7 Bike Lights: Tested! (Which is Best?)

[@MarioGoatse]

Man, do you know how hard it is to find a GOOD comparison of bike lights on KZbin? You’d think it would be easy, but it’s not. Thank you so much for making this video. I’ve decided to go with the B01 based I’m this video. Really appreciate your data, your video format, and your chill and easy to understand narration. You nailed this!

[@better.better]

this is a good comparison of these specific lights, but optimally the process should be reversed, a bike light has specific needs so the process should start with that and work backwards, if for no other reason than to start educating manufacturers on what they should be offering.

[@jackblock7451]

I have Fenix ​​BC25R for several years. Perfect for driving around town. While driving in the field, even at a speed of 30 km / h, it does not change the position on the steering wheel. As I set it, it has not changed position for years. "Cuts off" the light so as not to blind others. In my opinion, it is one of the best choices for this type of cycling.

[@gs78798]

Looks like the BC25R is not available anymore. But probably it was their best bike light because of the cut off beam.

[@LOCKnLOAD122]

​@@gs78798 it's available now

[@dsego84]

This new version doesn't have a cut off :/

[@ulysg]

For me, the beam profile is so important for city use. I really don't want to blind the cars coming at me, so the B01 is a winner. And it uses a 21700 battery.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

The B01 has been a W for me for years now. Just wish mine was warm like Ethan's - mine only came in cool white back when I got it.

[@davidbrady5618]

Does the clamp that holds the light still grasp strongly over time?

[@DinnerForkTongue]

@@davidbrady5618 Mine does. It's pretty well built.

[@davidbrady5618]

Thanks, I went with the B01 too.@@DinnerForkTongue

[@Luke-san]

@@davidbrady5618 Mine is mounted underneat the handlebar. Don't like the look if it were on top. Below it looks more stealth and it should have less travel when you hit a bump. (very small difference but making up excuses to do it). But as an added protection I used a rubber band that goes under the light at the front, over the top of the handlebars, and back under the light at the back. That way the light goes nowhere. Something I discovered is that most people, like I also did, is to use a piece of rubber to tighten the clamp on the handlebars. Mine kept on moving if I cycled on awful roads. The light kept on moving slowly down or up. But I found a really neat trick that I also used on my sons bike. Don't use the rubber pieces to try to make it clamp better but just clean the handlebars (so no grease) and use (black) electrical tape wrapped around the bar. A couple of windings will do. (think I did 3). It's been 2 years now and I have never ever had to adjust it again. For me that was a really like, why did I never think of that...

[@kenjispencer3874]

Thanks for making this video, which is currently the best bike light comparison video on KZbin. Based on this video, I bought the Limintop B01, but after living with it for awhile, I can't recommend the B01 to others because it seems to have a fatal design flaw (see below). I really liked the B01 after I installed it on my road bike. However, after about 500 miles of city riding, the internal spring that serves as the positive battery lead broke, first in half, then completely. Hoping that this failure was just a fluke, and because I really liked the B01, I bought another one. Sadly, the replacement failed in exactly the same way as the original after roughly the same amount of riding. While I'm willing to believe that a single failure is a coincidence, two failures of exactly the same kind are a pattern. Apparently, when Lumintop designed the B01, they didn't account for the vibration that a bicycle light must endure. So, for me at least, the B01 is a nice light - until it breaks. I therefore cannot recommend the B01 to others. Thanks again for the great video.

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

Thanks for the feedback, that long-term data is super valuable. It's unfortunate to hear the B01 has that flaw, hopefully Lumintop can update the light to prevent this from happening.

[@mprooveit3588]

Is there any way to fix this? I'm wondering if there might be some other source for parts. I really like the idea of having replaceable batteries.

[@MichaelRobibaro]

If you need a light for the street, check out the Kong kong 6 series "ray" 1500 35 bucks, but can go up to 50 depending on mount style. Has a high and legit low beam It has good spill/spread and good throw For a dipped.beam light Infun GT200 Wide/excellent spill/spread Adequate throw Eventually diffused $65 (external battery) Novsight 1600 $25 Not as wide, but still wide enough for street Has excellent throw( has better cut off for oncoming vs infun, but not as good as the king Kong) It's now my backup light

[@user-5er56h3uh]

Полностью согласен с автором ролика. Люминтоп идеальный вело фонарь за небольшие деньги . Можно взять пару запасных аккумуляторов и катать всё ночь. Между прочим там стоят пружины с обоих полюсов поэтому он не требователен к аккумуляторам и не боится встряски. Остальные фонари дорогие и имеют различные недостатки. И надо понимать что чем ярче фонарь тем быстрее он разрядится. Не гонитесь за люменами, думайте головой👆

[@alexboyko8143]

Есть sofirn

[@danneh8777]

@@alexboyko8143 non removable battery ❌

[@thorsten650]

А каким зарядным его заряжать? У него необычное напряжение зарядки 4,2 В, тогда как большинство USB зарядок для смартфонов рассчитаны на 5В

[@RelakS__]

For a while I use Busch and Müller lamps. Ixon IQ premium, Ixon Space both have nice light, and don't glare the oncoming traffick. If you have an ebike or don't mind adding a battery yourself, than an IQ-XL has nice beam as well, and has high beam. This will come out for dynamo (there must be some black magic to make it work with 3W), but until then the IQ-X works fine for hub dynamos. Keep away from IQ-XM, battery or ebike version. It practically does not illuminate the road right in front of the cyclist.

[@FBentla]

Thanks a million man, I've been waiting for this video for a while! Greetings from Holland.

[@macvos]

Great review and really appreciate the measurements versus the usual "the manufacturer says it produces X lumens for Y hours, and I believe them"! Objective and detailed information seems hard to come by, even with the 10,000+ videos on every topic on KZbin. The beam patterns and test footage from the perspective of oncoming traffic are also rare and valuable! Small addition to the part about the mounts, would be the space they require and if there are GoPro or Garmin style mounts or adapters available. With a city bike, this probably wouldn't matter much, but something like the Nitecore BR25 really wouldn't work on my road (race) bike with tight bars with cables and a bike computer mount already installed. The Fenix for example has a GoPro adapter, that connects to the underside of my bike computer/bell mount (HideMyBell), cleaning up the bars, saving valuable space to put my hands in alternate positions during long rides, and putting it right in the middle of the bike. I see that some lights seem to use a Garmin style mount, also greatly improving mounting options. Maybe something to consider for the next light review? Love the review and keep up the good work!

[@JMJMJM978]

Great quality video and in-depth too, thanks. To me, a cutoff line is essential, as I ride a lot of in-city gravel where it's really a mix of road, gravel and recreational paths. Not blinding others is key. But would you say it limits the distance that is well lit? It sure seems that way for the Nitecore BR25 in your test at @6:55

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

It really just depends on how you aim the light, in that clip it was pointed more toward the ground but it has a pretty tight hotspot so it will go pretty far if aimed more forward, it's just more likely to blind others depending on the angle. Glad you found the video helpful!

[@GnrMilligan]

Real and useful information, well presented. Must have taken you some time and effort to put this together. Good job! Also I have not cycled for 30 years. It never occurred to me that the improvements in lighting tech meant I would have to consider my light being bright enough to bother oncoming road users! Like and a sub!

[@matthedge22]

So glad y’all made this video, I just got an e bike and bike lights do not get as many quality reviews as handheld enthusiast lights

[@unknown-ql1fk]

Armytek all the way for the head light option. I love mine and carry it daily. Its a greal light for like 99% of people and its a case of "buy once, cry once"

[@Nickporter17]

I'm so glad I found this video! I was over here shopping for traditional "bike lights" like an idiot. I'm definitely going to buy one of these sweet A flashlights with a handlebar mount!

[@Mikicomi23]

I commute everyday by bike. The light that is always mounted on my bike is a cheap convoy c8 with xlm l2 emitter and op reflector mounted with an "action cam" kind of handlebars mount. In my opinion the beam has a great comprise between throw and flood for urban road use and the power consumption is fairly good for a reliable daily use and weekly recharge (15 -20min everyday 6days a week with a 3000mah cell).

[@DinnerForkTongue]

The Lumintop mount, in my experience, becomes very nice and stable if you add a piece of inner tube rubber between the plastic strap and the surface of the bars. Sure, it's annoying that you have to introduce an external modification, but hey, it's a budget bike light. Plus, said inner tube rubber barely costs a nickel, you could even get it for free at the bike shop.

[@Luke-san]

I stopped doing that. Even the inner tube moved a bit on both my Bromptons and my sons bike. Ok, not all nice roads that we have here but the light slowly moving up or downwards is really annoying to say the least. A while ago I found out that if you properly clean the bars and use a couple of windings of electrical tape, no more tube or rubber patches, the light and whatever doesn't move or rotate a single bit. Btw mine is mounted below the bars as it looks nicer. For protection that it really can't go anywhere I used a rubber band, like you get with so many bike things. At the front of the light it goes underneat and back over the bars and at the back of the light below again. I had some nasty bumps but the light is going nowhere.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

@@Luke-san I tried electrical tape before. It didn't work nearly as well. Inner tube rubber all the way.

[@videosurfnet6081]

Thanks for the video! Very good job showcasing and comparing the different bike lights. I really like the fact you did real world demonstrations at night instead just turning on the lights in a dark room like many others do in their videos. I got the Lumintop B01. Unlike yours, mine has cool white instead of a warm white color. Also, the Lumintop B01 mount is not very solid. Everytime I press the power button, the flashlight tends to swivel forward. Besides that, it seems like a good bike light and lights up the road ahead of me very well (I've only had the chance to use it once so far).

[@bdogsp0012]

I have used the Olight bike light and it doesn’t matter how tight I tighten it to my handlebr, it always slips. The fenix bike light does not do this and you can tighten it by hand unlike the olight brand.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Have you tried adding a high-friction buffer like a piece of rubber in the mount/bars interface? I did it with my B01 and it went from "unstable and prone to loosening" straight to rock-solid.

[@westinthewest]

The Olight uses the Garmin mounting system. You can buy Garmin clamps from lots of different manufacturers so you have the option of cheap plastic construction or pricey machined aluminium.

[@practicalguy973]

I have two of the the Olights on two different bikes. No issues at all with slipping after a few seasons and that's with road pot holes going to work 5 days a week and also trail bashing on weekends. My front shock is set to be moderately firm but I guess it absorbs a lot which helps. I have a couple of Garmin accessories and like that system also for quick release.

[@OceanicAirlines0815]

Hi @lumencraft! Armytek published a new flashlight with a long range built and a lower beam angle (80° instead of 150°) which might be suitable for cycling now. I just got it and will test it. Maybe you’re also interested in testing it!

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

Cool, I've have to check it out. Probably won't be able to show it in a video though

[@MichaelRobibaro]

I also agree, white lights are bwtter when "warm" under 5000k kelvin Amber/selective yellow is my fav for most of season(green led for snow covered single track)

[@t-bonet-bone713]

Very nice real world testing and informing your public!

[@vuthanh8522]

Many people have recommended the lumintop B01 to me. Now the only thing that I am still wondering is whether to choose it or the sofirn bs01. They have similar prices, outputs, and mounting systems. The lumintop does allow more flexible mounting but that's not very important in my view.

[@danneh8777]

I like the Lumintop B01 unfortunately it doesn’t come with smart mode

[@BN99239]

Can you review the Magicshine EVO 1700? The form factor is quite different and so is its beam pattern.

[@brianbassett4379]

I use an Edelux II mounted on my bike with a Son Dynamo hub and a Lumina Dual 1800 with a helmet mount. The pair can't be beat.

[@joet068]

Great video, very informative.

[@abtcup]

IMO the Olight has the most versatile mount. It uses the Garmin half turn mount. With that mount…mounting options via third part mounts give you endless mounting options. I have both the 1500 and 2000. I have the 2000 mounted on a Garmin out front mount and the 1500 on the helmet. This is more than enough for the darkest mountain bike trails. Some of the mounts look big and clumsy.

[@randomescu]

My main light is Olight Seeker2Pro. Its not as good as a dedicated cutoff but i dont ho faster then 25km/h, usually 15 so i point it only 2-3 meters in front, so its not blinding.

[@Kr4keN7]

The Astrolux is also called Gaciron or Rockbros in Asia. Like a rebranding. Comes in 1000, 1200 & 1500 Lumens.

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

Good to know, thanks!

[@Kr4keN7]

@@ethan-lumencraft- and the Olight RN1500 is using the same mount as the Garmin Bike Computer which is common is the cycling world. Magicshine bike lights are all using this type of mount.

[@Thomas470ken]

Hi, i love your videos and i was wondering if you have any recomendations of a cheap flagship 10000 lumen flashlight?

[@brandonboss6868]

WSCXSC 14000 Lumen bycyle light is 32 bucks and works amazing. I don't really think it's actually 14000 lumins, but it's way brighter than my car lights haha! It lasts 8 hours on low, and 5 hours on high. However, it does get pretty warm. So if you keep a good speed it should be fine with the breeze.

[@better.better]

as an avid cyclist who does both on road and off-road riding as well as commuting in the dark, I prefer a three light setup. one on my head and one on the bars, plus the tail light, or to put it another way one that shines where I'm looking and one that shines where the bike is going, and one they keep me from getting hit in the rear. however I've never had a tail light that survived more than a month before falling off or getting smashed off usually I don't even know I've lost it until I get where I'm going and try to turn it off. bar mounted lights usually lasts me a lot longer, but after I lost my last one in a crash, I never replaced it because I still have the headlamp... the same headlamp I've had for years and has outlived many helmets. the Petzl Aktic. I forget the exact max lumen rating, but in the three or four hundred range. my first Petzl years ago when I started doing this was the Reaktic which had an automatic dimming feature for oncoming vehicles and would also get brighter the faster that you were going... I would have stuck with that model, but the Actik model, even though it doesn't have the auto brightness, has a removable usb rechargeable battery pack, so by the magic of having more than one I can swap the discharged one for a charged one while on the go, and if I was on a long bike trip I could use a power bank to recharge the discharged one. they're small and light though so I usually rotate between 4 of them. also in the Actik you can use regular AAA's if all of your spares are discharged. because the Actik doesn't have any automatic battery saving features I usually only set it to the middle brightness setting of the three, which is like 150 lumens, and that is plenty for the speeds that I ride at. if I was doing downhill MTB runs in the dark I would probably want a lot more. so if I was going to engineer something myself, I would want the thumb switch on the handlebar which would toggle between off, auto, and always-on, maybe also an emergency mode. automatic mode should detect motion and lighting conditions. it should fall back to visibility mode during the day while in motion, turn off when not, and emergency strobe mode if you crash. instead of having three brightness presets, it should be just one adjustable setting that remembers the last used brightness level

[@johnlegresley4353]

Great review, thank you. I have a few high powered flashlights, do you know where I can get a mount for my handlebars? Thanks again.

[@comicpancake7095]

Good in-depth review! I, was wondering the name/model of the helmet that you show at 12:15?

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

Thanks! The helmet is a Petzel Boreo climbin helmet - the older version (it was updated just recently this year)

[@caganbacanak6200]

This is an amazing video, it would be great if you can do a version 2!

[@dmac75357]

Very informative, thanks. I've been using TwoFish lock blocks mount and a flashlight for years now, mount is solid and can be easily adjusted up and down. Currently using a $50 Klarus ST15R 1200 lumen flashlight, really good combo. I just have to hit the front button to go through 4 brightness levels. What I'm really proud of is my rear light setup, it's a $35 Wurkkos HD15R right angle red led light I use with a TwoFish lock block on my seatpost. It's basically a removable 18650 taillight with one usable red led only slow strobe. Bike taillights are disposable junk with low runtimes, my Wurkkos HD15R is a bombproof solution for a main taillight. I also have my old Cygolite taillight mounted to a seatstay tube, a helmet taillight and a Guardian Angel beacon light mounted to my pack for when I'm heading home only.

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

That sounds like a great setup! The HD15 is great, I have two and they're some of my favorite right-angle lights. I don't have the red version, but I imagine it would be awesome for this!

[@thefrener794]

You can create a simple hood for your light with a piece of paper or card and some tape.

[@DankLordMaster]

Hello, this is an off topic comment. I was wondering if yall could make a video over that 10A+ driver yall have in your store. I'd love to see how it performs with different leds or different hosts. I haven't seen anyone talk about it online or pics or reviews. I ordered one and I'm kinda assuming I might be the first to review it on BLF.

[@stinky_bear]

This was very detailed, thank you!

[@kyfisher3662]

would be great to see a video like this for tail lights, the two i see mentioned the most on reddit are Cygolite Hypershot and the Bontrager flare but cant find any good comparisons.

[@piotrw4615]

Cool test, I have Nitecore and this is great ! :)

[@mikethewheelchairguy]

Really excellent job! Very helpful! Thank you.

[@harrymiram6621]

Purchased ArmyTek C2 Pro Max, approx. >30mos, mainly as headlamp. Wouldn't use it as bike lamp(or is it just me?!). But, as a headlight, tied #1 as far as High output/runtime

[@sojourn1544]

Great video!! Very thorough! And to the point. !!

[@edwarded5894]

how about the professional bike light bran Magicshine ?

[@MichaelRobibaro]

Ps, aiming down wont do much of anything except make your frontal illumination shorter The beam rays scatter upward even when pointed down.

[@sloanNYC]

Well done and super useful!

[@tmputeh1429]

Would you please review flashlight's holder on bike or scooter? Thanks.

[@gkarkalis]

Where are the ravemen bike lights?LR1600 for example...

[@kyfisher3662]

great video, just ordered a b01.

[@thetechgenie7374]

The Niterider pro are one of the best.

[@robbi27]

Fw3a by Lumintop with a Universal mount from OLight! Brighter and cheaper than most of these. Comes with a bike flashing mode. And is a more AERO and compact than some of these. And I found my fw3a because of this channel!!! Great video let's see more !!!

[@DinnerForkTongue]

I doubt the usual cyclist needs aero about _anything_ on his bike, but that's good info. Now if only the FW3A doesn't break apart like the gimmicky junk that it is...

[@JerseyStyle7]

👍🏽⚡️ty good vid brother

[@r1w3d]

For years I've been using the whole wizard line as bike lights and all day every day all night every night lights. Obviously I'm a freak for light but the ArmyTek Wizard Pro XHP50 was one of the best light they have produced. Personally can't speak for the newer brighter slightly bigger models because if I need more light (which is rarely ever) or wanna become a human signal I just grab my Wuben X1 Falcon 😁 even made myself a bike mount. *12,000 lumens is such an incredible unnecessary amount of light for a bike 🤣🤣🤣 and tbh glare is not on my list with every other vehicle using cheap garbage headlights way above what anyone needs in a city... in fact the Falcon causes oncoming drivers high beams to kick off and is just more light than any standard vehicle headlights. I'm waiting on the Acebeam H16 from county comm because I've always loved a single AA sized light, it's just taken them longer to be right near where I'm comfortable not worrying about how much charge I have left. It'll be my first Acebeam and hopefully worth it's price. I remember the old Manker E02 was an incredible AAA 90 light and then they went cheap, crappy lens compared to nice OP aluminum reflector, runtime felt non existent when they intruded the other models and nixed the original thicker body light.

[@rogerculver4511]

Have you done this for headlamps?

[@saitoyukio]

if you can do, make a tail light for cycle, man , thanks

[@radlrambo4994]

I wonder if you actually ride with those kind of lights which blind oncoming traffic. I sounds terribly wrong to me. I know my country has regulations which may sound too strict sometimes, but throwing thousands of lumens towards oncoming traffic and still have a bad beam pattern so you don't see much sounds like a desaster waiting to happen.

[@meguinness1116]

Any of those have a front glass and not made of plastic? Ta

[@ethan-lumencraft-]

I *think* the Olight, Astrolux, and Bontrager have plastic front elements. The rest are glass.

[@alexboyko8143]

Sofirn?

[@VIDEOHEREBOB]

Excellent

[@jackblock7451]

Armytek should not be on the list of bicycle flashlights, because it is not a bicycle lamp ...

[@joran4612]

So? Its easy to mount on a bike so why woudnt you. In fact its even better because you can take it off and use it as a normal light

[@thefrener794]

The cheapest of these is better than what I use now at its minimum setting.

[@bysonrock2984]

Try new sofirn bs01 bike light..you might be amaze with the 2000lm beam shot..

[@gs78798]

Sofirn sometimes inflates the lumen numbers a little bit. So I guess the BS01 has around 1300-1700 lm in reality. So no big deal because it is still only a small inflation of the numbers. And chasing higher lumen numbers is like chasing higher megapixel numbers with cameras - just useless. For bike lights the beam profile is so much more important than the total maximum lumens. The max lumens are only reached for a short time. Then the light steps down because of the heat. But I am still waiting for one of the flashlight reviewers to measure the exact lumen numbers and runtimes of the Sofirn BS01. 🙂 Sofirn BS01 looks promising on paper but the non-exchangeable battery could be the biggest downside in my opinion.

[@harryriveraconcha8908]

thanks You😊

[@IndianBeauty02]

Oh Gosh i just need a light for a reg ride now I'm so confused

[@sebikelifeusvetparatrooper]

🤪

[@file4318]

Excellent video. Would donate to you if you had your own donate portal. I don't want KZbin getting 30% of my donation lol

[@ro63rto]

The only good bike light for the road is one that has a bean cut off just like a car headlight. Anything else will blind other road users thereby making you the cyclist essentially less visible.

[@femboyelectronics6441]

I currently use this 18650 diy bare pcb 8 led plate its like a pcb with 8 leds in series with 18650 gives about 600 to 800 lumens i think, its pretty good view bc its about 160° view highly recomend building ur own too

[@thomasgeigenberger4789]

I recommend the Sigma Aura 100 Blaze Link Set !! The price performance ratio is great !👍 check it out

[@johnr5545]

Thanks god blesd

[@wallyedmonds8199]

Gloworm

[@magaman6353]

I definitely won't be buying any more Serfas lights. I'm fed up with being a masochist.

[@datrumpettdudeee]

No drop test is kinda disappointing

[@robolinoschmidt8676]

Just buy all 7 and put them on your bike creating a super light 😂😂

[@DirectorLJ]

He keeps calling them flashlights.

[@LukaPaja]

Bro I'm looking for good bike light not freaking car headlights. 1000 lumens??? 100 dollars?!?! My city bike is 100$

[@astroid99]

Uf you want it to last a few years its worth it. I just got rhe lumintop b01 from this video and it was 80$ with international shipping.

[@akkuron6839]

roasting garmin mount on olight shows that you are not much of a cyclist

[@CookieManCookies]

These flashlights are all lackluster cone based lights, why not look at lateral lights that distribute lighting downward more evenly? You don't seem to mention charging time, which is a important factor, and no rating system what so ever.

[@fbi-federalblyatofinvestig3853]

This guy is like the garand thumb of flashlights lmao.

[@ellerybice3787]

With the correct blender mount and bontrager helmet, the vastly superior Bontrager lights can be utilized on a helmet as well. 🫵🏻

[@JoeW71]

Thanks for a great video. Very thorough with good info.