Zanflare B3 Teaser ( Bike Light )

You doesn’t need to be a member to read posts here, right? So it is not that important how many cyclist are members, but how many people can came across it. Of course it is up to Zanflare to decide how to do business. Not saying I agree with all, but here we are.

its not a thrower - the camera lies … The B3 is mostly flood …
The action cam highlights the brightest part and diminishes the rest making the B3 look like a thrower …

You should see how the F1 looks ( like a search light ) … Thats why I will be using a Car Dash Camera on the bike …
So tomorrow I will be mounting the B3 , a dash cam , and a action cam to the bike helmet .

  • More video …

All day I have been thinking of things to check on , make sure I have not left anything out , just 5 minutes ago I remembered something I had to check …
I was going to do it earlier but the XT60 solder problem put a halt to it ( Had to fix the XT60 coupler )
As for blinding people , just point the light down . I see bikes out there and their blinky modes are plenty bright , I dont think the B3 is any worse .

a floodish bike light isn;t going to blind drivers

i don;t know of any bike light (but i don’t study the $250 ones) that have car-like optics to cut the top of the beam off
{seems like the old HID ones may have done that, but they cost $400}

wle

Sounds like you will get some information soon! Thanks for your work. This light for some reason has really got my interest. The guys at MTBR are really doing great as well.

Its new , it’s here , it’s controversial …
And it is a light , ok not a flashlight ! But certainly interesting .
It’s 11.51 PM … This is my last post for the 23 - August … Goodnight everyone !

old4570 - take it apart and inspect for waterproofness, i had a thorfire light that had no gasket in the front, no way it was waterproof
could have been QC issue rather than design
but still
take it apart!
look for gaskets and seals
it;s hard to seal around the cable, too, look for that!

i won;t buy one of these, i have 2 lights that are working well now
one is the thorfire, though it gets way too hot
the other is a $25 amazon special

thx
wle

Yeah , I was wondering about the cable …
A tear down was not really in the plan unless I kill the light …
I want to get the basic review done , more video … The bike ride … ( video )
And then I want to test the water resistance , I have a test in mind …
But that will come last … If the light dies - then I will dissect it …

Water proof - see - I would go the way of divers in regards to that …
If you know your going to get it wet - prep it for such .
I dont know of any diver that does not PREP his diving torch .
So trusting the manufacturer is ? , yeah ! ( As I said , I have what a test in mind that should be fair and reasonable )

Tear down pictures posted on MTBR forum ….

UPDATE !

Houston - We have a problem !

I don’t own a bike - my brother on the other hand has two …
So anyhow there I was mounting cams , checking things were ok , and with everything my end sorted …
Well I had to pump up the tires , problem …. As quickly as I put air in the tires - said air leaked out !
Looks like the tubes are shot !

Now the second bike is a rather expensive electric assist that my brother dotes over !
First thing I did was to try and put air in the tires , yeah ! Leaks as quickly as it goes in … Tubes are shot …

So no bike !

I really wanted footage from a dash camera and action cam , so here is my solution .
The Viofo A118c has been attached to the B3 VIA some action cam accessories , I will have that dash cam footage ( dash cams perform better at night than action cams )
I am really disappointed …
A friend of mine has a bike , and he lives near a park , so I may be able to get that bike footage - but it wont happen tonight ( it could - maybe ) I will call him and see …

The best laid plans of mice and men !

Hmmm.

Could maybe just hold it in your hand and… you know… run?

The GACIRON Professional 1600 Lumens Bicycle Light states that they have a car like optic to focus the light down and further out.
Yes I bought one with my own money, it has not arrived yet.
Its also stated as very IPx yada yada water resistant.

Regarding this light:

Excellent photos, Now I know how this looks!
Nice fins (I bet that’s Mountain bikes guys idea)

A glimmer of hope …

Looks like the Electric assist might hold air … Its 1.30pm , fingers crossed …

I like the bike more :smiley:

Fingers crossed on the weather !
Just going to pop outside and see how those tires are going …
If they are ok , I will cam the bike .

The bike is ready to go :
The cam looks to be ready to go …

30 minutes ago it rained , but the sun is out again … ( Typical Melbourne weather )

Watch out! You are driving on the wrong side of the road :wink: :innocent:

Looking forward to see your video.

A floodish beam can actually be worse at interfering with oncoming drivers vision depending on the light output. Wide angle symmetrical beams may have diminished intensity because of the increased area coverage but are impossible to aim out of oncoming drivers eyes so with a high powered light like the B3 higher settings will not be traffic friendly. While it's true that automotive tech. has not been applied to cycling lights in great numbers (Phillips Saferide only one I have seen) there are a few new lights out there that have shaped beams that closely emulate true cut-off beams. I did a review on MTBR of a Amazon light (Rokkes BLF01) that worked very well and was only $19.

Does the light use standard 20mm TIR lenses? If so, you can swap them for elliptical-beam TIRs, eg,

to get a wider left/right spread but narrower up/down spread.

With 3 LEDs to play with, you can install elliptical-beam TIRs on one or more of them, and select the beam(s) you want on-the-fly.

It would have been smart if Zanflare designed the B3 with the 20mm standard (an MTBR requested spec.) but unfortunately they chose a smaller diameter very shallow OP reflector. It may be possible to grind down a elliptical reflector cover as a replacement for the stock cover. Not sure what kind of beam you'd end up with since the stock reflector is very floody but should at least improve the excessive top spill some.

Hmm, so no way to shoehorn one in there, I imagine…

Review !