011)

fossyant said:


> Mars 3 and 4 are good, RSP Astrum or all killer magicshine 818's. Or Exposure flare.
> 
> I've had one superflash that didn't like water - used to stop. So far OK with current two used as backups to the Magicshines.
> 
> ...


 

+1 to Blacburn Mars 4

I have two, rack mounted on my commuter. One solid, one flashing. They are very bright and waterproof and the rack mount is solid. They can be seat post mounted or clipped to a belt or saddle bag.

Very good value too


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## Banjo (27 Nov 2011)

longest lasting lights I have is a cheap pair from Wilkinsons a few years ago. On the commuter and the road bike, both out in all weathers as back up to a much more expensive but no better set of cat eyes.


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## Mugshot (3 Dec 2011)

I  my Smart lights. We've had some atrocious weather here in the past couple of months torrential rain, howling winds and flooding. Both lights are still working as they did when they came out of the box, they're out in the elements 6 days a week, twice a day. I have got a little paranoid after reading this thread so put a bit of tape round the rear light a couple of days ago, but I'm not convinced it was necessary.


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## Svendo (3 Dec 2011)

I have acquired some silicone grease as recommened by Davidc, and applied to all my lights. The Lunar R2 I also removed the rubber switch cover and greased the recess and refitted. On the practice run it took two goes to get it sitting correctly over the actual switch so it worked easily, but after greasing it went back on first time. The Superflash 1 watt has a much better cover, part of the main seal and glued around all but one edge. I will report back after some wet rides.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (3 Jan 2012)

What a great test today was. Lashing rain/sleet, water thrown up all over.

The Contralube is magic! Its not as messy as sealant, and I've changed batteries numerous times in the light that had trreatment

Today, even on the trailer so well behind the majority of self-inflicted spray, the one light that was contralubed was unaffected. The one without the treatment had switched modes and was "locked" onto the mode, switch ineffectual

Oh and...the poundland light above the rear wheel catching all the spray was still unaffected...that is my gripe, if poundland can seal a crappy light then Smart should be able to do better!

Tomorrow's job - contralube all lights


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## Tynan (3 Jan 2012)

broadly speaking the more you pay the better you get but it's a harsh environment, I find out even good quality lights go in the end due to the mount wearing from vibration and constant removal and mounting of the light

I lost a astrum front light I was very happy with after over a year and even my very expensive maxxlight I've had for three years plus came very very close to disappearing after what looked to be a bombproof solid metal mounting gradually wore

there's no excuse for a light not to be waterproof, not fit for purpose


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