# Tail Light Review: Light & Motion Vis 180 Micro



## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

I picked up a Light & Motion Vis 180 Micro a couple months ago and with a few months of use I have to say that I'm pretty happy with it. My typical light set up is a Schmidt Edelux (bars) and a L & M Sol Lite 150 (helmet) for the front. For the rear I use a Planet Bike Turboflash (rack) and Vis 180 Mirco (bag). I commute 4-5 days a week plus errands mostly in an urban environment. At least one ride a day is in the dark.

*Pros:*

It's bright, subjectively I'd say it's brighter than my Planet Bike Turbo Flash. It also has yellow leds that face sideways improving side visibility significantly, this is a nice plus in my book. The flash pattern is steadier than the Planet Bike "pop, pop, POP" pattern, but plenty noticeable.

I use the light clipped onto the bag strap and love its clip mechanism for that. It actually locks around a strap rather then just slip on like most lights. No way this is going to come off by accident, which is a big plus.

I also use a Sol Lite 150 as my helmet light. Having two Light & Motion lights means two charging cables. I keep one at work and one at home. It's a little thing, but useful to me. The cables are USB, but not the same as the ones Night Rider or Cygolite uses.

*Cons:* 

The run time on the light isn't as good as a Planet Bike Superflash or Turboflash, but this may just be the cost of it being brighter. It claims a 6 hour run time on high and that seems like a decent ballpark figure. 

In "steady" mode the yellow LED's still flash. This is OK for my general use, but not so great of a feature when riding in groups if you want the light to just be solid. Something worth knowing about going in.

*Conclusion: *

Would I make this purchase again? Yes, I would. This is a bright and well thought out rechargeable light. I like the side visibility and really like how it clips to bags. I like having a tail light that has internal rechargeable batteries. It's ~$20 more than a lot of taillights, but I think it's a solid value.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Thanks for the review, I was considering the VIS 180 by itself not with the headlight and not the micro version, after seeing a beam comparison.

Keep in mind when you first use a rechargeable battery system it is highly recommended, for max run times, that you first fully charge it for 24 hours, then use it to exhaustion, then fully recharge till the charger light is done 24 hours is no longer needed, etc for 3 complete cycles. After that you only have to do a full discharge and recharge once every 3 months or so. Phillips told me to do that with a light I got from them, something about the batteries need that full cycle to get them to be able to run longer.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Light & Motion sent me a free Vis 180 due to a warranty issue with my Urban 500 headlight, which they fixed. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to mount it on my bike because it is designed to attach to seatposts and wouldn't securely attach to my seatbag. So I sold it on eBay. However, for not much more money, the Dinotte 140 absolutely blows away the Vis 180 or any other taillight I have seen. The Dinotte is also difficult to mount, but I figured out a solution. It's only drawback is the separate battery case, but Dinotte also has a 300 model that will mount more conventionally and has an internal rechargeable lithium battery. It is expensive at $200 but certainly one of the brightest options available.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

The problem with tail light manufactures is that the technology is there to make a really bright tail light for little money and they won't do it. If headlights can put out 300 to 400 lumens for less then $75 then they can make a tail light do the same thing for the same price. 

Why couldn't someone take a 350 lumen Cygolite ExpiliOn for $75, then get some red tail light tape and cut it to fit over the lens without overlap, and tape it over the lens and use that! I happen to have one of those lights so in the next few days I'm going to try that. And if the first layer of tape doesn't make it red enough I can put on a second layer. 

I just think the prices and the light output of these tail lights is a joke, almost an insult, look we can make a 350 lumen headlight for $75 but a 80 lumen tail light will cost you $200. Give me a break!!


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

I'm guessing more bright, affordable tail lights will be on the way if this batch is successful. It seems like rechargeable tail lights just lag a few years behind. Also, it's probably hard to compete against a $25 light like a PB Superflash that gets the job done pretty well. Still, if you can make a $60 200 lumen front, why not a similarly priced rear?


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

My point is Scott B is that right now the industry is ripping us off on tail lights. So after I wrote my little post about taking some red auto reflector tape and cutting it fit I went down to AutoZone and bought a roll. I then used a compass to get the correct diameter and of the lens so I could make a accurate size replica out of the red tape. I cut the circle pattern leaving a small tap in case I ever want to rip the tape off, and placed it on the Cygolite ExpiliOn and turned it on my darkened basement. It didn't work quite right, the red plastic tape allowed to much light through and made the light appear to be kind of a bright pale violet, so I cut another circle out of the plastic tape and placed it over the first and turned on the light. Still not red enough, so I cut a third piece and put it on.

Success!! The Cygolite ExpiliOn now looks like a tail light...a very bright red tail light even without the light being on the boost mode. It also casts a bright red beam onto the pavement behind me as well. I was debating about getting the Light & Motion VIS 180, but after my red tape stunt I won't be doing that, plus I saved $80!! The tape cost me $1.99! and I have a bunch left over. The things I come up with when I'm bored.


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## logbiter (Sep 14, 2005)

I just paired up a Gemini Titan (similar to a magicshine 808) with a red wide angle lens for a bright (~700 lumen) rear light. Cost with the Gemini Titan = ~$90, could've done it for ~$55 with a cheapo ebay/amazon T6 XML light, but wanted a light from a company in the US with a warranty & good customer service.
I'm using a slightly modified marwi mount (from this guy) to mount it under the seat on the rails, although I still need to figure out a bracket to mount it on the trail-a-bike.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

froze said:


> Success!! The Cygolite ExpiliOn now looks like a tail light...a very bright red tail light even without the light being on the boost mode. It also casts a bright red beam onto the pavement behind me as well. I was debating about getting the Light & Motion VIS 180, but after my red tape stunt I won't be doing that, plus I saved $80!! The tape cost me $1.99! and I have a bunch left over. The things I come up with when I'm bored.


Nicely done light hack. How are you going to mount it? I can imagine a few options based on the bracket.


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## froze (Sep 15, 2002)

Scott B said:


> Nicely done light hack. How are you going to mount it? I can imagine a few options based on the bracket.


I simply mounted it to my seat post just like my old Mars 4 was, difference is it sets off to the side instead of in the center. The ExpiliOn is round shape so it doesn't matter which direction the the bracket mounts. It also was able to mount onto the seat tube...but I have steel bikes instead of AL, or CF frames with odd shaped tubes and too large of tubes so that probably wouldn't be an option for most of you, and some may even have those odd shape CF seat post too which obvious that wouldn't work either.

I think could also mount to a helmet with zip ties if one wanted to, I mounted a Cateye LD600 that wasn't intended to be mounted on a helmet so I can't see why the ExpiliOn couldn't do that? The Cateye was a bit jerry rigged but once I did it it works great.


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