We have shorter days now that it’s winter and dark mornings rest of the year. However, us cyclists still gotta ride! So its not only important to see whats in front of you, but also be seen to traffic from the rear. We’ve honestly tried so many tail lights that we lost count. Today we’ll review our latest tail light – the Magicshine Seemee 60.

Overall I’d give the light a 8/10 as it boasts high-output and robust construction for a budget price that Magicshine is well known for.

The Seemee 60 is currently Magicshine’s highest power all-in-one tail light offering.  At a maximum 60 watts, this is a high power light idea for both night and daytime visibility. The light boasts a compact design the battery integrated into the light and USB recharging. Despite one of the cooler product names, the light also packs some ‘smart’ features to differentiate themselves from other tail lights in this crowded segment.

The light incorporates an accelerometer to detect acceleration/deceleration to automatically increase the brightness/frequency to alert other cyclists or drivers of your presence as well as an auto sleep feature.

UNBOXING

With each Magicshine product release, it’s clear that they’ve put more time and money into product packaging and design. The Seemee 60 comes packed with:

  • User manual
  • USB charging cable
  • Mounting clip
  • Strap mounting clip
  • Mounting band
  • Two rubber mounting pieces (round for aero seatposts and flusher for round seat posts)

The items are well packed in a clear plastic box with professional graphics and labels. 

MOUNTING

Magicshine ships the Seemee 60 with multiple mounting options to accommodate backpacks/seatposts and aero seat posts. The mounting system uses multiple pieces to allow the user to detach the light from the mount for easy recharging. Similar to their other products, the mounts consist of a thick rubber strap along with a plastic mount.  

As shown in the image below, there are two mount options: clip and strap/mount. The plastic clip is excellent for attaching the light to a backpack or saddlebag, and despite being plastic feels well built and thick enough to withstand daily abuse.

Unboxing Magicshine Seeme 60
Unboxing Magicshine Seeme 60

The strap/mount uses the familiar thick band system along with plastic mount with clips. To accommodate both round seat posts and aero seat posts, two rubber backing pieces are provided with the light. The aero-post rubber mount works great, and allow the light to be mounted firmly despite the lack of surface area on the back of the aero seat post.

  • Multi-piece mounting design for easy removal/installation
  • Includes clip for saddle bag/backpack mounting
  • Mounts to both round and aero-seat posts with flexible strap mount

Having installed it on both a road and aero bike, the mounting system is a great compromise between flexibility and durability.

Mount
Mount

FIT & FINISH

Despite being an all-new offering from Magicshine for 2018, it’s hard to not compare the design of the Seemee 60 light to an Apple watch or Ipod Nano from yesteryear. With a simple square design with a thin plastic chrome border, it is neither ugly or very attractive to look at. At nearly ½ inch thick, it also looks fairly portly from side profiles. However, with a 6×6 grid of LEDs and a fairly small size (1 by 1 inch) the overall design looks modern enough.

The power button is located on the left side of the light, and is a back lit to indicate charge status when plugged in via USB. Unfortunately, there is no battery indicator to see the charge state at a glance without plugging the light into a power source. The light offers a two flashing modes, a constant mode and three intensities (9/17/30 lumens according to Magicshine) per mode to satisfy even the most picky cyclists. A single press will alternate the light between intensities, while double pressing will alternate the mode. The maximum 60 lumen output is reserved for the automatic ‘panic’ mode during acceleration/deceleration and vibration states detected by the internal sensors.

The USB charging port is located behind a plastic cover at the rear of the light.  This can be easily accessed by rotated the light 90 degrees in the mount to disengage it. The engagement/disengagement requires moderate effort, but feels well built and inspires confidence. 

Compared to the more traditional Planet Bike‘s Superflash bike light, the Seemee is more compact and modern.  It’s larger than the wired Magicshine tail light with better side visibility and lack of wires.

  • Shiny plastic border dates the design, but LED light grid adds modern flair.
  • Wide range of modes and intensity options for pickiest cyclists.
  • Small form-factor but on fairly thick side profile at 1x1x0.5.
  • Feels well built despite heavy use of plastic.
Comparison with other tail lights
Comparison with other tail lights

LIGHT OUTPUT

With an integrated battery, this is a Magicshine light that won’t require an external battery pack or routing cables along your frame. Determining battery life is difficult with this light, as the internal sensors will trigger the higher power flashing modes and sleep state automatically. With normal use, I’ve gotten 3-5 hours of use with the light. 

Unlike AAA battery powered lights that dim as the battery lights, the Seemee shows no indication of battery state. This meant I started a ride with the light working great, only to realize it had died after coming home. As with other USB chargeable lights, you’ll need to charge the light preemptively to make sure you the battery remains charged.

With a 6×6 grid of cob lights the light output of the light is excellent in all modes.  The light pattern is crisp, and at higher intensities blinding when looking at it straight-on. With a slightly beveled side profile the light offer provides visibility even from side angles which the wired Magicshine taillight fails to provide.

SMART SENSORS

As with many newer products, the Magicshine boasts ‘smart’ sensor technology.  Fortunately, this doesn’t mean Alexa integration or Wifi integration yet. The built-in sensors are designed for two functions: (a) detect acceleration changes or vibrations to switch mode to the 60 lumen output and (b) auto sleep the light if bicycle is idle.

The light is sensitive enough to detect acceleration/deceleration to draw extra attention to you. Unfortunately, the built in sensors are not well-calibrated and will often put the light in the high-output panic state. During rides, you’ll often see it light up during minor road imperfections which will reduce the overall battery life and annoy others if you are in a group ride. The auto sleep function is helpful to ensure you don’t forget to turn off the light after a ride as well.

THE VERDICT

All-in-all, the Magicshine Seemee 60 is a well designed taillight with small form factor and well built mounts. While the design is somewhat dated, the LED grid design adds a nice modern flair with enough output to ensure you remain visible during both daytime and night.

The built-in-sensors sound great on paper, but don’t work as well as advertised. The high-output panic mode can easily be triggered even holding the light in your hand. This may reduce overall battery life, but adds some randomness to the light output which is a positive. While I would personally trade the built in sensors for a thinner design or more battery capacity, this feature will likely attract more buyers.

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