Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Guardian Expedition LED Lights

Last year was my first year of running through the winter.  Luckily it doesn't get too cold here, but since the sun is usually down by the time I get home, I did have to get used to running in the dark.  I found out pretty quickly that once I leave my neighborhood streetlights are few and far between.  A headlamp solved the problem of me being able to see the road, but even with reflective gear I still had problems with drivers swerving at the last minute as if they didn't see me.  It was a particular problem on a long curving stretch of road where I believe that their headlights didn't hit me until the last minute.  So, I started looking into lights to alert the drivers from more of a distance.  After a lot of trial and error, I think the Guardian Expedition LED lights are the best.  They are light and EXTREMELY bright, and come with a very strong clip that holds well to your waist band, the strap on the back of your running hat, or the arm band for an iPod.  They are so bright that you can still see them clearly if you have them on your waist band and your shirt is covering them.  You turn them on and off by twisting the lens cap, and by unscrewing the lens cap and flipping the batteries, you can change the light from strobe mode to steady mode.   The last light I had was made for a bike and had the switch on the back, and the cool thing about the lens cap system is that I can easily switch them off when I get to a part of my route where I don't need them.  There are several mounting options available so you could easily use them on a bicycle, and they are available in different colors.  I got mine in blue and I'm pretty sure from the way a few people have jacked on their brakes that they not only see me but also might have mistaken me for a police car on a traffic stop.  If you are looking for a good high visibility light for night running, I would highly recommend these.  I got mine from Night Gear at http://www.night-gear.com