See.Sense ACE Lightset

AxleAddict · 15-10-2018 9:26am #1

Now and again I've been tempted to purchase a pair of See.Sense ICON lights for my bike, so when they launched their Kickstarter campaign for the new ACE lights, which were about half the price, I jumped at the chance. My initial impression was that the LED array on the ACE are an improvement on the smaller number of more focussed Cree LED's on the original ICON. The lights themselves are very 'light' (as in they don't weigh very much) - even so, I do wonder how robust the mounts are - it feels like a good sharp jolt over a pothole or a rough road surface might dislodge the lights from their mounts - that said, I've had no issues so far - only time will tell.

The lights did seem a little tempremental at first - particularly my rear light which would sometimes become unresponsive and require a brief re-attachment to the USB power supply to spring it back into life (even though fully charged). In other cases, the light would just go off mid-ride, and in other cases switch itself back on of its own accord. Thankfully, after a few recent firmware updates they now appear to be functioning much more reliably and a number of other cyclists have commented ony them as they've come past. Assuming they continue to work reliably, I think they do a pretty decent job. My only minor niggle is that they don't appear to remember the last 'flash pattern' mode that they were in before being turned off - they (or at least the accompanying mobile app) seems to switch back to 'flash' as the default flash pattern when that may not always be what I want.

Any other Board'ers take the plunge and get a set too - if so, have you had similar experiences?

plodder · 15-10-2018 9:52am

I couldn't see the sense in them to be honest.

Sorry, couldn't resist that ..

ballyharpat · 15-10-2018 12:23pm

I paid for mine in the kickstarter, still waiting for it 8 months later. That. along with the unreliability ive heard about from previous owners has changed my mind against recommending them to others-I'm quite disappointed actually ;/

AxleAddict · 15-10-2018 1:00pm

In fairness a schedule slippage of a couple of months for a Kickstarter project is pretty minor in my opinion (the estimate was June 2018 and I received mine in September 2018) - I have backed a number of projects which are 1-2 years behind schedule (maybe that says more about me and the projects I back!) - that said, I hope you get yours soon now that Winter is creeping in.

When you mention 'unreliabilty you've heard from previous owners' - I assume you're referring to the ICON rather than the ACE in this instance?

ballyharpat · 15-10-2018 1:42pm

Hey, yeah I have only heard about the icons, so I guess I really should not comment on the ace. Still not happy with the wait and no way of finding out when they are going to be shipped, also, asking for a questionnaire before they shipped, I don't know what that was about, it seemed like they wanted a questionnaire filled in, in order to ship the item.

AxleAddict wrote: »

In fairness a schedule slippage of a couple of months for a Kickstarter project is pretty minor in my opinion (the estimate was June 2018 and I received mine in September 2018) - I have backed a number of projects which are 1-2 years behind schedule (maybe that says more about me and the projects I back!) - that said, I hope you get yours soon now that Winter is creeping in.

When you mention 'unreliabilty you've heard from previous owners' - I assume you're referring to the ICON rather than the ACE in this instance?

Thud · 15-10-2018 1:44pm

ballyharpat wrote: »

Hey, yeah I have only heard about the icons, so I guess I really should not comment on the ace. Still not happy with the wait and no way of finding out when they are going to be shipped, also, asking for a questionnaire before they shipped, I don't know what that was about, it seemed like they wanted a questionnaire filled in, in order to ship the item.

the questionnaire is so they have your current address (standard enough on kickstarter as many people move between backing and actual shipping date).

Got the Ace, no complaints yet.

ballyharpat · 15-10-2018 1:47pm

Thud wrote: »

the questionnaire is so they have your current address.

Got the Ace, no complaints yet.

in my experience, I gave my address when I pay, just like when you pay for everything else. If I change the address then I should notify them, otherwise why would I?

jamesd · 15-10-2018 1:57pm

Ordered via Kickstarter, filled in the questionnaire, received my rear light.

Working perfect with no issues , great battery life but I do find the bracket for the rear light very flimsy so I put another rubber band around the light center to hold the light into the bracket.

Thud · 15-10-2018 2:19pm

ballyharpat wrote: »

in my experience, I gave my address when I pay, just like when you pay for everything else. If I change the address then I should notify them, otherwise why would I?

usually order to delivery from a shop is a few days, with kickstarter its usually months sometimes over a year, i'm sure it's something they learned from experience with orders being sent to old addresses.

Type 17 · 15-10-2018 8:57pm

Got a set myself, very well made, perfect for commuting or shorter leisure rides. Early issues with firmware now fixed. Brake light function works really well.

The mounts are very good, majoring on versatility with different types/shapes of bikes, rather than rigidity, but even so, there's no real danger of losing them, despite their more "wobbly" look/feel.

Grassey · 15-10-2018 9:11pm

I've had all 3 iterations, original, icon, ace. Rear only as I don't see the purpose of the front for me.

Still use all 3 can't fault them bar the fiddly app for icon (haven't seen the android ace one yet). 1 as main, 1 as back up on the Commuter most days the last 4 or so years.

I preferred the icon mounts but the clip on/off for ace is handy, though it's so small. I'll likely lose it soon enough

Was it a better â‚¬20 than I've spend on other rear lights over the years. Definitely.

CrowdedHouse · 15-10-2018 9:14pm

No sign of the Android app yet?

Flaccus · 15-10-2018 10:19pm

Got a set too, thanks to Thud ordering some extras and selling them at cost to the lads on boards.

So far so good, very bright and I honestly think the last time I was out on a ride with them, drivers gave me more room when passing. I am still waiting for the Android app so I guess I don't have the rear brake light feature yet. My only concern is if I charge them on Monday, go for a ride of say 1 hour and have them on the default which is blinking. By Thursday with only 1 hours usage the charge is down from 5 bars to 2 or 3 bars. I think they should hold their charge longer but will wait for the firmware updates when the android app launches before I make any decision.

Also the o rings provided are made of cheese. I switched to my garmin ones after breaking 3 of the provided ones. They stretch and then snap with no warning. It's almost like there is no elasticity. Very brittle. A few on kick starter have complained too.

If I'm being picky the front one has a rattle but if you put your finger on the button then no rattle so I don't reckon it's any components being lose.

Fighting Tao · 15-10-2018 11:29pm

I have a set of icons but I Got a set of these on Kickstarter. I couldn’t say no at the price. I had a few issues. E.g. one light turned itself off randomly, battery performance... Reported said issues and all are resolved within a couple of firmware updates and a replacement light. The company is excellent to deal with if you report issues and they reply quickly.

For those with android. Hold out...once the app is available and you can get the firmware updates you’ll notice a world of difference. Or else just get an iPhone

Grassey · 15-10-2018 11:39pm

Fighting Tao wrote:

Or else just get an iPhone

Wash your dirty mouth out with soap! ðŸ€

Alanbt · 16-10-2018 6:42am

ballyharpat wrote: »

in my experience, I gave my address when I pay, just like when you pay for everything else. If I change the address then I should notify them, otherwise why would I?

Because that’s how it works for kickstarter. If questionnaire not filled in likely to delay delivery. I received my set weeks ago.
So far happy with them.

Type 17 · 16-10-2018 8:54am

Flaccus wrote: »

Got a set too, thanks to Thud ordering some extras and selling them at cost to the lads on boards.

I have a spare set as well, happy to sell at original price paid (+ postage if required). Pack unopened, so still needs firmware update, but I can do it over my iPhone if you are using Android. PM if interested.

AxleAddict · 16-10-2018 9:06am

Interesting feedback - I'm glad it wasn't just me who was having issues with the ACE lights initially - I was on the verge of submitting a support ticket when the last firmware update dropped and the problems do seem to have been largely addressed and I'm much happier. Interesting to hear about the fragility of the rubber O rings - I'll keep an eye on that although they're not under significant pressure on my setup. I might still get in touch with them about the lights/app not remembering their last flash pattern though - or to have some way of toggling through the flash patterns directly on the lights if I've not got my phone with me. Haven't tried rear Brake Mode yet (initially the toggle button on the app wouldn't move to the 'enabled' position - but it seems to be working now)

Alanbt · 16-10-2018 9:32am

AxleAddict wrote: »

Interesting feedback - I'm glad it wasn't just me who was having issues with the ACE lights initially - I was on the verge of submitting a support ticket when the last firmware update dropped and the problems do seem to have been largely addressed and I'm much happier. Interesting to hear about the fragility of the rubber O rings - I'll keep an eye on that although they're not under significant pressure on my setup. I might still get in touch with them about the lights/app not remembering their last flash pattern though - or to have some way of toggling through the flash patterns directly on the lights if I've not got my phone with me. Haven't tried rear Brake Mode yet (initially the toggle button on the app wouldn't move to the 'enabled' position - but it seems to be working now)

You can change light mode directly on the light. Just press the button. I never use my phone to adjust them on the go

AxleAddict · 16-10-2018 9:34am

Alanbt wrote: »

You can change light mode directly on the light. Just press the button. I never use my phone to adjust them on the go

Excellent - didn't realise this!

Gerry · 16-10-2018 9:29pm

The icon was impressive in a lot of ways. It was let down though by silly things such as not remembering the settings, the crappy mounting straps as mentioned and the front light in particular sometime switching off with plenty of apparent battery life remaining.
Recently the front light has given up, rear light still going strong. It was a replacement for the original front which had a faulty led but on full intensity that will do fine now. I find the battery life of the rear quite impressive, maybe 7-8 hours.

Bambaata · 16-10-2018 10:04pm

Happy enough. I've had both mine fly off on going over a speed bumps twice now. Brackets are terrible and I don't trust them. Im going to log a ticket and I don't feel comfortable using the mounts. Thankfully they haven't been damaged but i don't want this to keep happening. I know I'll lose them eventually. Never had an issue with any other brackets - exposure, cateye, hope etc.

ballyharpat · 12-11-2018 5:52pm

Hey, I received the seesense lights, they are very good and bright. I find the app very helpful, buch better than fiddling around with trying to press and hold or fast/slow press a button.
I have a few questions, Is the blue light always on/flashing?
How does the brake light work, thanks in advance.

AxleAddict · 12-11-2018 6:22pm

The blue flashing light only appears when you are paired to the lights via Bluetooth - from your phone - but this is optional - if you disable bluetooth on your phone (or unpair the lights from your phone) the blue flashing LED should stop.

Type 17 · 12-11-2018 6:24pm

Blue light is on when the app is running on your phone and is in range (connected over Bluetooth).

If you don't move the bike/light for a while, it goes to sleep, even if the phone is in range.

If you want to save the battery, and you've moved the light recently, quit the app on your phone, and the light will be disconnected.

The brake light works by sensing G-force in the right direction - you can mimic it by quickly moving the light in your hand, and then stopping the movement sharply.

dahat · 09-12-2018 6:45pm

Has anyone tried the Android beta app yet?

I paired mine and the rear light hasn't been right since, pairing won't work plus the light won't turn off at all.

Any suggestions?

Grassey · 09-12-2018 7:06pm

Update firmware, unpair lights, uninstall app. That's what I did

dahat · 09-12-2018 7:56pm

Grassey wrote: »

Update firmware, unpair lights, uninstall app. That's what I did

I'll try that once it goes dead as it won't connect to any phone just now.

See.Sense ACE Lightset

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