Below are a selection of lights from the top brands, and cheaper alternatives.
To enable direct comparison of brightness, all beam photographs on the road are taken at: 6400 iso, f2.8, 1/8 sec
New additions will be tested in an integrating sphere to measure the actual output and compare to the manufacturer's claims.
Click on the images to enlarge.
Very weak centre spot.
At around £15, a complete waste of money.
At around £15, a complete waste of money.
Exposure Flash - maximum lux at 1mt: 210
Very dim beam that spreads wide.
At around £25 it may be bright enough to be noticed by other road users, but I wouldn't risk it. It doesn't put any light on the road.
Cateye EL135 - maximum lux at 1mt: 1,880
Very dim centre spot.
Save around £20 by not buying this light.
At around £25 it may be bright enough to be noticed by other road users, but I wouldn't risk it. It doesn't put any light on the road.
Cateye EL135 - maximum lux at 1mt: 1,880
Very dim centre spot.
Save around £20 by not buying this light.
Knog Blinder Arc 1.7 - maximum lux at 1mt: 950
A fairly narrow beam with an even spread of light.
At around £25, it's an excellent commuter light and puts a reasonable amount of light on the road.
Electron F-300 - maximum lux at 1mt: 3,240
A bright spot with no light in the wider areas.
At around £20, this is a good commuter light. It looks well short of the claimed 300 lumens, and won't illuminate your journey to any great extent.
Centre spot with no light in the wider areas.
At around £60, you would be entitled to expect more. Ok as a commuter light, but limited for any other use.
Cateye Volt 300 - maximum lux at 1mt: 3,130
At around £40, the design looks similar to other brands. But turn it on and it's a big disappointment. Bright enough to be seen by other road users, but not bright enough for unlit roads.
Lezyne Micro Drive 600XL - measured output: 681 lumens
At around £45, the small size means a small battery, and a run time of less than an hour on the highest mode. An excellent commuter light if you don't mind frequent charging.
Torchy BK 650 - measured output: 656 lumens
At around £40, it maintains the 650 lumen output with good heat and power management .
Fluxient Elite S3 - measured output: 500.2 lumens
A large pool of very bright light with just enough light ahead of the front wheel.
At around £50, the Elite S3 is very much a light for the road, with a reflector designed to put all of the light on the road. Amnd a good job it does too, much better than the Specialized Flux.
A large centre spot with little light in the wider areas.
At around £100, I would want to add another light to illuminate ahead of my front wheel and in the wider areas.
Gemini Xera (flashlight) - Measured output - 1042 lumens
However, at around £60, this light is a waste of money. The output drops from the moment the light is switched on, and was down to 541 lumens after 5 minutes. The bar mount comes with cable ties to secure it - you don't have to be a genius to realise this will never work. Switching modes is achieved by slightly unscrewing the two halves of the light then tightening again Impossible to do while moving as it needs two hands. Do not buy one of these lights.
Gemini Xera - Measured output - 1046 lumens
At around $79.99, the beam is very narrow ,better as a helmet light with another light on the bars.
Bikehut 1000 - measured output: 1187 lumens
A good spread of light and good distance.
At around £40, it suffers from the output dropping as it heats up, but should give around 800 lumens in use. For the money, you get a lot of light.
Bikehut 1600 - measured output: 1928 lumens
At around £50, you are still getting a lot of light for a reasonable price.
Moon Meteor 2000 - measured output: 1694 lumens
Bright centre with moderate light to the wide areas.
At around £80, the Moom Meteor Storm Pro 2000 puts out a decent beam bright enough for fast road use. May not be a wide enough beam for off roaders.
Magicshine Monteer 1400 - measured output: 1743 lumens
A wide spread of light and good illumination well up the road.
At around £60, the output was over 1700 lumens initially, however this had dropped to just under 950 lumens after 10 minutes. However, that was enclosed in an integrating sphere, it shouldn't drop so much on the bike with a flow of air to help keep it cool.
Specialized Flux Expert - maximum lux at 1mt:7380
A wide even spread of light.
Moon Meteor 2000 - measured output: 1694 lumens
Bright centre with moderate light to the wide areas.
At around £80, the Moom Meteor Storm Pro 2000 puts out a decent beam bright enough for fast road use. May not be a wide enough beam for off roaders.
Magicshine Monteer 1400 - measured output: 1743 lumens
At around £60, the output was over 1700 lumens initially, however this had dropped to just under 950 lumens after 10 minutes. However, that was enclosed in an integrating sphere, it shouldn't drop so much on the bike with a flow of air to help keep it cool.
Specialized Flux Expert - maximum lux at 1mt:7380
At around £200, it's supposed to direct the light down and forward, but doesn't quite succeed in contrilling the beam as well as the Fluxient Elite S3. Disappointing brightness and run time considering the price.
M-Tigersports Hyperion - Measured output: 5749 lumens
Unfortunately a very unreliable light with the switch unit and lamp unit prone to packing in without notice. With a wide beam, a spot beam and two medium beams give even illumination from the front wheel to the far distance when it is working.
At around £150, I would expect a reliable light that you could actually use.
Hope Vision R8 - maximum lux at 1mt:20,800
At around £250, it's as bright as anyone should need. Plenty of light in all areas.
Exposure Six Pack Mk10 - measured output: 6120 lumens
At around £350, it puts out a lot of light and it's well distributed, and the good news is Exposure are improving their lights without raising prices. The Mk10 costs about the same as the Mk6 did.
Cateye Volt 6000 - measured output: 7353 lumens
The good news is the output exceeds the claimed 6000 lumens, and the built in fan does a good job of controlling the heat. The output remained above 7000 lumens even after 20 minutes inside the integrating sphere.
At around £500, the bad news is there is no attempt to focus the light. The beam is very bright and very wide, but doesn't shine very far ahead. The light on the ground a few meters ahead is so bright, it produces a snow blind effect and it takes a few moments for the eyes to adjust to the relatively dark distance. There are much better lights for less than half the price.
