On testing tail lights....
Beamshots and video for taillights makes sense because the lumen output is not high enough to be an issue for digital photography.
For side view, it would be, I think, good to show what sort of red bloom the taillight shows around the bike, not just the straight on view of the LEDs. Some of the light mfgs recommend a slight downward angle of the light in order to get a large red bloom on the road and bike frame for additional visibility.
I agree with the above, and will add the following: The whole point of tail lights is vastly different from headlights: Headlights are for the rider, while tail lights are for the inattentive onlooker. So it matters not how much light the tail light puts out in
absolute terms. What matters is how attention-grabbing they are in
relative terms. From this it follows....
1) Make sure the tail light shootout videos have as many lights lined up in the same frame as feasible. What looks bright on its own may look insignificant compared to other competitors, which is not too different from saying other "distractions on the road." We want the most distracting light possible, in some sense, burning just below the threshold at which it'll send the oncoming driver into an epileptic fit or an apoplectic rage.
2) Please upload videos of the tail lights compared in
full daylight as well.
3) Show the tail lights at night
from the side at approximately the distance across a 4-way intersection. Side impact is the most dangerous scenario.
4) Film a video of a drive down a narrow street with red lamps blazing at the driver at set intervals. Ask six of your friends to drive down that same street, and rate subjectively whether some tail lights were more effective than others at alerting them without pissing them off.
Finally, I'm bumping the list of tail lights that deserve testing, since I tweaked it a fair bit since first posting it:
Tail lights really worth reviewing:
Cygolite Hotshot 2W
DesignShine DS-500
DiNotte 140
DiNotte 300
Magicshine MJ-818
NiteFLUX RedZone 4
Philips SafeRide LED RearLight
Planet Bike Super Flash Turbo
Portland Design Works Danger Zone
Side-visible models:
Cateye TL-LD1100
Cateye Orbits
MonkeyLectric
NiteFLUX RedZone 4
Nite Ize Spokelit
Philips SafeRide LED RearLight
Trek Beacon Bar End Light
Francois, the NiteFLUX RedZone 4 (can't yet post the link, but easy to find on Google) is really worth a close look. As you know from reviewing previous NiteFLUX lights, it's a high-quality Aussie-made product. It's just out, and I'm sure the company would be thrilled for the Stateside audience. This model is a 4W LED -- yes, that's even brighter than the MagicShine, and double or quadruple the output of the Planet Bike SuperFlash Turbo, PDW and Cygolite offerings. It seems like a killer light, but there are few comparative reviews of it yet.
Likewise, the Philips SafeRide RearLight is supposedly excellent at throwing light to the side.
Thanks!!!!!