Garmin

This is the go-to radar-rear light combination. Many fellow cyclists use and recommend this combo, and I finally made the decision to upgrade my Garmin RVR315 radar and separate rear light to the Garmin RTL515 radar-rear light combination.

The RTL515 coupled easily to my bike computer (Garmin 830 Edge) and with my RideWithGPS app. The radar-light combination has functioned as advertised since purchase. I charge the RTL515 after each ride. I was under the impression that the RTL515 would turn itself off after being disconnected from the Edge computer, and that I did not need to physically turn it off. Sounded great! However, after not turning the RTL515 off after an early ride, the RTL515 ran out of battery power and disconnected. I didn't try that again. The fully-charged RTL515 has not run out of battery power on any subsequent ride up to 3.5 hours.

I chose to wait until this device was significantly discounted to purchase, as I feel it's at the higher end of price for these devices.

First BTD is the 'Place' to shop for all your bike related items, especially specialty items like this rear radar tail light! It does its job so well you quit glancing at your mirror every 5 seconds to now only looking at your head unit when you receive a notification. The RTL515 is priced right, integrated perfectly and gives a peace of mind & safety when riding. If you don't have one and you have vehicles sneaking up on you you need one!

Garmin could definitely do better with their rear camera/radar/light device. The radar and light match the quality of the RTL515, which is great. The camera is quite low quality, though. There's no image stabilization, and the resolution is low, and the clips are cut into 30 second files, which is really annoying to review later. On top of that, the mount is unique (no standard quarter-turn mount), and the battery life is not very good when the light and camera are both running. I do like the USB-C charging and the fact that my Garmin Edge computer can control all the functions.

I've equipped all my bikes with front and rear camera lights after I got hit by a distracted driver. The camera on this one is pretty good, including image stabilization. The light is also plenty bright. Runtime is not so great, particularly when the light is on. I also wish the mounting options were better. The built-in mount is GoPro style, and that's what I use, but then there's no quick release for charging off the bike or swapping between bikes. It comes with an adapter for attaching to the out-front Garmin mount. That adds bulk (both in the adapter and the out-front mount), and it isn't compatible with non-round handlebars. I appreciate that all the functions can be operated by my Garmin Edge computer.