Magicshine’s Seemee lineup of bike lights offer a wide range of options from budget friendly be-seen lights to innovative dual-beam style taillights. The new Magicshine Seemee 150 is one of the latest additions to the Seemee lineup and is available as both a $69.99 light set like we have here or a $39.99 taillight only option. As the name implies, the Seemee 150 lights each have 150 lumen maximum output and 260 degree visibility which is more than bright enough for daytime riding. The Seemee 150 lights are also smart lights and have integrated motion and ambient light sensors to allow the lights to automatically switch between day and night time output modes as well as detect braking. Despite their small size, the taillight has a runtime of up to 44 hours while the front light is capable of 31.6 hours.
The Magicshine Seemee 150 light set is a smart front and rear light combination with an eye catching COB LED design and integrated motion and ambient light sensors..
| Retail Price | $69.99 ($39.99 for taillight) |
| Rating | 9.2/10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 24 (headlight) / 26 (taillight) / 12 (handlebar mount) / 6 (saddle mount) |
| Likes | + Compact size + Smart mode automatically switches between day and night settings + Multi-level battery status indicator |
| Dislikes | – Micro USB port – Front mount orients power button to side – Brake sensor can lead to erratic runtimes |
| Where to Buy (US) | Magicshine 15% OFF coupon code: “TheSweetCyclists” |
UNBOXING
We received an early look at the lights which is why we can’t confirm what the production packaging will look like. It’s a safe bet it’ll be consistent with the other Magicshine Seemee taillights and have black/orange cardboard box. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Seemee 150 headlight + taillight
- Handlebar mount
- Seatpost mount
- 2x Micro USB charging cables
- 2x User manuals
- Saddle mount
- 4x zip ties
Although the taillight and headlight are nearly identical visually when the lights are off, the yellow backing of the headlight COB LED is an easy way to tell them apart.
MOUNTING
Both the taillight and headlight use a miniaturized Garmin quarter turn style mount. It has a smaller diameter than traditional Garmin style mounts to match the smaller size of the light but uses the familiar two protruding tab design. Magicshine includes a simple rubber strap style handlebar and seat post mount. The mounts are identical except for the rubber spacers on the rear which has an angular offset to account for angled seat posts. As with other Magicshine products, the seat post mount can be used on both round and aero seat posts thanks to a simple circular cutout in the center of the mount. Magicshine also includes a simple plastic saddle mount that is shared with other Seemee taillights and clips onto your rails. Although there are also two zip ties included to secure the saddle mount, we found that it worked well without them on paved roads. Our only complaint about the mounts is the fact that the front light mount places the power button sideways on the handlebars instead of upright.
FIT & FINISH
Those familiar with Magicshine will recognize that the Magicshine Seemee 150 lights are nearly identical to the Magicshine Seemee 200. The main difference is that the Seemee 150 are more compact and symmetric as they do not have the downward facing LED found on the Seemee 200. In fact we believe the Seemee 150 is nearly identical to the rebranded Olight RN 120 except for the higher output. While it may not be a new design, the Seemee 150 lights use a highly effect dual light setup with a focused center LED that is surrounded by a COB LED ring. The combination of the lighting elements ensure the headlight and tailight are visible from far distances while still having a large illumination area. Externally, both the headlight and taillight are nearly identical with the same form factor and only a minor 2 gram difference for our lights. Tthe plastic housing appears to be all black with the lights off, however, when the lights o are on it becomes obvious that the outer ring is transparent for improved side visibility.
On top of the Seemee 150 lights you’ll find a large illuminated power button. It’s a straight forward user interface that allows you to turn the light on and off by holding the button, and a quick press to cycle through the available modes. The taillight’s brake sensor can be enabled or disabled by holding the light for approximately 3 seconds. The illuminated button also has a few clever tricks as a quick press with the light off will illuminate the button to indicate the current battery state. It’s one of our favorite features of Magicshine lights, note it can be found on many of their headlights such as the Ray 2600, and allows you to quickly check the battery status before riding. When you first turn the light on, the power button also illuminates blue if the brake sensor is active which provides visual confirmation of the sensor status.
The rear of the lights are the Garmin quarter turn style mounts molded directly into the body. A rubber cover at the center of the mount protects a Micro USB port for charging the lights. We’re hopeful Magicshine will update the Seemee lights to use USB-C, which can be found on many of Magicshine’s other headlights and taillights. The Seemee 150’s square design is also similar to the Bontrager Ion 200 RT and Flare RT light set. The COB LED ring on the Seemee 150 is a nice design detail that helps set the light apart though. The square design of the lights means the taillight doesn’t quite hide behind seatposts as well as the rectangular Seemee 100 or Seemee 180 lights though.
LIGHT OUTPUT
As the name would suggest, both the Seemee 150 headlight and taillight are capable of 150 lumen. That’s more than bright enough for daytime and night time use and a testament to how far LED and battery technology has come. Magicshine has programmed the headlight with four modes while the taillight has five output modes. Only the taillight uses the ambient light sensor and brake sensor technology. The headlight has two constant modes (low / high) of output and two flash modes (standard flash / eco flash). Runtime ranges from about 2 hours in the full 150 lumen constant mode to nearly 32 hours in the 8 lumen lumen eco flash mode. Thanks to the small small size of the Seemee 150 it’s perfect as a daytime visible light. The 150 lumen constant mode could be used for urban night time riding, but we’d highly recommend something brighter such as the Magicshine Allty series of headlights.
The Seemee 150 taillight offers five output modes and has an optional brake sensor mode. As with the headlight there are two constant modes (low / high) and two different flash modes (standard flash / eco flash). The standard flash mode is limited to 45 lumen and provides over 16 hours of claimed runtime. The more interesting output mode is the “smart” mode which uses the built-in ambient light sensor to automatically switch between a daytime visible 150 lumen flash mode and a night time flash (i.e. it switches between a low and a high setting instead of on and off). It’s the same feature found on most of the Seemee taillights and one of our favorites as the taillight automatically adjusts to the current lighting conditions. The ambient light sensor is well tuned only switches to the night mode when it is quite dark. The night time flash has enough of an output jump to keep you visible without being overly obnoxious for cyclists or cars around you.
The other main feature of the taillight is the brake sensor mode which automatically switches to a solid 150 lumen mode if braking is detected. As with other taillights with brake sensors such as the Kryptonite XBR or Lupine Rotlicht, the sensor can have false positives and engage even when you aren’t slowing down. The Seemee 150’s calibration is pretty good and triggers reliably when you are slowing down, but can also be triggered by some potholes or elevation changes on our rides. While it’s a nice feature and can help you remain visible, we’d recommend turning it off for longer rides the taillights runtime can be unpredictable with the brake sensor on. For urban riders or those with shorter commutes the brake sensor can be a nice perk of the Seemee 150 as long as you remember to keep the light charged up.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Magicshine Seemee 150 to be a bright and compact smart bike light set. The Seemee 150 utilize many of the design features of the Seemee 200 but offer a more compact square design. With 150 lumen each, the Seemee 150 are perfect as daytime visible lights or for urban riding. The lights have an attractive COB LED illumination ring and a focused center LED to ensure the lights are visible from long distances. As with the other Seemee products, the lights also have a multi-level battery indicator, simple quarter-turn style mount and ambient light sensor / brake sensors built-in. The main negatives we found with the light is the fact that they still use Micro USB charging ports, the handle bar mount places the headlight sideways and that the brake sensor can lead to erratic runtimes. That said, the Seemee 150 lights are an affordable and well design light set we’d recommend for those looking for daytime visible lights or extra nighttime visibility.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Magicshine. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.