- Online: www.REI.com
- URL for this product:
- From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
- Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
- International — Call 1-253-891-2500
- Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.
For your reference, this page contains historical product information.
Imported.
Item 728564
Specification | Description |
| System | LED |
| Number of bulbs | 7 |
| Battery life flashing | 150 hours |
| Battery life on high | 50 hours |
| Batteries | 2 AAA(included) |
| Mounting | Seatpost |
| Weight with batteries | 108 grams |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Reviewed by 14 customers
Sort by
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Reviewed by 14 customers
Sort by
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
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.
