Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Lights - front
Nite Ize Twist Lit front/rear LED lightNiteIze Twist Lit rear

Nite Ize Twist Lit front/rear LED light

8
by dave atkinson
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Mar 9, 2012

0
£9.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Well made, simple to fit and versatile emergency lights
Weight: 
27g
Contact: 
www.whitbyandco.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

If you're familiar with Cateye's excellent Loop Light then these lights from Nite Ize will look pretty familiar. Nite Ize make the Loop light for Cateye, and this is their version, which is a bit different and just as good.

It uses almost the same internals – a single LED mounted atop two 2106 button cells, where the Cateye uses 2032s – and a very similar enclosure, a two part affair made from translucent plastic. It keeps the weather off the circuits with no fuss and the see-through material gives great peripheral visibility. To operate it you simply press the casing once for steady beam and twice for flashing.

The mounting system is different though. Where the Cateye uses an elastic cord, the Nite Ize has two rubber coated wires which you can twist together to secure the light on, well, pretty much anything. We've had them attached to frames, bars, racks, helmets, saddle rails... it's super simple to get the lights on and off and there's few limits to where they'll go. Once attached they stay put, with the rubberised wires gripping whatever they're twisted onto in vice-like fashion. The two button cells are good for a couple of months of intermittent use and cheap to replace when they do finally die.

The output is very much being seen rather than seeing by, but around town they're bright enough to get you noticed on lit streets and the wide angle of vision means they're ideal for urban riding. As emergency lights go, they're up there with the Loop lights in the top tier.

Verdict

Well made, simple to fit and versatile emergency lights

road.cc test report

Make and model: Nite Ize Twist Lit front/rear LED light

Size tested: Red/White

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

With a quick turn of the wrist, the versatile, visible Nite Ize TwistLit attaches to anything on wheels, making it easy to spot in every kind of light. Features a long-lasting LED module (one white, one red, to universally signal front and rear wheels) that is encased in specially formed housings, with curved backs that rest snugly against the round surfaces on your bike or scooter. Grooves on each side hold sturdy, flexible rubber Gear Ties in place''with ends to wrap through, over, around, or under the front and rear of bicycle handle bars, seat posts or racks of nearly any size. Twist closed, and you're done. The bright, long-lasting, battery-powered LED is activated with a simple push of a button--white in front illuminates your path and tells people you're heading their way, red clearly marks the rear wheel and signals your orientation to other commuters. Endlessly versatile, secure, and easy to reposition, the TwistLit is perfect for bikes, scooters and jogging strollers as well.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Available in Red and White LED Colors

Glow and Flash Modes

Weather resistant

Battery Life: 20 hours Glow / 25 Hours Flash

Includes easily replaceable batteries - 2x CR2016 Lithium

Easy to attach and detach - no tools required!

Includes two 7" Gear Ties to easily grip to nearly any bike surface.

Gear Tie Technology - Tough rubber shell provides excellent grip anywhere on your bicycle, but won't scratch or mark.

Gear Tie Technology - Strong internal wire that holds its shape.

Gear Tie Technology - Quick and easy to securely attach and detach.

Gear Tie Technology - UV resistant – will not be damaged by extended sun exposure.

Weight: 1 oz

Dimensions: 7" x 2.5" x 1"

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 190cm  Weight: 98kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with SRAM Apex

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

 

Nite Ize Twist Lit front/rear LED light
Nite Ize
LED commuter light
Dave Atkinson

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

Latest Comments