# Has anyone else experienced problems with the Cygolite HotShot 2 Watt unit?



## gdb2b (Jan 17, 2012)

A question for the readers herein which use or have used the Cygolite HotShot 2 watt rechargeable tailight in wet/snowy conditions. 

Have you experienced a problem with it where moisture has leaked in at the rubber grommet switch (the elongated rubber oval grommet that operates the on/off and mode/brightness switches)?

I purchased one last fall to leverage its unique, "be seen" high(er) power, slow pulse, variable brightness mode. In the winter months I do a lot of nighttime riding where being seen, especially in poor visibility/snowy conditions, is essential to staying safe. The unit had/has a bit of negative history regarding the seal over the USB recharging port. Other readers had reported that. I wasn't deterred by this potential defect, as I tend to de-kit carefully post-ride and bring stuff inside for cleaning and recharging. 

Some 4 months of use later, and now my unit is functionally inoperative. Fraudulent POS comes to mind. Not a happy camper. 

I cannot turn it on/off nor change its mode/brightness. The switches no longer work. Not willing to trash it without knowing what has happened, I removed the rubber switch grommet. I found corrosion on the circuit board around both of the pezio switches and the telltale light tan color of dried gravel road grime. Somehow road spray was getting inside. Upon careful examination of the contact surfaces of the rubber grommet switch, it became apparent that road spray being thrown off by the rear tire was leaking behind the grommet thru the mounting hole in the plastic body of the light, down the back of the grommet on onto the twin switches. 

Anybody else riding in these conditions with this unit and experiencing something similar? 

Although I'm out a unit (I will try to get a replacement from where I bought it), if you ride in wet conditions, the "fix" is to seal the grommet switch with a very thin bead of silicone sealant - essentially making the switch water tight. The light aperture and USB port are another matter, but I do not have any personal failure experiences with them. 


Cygolite engineers or product managers - if you are reading this. This is easily fixable. Do it! Until this happened, I had strongly recommended this unit because of the unique, higher power (translates to being seen at a distance) variable brightness slow pulse mode. I need a reliable get 'em by the eyeballs/get noticed early and at a distance be seen taillight. That combination of maximum brightness and slow pulse mode variability is what make YOUR unit preferred by those of us that need it. All that needs to be done is to change the formulation of your rubber grommet to improve its adhesion to plastics coefficient. Make it stickier. Net cost is negligible, maybe .03/unit. 

Why is this important to you? Nighttime riding is all about safety, particularly being seen. At night, out on the shared trails here snowmobiles are common. I average 6 - 8 MPH in the snow. The sleds can run 80 - 100 MPH. Brightness and mode translate to being noticed sooner, and more reaction time. Help me stay safe out here, OK? 

If you want pics and details, please PM me..


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## oversyded (Jan 15, 2021)

Your post is old, and you probably won't receive a notification that it's been responded to, but almost 7 years later, I can confirm having the same issue with multiple Cygolite products. They just do not seal them up, and even if it's just humid out, moisture will find its way in there and corrupt the circuitry. Been riding with a cheapo target light that uses AAA batteries for the last 2 years. Not as bright, but it hasn't randomly broken on me yet, either. Sorry for your troubles.


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