Magicshine’s Seemee taillight offers everything from low-output budget options to high powered dual lens taillights. In this review we’ll be looking at one of the latest additions, the Magicshine Seemee 50 which is a budget friendly taillight that’s bright enough for most riders. With a retail price of only $24.99, the Seemee 50 is one of the most affordable options in the Magicshine Seemee lineup. As the name implies, the Seemee 50 has a 50 lumen output with a 430 mAh battery that’s rated for up to 30.5 hours of use. Despite the budget price, the Seemee 50 features an integrated light sensor that’s used in a “smart” output mode to switch between daytime and nighttime patterns. Additionally, the Seemee 50 has a group sync feature that wireless syncs the “group mode” flash pattern with nearby Seemee 50 taillights.
The Magicshine Seemee 50 is a sleek and affordable taillight that uses a clever extruded lens design.
| Retail Price | $24.99 |
| Rating | 9.3 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 28 |
| Likes | + Budget price + Smart mode lets the light automatically change modes + Sleek extruded lens design |
| Dislikes | – Lacks long distance visibility |
| Where to Buy (US) | Magicshine 15% OFF coupon code: “TheSweetCyclists” |
UNBOXING
The Magicshine Seemee 50 taillight comes in compact black cardboard boxes with Magicshine branding and specs printed onto it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Seemee 50 taillight
- USB-C charging cable
- Two different length rubber straps
- Instruction manual
Magicshine has done a great job eliminating excess packaging or plastic usage by using a folding orange cardboard inner piece to hold the taillight in place and create compartments inside the box.
MOUNTING
Consistent with the budget price is a simple rubber strap design with plastic hooks built into the housing. While we generally prefer Garmin style quarter turn mounts, given the lightweight and small size of the taillight a rubber strap design works well. Magicshine includes two different diameter rubber straps to accommodate different seatpost diameters which both feel thick and durable enough for daily use. The back of the taillight has a thick rubber pad with a slight round contour to accommodate round seat posts. D-shaped or even aero seatposts may also work as the taillight is quite narrow and lightweight. We found the simple mounting design worked well and held the taillight securely in place even over rough roads. At this time, there are no saddle clips or body clip mount options available.
FIT & FINISH
The Magicshine Seemee 50 is a compact rear taillight that utilizes a rectangular profile and COB LEDs. While it’s far from the brightest light in the Seemee lineup, in our opinion it’s one of the best looking. This is a slim taillight with COB LED strip that can easily hide behind seatposts for a stealthy look. The Magicshine Seemee 50 and their new Seemee 20 V2 both use what Magicshine refers to as their new Optillumin lens design. It’s a clever extruded lens design that has a transparent appearance and provides 260 degree of visibility. This design gives the taillight an invisible appearance when the light is off and a unique illumination pattern when it is on. With the light off it’s a clear lens that mimics Altezza style car taillight and reflects the red glow from the COB LEDs.
The taillight has a single button interface with a rubber button on top of the light. As with other Seemee taillights, this has a three-level battery indicator built into the backlight of the taillight which can be accessed with a short press while the light is off. A long press turns the light on and off with a single press to cycle through the main four modes. There are two constant modes and two flash options. Surprisingly, Magicshine has added a second menu level which can be accessed by double clicking the button while it is on. This allows you to access the group ride mode which is a lower powered three flash sequence that’s less distracting when riding in groups. The power button back lighting also flashes blue when the Group Ride mode is on. We suspect Group Ride mode is separated from the main modes to make it more obvious when it is active, as it can easily be confused for the smart flash mode.
GROUP SYNC
One of the smart features of the Magicshine Seemee 50 is the group sync functionality. While this isn’t the first taillight we’ve come across with this feature, the Shanren Raz Pro and Smart Bike Lights Cliq both have it as well, the Seemee 50 is the most affordable. The idea of the mode is to sync the flashing patterns of nearby taillights to allow pairs or groups of rides to be more visible on the road. It’s a smart idea as the synced output makes a group look larger to drivers and even makes it more pleasant for cyclists riding in the group. With the Magicshine Seemee 50, the feature is only active in group ride output mode and automatically works with Seemee 50 lights in close proximity. We tested the feature with two Seemee 50s and found it engaged quickly and synced the flash patterns properly. The only flaw with this feature is that it’s only compatible with Seemee 50 taillights which means you’ll need to convince your friends or family to also buy the taillight to take advantage of it.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Magicshine has incorporated six output modes into the Seemee 50 with two constant modes and four flashing modes. The two constant modes are low (6 lumen, 6.5 hr) and a brighter high mode (15 lumen, 3 hr). With flashing modes there is breathing (0-15 lumen, 10 hr) which gradually increases and decreases and a smart mode. In smart mode the taillight uses the ambient light sensor to automatically switch between a daytime visible 50 lumen mode (21 hr runtime) and a nighttime flash (6-15 lumen, 15.5 hr) which alternates between low/high. You can’t select between the modes but it automatically switches with a slight delay. Finally a double press activates the separate group mode (3/3/10 lumen, 30.5 hr) which is a lower powered flash that is less distracting in a group ride.
With the unique lens design all the output modes have a unique appearance and excellent side visibility as the red illumination reflects off the edges of the lens. As with all the Seemee taillights, we highly recommend the smart mode as it automatically switches between the daytime flash mode in brighter conditions and the gentle nighttime flash in low-light conditions. While the 50 lumen output is bright, the lack of a focused LED means the Seemee 50 isn’t that visible from further distances. Lights like the Bontrager Flare RT, Moon Sports Helix Sense 300 or Seemee 200 are more effective for those purposes but cost a bit more. Aside from that, it’s a well designed taillight with easy to distinguish output modes and long runtimes if you stick with flashing modes.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Magicshine Seemee 50 offers a modern design and affordable price point. The extruded transparent Optillumin gives the taillight a modern and slick appearance as well as excellent side visibility. It’s also a very slim tailight that can easily hide behind seatposts and blend in with the bike itself. We were impressed with the simple user interface that separates standard output modes and the group sync mode with a double press. The smart group sync feature is seamless and quickly syncs multiple Seemee 50 flash modes together to improve safety while riding in groups. The most useful feature on the taillight is the smart mode which uses the integrated ambient light to automatically switch between daytime flash and nighttime flash based on the environment. As far as negatives, the main thing we would point out is that the Seemee 50 lacks a focused LED which means it isn’t that visible from longer distances away. That said, if you’re looking for an attractive and easy to use taillight at a budget price point the Seemee 50 is an excellent option.
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.