Core77
Sometimes at night, or before dawn, my wife and I head outside to deal with an unexpected emergency on the farm. Ordinarily we wear headlamps, but sometimes in the scramble to get outside in a hurry, only one of us has grabbed a flashlight. In this case, the person with the flashlight travels behind, to illuminate the path ahead for both. It's a bit awkward but it works.
A startup called Rony aims to do away with the awkwardness of having only one flashlight for multiple people. Their eponymous design thus has a second head at the rear, angled downward. This allows the person in front to both illuminate their own path, and the ground below for those following.
The company also notes that if used as a bike light, the downward-facing rear light does a good job of making your bike more visible to motorists. The flashlight is also waterproof, for biking or hiking in the rain.
While the rear light is a fixed 300 lumens, the front light is adjustable from a power-sipping 20 lumens up to a maximum of 1,500 lumens. The battery is internal and charged via USB-C.
The company offers three finishes: Brushed aluminum (€55/$62), anodized aluminum (€59/$66) and carbon fiber (€76/$86).
The Rony has been successfully crowdfunded, with 29 days left to pledge at press time. The units are expected to ship in April of 2022.
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
Webinar
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Rony: A Dual-Headed Flashlight Provides Better UX, for Bike or Hikes
Not sure I need a $90 carbon fiber flashlight with limited use cases.....
Clever idea especially for outdoor guides, I'm not sure if there's much need for keeping your crotch illuminated while cycling though.
Can you turn off the rear light?