Blackburn Dayblazer 125 rear light review

Blackburn’s Dayblazer 125 is the most powerful rear light the brand offers, dishing out 125 lumens via three focused LEDs.

In testing, the light performed adeptly in all conditions.

That said, it’s a rather large, heavy unit and you’ll need to take care not to lose the untethered rubber back when charging.

Blackburn Dayblazer 125 rear light specifications and details

Blackburn positions its Dayblazer 125 rear light as being suitable for all riding types, from commuting via road riding to off-road escapades.

It sits above the smaller Dayblazer 65, which as the name suggests, delivers up to 65 lumens of illumination.

The predominantly aluminium construction houses three LEDs. These emit up to 125 flashing lumens, with the brand claiming it’s visible through 270 degrees.

Although its brightest setting certainly doesn’t outstrip the 350-lumen output of the See.Sense Icon 3, that’s still plenty to alert your presence to motorists and pedestrians.

You have five modes to choose from, ranging from 3 to 125 lumens. Battery run times are between 1 hour 36 minutes and 25 hours.

I performed a run time test using the ‘High Steady’ 100-lumen mode, which is claimed to last 1 hour 36 minutes. The light lasted for 2 hours 13 minutes, which is impressive.

You can also select between four strobe modes and a ‘Group Ride’ mode to avoid blinding your riding partners.

The main unit is covered by a rubber body with built-in hooks, on which O-rings attach to secure the light.

You get three O-rings in the box, one for round seatposts, another for aero posts and a third if you want to secure the light to a seatstay.

The body of the light incorporates a wire clip, which means you can even mount it onto a rear pannier rack.

There’s a ‘TIR’ angled lens over the LEDs, ensuring correct visibility if you’re mounting the unit on a seatstay, so the light’s emission isn’t adversely affected.

Battery life is displayed by a coloured light at the top of the unit. Green means there is between 75 and 100 per cent of charge remaining.

An amber light denotes the light is between 25 and 75 per cent and red indicates 25 per cent or less. Unlike some of the best bike lights we've tested, there isn’t a flashing red setting for when you’re really low.

The light is claimed to charge fully (via MicroUSB) in three hours and is claimed to be water-resistant to an IP67 rating (effectively, capable of withstanding some submersion).

The Dayblazer 125 weighs 97g, 19g heavier than Blackburn claims. That's relatively weighty for any rear light.

Blackburn Dayblazer 125 rear light performance

The Dayblazer 125 was tested on a variety of road and gravel rides, with testing culminating in a 330km audax.

Installation proved very straightforward on the round 27.2mm seatpost of my Look 765 Optimum. It also fitted snugly onto the proprietary aero seatpost of my Pinarello GAN K Disk.

The cradle design of the rubber body means the light can only be fitted in a vertical orientation. Other lights, such as the Moon Nebula, slide onto a separate mount, which means you have the choice between positioning the light horizontally or vertically.

Given its size, you need a shade over 8cm of uninterrupted exposed seatpost to mount the light onto, which meant a very tight fit on a dropper post I tested the light with.

Adjusting between the five modes is straightforward, with the two brighter 125- and 100-lumen modes sandwiched in between the dimmer 50-lumen and 65-lumen ‘Low Steady’ and ‘Low Strobe’ modes. The 3-lumen ‘Group Ride’ is the light’s final mode.

Brightness is excellent and on a gravel group ride, only an Exposure Boost-R + ReAKT & Peloton rear light trumped it in terms of brightness (150 lumens) and side visibility.

I appreciated the dimmer ‘Group Ride’ mode, which didn’t blind me when riding directly behind the light (having fitted it to a willing buddy’s bike).

The 125-lumen mode packs quite a punch and I was aware I had accidentally changed to this setting (reaching back while riding), when someone exclaimed it was “brighter than the International Space Station”.

When riding alone at night, drivers seemed to pass with a wider berth and more patience than I’m accustomed to (bearing in mind the light isn’t the only factor at play, of course).

The fact the Dayblazer 125 also functions as a rear daytime-running light, especially when used in its 125-lumen ‘BLITZ’ mode, increases its versatility.

While I mostly appreciated the light’s sturdy build quality, the fact the untethered rubber body needs to be removed to access the Micro USB charge port is a niggle.

I needed to be sure I placed the body somewhere safe next to it, which could be easy to lose if you’re charging the light among other electronics.

Although the Dayblazer 125 has held up well in the two-month test period, the connection between the light and rubber body isn’t a completely sealed fit. On muddy off-road gravel rides, I've had to clean speckles of mud and debris away from the inside face of the charge port’s rubber cover.

I’d also like to see Blackburn incorporate a light or indicator to signal the light is fully charged, and a flashing red signal if the battery is close to empty.

I had to guess when it was time to remove the light from charge once the green light appeared and regularly left it overnight to ensure it was fully charged.

Blackburn Dayblazer 125 rear light bottom line

There’s a lot to like about Blackburn’s Dayblazer 125, with a range of modes and brightness that's ample to ensure you're seen on roads and trails.

Providing you have at least 8cm free on the seatpost(s) you wish to mount it on and you can put up with the minor niggles, the Dayblazer 125 is a very solid light that will suit the needs of most riders.