Outbound Lighting has built a reputation for their engineering-focused bike headlights that optimize performance and optics over extraneous features. The new Outbound Lighting Blade is their first taillight that continues that reputation with automotive style optics and is one of the few lights still made in the USA. Retail price for the taillight is $125 and it features a user replaceable 18650 lithium ion battery. The taillight also has a bright 300 lumen output with a downward facing LED as well as amber side indicators for visibility from any angle. With the larger size of the taillight, Outbound Lighting has gone with a Garmin style quarter turn mount with available 3D printed mounts for an integrated appearance.
The Outbound Lighting Blade offers a unique combination of automotive style optics and a user replaceable Li-ion battery.
| Retail Price | $125 |
| Rating | 9.6 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (g) | 127 (light), 31 (seatpost mount) |
| Likes | + One of the few lights with user replaceable 18650 battery for serviceability + Amazing visibility from any angle with automotive style lens + Secure mounting with Garmin quarter turn adapter |
| Dislikes | – Large form factor that is more than twice is large as most taillights – Cryptic multi-led mode indicator light require manual to understand |
| Where to Buy (US) | Outbound Lighting |
UNBOXING
The Outbound Lighting Blade comes in an environmentally friendly cardboard box with specs printed on the exterior. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Blade taillight
- Seat post mount w/ shims
- USB-C to USB-A charging cable + USB-C to C cable
- Instruction manual
The combination of the USB cables means you can easily charge the Blade or connect it to a powerbank to charge the light while you are riding.
MOUNTING
With the larger size and heavier weight of the Blade taillight, Outbound Lighting has gone with a mounting bracket instead of rubber straps. The taillight blade has a Garmin style quarter turn protrusion built into it along with a separate bolt-on bracket for seat posts. It’s a standard quarter turn system that securely locks into place with two raised tabs and slides into slots in the receiver. Once installed there is no play or rattling with the mount which is a big perk of these quarter turn mount designs. The design is similar to other Garmin quarter turn devices, so you should be able to use existing mounts on the market.
To attach the mount to a seatpost, there is a single side screw and a variety of shims included to accommodate different seatpost diameters Outbound Lighting has also worked with Sheehy Labs to create sleek bike-specific custom mounts for around $35. We tried the standard round seat post version and it has a nice aero-like design with a smooth body and concealed bolts. It’s sleeker and smaller than the seatpost mount included with the taillight. However, thanks to the Garmin style mount you can use a variety of third-party mounts like the KOM Cycling Radar Saddle Rail Mount that are designed for radars which use the same mount.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Outbound Lighting Blade is a massive taillight with a rectangular form factor and red lens that is encased in an outer clear cover. The taillight design earns its “blade” name as it has multiple vertical indentations along the lens to help diffuse the light along with a fairly thin width. What makes this taillight so much different from standard bike taillights is that it looks more like a car taillight with concealed internal LEDs and a lens design that diffuses the light. The taillight also is one of the few taillights on the market with a user replaceable 18650 battery that can be accessed by removing a few screws on the rear.
The removable battery design unfortunately increases the size of the taillight with a large plastic base that is slightly larger than the 18650 battery cell. As with other Outbound Lighting products, the taillight body has a rubber-like texture with additional texturing on the sides to make it easy to handle. The taillight has a single large power button with texturing and four LED indicators in front of it to reflect the current mode and battery status. Outbound Lighting has also added amber side indicators into the sides of the lens which look clear when the light is off.
Unlike most bike taillights which are simple single LEDs with a focused beam that is primarily visible only behind the bike, the Outbound Lighting is visible from any angle. The horizontal diffusers inside the lens create a uniform illumination pattern along the taillight that is visible at any angle. Additional amber side indicators are bright and ensure cars, bikes or pedestrians near you will see the taillight. There is also a downward facing LED that illuminates the ground underneath the bike for even more visibility.
This more diffuse lens design is very similar to what you would see on a car taillight and is less blinding than the focused LEDs bike taillights have. For long distance visibility, the taillight still puts out a maximum 300 combined lumens and it has a large lens which ensures you remain visible. The Blade also looks like three taillights combined into one, as the red inner lens is protected by a clear cover and attaches to a thick rear black backing that conceals the electronics and battery.
USER INTERFACE
To operate the Blade taillight, there is a single top-mounted power button. Pressing the button once while the taillight is off turns the light on, while an additional press cycles through four modes. The button is quite large with a very soft design compared to the normal hard rubber buttons on most taillights that is easy to operate with a soft touch. There is also an additional eco flash mode which has the maximum 120 hour runtime which you access by holding the power button with the light off for three seconds. Pressing the button again while in the flash mode switches back to the other four available modes.
As you change the mode, the four LEDs will illuminate in different patterns to indicate what mode you are in. After a second or two, the LEDs revert back to a four-bar battery indicator to reflect the current battery state. It’s a similar design to other Outbound Lighting products like the Detour, but it’s a bit of a confusing design unless you have the user manual open to reference the LED light order and their associated output mode.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Outbound Lighting has programmed the Blade with five output modes, two constant modes and three flash modes. Consistent with the non-nonsense approach of the brand, the modes are exactly the minimum needed for cycling. There is a high constant mode (250 lumen / 8 hr runtime) and a low mode (125 lumen / 16 hr) for nighttime riding or riding in a group. For daytime riding, there is a daytime strobe (300 lumen / 32 hr) which has an irregular flash pattern that flashes the front LEDs and the side markers for additional visibility. Conversely, there is a nighttime pulse (150 lumen / 16 hr) with a more gentle pulsing effect from a low to higher constant mode. If runtime is a concern, there is an Eco Flash (125 lumen) with an impressive 120 hour runtime claimed runtime.
Thanks to the larger size of the taillight, all the runtime are more than enough for all-day rides with eco flash being a perfect option for multi-day rides where there is little time for recharging. While the daytime strobe isn’t as eye catching as some of the Cateye’s Hyperflash or the Trek Flare daytime flash modes, it is also less blinding while still being bright and noticeable. The Blade’s large size and unique lens give it excellent visibility from any angle instead of just being blindingly bright directly behind the light. While the taillight may not be as visible from long distances compared to the Magicshine Seemee 400, for close and medium distances it is one of the best taillights we’ve seen.
The big downside, pardon the pun, is the large form factor which makes the Blade taillight stick out on the bike instead of blending into the seatpost or saddle. We are happy to see the standard Garmin mount and bolt-on mounts to compensate for the size, as it ensures the light does not vibrate or move while mounted. It’s also worth noting that the downward facing LED on the Blade works well and seems more appropriately powered compared to the OptiTrace design of the Magicshine Seemee 300 and other Seemee lights which feel over-powered. The design results in a puddle light effect, something similar to what you would see when you open your car door, than having a 100+ lumen red light pointed downward and it helps ensure you remain visible from any angle.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Outbound Light Blade to be a well crafted and engineered bike taillight. Outbound Lighting has done what they do best, focus on optics and functionality instead of styling or smart features. That approach has created the Blade taillight with automotive style optics that help create a bright taillight from any angle instead of a focused blindingly bright region. Bright orange side markers, a downward LED and the large lens body make the taillight great for daytime or nighttime riding. We were impressed with the long runtimes, the easy to operate power button and the multi-led battery status indicator. It’s also one of the few taillights that let you actually replace the battery with a standard 18650 cell inside it. The main downside of the Blade is the fact that it’s more than double the size of most bike taillights. That said, the Outbound Lighting Blade is an impressive bike taillight that puts function over form in both optics and sustainability.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Outbound Lighting. 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.