By Brandon Bilyeu
Hot!
- Very bright, up to 170 lumens
- Curved shape gives 330 degrees of visibility
- Charge connector built in, no cable needed
- Light modes can be customized
- IP67 waterproof rating
Not!
- Charge connector is USB-A
- Only battery level indication is a low warning
Cost: $77
How obtained: review sample from company
RBR Sponsor: no
Available: online and retail
Website: Knog Mid Cobber
Knog Mid Cobber
The Cobber comes in “Lil” and “Mid” sizes, the lights being 33mm (1.3 inches) and 62mm (2.5 inches) tall, respectively. The Cobber lights are built with a curved PCB using Chip on Board (COB) technology that creates a large array of LEDs that give a wide 330 degrees of visibility. This means the Cobber provides light coverage rearward and to both sides. The Lil Cobber image below clearly shows the LED array and wraparound coverage.
Light operation is simple with a single button that turns the Cobber on/off with a long press and cycles through the different light modes with a short press. Thankfully, when you turn the light on it defaults to the last mode used so you don’t have to cycle through all eight modes every time. For me, eight modes is a little excessive and I only need one solid mode and one flashing mode. A neat feature of the Knog Cobber is that the light modes can be customized via the Knog Modemaker app. With the app you can add/remove modes and even customize the modes to your desired flashing pattern and intensity level. The images below show example customization options for a solid and flashing mode.
The Cobber comes with two mounting brackets, one for a round seat post and one for an aero seat post. The mounting brackets are held in place securely with the included black silicone bands. The Cobber slides onto the mounting bracket and is held in place with both mechanical detents and magnets. I found the Cobber easy to install and remove, but also very secure on the mount with no issues during rough rides.
As shown in the chart below, battery life varies greatly depending on the mode used. The 170 lumen modes are blindingly bright and well suited to use on daylight rides. At the other end of the spectrum, the Eco Flash mode gives you 100 hours of run time, which is great for multiday trips, or as a ‘get home’ mode if the battery is low. While not as bright at 15 lumens, the moving flash pattern helps catch the eye of other road users. There is a ring around the power button that lights up red when the battery is low, though time remaining varies greatly depending on which mode is in use. The red ring is also difficult to see as it is only lit when the light is on and easily overpowered by the actual rear light. Best bet is to charge after every ride to avoid any issues.
Charging is pleasantly cable free via an integrated connector, though it is the older USB-A standard. Normally I would advise steering clear of anything that is not USB-C, but USB-A is still found everywhere so I don’t think finding a charging port will be an issue anytime soon. The ring around the button lights up red when charging and turns green when fully charged.
Bottom Line
The Knog Cobber is a bright and versatile rear bike light. The side visibility enhances safety and customizable modes mean you can make this light fit your exact lighting needs. Battery life is good, but best to charge after every ride as battery level indication is not great.
Another Vote of Confidence for the Knog Blinder Front Bike Lights
A while back Jim wrote a glowing review of the Knog Blinder 900 front bike light and now I’ve had the chance to test out the Blinder 1300. The 900 and 1300 are basically the same, the only difference being the 1300 has higher light outputs for each mode (with similar run times). I’ve used the 1300 for commuting, night rides, and even a 24-hour relay road race and it has performed flawlessly.
The 1300 is only a little bigger than the 900, and the available 8 hours runtime at 230 lumens on the low solid beam setting is plenty bright for all my riding needs and speeds. Build quality is top notch and I appreciate the two different mounts that are included. There is not much more I can say that Jim hasn’t already covered, so I highly recommend reading Jim’s review if you are in the market for a front bike light.
Jim’s review: https://www.roadbikerider.com/knog-blinder-900-front-light/
Brandon Bilyeu is an avid recreational roadie who lives in Regensburg, Germany. He’s a year-round bike commuter and is a mechanical design engineer by trade. Click to read Brandon’s full bio.
I had one of these and did not find the charging usb an issue. What was a problem and totally my fault was not using a small/tight enough of the silicone bands. It fell off on an overnight ride just yesterday.
I find that with items that attach with silicone bands, typically multiple size bands are included, but usually one band is too big and one is too small. One way around this is to use the ‘too big’ band and twist it once (so it looks like a figure 8). If still too big, then twist again. This shortens the band so you can get the right fit.