Bike light Database

Maybe people just like to boast about how much they spent on their lights, but to me, the major brands are a waste of money. You can buy brighter lights at a fraction of the cost. They are just as reliable, and if you ever need to replace a battery or any other part, they are much cheaper too.

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.
 

Cateye Volt 80XC - measured output: 114 lumens


Looks worse on the road than the test results would suggest. The photo below is meant to show the beam (it is switched on), but it didn't register with the camera.

It's only around £10, but even so, a waste of money in my opinion.


Magicshine Altty Mini- measured output: 243 lumens


Not a light you would want to use on unlit roads.
At around £20, I wouldn't feel safe using it as a commuter light either. There are better options.
 
Cateye Ampp 400 - measured output: 349 lumens

A decent spread of light and decent enough brightness to use on unlit roads at a push.
At around £25, it's a pretty decent light for commuting.

Cateye Ampp 500 - measured output: 349 lumens
The integrating sphere says it's brighter than the Ampp 400, but to the naked eye and camera, it looks the same.
At around £30, it's pretty much the same as the cheaper 400.
 
 
Lezyne Micro Drive 600XL - measured output: 681 lumens




It delivers the claimed 600 lumens with a bright centre area to the beam.
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



 One spot beam and one wide beam make for an even spread of light with good forward throw.
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.

Soshine TB1 - measured output: 814 lumens

Puts most of the light being in the centre of the beam. Good for the road, or a helmet light for off road.
At around £30, it's also a pretty good commuter light
 
Gemini Xera (flashlight) - Measured output - 1042 lumens

 


Small light that is initially very bright.
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


Suffers from the same heat management issues as the flashlight version with an initial 1046 lumens dropping to 126 lumens after 5 minutes as the light dropped to the lowest mode.
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.

Fluxient F2- measured output: 1724 lumens
Exceeds the claimed 1500 lumens by a couple of hundred lumens.
At around £50, produces a nice distribution of light that is pretty much as bright as you need.

Bikehut 1600 - measured output: 1928 lumens





Nice spread and forward illumination. Starts out well above the claimed output, but poor heat management sees this drop to 800 lumens after 10 minutes. However, that's enclosed in an integrating sphere. I reckon in use with an air flow to help with cooling you can expect around 1000 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.


Fluxient F4 - measured output: 3605 lumens
 
Not far off the claimed 4000 lumens, the two spot beams and 2 wide beams can be operated separately or together to give plenty of flexibility in the light distribution.
At around £80, it's probably brighter than the average cyclists needs.Definitely gives a presence on the road.


 
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.

Fluxient F5 - measured output: 5038 lumens
Puts loads of light everywhere. Two wide beams and three spot beams can be selected separately or together.
At around £100, it"s one of the brightest lights on the market. Great if you wan't to get your own back on inconsiderate oncoming traffic.

Exposure Six Pack Mk10 - measured output: 6120 lumens



 
 Medium wide beam with very large bright centre area 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.