Ravemen’s new CL50, CL100 and CL200 are the latest additions to the CL lineup and offer multiple levels of output for different budgets and riding styles. The lights have a unique elongated design with a wrap-around COB LED lens that ensures they are visible from any angle. Retail prices are $29.95 for the 50 lumen CL50, $39.95 for the 100 lumen CL100 and $49.95 for the top 200 lumen CL200.The lights all have a very similar design to the previous 30 lumen Ravemen CL01 light with a wrap-around COB LED lens with 300 degree visibility. All the lights have modern features such as USB-C charging, a brake sensing mode and an auto-sleep function.
The bright Ravemen CL50, CL100 and CL200 offer unique wrap around lens designs at affordable price points.
| Retail Price | $29.95 / $39.95 / $49.95 |
| Rating | 8.7 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 20 (CL50), 30 (CL100/200), 17 (seatpost mount), 21 (rail mount) |
| Likes | + Budget friendly + Unique form factor with excellent side visibility + Ravemen includes saddle and seatpost mounts with the light |
| Dislikes | – Brake sensor is highly sensitive and can have false positives – COB LEDs lacks long-distance visibility of focused LED taillights |
| Where to Buy (US) | Ravemen |
UNBOXING
The Ravemen CL50 / CL100 and CL200 come in a orange and black cardboard box that matches Ravemen branding along with a front cutout that shows off the taillight. Inside the box you’ll find:
- CL taillight
- Seatpost mount
- Saddle rail mount w/ zip ties + GoPro to mini Garmin adapter
- USB-C charging cable
- Instruction manual
- Warranty card
Ravemen has done a good job minimizing waste with cardboard inner holders and compact packaging.
MOUNTING
The Ravemen CL lights all use a miniaturized Garmin quarter turn style mount that is molded into the body of the light. It uses the same mechanism as Garmin with two extended tabs that slide into slots on a corresponding mount. Ravemen includes a seat post mount with standard plastic design and rubber strap. The mount is designed to work with different style seatposts with different cutouts in the rubber backing for aero or round seatposts. Ravemen also includes a bolt-on style saddle rail mount with a GoPro adapter for angle adjustments. It’s a premium design that is reminiscent of the KOM Saddle Rail Radar mount with a two bolt attachment style and mount adapter with angle adjustment. The saddle rail mount is the sleekest way to set up the taillight as it will protrude out from underneath the saddle.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Ravemen CL50, CL100 and CL200 all have the same external design with an unusual elongated form factor. The lights have a UFO-like appearance that is a few mm thicker for the CL100 and CL200 models at 67 x 31.7 x 20 mm or 2.6 x 1.2 x 0.8 inches. It is difficult to visually tell the difference between the taillights models except for the branding but the CL50 does have a smaller 390 mAh battery compared to the 700 mAh battery on the CL100 and CL200 lights. The body of the lights are plastic with a glossy finish that seems to attract dust. Beveled edges give the lights a sleeker look while a red wrap around lens covers the COB LEDs. There is an illuminated power button on top of the light along with Ravemen branding and a USB-C port on the bottom side.
For illumination, Ravemen has utilized a wrap-around LED design with a red lens. Turning the light on you can see a grid of LEDs on the rear and along the side. The lens has a V like shape that helps disperse the light of the COB LEDs and makes it look like there are two rows of LEDs along the side even though there is only one. With the larger CL100 and CL200, there are three rows of LEDs on the rear while the thinner CL50 only has two. All the LEDs are illuminated together in all the modes instead of using more complicated animated style patterns like we’ve seen from KNOG lights.
USER INTERFACE
The Ravemen CL lights have a single power button interface placed on the top of the body. Pressing the button once activates the LED which shows a three level battery status indicator: green (20-100%), red (5-20%) and flashing red (<5%). Holding the button for 1.5 seconds turns the light on or off, while a short press with the light on cycles through the available modes. You can also enable or disable the brake sensor and auto on-off feature by holding the power button for 3 seconds until the light blinks with the light off. The auto on-off feature turns the light to a sleep mode after two minutes of inactivity while the brake sensing mode switches to max constant power if braking is detected.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Ravemen has pre-programmed five output modes for the CL50 and CL100 with two constant modes and three flash modes. The higher output CL200 gets an additional constant mode for a total of six output modes. Despite the differences in the output, the modes are surprisingly similar for all the lights. All the lights have a 10 lumen high mode and a 5 lumen low mode while the runtimes on the CL100 and CL200 are longer by multiple hours. The big difference is the day flash mode which is 50 lumen / 21 hr for the CL50, 100 / 20 hr for the CL100 and 200 lumen / 12 hr for the CL200. The rapid flash is also different between the lights with 50 lumen / 10 hr for the CL50, 50 lumen / 15 hr for the CL100, 100 lumen / 10 hr for the CL200. For a long runtime there is a 3 lumen eco flash mode that is 90 hr for the CL50 and 160 hours for the CL100 and CL200.
Thanks to the unique long form factor and wrap-around lens design of the CL lights, they have great visibility from any angle and give the bike a unique appearance. The CL100 and CL200 are visibly brighter and offer better daytime visibility for a marginally higher price. However, all the CL lights still lack a focused LED like you’d find on other popular taillights such as the Trek Flare, Ravemen TR400 or the Magicshine Seemee 300 which means they are not visible from longer distances. That’s why we would say these CL lights are better suited for urban or city riding as they trade long distance visibility for side visibility which is essential at intersections. We also tested out the brake sensor and found it to be overly sensitive which means reduced runtimes as it will trigger on potholes or other slight speed changes.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Ravemen CL50, CL100 and CL200 to be well made and bright taillights. Ravemen has taken their existing CL01 taillight and increased the output to create these three new versions. All of the CL taillights retain the unique elongated UFO-like shape with a wrap around lens but they now have more power. The CL100 and CL200 both have the larger battery and associated runtimes which are great for riders that do longer rides and want to limit the amount of recharging required. We found the wrap-around LED lens design offers great side visibility and gives the bike a unique appearance. The downsides of the lights are the lack of focused LEDs for long distance visibility and a brake sensors that are overly sensitive. That said, the Ravemen CL50, CL100 and CL200 are affordable and unique taillight options.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Ravemen. 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.