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Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light

Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light

Item # 728564
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This item is currently sold out or unavailable online.

For your reference, this page contains historical product information.

Named after a bright red planet visible from afar, the Mars 3.0 has seven super-bright red LEDs inside a sleek water-resistant case.

  • Lens optics increase visible distance and side LEDs provide 180-degree safety-boosting visibility
  • Two AAA batteries included

Imported.

Item 728564

Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light Specs

Specification

Description

SystemLED
Number of bulbs7
Battery life flashing150 hours
Battery life on high50 hours
Batteries2 AAA(included)
MountingSeatpost
Weight with batteries108 grams

Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews
Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light
 
2.8

(based on 14 reviews)

57%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Great visibility (10)
  • Good battery life (5)
  • Helmet/removable mount (3)

Cons

    Best Uses

    • Rear safety light (12)
    • Night commute (6)
    • Reviewer Profile:
    • Avid cyclist (11), Commuter (5)

    Reviewed by 14 customers

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    Displaying reviews 1-10

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    Oct

    18

    2007

    (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

     
    1.0

    The Blackburn Mars 3

    By Gear Researcher

    from Los Angeles

    About Me Avid Cyclist

    Site Member

    Pros

      Cons

      • Poorly Constructed
      • Weak beam

      Best Uses

      • Rear safety light

      Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

      I have heavily researched taillights given I commute in Los Angeles daily. Unlike other lights, The Mars 3 offers some side light output that can be seen by drivers facing either of a cyclists' sides (note: most accidents happen by being hit from the side). However, it is not very visible and easily breaks.

      Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

      (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

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      Nov

      25

      2007

      (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

       
      1.0

      Unreliable clip, painful battey access

      By Commuter

      from San Diego, CA

      About Me Avid Cyclist

      Site Member

      Pros

      • Helmet/Removable mount

      Cons

        Best Uses

        • Rear safety light

        Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

        I've been through two of these now and will be moving on to another light. The back of the light has a clip that can attach to clothing or clip into a seat post clamp. When clipped onto the seat post attachment, they fall off pretty easily on pothole impact, etc. The last time one fell off, the clip on the back broke, making the light useless. Also, batteries are painful to change, requiring the removal of three small screws.

        Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

        (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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        Oct

        24

        2007

        (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

         
        1.0

        Looks spiffy, way too fragile

        By aka Snowman

        from San Diego, CA

        About Me Avid Cyclist, Commuter

        Site Member

        Pros

        • Great bike clip

        Cons

        • Fragile clip
        • Not very bright

        Best Uses

          Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

          I commute about 60 miles round trip 1-2x a week.

          The light is decent if you use the bike mount. it stays on better than most lights that way.

          The rear clip, however, is very flimsy. I've broken two of these lights by having them attached to messenger bags and backpacks.

          I've started using other lights.

          Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

          (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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          Oct

          13

          2007

          (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

           
          1.0

          Not Reliable

          By Akko

          from WA

          About Me Avid Cyclist, Casual/ Recreational, Commuter

          Site Member

          Pros

            Cons

              Best Uses

              • Rear safety light

              Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

              This light requires mini screw driver in order to replace battery, you can't just open cover. The attachment is poorly engineered. I had to use tape to make sure it actually stays. The visibility is fine, however, there are many styles that are cheaper, more reliable and easy to install. Go with CatEye if you want better quality.

              Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

              (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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              Sep

              24

              2007

              (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

               
              4.0

              Good Value

              By Jay from CT

              from West Hartford, Connecticut

              About Me Avid Cyclist

              Site Member

              Pros

              • Great visibility
              • Mutiple mounting options

              Cons

                Best Uses

                • Rear safety light

                Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

                This is a great rear light for commuting or evening road rides at dusk. The clip on the back of the light/mounting hardware is nice since it allows you to mount it on the seat post or a courier bag/backpack. The light is also fairly lightweight and has decent aesthetics.

                Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

                (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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                Sep

                21

                2007

                (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

                 
                4.0

                Almost Too Bright

                By OrthoPT

                from South Jordan, UT

                About Me Commuter

                Pros

                • Easy On and Off Mount
                • Great visibility
                • Long battery life
                • Multiple blink patterns

                Cons

                • Mount hard to adjust

                Best Uses

                • Annoying slow bikers
                • Night commute
                • Rear safety light

                Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

                Love the light, it is bright enough to use and be seen during daylight hours, and can be seen for a LONG LONG way in the dark. The only two problems are with the mount and the screws to change the batteries.

                The mount goes on OK, but the tilt adjustment just sucks, you have to take the light off and use a penny to tighten the screw, then it still drifts down, likely I will just glue it in place.

                The screws are not really that hard to deal with, as long as you have a screwdriver. Woe unto me if I forget to charge my batteries and they run out while I am riding.

                Aside from those niggling things, I LOVE this light, I feel much safer with this than my old Trek light.

                Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

                (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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                Sep

                17

                2007

                (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

                 
                4.0

                Bright for biking and running

                By spidey

                from San Francisco

                About Me Avid Cyclist

                Site Member

                Pros

                • Great visibility
                • Helmet/Removable mount

                Cons

                  Best Uses

                  • Rear safety light

                  Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

                  This rear light is very bright. I clip this to the back of my Camelbak when mountain biking and running at night and feel confident that people will see me. I haven't tested the water-resistant feature of this light, but it is a nice-to-have feature when it starts raining.

                  Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

                  (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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                  Sep

                  14

                  2007

                  (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

                   
                  5.0

                  As good as LED lights get

                  By Cyclist Nick

                  from Alexandria, VA

                  About Me Avid Cyclist, Long-distance commuter

                  Pros

                  • Great visibility
                  • Long battery life
                  • Plays nice with NiCdNiMH

                  Cons

                  • Dims fast with batt use
                  • Weak seatpost bracket

                  Best Uses

                  • Night commute
                  • Rear safety light

                  Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

                  I've used a few LED lights and this is as good as they get without spending much more money. This light is durable, reasonably waterproof, and very bright from a fairly wide angle. The blink pattern is flashy to the point of people on the trail complaining that it's too bright! It works pretty well with rechargable batteries (I use NiMH cells); however, the light does not employ any kind of regulation to maintain constant brightness as the battery drains. In other words, the light will become unacceptably dim when the batteries still have some decent amount of energy left, so you'll be forced to bin the old batteries when they're not as drained as they might be. Use rechargables to defeat this limitation. One other thing: the included seatpost mount bracket is a little weak. When the angle adjustment broke, I fused the entire assembly with a blowtorch to keep the angle correct, but now it's no longer adjustable... keep that in mind. Additionally, the bracket will not allow you to attach the light to the seat stays, etc... only the seatpost. On the other hand, without the bracket the light still has a clip that secures it nicely to a backpack, or in my case, a rear cargo rack. It fits the Topeak MTX stuff perfectly.

                  Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

                  (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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                  Sep

                  12

                  2007

                  (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

                   
                  4.0

                  Versatile and bright

                  By tall one

                  from Maine

                  About Me Casual/ Recreational

                  Site Member

                  Pros

                  • Great visibility
                  • Long battery life

                  Cons

                    Best Uses

                    • Night commute
                    • Rear safety light

                    Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

                    I like the versatility this offers. It is a snap to readjust, can be easily removed and clipped to a pack, or shorts when running or walking on the roadway. The variable light patterns allow high visibility with limited battery use by the LEDs.

                    Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

                    (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

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                    Oct

                    10

                    2008

                     
                    4.0

                    Perfectly durable, perfectly bright.

                    By Portland Jock

                    from Portland, Or

                    About Me Avid Cyclist

                    Site Member

                    Pros

                    • Great visibility

                    Cons

                      Best Uses

                      • Night commute
                      • Rear safety light

                      Comments about Blackburn Mars 3.0 Rear Light:

                      I've had this for almost 18 months now of daily commuting and thought I'd write to counter some of the other comments as this is a brilliant light.

                      The reason I bought this particular light is that it really is bright. Maybe not quite as bright as the Planet Bike Superflash, but what I like better about this light is the flash patterns. When you put it on the rapid changing oscillating function there's no excuse for anyone not seeing you! I also like the fact that it even flashes/lights up at the side - that side section you can see on the picture is actually Amber and provides some (not a lot) side illumination.

                      I've had absolutely no quality concerns with it whatsoever - either the light or the mounting bracket. Maybe the others have bad luck...or I have good luck.

                      The only bad side to this light is battery access. You have to remove a couple of tiny screws to get access to the battery compartment. It makes changing out batteries on the fly practically impossible.

                      • Gift:
                      • No

                      Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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