Reelight is best known for their battery free bike lights that use clever mounts and magnets to power the lights. The new Reelight GEM+ lights combine similar mount designs and magnets into bright COB LED battery powered lights for higher output and versatility. Reelight sells the lights into two variations, the GEM+ Front or GEM+ rear light with slightly different outputs. Each light is sold separately for $43 and features COB LED lens designs with a 900 mAh Li-Poly internal battery. The headlight puts out 320 lumen while the taillight is rated for 150 lumen. Both lights are magnetic which lets you mount them on any magnetic surface and even store them attached to each other. These are rechargeable lights as well with a modern USB-C charging port.
The Reelight GEM+ are compact and bright be-seen style lights that feature a modern design and COB LEDs.
| Retail Price | $43 (each) |
| Rating | 8.8 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (g) | 39 (each light) / 15 (mount + long strap) |
| Likes | + Magnetic mounting + Modern design with rotatable mount + Uniform glow from COB LEDs |
| Dislikes | – Difficult to tell which brake sensor mode is active |
| Where to Buy (US) | Reelight (front), Reelight (rear) |
UNBOXING
The Reelight GEM+ lights each come in a small white and black cardboard box with specs and branding printed onto them. Graffiti style graphics on the edges of the box give the packaging a unique look. Inside each box you’ll find:
- GEM+ light
- USB-C charging cable
- Two-piece mount + 2x rubber mounting mounts
- Allen key to install mount
- Instruction manual
It’s easy to miss the rubber mounting strap as it’s wrapped into a bundle with the USB-C charging cable.
MOUNTING
Both of the Reelight GEM+ lights use a similar rubber band style mount that we’ve seen with other Reelight lights such as the Reelight LUX. It’s an interesting three piece design that consists of a rubber band, plastic base and the main plastic clipping portion. This could almost be described as a theft-proof setup as the mount actually requires an Allen to install on the bike. The rubber strap goes through slots on the base which is then bolted onto the main clipping portion of the mount. Once the pieces are bolted together you cannot remove the rubber strap from the bike without unbolting the base. Thanks to the multi-piece design you can actually rotate the light a full 360 degrees on the mount for the optimal viewing angle. Interestingly, the main clipping portion of the mount is not magnetic which seems like a wasted opportunity. Unlike the Lumos Firefly mounts which use magnetic force to hold the lights in place, the GEM+ lights simply have a friction fit with a rubber inlay holding it in place.
FIT & FINISH
As with other Reelight products, the GEM+ lights have unique and modern visual designs. The GEM+ lights live up to their namesake with a curved rectangular lens that shows off the COB LEDs. These are known as chip-on-board LEDs and combine multiple individual LEDs into a dense grid for a uniform and attractive glow. Aside from the different lens colors, the front and rear light look nearly identical with compact form factors and rounded corners. The housing colors are gray instead of the usual black and have simple Reelight branding on each side of the lens. Both of these lights are be-seen style lights which are designed to ensure people see you and not to illuminate the road. That means the lenses are also non-directional so you can mount these in any orientation. Under the light you’ll find the single power button on one corner and a rubber gasket covering the USB-C port on the other.
Each light has six different output modes with three constant modes and three flashing variations. A 2 second hold turns the light on, while a quick press cycles through the different modes. The lights have mode memory which means they always turn back on in the mode they were shut off in. There is also an LED indicator next to the USB-C port which is illuminated in green when the battery is above 20%, orange when it is between 10-20% or flashing orange when it’s under 10%. To preserve the battery, the light modes are limited to only three lower powered modes when the battery is under 10%.
The taillight also features a brake mode which uses an internal accelerometer to determine when you are slowing down. If braking is detected the taillight can switch to a special mode for 3 seconds. You can select between three different options for the brake sensor: a bright constant mode, a bright strobe or disable the braking mode. To switch between the modes you hold the power button for 3 seconds with the light on and that cycles through the three options. It’s a confusing design as a 2 second hold turns the light which is why we suspect many people may accidently cycle the brake mode while trying to turn the light off. We would have used a much longer hold to avoid the potential confusion between shutting the light off and changing the brake sensor mode. There is also no way to know if the brake sensor is on testing it, which is a feature other lights like the Magicshine Seemee offer with a simple blue LED flash on startup.
The GEM+ lights also feature magnets built into the base of the light. While there is no matching magnet on the plastic mounts, you can use the GEM+ lights on any magnetic surface for additional illumination. That means you could potentially use the GEM+ lights around the house or in the garage by simply mounting them on a magnetic surface. The front and rear lights also attract each other which means you can store them back-to-back which is a fun feature. This keeps the lights together and avoids having them accidentally turn on while in a bag as the power buttons are covered.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Reelight has programmed both the front and rear GEM+ lights with six modes. There are two constant modes and four flash modes that illuminate all of the COB LEDs in unison. The Reelight GEM+ front light is more powerful with the constant modes ranging from 80-200 lumen and 3-6.5 hour runtimes. The GEM+ taillight’s constant modes range from 35-75 lumen with runtimes of 2-4 hours. The four constant modes are: night time flash (low constant mode + full power flash), pulse, strobe and eco-flash. The eco-flash modes have the most impressive runtimes of 86 hours at 25 lumen on the headlight and 82 hours at 15 lumen. Unlike the Knog Blinder lights which have eye-catching patterns that illuminate different zones on the COB LED panel, the Reelight GEM+ uses a simpler all-on or all-off approach.
With the large lens design of the lights, all the modes work well and are eye catching. For maximum visibility the nighttime flash mode is the brightest mode with a short burst of full power output. Unlike lights like the Bontrager Flare RT or Magicshine Allty, the GEM+ lights have no focused beam. Instead they create a uniform glow in a full 180 degree range. That’s why we’d recommend only using these lights for daytime riding or for urban riding in brighter areas as the lights only illuminate the area just around the bike. We also found the brake sensor mode to be a bit too sensitive but otherwise helpful for notifying riders or cars around you that you are slowing down.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Reelight GEM+ lights to be sleek and bright. With their COB LEDs and curved lens design, the GEM+ are modern be-seen style lights that ensure you’re visible on the road. Despite their small size, both lights pack a punch with 320 lumen for the front light and 150 for the rear. Reelight’s three-piece mount design doesn’t utilize magnets but does have a theft-resistant bolt-on design and rotatable base that’s well thought out. The other clever detail are the integrated magnets in the housings of the GEM+ lights that lets you mount them on any magnetic surface or store the front and rear light together. The main downside of the GEM+ is that it’s difficult to tell what mode the brake sensor on the taillight is set to. That said, if you’re looking for modern bike lights for extra visibility on the road the Reelight GEM+ are a great option.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Reelight. 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.