Lights Review - High Power LEDs
Not long ago, a 600 to 900 lumen light output was considered huge. That brightness level compares to the HID lights that were once considered the benchmark for bike lights. Nowadays you can buy an entry level LED offering that sort of output.
Not long ago, a 600 to 900 lumen light output was considered huge. That brightness level compares to the HID lights that were once considered the benchmark for bike lights. Nowadays you can buy an entry level LED offering that sort of output.For this lights feature we thought it would be good to explore the cutting edge of LED bike lights; the biggest and brightest offerings on the market. All of these lights are rated at well over 1,000 lumens, so all of them look very bright in our beam photos. These photos are taken in a totally consistent manner, allowing you to view the beam pattern and light volume on offer for each light and compare.
To place these photos in a broader context, I also photographed a Dolphin torch and my car headlights on high-beam using the same camera settings. It’s an eye opener to say the least. The car lights represent 260-watts of halogen output and the relatively miniscule LED lights come oh-so-close to outdoing it!
Certainly puts the performance of these lights into perspective, so mind your retinas and read on…
Your trusty $20 Dolphin torch—I can remember people riding with these gaffer taped to the bars at the first Mont 24 hour! Now where did the trail go?
And yes, that is hi-beam—it should be a one-sided contest but modern LEDs are extremely impressive.
Distributed by Nightlightning Australia 0417 692 698 / www.nightlightning.co.nz
It’s interesting that the most affordable light in our ‘big guns’ lighting feature also happens to have the highest lumen rating, and by some margin too. On paper the claimed 3,900 lumen iBlaast IX pretty much doubles the output of the brightest single head units that we’ve seen to date.
This light comes fromNew Zealandlighting manufacturer Nightlightning. As with most of their lights, they are offered as individual components for those who wish to build with their own batteries, or sold as a complete kit. Our iBlaast IX came with their 4,400mAh battery, which comes in hard case form to protect the Li-ion cells. Considering the lumen output and two-hour plus burn-time on high, the battery size is good and comparable to some 1,000 lumen light kits. While the size and weight is on the money, little thought has been given to bike mounting—you are presented with a fibreglass tube and need to figure the rest out for yourself. I found some rubber and a couple of large Velcro straps which did the job but it’s pretty ‘raw’.
This sentiment is reflected in the light head mounting system. The stock alloy helmet mounting bracket is simple but effective, offering a few degrees of vertical adjustment and easy mounting on most helmets (you just need to add rubber pads to the base plate to match your helmet shape). While that is fine, the 180g light weight may be off-putting to some and handlebar mounting may be the preferred option. Nightlightning’s solution is a nylon bar clamp bolted to the bottom of the helmet mount. In addition to looking like a bodged afterthought, the combined effect of all these conjoined mounts and the 180g weight is a small amount of vibration in the light head when hitting rough terrain at speed. With a small amount of tinkering I think you could mount the light body directly to the bar mount and ditch the helmet bracket. While on this topic, the light body is a threaded together two-part assembly that clamps the alloy mounting plate, and it will fall straight off if this thread ever comes loose—pay attention to this and use some light loctite if you are concerned by this risk.
While it may be a little rough around the edges, there’s a good deal of technology in this light. It is thermally protected, so if airflow is insufficient to cool the light it will dim automatically. The head unit can be set to work with a range of battery types, from 12-voltSLAto 13.2-volt NiMH and the supplied Li-ion unit. You can also choose your desired beam options—there’s two or three stage dimming and you get to select the intensity of each beam.
There’s no denying that this unit pumps out a massive amount of light. It was the brightest on test but I’ve got to say it didn’t look twice as bright as other 2,000 lumen units—not by a long shot. It has a central hot spot that is bigger and brighter than any other; and this spreads out to form a broad area of daylight around 15-30 metres down the trail and beyond. Around the fringe of this central ring, the light drops off with a reasonable spill right out to the edge of the beam. On paper it looks like quite a broad spread of light, but in practice your eyes adjust to the central bright spot and the fringes look comparatively dark. This is fine once up to speed on fire trail (where this light absolutely cranks) but the rings and variations in brightness across the spread make it harder on the eyes in the singletrack.
When it doesn’t have an opportunity to spread far enough down the trail, the super bright centre tends to reflect back at you, exacerbating the inconsistencies of the beam pattern. It’s basically too much light in too narrow a beam for good singletrack performance. There’s tons of light here, so a wider more diffused beam would have offered better all-round performance. As it stands, the iBlaast IX is one for the rider who wants the ultimate lumen output for super-fast fire road descents and is willing to compromise beam quality to get this. Its ‘dollars-for-lumens’ rating is sure to win some fans too.
Nightlightening: Not the most consistent or even beam pattern but absolutely tons of light for a relatively sharp price.
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Distributed by NiteFlux (08) 8463 1382 / www.niteflux.com
Residing in the same shell as their previous big-output offerings, the new Photon Max 24 ups the ante to produce 2,000 lumens from 24-watts of LED power (their previous best was 1,350 lumens from 20-watts in the same Photon body).
Aside from the increased lumen output, there are a number of cool features that make this light more refined and easier to use. Previously, the light switch was on the battery pack, so changing light levels meant reaching down to your frame or into your pack to feel around for the mode button—less than ideal. With this much light, you’ll probably want to step the power down when climbing, especially with the modest high beam burn-times (1.5 or 3-hours depending on your battery option).
My only gripe lies with the simplistic Velcro strap used for mounting the switch—it’s far from secure and can leave the button prone to moving around on the handlebar. My solution was to wedge the button between the grip and the brake lever.
Niteflux offers two battery options; the 280g, 2,600mAh flat pack (pictured) has a good shape and cable length for stowing in your pack or pocket for helmet mounted use, while the 450g 5,200mAh version is profiled for easier bike mounting with tidy short wire to match. Extension leads are available if you want to use the big battery with a helmet mounted beam. Both are hard case mounted for robustness and reliability.
By locating the switch within the battery (activated remotely on the wireless versions), the weight of the light head is kept down; at 140g it is acceptably light for helmet mounting. It also allows Niteflux some freedom in design, with the sculpted profile designed to optimise cooling—clearly an important thing as this unit gets very hot, very quickly on high beam. Thankfully it has thermal control as a safeguard against cooking, and we never noticed the unit throttling back on the trail or when bench testing to confirm the burn-times.
With a claimed 2,000 lumens at their disposal, Nightflux has created a very even beam pattern with no real ‘spot’ in the middle. It still offers good intermediate distance throw, but the consistent manner that it filters away to the sides makes this one of the best all-round beam patterns that we tried. There are no distracting rings or cut-offs between light and darker zones. The colour temperature was also a bit ‘warmer’ than most LEDs, making it less reflective in misty or dusty conditions.
It acquits itself well in tight singletrack offering plenty of clean light while still packing a good punch once things open up on faster fire-road descents. This light sits very comfortably with the big-hitters of the bike light industry, and does so at a competitive price-point for a 2,000 lumen light.
Photon Max: A well sorted beam for all-round use—quite broad and very even while still offering good long distance vision.
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Distributed by Bike Box (03) 9555 5800 / www.exposurelights.com
Exposure lights have always relied heavily on their convenience, low weight and ease of use as major selling features, but they haven’t typically been up with the absolute brightest. That all changes with the 1,800 lumen Six Pack.
Calling this solid chunk of machined alloy ‘lightweight’ seems wrong, but the 481g total weight remains amongst the lightest in its lumen zone. Visually the Six Pack is an eyeful – it’s about the size of a coke can strapped to your bars – but the lack of an external battery remains a great redeeming feature. Regardless of the frame size, tube profiles or stem length, this unit will strap to your bars and have you on the trail in seconds with no wiring hassles. It is also extremely handy when travelling, as you only have one self-contained unit to chuck in your bag and it doubles as one hell of a torch!
So, has cramming six Cree XPG LEDs inside an all-in-one light produced any compromises? Well aside from its initial visual impact (and you do get used to this a little), the charge time has gone up to 24-hours! Thankfully you probably won’t need to charge it too often, as the claimed three hour high-beam burn-time actually runs closer to four hours. That in itself is impressive, but you’ll probably find the still bright mid-beam gets a lot of use on the trail. Mid-beam alone will go all night (10-hours plus at around 900 lumens), so the 24-hour recharge becomes less of an issue—even for solo 24 hour racers.
It uses the same machined alloy quick release handlebar bracket as their other models, and it had no troubles supporting the 456g light unit. It won’t slip or move when done up securely, so readjusting the beam on the trail requires a 4mm allen key, which is a minor hassle.
The only potential issue that we noticed was heat related. When bench testing in front of a fan to measure the burn-time, the Six Pack would overheat unless it was getting really good airflow. It has a thermal cut-out to prevent damage (it flashes to start with and then dips to mid-beam) but none of the other lights overheated in the same conditions. As most climbing and low speed work will be done with mid-beam, it’s likely you’ll never encounter this on the trail.
On the trail, most of the light falls within a mid-width circular centre. This beam is very consistent and smooth but in the singletrack I was left wishing they’d made it a little bit wider. In any 1,000 lumen light the breadth would be excellent, but with 1,800 lumens on tap they could have made it a little more diffused—it’s not like they are dealing with a piddling amount of light after all. Interestingly, the mid-beam seems to dim the central beam while still maintaining a similar spill off to the sides. This creates a flatter beam that was easier on your vision when climbing and riding mid-speed singletrack. Full power works a treat on fast fire roads and offers plenty of mid-distance punch. I also got to test the new Maxx-D and found that the Six Pack had a nicer, wider beam pattern than its lighter 1,200 lumen cousin.
As an optional extra, Exposure offers a machined alloy remote switch that can be mounted within reach of your grips. It proved very handy for toggling between the big lumen high beam on fire roads and the less glary mid-beam in tighter trails—an option worth considering if you race or just want to keep your hands on the bars. Treat the Six Pack like a semi-wide 900 lumen light most of the time and flick to high beam when the trail opens up and speed increases.
Exposure Six Pack: Self-contained lighting convenience that packs a serious punch. Great for high speed fire trails but a little too centre weighted for optimal all-round performance.
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Distributed by Bike Lighting (02) 4294 8548 / www.bikelighting.com.au
Less than 12 months ago we tested the Lumicycle System 4; using two heads with four Cree XPG LEDs to produce 2,940 lumens, it was the latest and greatest from Lumicycle. Now they use just three LEDs in each light but manage to produce even more light—2,960 lumens. Oh how LED technology changes! It goes to show why future upgradeable LEDs are a good idea (Lumicycle, Lupine, Radical, Nightlightning), as the technology marches on at such a brisk rate.
Hooking two 1,480 lumen light units up to the one battery may seem like a simplistic way to break into the mega-lumen division, but it works. The spot/spread beam combo offers great flexibility through independent adjustment of the beam directions as well as tuning the power output of the two beam patterns.
The soft pack battery features two big Velcro straps that keep it solid mounted under your top tube and any excess cable can be hidden up inside the soft pack. I wasn’t all that confident in the quick release brackets used to mount the light heads. While they offered quick tool-free mounting, the cam-lever doesn’t offer the most secure purchase and threatens to pop-off if given a knock. While this didn’t happen to me on the trail, I feel like it is a distinct possibility.
A toggle switch is used to cycle through the modes; push it up to get more light, down to dim. It’s a great system and allows you to get the light you want without unnecessarily cycling through different modes. Small lights on the back of each light head change colour and flash to keep you updated on both the beam level and the battery status—this was handy and easy to understand.
Full power on Lumicycle lights is called ‘boost’, once selected, it will stay there for three minutes and automatically dim by one very subtle level. It discourages the constant use of full power so that you’ve always got that ‘little extra’ on offer when you really need it. It sounds odd but works on the trail (and you can override it if you prefer (for a technical descent that is more than three minutes long for example).
While the narrower of the two beams is referred to as a ‘spot’ on the distributor’s website, I’d call it more of a mid-beam. Meanwhile the flood beam really is a flood and very broad, spilling evenly right across the trail. The two combine in a seamless manner, producing good distance throw and excellent spill in the foreground. Overall it’s not the longest beam or the widest but it was one of the most effective, both in tight singletrack as well as the high-speed fire road stuff. If technical singletrack was your thing, you could opt for a twin flood beam set-up for more light up close and even better vision through the corners.
As a combo beam it has great versatility on its side. I found it worked well with the flood aimed a little lower than the intermediate/spot beam pointing right down the trail. In tight singletrack, dropping the narrower beam to 50% power with the flood on ‘boost’ was a fantastic option; you get heaps of light covering the trail (maybe 2,200 lumens worth), with the edge taken off the central bounce-back. In fact, most of my riding would be done with the flood cranked up and then tuning the spot up or down to suit the trail speed. It may be a bit too much to tinker with in a race situation, but it offers great flexibility for general trail riding.
Lumicycle: A good mix of beam spread and distance throw with very even light dispersion.
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Distributed by Radical Lights (02) 8006 2991 / www.radical-lights.com
With a claimed output of ‘only’ 1,259 lumens, the Podda 4 stood every chance of being overshadowed in the company of these +2,000 lumen guns. However, its performance is a clear example of why lumen ratings don’t translate immediately to on-trail performance.
Functionally, not much has changed since we last reviewed the Podda in 2010. The only obvious difference is the colour; Radical now offers their lights in a range of anodised hues with options available to mix and match colours between the main body and the rear cap of the light.
Customisable colour options may not be a key feature but it illustrates that Radical is trying to go that extra mile by offering the buyer something unique and boutique. They are clearly shooting at the Lupines of this world, not the Magishines and a closer look at the other small details solidifies this sentiment. The nylon tool-free handlebar bracket is solid, reliable and quick to fit. Not a huge point in itself but many ‘cottage industry’ light manufacturers make technically great lights that are let down by dodgy looking brackets and other ancillary bits.
Then there’s the base plate for helmet mounting which is made from carbon fibre in an effort to trim grams. The light comes with a tidy short cable for bar mounting and an extension for helmet use—way better than wrapping endless amounts of wire around the top tube. The mode button gives you the beams you want without cycling through unnecessary modes—a quick push for a brighter beam and a one-second hold to dim. It’s all in the details and it shows that these guys have really been paying attention. My only minor dislike would be with the stem mounted battery, which is a touch bulky for stems less than 100mm in length and can slip around a little—not a big deal as a neoprene cover protects against rubbing. Really short stems may require mounting right under bar or frame mounting with a short extension lead.
To begin with I hinted that this light performed better than expected against some pretty daunting company. How can this be so? Well the eye adjusts to make the most of the available light. Assuming there is sufficient light for the task, your eyes will adapt. However, things get much harder when you go from having a very bright light to substantially dimmer one very quickly—doing this a lot causes strain and tiredness. Beam patterns with lots of variations and rings between hot spots and dimly lit areas force your eyes to readjust with every jerk of the bars on a twisty trail. Those that stop suddenly and leave complete blackness can be even worse if they are bar mounted with a narrow beam.
The Podda may not be the brightest but it has a very wide beam that floods the foreground as well as your mid-range vision. On top of that, the light is very consistent in its brightness. There are no intense bright spots bouncing around on the trees in front of you and the breadth of the beam puts a good deal of light through singletrack corners before you turn the bars. These traits also have benefits for helmet mounted applications.
On really fast straight fire road descents, the Podda doesn’t inspire quite the same level of flat-out confidence as some of the other lights on test, but you have to be going pretty quick for this to be an issue. On twisty singletrack I found myself descending faster with this light than any of the others on the test. The Niteflux, Lumicycle and Lupine came close but this beam pattern was clearly the least straining in the twisty stuff, and to me that says a lot about the lighting game—it’s beam quality for a particular application, not sheer quantity.
Podda 4:Only 1,259 lumens but the best beam for singletrack shredding; very broad and oh-so-even.
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Distributed by JetBlack Products (02) 4560 1200 / www.jetblackproducts.com
Built to last through the apocalypse, the Niterider Pro 1400 is one solid and chunky light. Everything from the handlebar mounting bracket to the 600g battery pack is overbuilt. While this results in a hefty 865g complete package weight, some will appreciate the features and all-out robustness. There’s things like weatherproof connectors, tool free mounting for the light bracket with a huge wing nut that is easy to handle while wearing winter gloves. Ever tried to mount your lights at 3am on aCanberramorning before heading out for a lap during theMontor Scott 24 hour? It’s times like that when these features will be appreciated. The bracket will also work on a broad range of handlebar diameters without fiddling with different rubber spacers. For the most part the extra weight goes unnoticed when it’s all on the bike, but the 238g head unit is really pushing the limits of what I’d consider useable as a helmet light.
The Pro 1400 is almost identical to last year’s Pro 1200, but they are driving the two Seoul P7 emitters a little harder to get a total output of 1,400 lumens. Each P7 emitter has its own reflector, with the left side producing a very narrowly focused spot and the right acting as a wide beam. Out of the box the single mode button cycles through the basic modes; spot beam only, wide only and both beams on at full power. A small green light above each lens indicates which beam is on and the four little LEDs near the power button act as a fuel gauge. It’s all very straightforward and intuitive—something that will be especially appreciated by those with instruction manual phobia.
You can also take the beam tuning a step further by downloading software from the Niterider website. The charging dock acts as an interface with your PC and the program lets you tune the brightness level of each beam, while seeing on screen how this affects the outright burn-time. You can also set up various ‘profiles’ for the rides that you do; flashing modes for commuting, perhaps a low/high beam race mode and then an epic ride profile tailored for long burn-times—tweak it to suit your needs. Other lights may also offer similar flexibility but the PC based set-up makes this much easier to use and track your burn-times.
With both beams at full power, the Pro 1,400 exhibits a distinct hot spot that shines a long way down the trail, but only if the trail is long and relatively straight. Sinuous singletrack will see the spot beam reflecting back at you and becoming more of a distraction than a help. Toning the spot beam right back, or even switching it off completely will help even out the beam, but at 700 lumens, the wide beam alone isn’t stunningly bright. There’s also a few too many rings and variations within the beam for my liking, as well as a distinct cut-off around the edge of the wide beam (although the beam itself is nice and wide).
With all guns blazing, the Pro 1400 performs well on more open trails, offering both long distance vision and a broad spread. Winding singletracks are best tackled by having the wide beam at full power and the spot wound back to half power, just set it up as a ‘singletrack profile’ on the PC and away you go. While the beam patterns may not be optimal, the robust nature of the Niterider leaves you feeling reassured that it can hack anything that you dish out and get you home in one piece—every light has its strong points and that’s clearly it for the Pro 1400.
Niterider Pro 1400: A wide broad beam spread is married with a hot central throw that goes right down the guts of the trail.
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Distributed by Virtuascape www.virtuascape.com.au
Lupine has quite a reputation in the high-end lighting market and their products generally come with a price to match. So while budget LED lights are pressuring the market and generally forcing prices down, the flagship model from Lupine still fetches a $1,000 plus price tag. That’s a light that costs more than an entry-level hardtail!
It’s said that you get what you pay for, so what does all that cash buy from this exotic German lighting specialist? The Betty has been in the Lupine range for a few years now—it was pumping out well over 1,000 lumens in the days when most brands saw 900 lumens as some sort of milestone. In its latest incarnation the Betty produces 1,850 lumens, and that’s said to be the actual measured lumen output, not the ‘theoretical output’ often quoted by some lighting brands. Apparently the theoretical output on the Betty would be 3,150 lumens! Using that figure would be great for the marketing spiel but it wouldn’t be entirely accurate in a German kind of way.
In addition to pumping out an extra 100 lumens compared to its predecessor, it also gets a lighter head unit with the mode switch mounted in the back, as opposed to the bar remote switch that they used to employ. This switch can be set to provide a range of beam options and outputs—on/off, two step or three step dimming and commuter modes. There’s also a handy fuel gauge on the back of the light head. At 145g including the helmet mount, it’s acceptably light and around 10g lighter than before.
As always, the quality shines through in the smaller details of the Lupine. The rubber o-ring handlebar mount is often copied but this one is by far the best of its kind—super quick to mount, it doesn’t slip and offers aim-adjustment to deal with swept handlebars. The compact battery pack mounted securely on almost every frame that I tried it on (only my wife’s small Yeti with next to no front triangle caused problems). Mounting it up took all of 26 seconds—yes, I timed it to illustrate just how easy it was to do. Only the Exposure light was easier with its cleat system. Another highlight was the charger, with its digital display offering real feedback on the charge process and the actual amp-hours/voltage available. A car charger also comes as standard in the kit. The whole thing reeks of pragmatic German design and quality.
Technically it is a very desirable light to own, but what’s it like on the trail? Our sample came with the stock 16-degree beam, which on first impressions created quite a pronounced central hot-spot. This gave it one of the longest throws from this batch of super-charged lights. Somehow, the side spill of light is still sufficiently bright to prevent a tunnel vision effect. Aiming the beam too low did make the central area distracting at lower speeds but once aimed right up the trail, it left a nice usable spill in the foreground. This smooth and even outer spill was the saviour for this light in the singletrack, while it really came into its own on faster more open trails.
If singletrack performance is your priority, Lupine offers an optional 22-degree beam that removes some of the central brightness and adds to the width of the spread. The emitters can be swapped at home, so you can even have both beams and swap according to your needs at the time. This also highlights longer term investment of these lights; you can upgrade to newer LED technology as it becomes available—owners of older Betty lights can upgrade to the latest 1,850 lumen emitters for just $55. Yes, they cost a lot to start with, but real enthusiasts will see their worth—the Betty is a very desirable light.
Betty 7: Long and broad distance throw from the 16-degree beam but an even filtering out to the sides and no lines or cut-offs.
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Note: All of the night time trail photos were taken on a Canon 5D (28mm lens) with a 20 second exposure at F9 and an ISO of 400. Ten reflectors on the trail are spaced at 10 metre intervals so the furthest is 100m away from the light. These images should not be compared with our last lighting shootout as variations can occur with different print runs.
