As a runner that lives far enough north that night comes before getting home from work in the Winter, I’ve been left with a decision to make multiple times a week. Do I go to the gym and run on the treadmill, meanwhile hating my life, or do I run in the dark outside. Running outside in the dark is not only dangerous because of cars, but also because you can’t always see where you’re putting your foot down. Because of lighting around where I live, or lack-thereof, the only route I can really do at night is a two-mile loop near my house. If I want to run more than two miles, I have to do laps. For four or even six miles, it’s tolerable, but for eight, ten, or more, it’s unbearable for me. And before I go any further, I will mention that there is always the third option of waking up before work and running in the morning, but I’ve failed at actually getting myself out of bed so many times now that I don’t even try anymore.
My wife had suggested getting headlamps last year, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Unfortunately, this year, we’ve got too much training to do to ignore the problem. I spent some time trying to pick out the right headlamp for me, but the idea never seemed right to me. I can’t imagine running with something on my head like that and I couldn’t find one online that didn’t have almost as many negative reviews as it did positive ones. While much of the negativity for the better overall rated headlamps seemed to be somewhat subjective and a matter of preference for the reviewer, I couldn’t help feeling that I would run into the same issues.
Enter Knuckle Lights!
Knuckle Lights take the idea of a headlamp and run with it (pun intended), while trying to improve on the idea. Instead of having a single light on your head, they move the light to your hands. One in each hand. Knuckle Lights are specifically designed for runners, whereas most headlamps are more general purpose or more geared toward hiking.
I decided to give these a try, they seemed to be the best option for my wife and I so I bought us each a pair ($40 each). I was impressed by the free shipping which got them to us in two days (via USPS, nonetheless). When the lights showed up earlier today, I opened up the box and found that not only did we get the lights, but they also threw in two stickers, two reflector strips, and two red flashing clip-on reflector light dealies. Not bad.
Since I was scheduled for a run today anyway, I grabbed them and ran right out the door to give them a try. I purposely ran past my normal nighttime loop and down a dark road that I would normally never run down at night. I quickly found that while the Knuckle Lights didn’t provide massive amounts of light, they certainly provided enough light for comfort. The lights provided me with about ten feet of good visibility in front of me. Not a lot, but enough that you can run safely. From the perspective of an oncoming car, I’m sure they could see me quite a ways away, as well.
If you take a second to head over to their site, you’ll see that the makers of Knuckle Lights mention the wide beams over and over to try to convince you that the motion of your hands won’t cause the light to be all over the place. I have to admit, this was a small concern of mine, but they were right, you don’t see the light bouncing all over. You can see the movement of the lights in your peripheral vision, but that’s it. In front of you, the light appears steady and unmoving as long as you have both lights turned on. Completely distraction-free.
Something I didn’t think about beforehand, but I quickly realized while using the Knuckle Lights was that having two separate lights that could move independently of not only each other, but also your eyes and head is extremely useful. You don’t have to move your whole head to light in a slightly different direction. As I was running by cross-streets, I started pointing one light down the street so that any cars coming down could see me easily. I kept the other light forward so I could still see where I was going. I also found it useful sometimes to point one light down as I was running over sections of sidewalk that were in extra bad shape. This allowed me to place each step strategically to not trip while also allowing me to keep an eye on what was coming up.
The biggest issue I have with running in the dark is with the headlights of oncoming cars blinding me. Knuckle Lights can’t stop that, but I found that the effect was greatly reduced. I could look down and away from the light, but still give myself at least a little light to be able to see where I was going.
My biggest concern with the Knuckle Lights before buying them was having to have them in my hands, but in reality, I didn’t find that to be an issue for a single second. The lights are very light and they strap onto your fingers in such a way that you barely even notice them. Once you put them on, you don’t have to actually hold them, they just stay there. They’ll work over gloves or mittens as well.
All in all, I think Knuckle Lights are well worth the $40. They’re not going to light up the entire road in front of you or impress you with their brightness, but they will give you enough light to not only allow you to run at night, but also make you feel comfortable with running in the dark. They’ll also make you very visible to cars, which is important. They’re easy to use and aren’t annoying. I can’t compare them to using a headlamp because I’ve never used one before, but I have no doubt that these are a much better option.
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Look at everything they sent!
