There's a manufacturer called
"Kryptonite" that's famous for durable chain locks.
I myself use the Keeper 411 chain lock,
which isn't particularly durable compared to other models from the company
(but in exchange it's lightweight and portable).
Kryptonite also makes lights,
and among them there's a series called "Avenue."
↑These are three models of the Avenue line,
and the numbers following "R-" indicate the brightness in lumens at the brightest mode.
The R-50 is a COB (chip-on-board) model with 16 LED chips arranged vertically,
the R-45 has two LED bulbs,
and the R-30 has one LED bulb.
There's a clip-mount adapter on the back of the body,
but it can also be converted to an adapter that mounts to the seatpost with a rubber band.
I've written in the pre-tax list prices from Japanese distributors in 2021.
For some reason, the R-30 is 200 yen more expensive than the R-45.
Next, here are the pre-tax list prices from 2023.
Everything except the R-45 went up in price,
and the price difference between R-45 and R-30 has grown to 1,400 yen.
There's a possibility this is a pricing error, but
assuming the distributor ordered the same quantity of both R-45 and R-30,
if both sold out completely,
the numbers on the books would be fine.
However, ordering the same quantity is just a hypothetical I'm making,
and if there was an error, it would be a very messy situation
in terms of compensation to end users who bought the R-30 at the higher price.
Plus, the distributors have stock of both models right now,
so they're not completely sold out.
I checked Kryptonite's official website,
but there was no listing for global or US domestic
manufacturer suggested retail prices in dollars.
So next I looked up the selling price at a certain retail store in America.
I should note that this may not be the manufacturer's suggested retail price,
↑and it was exactly as shown.
Indeed, the brighter the light, the higher the price.
I've written in red the prices calculated by rounding up the 95 cents at the end
using 1 dollar = 150 yen conversion.
The reason I've been using pre-tax prices throughout is
because I wanted to make this comparison, and because
the Japanese list prices end in 100-yen units, which is easy to read.
So when I called the distributor about this,
the young woman who first answered transferred me to
a senior person I've been doing business with for years,
and he said "It's been a while, I read your blog sometimes."
Ugh, when someone gives me a warning like that,
it makes it harder to write the punchline afterward (though I did write it).
To get to the conclusion: regarding the pricing, it's not an error.
Apparently it's because of exchange rate fluctuations
related to when they imported from the manufacturer.
Ah, that's a perfect explanation.
First, since it's not an error,
there's no need to compensate customers who bought the R-30
at the 2023 list price,
and no need to correct the catalog.
Also, while I'm not doubting anything,
the R-45 price has stayed the same since 2021,
so the "exchange rate" explanation is quite credible.
Sorry, I actually ordered an R-45 for myself before calling to ask,
just to be safe no matter how things turned out.
The image above shows the package as it arrived.
The metal box is open,
and it's designed so you can see the contents
and hang it on a hook.
As for my purchasing decision, it's not just that
the R-45 is relatively cheaper than the lower model—
I also thought it had nice build quality.
Sega's Mega Drive game console has a round part on the body
that looks like it could be mistaken for the cover of a CD drive,
but I think that was intentional.
With the Avenue R-45 and R-30,
there's no rear camera function of course,
but I also liked the design that makes it look like it might have a camera.
Whether that was intentional, I don't know.
The clip is the mounting method in stock form,
but as I mentioned earlier, you can also switch to band-style mounting.
Press the protrusion and slide to remove the adapter.
↑It's hard to see in the shadow,
but it says R45, not P45.
The USB charging port is on the side of the body
and has a rubber cap plugged in.
In the display state, a cable tie is run through the clip part,
and removing it initially was somewhat tedious.
Since you can't remove it in a second, it's probably an anti-theft measure.
On the bottom of the box is a cable tie mount base—the kind mainly used in construction
to secure wiring inside walls—attached with very strong double-sided tape.
I couldn't remove it with just finger strength.
You might be able to remove it with a heat gun.
The box lid came off, so I put it back on.
The Kryptonite logo is embossed in,
and the finish is nice—it would make a good small storage box.
Instructions in various languages are included,
but there's no Japanese.
There was also no Japanese instruction manual that the distributor might have prepared.
Press the button on the unit long to turn it on/off.
Once it's on, short presses cycle through five modes.
The "High Flash" mode is so bright it's almost blinding, so you'll know it right away.
For the five modes, here are the runtimes from full charge:
High Flash — 45 lumens / 1.5 hours
The light flashes on and off repeatedly, with dark moments in between
Low Steady — 20 lumens / 2 hours
Steady means constant here.
The light shines without flickering
Daytime Pulse — 45 lumens / 3 hours
The light flickers on and off repeatedly.
45 lumens refers to the brightest moment.
There are dark moments in between
Nighttime Pulse — 15 lumens / 5 hours
Starts from a constant state
and pulses to get brighter regularly.
The brightest moment of the pulse
isn't as bright as Daytime Pulse,
so it's presumably 15 lumens.
There are no completely dark moments
Economical Flash — 5 lumens / 12 hours
A typical flashing pattern where it mostly stays off
then flashes on for a moment, repeatedly.
There are dark moments in between
While charging, the button area flashes red,
and when charging is complete, it changes to a steady green light
(as shown in the image above).
Also, when the light is in use and the battery drops below 25% capacity,
the button area flashes red.
When it drops below 10%, to save power,
the mode automatically switches to Economical Flash.
The T-shaped protrusions that hold the rubber band
are the same shape on both sides—neither is shallower to make
removal/installation easier. In stock form, the side you don't pull from
is attached to the right side of the light, but
if you change this to the left side,
it becomes easier to attach and remove from the right side of the bike.
The band has three holes.
Using the first hole with a 27.2mm diameter round seatpost
was quite tight.
I think the remaining holes are meant for seat stays and similar.
While it's tight, it doesn't seem to slip.
When charging, instead of removing the entire band and mount from the seatpost,
it's easier to leave the mount on the seatpost and just pull the light body out of the adapter.
"Kryptonite" that's famous for durable chain locks.
I myself use the Keeper 411 chain lock,
which isn't particularly durable compared to other models from the company
(but in exchange it's lightweight and portable).
Kryptonite also makes lights,
and among them there's a series called "Avenue."
↑These are three models of the Avenue line,
and the numbers following "R-" indicate the brightness in lumens at the brightest mode.
The R-50 is a COB (chip-on-board) model with 16 LED chips arranged vertically,
the R-45 has two LED bulbs,
and the R-30 has one LED bulb.
There's a clip-mount adapter on the back of the body,
but it can also be converted to an adapter that mounts to the seatpost with a rubber band.
I've written in the pre-tax list prices from Japanese distributors in 2021.
For some reason, the R-30 is 200 yen more expensive than the R-45.
Next, here are the pre-tax list prices from 2023.
Everything except the R-45 went up in price,
and the price difference between R-45 and R-30 has grown to 1,400 yen.
There's a possibility this is a pricing error, but
assuming the distributor ordered the same quantity of both R-45 and R-30,
if both sold out completely,
the numbers on the books would be fine.
However, ordering the same quantity is just a hypothetical I'm making,
and if there was an error, it would be a very messy situation
in terms of compensation to end users who bought the R-30 at the higher price.
Plus, the distributors have stock of both models right now,
so they're not completely sold out.
I checked Kryptonite's official website,
but there was no listing for global or US domestic
manufacturer suggested retail prices in dollars.
So next I looked up the selling price at a certain retail store in America.
I should note that this may not be the manufacturer's suggested retail price,
↑and it was exactly as shown.
Indeed, the brighter the light, the higher the price.
I've written in red the prices calculated by rounding up the 95 cents at the end
using 1 dollar = 150 yen conversion.
The reason I've been using pre-tax prices throughout is
because I wanted to make this comparison, and because
the Japanese list prices end in 100-yen units, which is easy to read.
So when I called the distributor about this,
the young woman who first answered transferred me to
a senior person I've been doing business with for years,
and he said "It's been a while, I read your blog sometimes."
Ugh, when someone gives me a warning like that,
it makes it harder to write the punchline afterward (though I did write it).
To get to the conclusion: regarding the pricing, it's not an error.
Apparently it's because of exchange rate fluctuations
related to when they imported from the manufacturer.
Ah, that's a perfect explanation.
First, since it's not an error,
there's no need to compensate customers who bought the R-30
at the 2023 list price,
and no need to correct the catalog.
Also, while I'm not doubting anything,
the R-45 price has stayed the same since 2021,
so the "exchange rate" explanation is quite credible.
Sorry, I actually ordered an R-45 for myself before calling to ask,
just to be safe no matter how things turned out.
The image above shows the package as it arrived.
The metal box is open,
and it's designed so you can see the contents
and hang it on a hook.
As for my purchasing decision, it's not just that
the R-45 is relatively cheaper than the lower model—
I also thought it had nice build quality.
Sega's Mega Drive game console has a round part on the body
that looks like it could be mistaken for the cover of a CD drive,
but I think that was intentional.
With the Avenue R-45 and R-30,
there's no rear camera function of course,
but I also liked the design that makes it look like it might have a camera.
Whether that was intentional, I don't know.
The clip is the mounting method in stock form,
but as I mentioned earlier, you can also switch to band-style mounting.
Press the protrusion and slide to remove the adapter.
↑It's hard to see in the shadow,
but it says R45, not P45.
The USB charging port is on the side of the body
and has a rubber cap plugged in.
In the display state, a cable tie is run through the clip part,
and removing it initially was somewhat tedious.
Since you can't remove it in a second, it's probably an anti-theft measure.
On the bottom of the box is a cable tie mount base—the kind mainly used in construction
to secure wiring inside walls—attached with very strong double-sided tape.
I couldn't remove it with just finger strength.
You might be able to remove it with a heat gun.
The box lid came off, so I put it back on.
The Kryptonite logo is embossed in,
and the finish is nice—it would make a good small storage box.
Instructions in various languages are included,
but there's no Japanese.
There was also no Japanese instruction manual that the distributor might have prepared.
Press the button on the unit long to turn it on/off.
Once it's on, short presses cycle through five modes.
The "High Flash" mode is so bright it's almost blinding, so you'll know it right away.
For the five modes, here are the runtimes from full charge:
High Flash — 45 lumens / 1.5 hours
The light flashes on and off repeatedly, with dark moments in between
Low Steady — 20 lumens / 2 hours
Steady means constant here.
The light shines without flickering
Daytime Pulse — 45 lumens / 3 hours
The light flickers on and off repeatedly.
45 lumens refers to the brightest moment.
There are dark moments in between
Nighttime Pulse — 15 lumens / 5 hours
Starts from a constant state
and pulses to get brighter regularly.
The brightest moment of the pulse
isn't as bright as Daytime Pulse,
so it's presumably 15 lumens.
There are no completely dark moments
Economical Flash — 5 lumens / 12 hours
A typical flashing pattern where it mostly stays off
then flashes on for a moment, repeatedly.
There are dark moments in between
While charging, the button area flashes red,
and when charging is complete, it changes to a steady green light
(as shown in the image above).
Also, when the light is in use and the battery drops below 25% capacity,
the button area flashes red.
When it drops below 10%, to save power,
the mode automatically switches to Economical Flash.
The T-shaped protrusions that hold the rubber band
are the same shape on both sides—neither is shallower to make
removal/installation easier. In stock form, the side you don't pull from
is attached to the right side of the light, but
if you change this to the left side,
it becomes easier to attach and remove from the right side of the bike.
The band has three holes.
Using the first hole with a 27.2mm diameter round seatpost
was quite tight.
I think the remaining holes are meant for seat stays and similar.
While it's tight, it doesn't seem to slip.
When charging, instead of removing the entire band and mount from the seatpost,
it's easier to leave the mount on the seatpost and just pull the light body out of the adapter.