While there may be a lot of bike taillights on the market, the Magicshine Seemee 200 has stood out thanks to its unique design. The Seemee 200 has a multi-element LED design that not only directs light rearward but also downward with a tracer LED to light up the ground under you. In this review, we’ll be looking at the latest Seemee 200 V2 which improves the usability and effectiveness of the light. The taillight retains the same $44.99 retail price and 200 lumen maximum output. With the Seemee 200 V2, Magicshine has simplified the number of output modes and improved the brake sensor mode to taper from the maximum output. It’s also easier to check if the brake sensor is active as the power button illuminates blue for a few seconds when first turned on.
The Magicshine Seemee 200 V2 combines a unique tracer LED design with an easier to use user interface and more effective brake light mode.
| Retail Price | $44.99 |
| Rating | 9.3 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 40 (taillight), 12 (seatpost mount) |
| Likes | + Tracer LED lights up the road beneath you + Smart mode automatically switches between day and night settings + Multi-level battery status indicator |
| Dislikes | – Micro USB port – Tracer LED cannot be disabled or controlled separately – Brake sensor reduces taillight runtimes |
| Where to Buy (US) | Magicshine 15% OFF coupon code: “TheSweetCyclists” |
UNBOXING
We received an early look at the taillight 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 should expect to find:
- Seemee 200 taillight
- Seatpost mount
- Micro USB charging cable
- User manual
- Saddle mount
- 2x zip ties
The included zip ties can be used with the saddle mount if your saddle rails do not have a tight fit.
MOUNTING
The Magicshine Seemee 200 V2 uses a miniaturized Garmin style quarter turn mount that’s shared with all the Seemee taillights. It’s a simple but effective design that uses two protruding tabs that slide into corresponding slots on the mount. Magicshine includes a rubber strap style seat post mount with angled rubber pad to keep the taillight parallel with the ground. The mount works with both aero and round seat posts thanks to a clever circular center cutout. Magicshine has used thick rubber for the strap which should ensure it holds up to daily use. There is also a plastic seat rail mount that slides over the saddle rails for a higher mounting location. Note, the seat rail mount can only be used if you do not use a saddlebag on your bike.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Seemee 200 V2 is identical to the original version with a rectangular profile and the multi-element LED design. There is a main focused LED on the rear that is surrounded by an attractive COB LED ring. What really sets the light apart is the tracer LED which is a downward facing LED with a dome lens that lights up the ground underneath the light. Compared to the Seemee 150, the Seemee 200 V2 is slightly taller to provide space for the tracer LED. Although the plastic housing looks black, the front edge of the taillight is slightly transparent to improve side visibility. On the rear of the taillight you’ll also find the micro USB charging port which is protected by a rubber cover. We hope that the next iteration of Seemee lights incorporate USB-C charging ports, which can be found in a variety of Magicshine products.
There is a single large power button on top of the taillight that is back illuminated that offers great tactile feel. The user interface is shared with the other Seemee taillights and has an easy to use one level menu. With the Seemee 200 V2 the number of modes has been simplified to only 5 modes that can be cycled through with a short press. You can also hold the power button for a few seconds to disable the brake sensing feature. The color of the power button alternates between green / red variations to indicate the battery level while a short blue color on startup indicates that the brake sensor is enabled. One of our favorite features is that a short press of the button with the light off allows you to check the battery status which is a quick and easy way to check whether you should recharge the light.
LIGHT OUTPUT
The Magicshine Seemee V2 offers a bright 200 lumen output with five available output modes. There are two steady modes and three flash modes to choose from. Although there is no way to change the output mode settings, like the Moon Sport Variable Lumen System, the pre-programmed settings work well. For each mode, the tracer LED is only activated if the ambient light sensor detects low visibility conditions and has 60 lumen output. The tracer LED always flashes in the opposite mode of the main LED, which means constant modes have a flashing tracer while flash modes have a constant tracer. The two constant modes have 10 / 60 lumen output for the main LED with run times of 27 / 5 hour and 4.8 / 3.6 hours in the day and night respectively. There is a standard flash pattern with 60 lumen and 17 / 10.8 hour runtimes for day/night.
For group rides there is a lower powered 10 lumen flash mode with 50 / 6.5 hour runtimes. The fifth “smart” mode is our favorite mode and the most useful option. During the day, smart mode has a daytime bright 200 lumen flash mode and 26 hour runtime. At night, the smart mode switches to a nighttime flash (60 lumen then 10 lumen) with 4.5 hour runtime. What’s so useful about smart mode is you can set it and forget it as it will automatically switch based on the ambient light sensor. Again, with all these modes there is no individual control over the tracer LED which significantly reduces the runtimes. We’d recommend the Seemee 150 or Seemee 180 variations if you’re looking for longer runtimes without a tracer LED.
One of the other changes with the Seemee 200 V2 is the updated braking alert mode. Using the built in accelerometer the taillight can detect when you’re slowing down and switch to a full 200 lumen constant mode to alert those around you. With the V2, Magicshine has modified the behavior to taper from the full 200 lumen constant mode to attract more attention. Although the updated behavior is difficult to visually tell apart from the previous version, the bright constant mode is effective at attracting attention. Personally, we’re still a bit on the fence about brake sensing taillights as each manufacturer implements it slightly differently and the brake sensor can significantly reduce runtimes. That’s why we generally shut off the function (you simply hold the button for 3 seconds to enable/disable it) for longer rides.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Magicshine Seemee 200 V2 to be bright and easier to use than the original version. The latest version of the taillight retains the same unique downward facing tracer LED that lights up the road beneath you in low-visibility conditions. Combined with the 200 lumen output and smart mode that automatically switches between day and night – the Seemee 200 V2 is a great option for nearly any cycling discipline. We found the Seemee 200 V2 easier to use thanks to the simplified output modes and brake sensor active indicator. The main downsides of the light is that it retains the micro USB charging port, the tracer LED modes cannot be controlled separately (only on at night – and are the opposite of the main LED) and that the brake sensor can reduce runtimes. That said, the Semee 200 V2 is still a bright and very affordable taillight with a plethora of smart features.
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.
With activated brake light, the battery life is just ridiculous, tried it yesterday for the first time, after 3:20h /35km the lamp was off (or even before, you can not see).
With the old Lezyne Drive Max the battery is enough for several tours.
So the in my opinion quite useful safety feature brake light is absolutely worthless if the lamp turns off in the middle of the tour.
Yes – that’s why we always recommend disabling the brake feature on the Seemee lights to get longer runtimes. It’s a cool feature, but because it uses an accelerometer and doesn’t actually know when you’re breaking there are a lot of false positives that drain the battery.