Taz 1200 Black Raven

This is a quality light. There are 3 LEDs: 2 are for far beams and 1 to light the ground in front of you with a wide beam. The light pattern spreads the light over a large area; not just in front of you but also to the sides, which is ideal for staying visible to others. This is the main strength of this light, not just that it is bright but that the light goes where it is most useful. The beam pattern isn't as nice as the Seca 2000, but that light is much more expensive. If you want 1 light for you handlebars, this is it, though it is too big and heavy to mount on a helmet. The mount has been perfect for me, but I mount it over the soft padding on my handle bars. If you want to mount on metal, there are some adhesive pads included to provide more friction to keep it from slipping. The mount is very easy to use; I take it on and off every day with no issues. The Taz 1200 does have some electrical interference at the higher settings that messes with my wireless trip computer.

This is a very bright light, but it has the worst mounting system. It does not stay engaged in the mount, the slightest jostling & it falls out of the mount. Defeats the point of having a bike mounted light. A very bright light on the ground does nobody any good. Update:March 26, 2013 I returned the original light due to a problem with the light mount. I am pleased to say that Light & Motion support was very helpful & provided a warranty replacement very quickly. I can highly recommend this light now that the mounting issue was satisfactorily remedied.

I just received the new Taz 1200 and all I say is WOW that's the best bike light I've ever owned! I took the light out on some very technical single track trails with my fatbike in Anchorage, Alaska in the dead of winter to see how it performed. I had my Light and Motion Urban 650 on my head for the downhill sections just in case I needed. Shockingly, my headlight stayed off the entire ride and the taz 1200 blazed the way. When you turn it on high it doesn't seem overly bright and it defiantly is not a piercing long tunnel light as many bike lights are. What's left is a perfect light for covering all around your bike at any speeds with no fear of obstacles or wildlife to get in your way. What you are left with is the perfect bike light for commuting, riding technical single track at night and whatever you throw at it. I can't speak to the longevity of the light because I just got it but am VERY impressed with it so far. Also something to note. The light really isn't THAT heavy and stays in place just fine. It comes with 4 spongy tape stickers for your bike to mount on various different bikes to keep the light from moving around. Then swivel the light to a 45 degree angle either right or left and crank down the rubber strap, then turn the light back forward and adjust and voila, your'e all set. On my very bumpy single track ride I encountered zero light shift as I was fearing so I think the other folks that complain about this light aren't using the included sticker tape and/or not cranking down hard enough on the rubber strap. Hope this helps. I love my new light. ******UPDATE***** OK, now that I've owned the Light for a few weeks I figured I would adjust my review a bit. I still love the light and would purchase it again as it is the brightest light that I can find without an external battery pack. That being said, it IS top heavy and if you are riding down EXTREMELY bumpy roads at high speeds your light will move around on you. I was commuting to work last week and came across a frozen wash board section going around 25 MPH. Needless to say it almost shook me off my bike and I noticed a bit of slippage on the light after that section. Normally I never ride something THAT bumpy but it is something to be aware of. I will still take my Taz 1200 on single track mountain bike trails with ease but be aware if you are riding on extremely bumpy logging roads at high speeds or a wash-boarded paved road you might be better served looking for a different light. If not, buy it today with no regrets and enjoy.

My first ride with this light was a mixed blessing. Turning on the light was akin to being in a stadium. The beam throw is great, both distance and width. There are five settings: High, Med, Low, Pulse and Flash. Even the low setting was brighter than my old Stella. Excited, I rolled out for my night mountain bike ride. The problem came when I started going down some rough trail and to my surprise, the light came off the mount and tumbled down ahead of me, leaving me blindly riding by feel. Fortunately I knew the trail well. The issue is that the light mounts onto the bar with a connector that is round and slots into a shallow hole in the mount. While this is handy for adjusting the beam horizontally, there is no latch on it that stops it from being bounced out of the mount. After taping it with the electrical tape I carry for just such an occasion I was happily pounding the trail again. So, great light, but terrible mount that likely won't even survive a bumpy road ride, let alone an off-road run.

...and expensive, yeah. But it's *very* bright, with a wide and even beam, and you can't beat the convenience of a one-piece USB-charging light. The rubber strap is the weakest part in the design -- I would have preferred a clamp-style mount, with the strap you have to fiddle to get it on. It's a nuisance but not a big one. The light easily lasts for an hour on full power, and charges in a few hours on any phone charger (faster on a tablet charger).

I guess the light is pretty good when it works. But I've owned 3 of these lights and 2 have failed in the same way - they no longer take a charge. One failed after a month. I got it replaced and it failed in 4 months. Also, I don't think the value is that great; I bought these lights when they cost $100 and even then it was marginally worthwhile. Once the price went up to $200 the value became absurdly poor.

Holy cow, this light is amazing! The beam pattern and field of view is insane. By far the best all in one self contained light on the market. No external battery pack was a big deciding factor for me. I still can't believe how bright the light is I saw moths coming toward the light then when they got like 10 feet away they turned and went the other direction never seen that before! I got a light and bug repellent all in one :)