Knog Frog and Toad Lights
By James and Jon Sharp

Riding with traffic at night can be a daunting task. Lights, however, make a huge difference in terms of both comfort and safety. Lights for bicycles tend to fall into two categories: Lights to help the rider see and lights to help the rider be seen. Which one you need depends on ambient lighting conditions, types of traffic you'll be encountering and more. The "be seen" lights tend to be cheaper and the batteries can last for a very long time. Almost all tail lights fall into this category, along with many headlights. Knog's commuter lights fall into the "be seen" category. Knog has been making their silicone-bodied Frog lights for some time now, and they have gained a reputation for being inexpensive, very lightweight and very versatile. The Toad is a little newer, uses more LEDs and is a bit brighter -- it also uses silicone rubber for the body and integrated mounting system. We've been using these lights for a little while now, so read on for our thoughts on these bright little amphibians.

Frog
Toad

Frog

Knog's Frog light features a single ultra bright 5mm LED powered by 2 coin-type lithium batteries. This type of battery is available just about anywhere and has a very long shelf life. The batteries also last a long time in use -- I've yet to see a perceptible dimming of the light. The little silicone body stretches to fit almost anywhere; it easily wraps around handlebars, seat posts, fork blades, helmet vents, seat stays, chain stays... you get the idea.

The Frog has two modes -- solid on and blinking. In use, you press the button to turn it on, again to switch to flashing mode and one last time to turn it off. This is my only complaint, really. And, mind you, it's a very minor quibble, but I would like to be able to hold down the button to turn it off without going through the flashing mode. It's a small thing, but really, it's the only thing I could find that I would change!

Knog's Frog is a tiny, easy to use and -- more than anything -- useful light. I've used this light alone on evenings where my main light's batteries have failed. I've used this light in flashing mode to supplement another light. I've had it mounted to my helmet for a few months now. I can't feel it mounted there, but if I needed to work on my bike, or dig around in my pack after dark, this was my go-to light. The light is so small, and its weight is so insignificant that there is no reason to not carry one, or two. They come in packs of one or packs of two -- one red and one white -- and that is the way I'd buy them. You never know when a mechanical or poor planning will result in being out at dusk or later. Why not take some insurance?

Toad

Though some cities are worse off than others, my taxes lately have been paying for--among other things--lots of city lights. The perfect venue for the Toad. The Toad has an array of five white LEDs in a vertical arrangement. Like the Frog, the Toad uses silicone rubber to attach to the handlebar. In general, this works pretty well to attach it to most bars. In particular, it was the only light I could attach to my FSA K-Wing handlebar. I also experimented with mounting it to my fork blade. Though this worked, I didn't like it as well as I thought.

There are three light modes with the Toad--four if you count "off" as a "light-mode". On, Fast-Blink and Slow-Blink. All of these are accessible through a button mounted on the back. Though the button is flush (it sits under a bump in the silicone body), I was able to find it with full-fingered gloves. I only had problems when I had the body overly stretched to fit around large objects. In that instance, the bump didn't line up with the button underneath the silicone rubber, so it took a bit more prodding to find the right spot.

Because the body of the Toad--the silicone rubber part--is translucent white, it is illuminated when the LEDs are lit. This provides a much wider viewing angle for motorists to see you by. The flip side is that the blinking is in your periphery, and can sometimes get annoying.

Overall, this is a great light to be seen with. It mounts almost anywhere, and battery life is excellent.

Summary: These lights -- Frog and Toad -- aren't the brightest available. They wouldn't be my first choice for riding in complete darkness. They are, however, very handy. They help you be seen in low light conditions. They are pocket-able, they last a l-o-n-g time in use. They are inexpensive -- a single Frog runs $9 while the Toad is $32 -- and use easily available batteries. They fit any bike, regardless of handlebar type, and weigh next to nothing. If you ride a bike, you need a light like either of these. The Toad or Frog are a great choice, check 'em out.

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com; more of his ramblings and a look at upcoming reviews can be found at his blog -- Lactic Acid Threshold.

For more information, contact:
Knog
www.knog.com.au