Magicshine Ray 2600 Smart Bike Headlight Review - feat. 2600 Lumen + Light Sensor + Garmin Mount

While most new bike lights tend to only be minor updates to legacy products such as color or battery capacity changes, Magicshine is one of the few companies that does major overhauls with each new series. The new Magicshine Ray 2600 is the perfect example of this and is one of Magicshine’s smartest all-in-one front lights they’ve offered to date. Despite the relatively affordable $144.99 retail price, the Ray 2600 has an impressive 2600 lumen output and USB Type-C charging port for fast charging or discharging to power other devices. Unique to the Magicshine Ray 2600 is the integrated ambient light sensor that allows the switch between day and night modes automatically when smart mode is activated. The Ray 2600 also features an optional wired remote that allows you to easily operate the light from a more convenient location.
As with most of Magicshine’s recent front lights, the Ray 2600 utilizes a universal Garmin quarter turn style mount. The simple design utilizes a circular base with two tabs to securely mount on a variety of available accessories on the market. It’s a secure mount style that works on or off-road and is a big improvement over proprietary mounts other companies use. The Ray 2600 also includes a simple handlebar mount (the same one that comes with the Monteer and MJ-90X series of lights) with multiple strap lengths to accommodate aero bars and different diameter round bars and requires an allen wrench to install. We highly recommend using an out-front mount such as the Magicshine TTA or other Garmin compatible mounts on the market instead of the included mount to place the light directly in front of your handlebars.
Visually the Ray 2600 looks similar to other Magicshine all-in-one lights such as the Allty or RN 1200 with a rectangular profile and rounded corners. The lens housing is constructed from CNC aluminium with a matte black finish and subtle grooves along the side. Graphics are limited to a Magicshine logo on the top and the Ray 2600 graphics on the sides. The USB Type-C port is located on the rear of the headlight under a large rubber grommet making it easy to charge other devices on the run or use the optional wired remote. The Ray 2600 also utilizes a dual LED design with a flat lens up front and small cutouts on the side to improve the side visibility...
... Read the full review @ thesweetcyclists.com/magicshi...
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00:00 Intro
00:10 Unboxing + Specs
04:02 Fit + Finish
09:20 Light Output
11:50 Comparison (MJ-902 / Monteer / Allty 1000)
15:06 The Final Score
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[@SylvainLasnier]

As always, the best bike product test channel 👏

[@jamariesjones2609]

This is my dream light.

[@MagicshineLights]

Thanks for this objective review !

[@twosix_00]

@magicshinelights What's the differences between CREE XP-L V6 LED of the Allty 1000 And SST-40 of the Allty1500??? Which is Better?

[@MagicshineLights]

The maximum power of the XP-L V6 is 10W, which can be pushed to 1200LM; And the maximum power of the SST-40 F50 is 20W, maximum to 2000LM, more powerful.

[@MagicshineLights]

@@twosix_00 In addition, within 1000LM, the luminous efficiency of XP-L V6 is better than SST-40

[@dlg8042]

Almost pulled the trigger on the Ray 2600 but the current bike light I'm using has a wireless remote (yay less cables!) that has a button for instant access to turbo, so getting the Ray 2600 wouldn't really be an upgrade. Hoping Magicshine soon releases a wireless remote model with turbo access in the near future!

[@TheSweetCyclists]

That's funny you mention that, the new wireless remote Monteer 8000S v2 (kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6q8eKSIYsaje7c) has a two button wireless remote with the "boost" mode to activate the full 8000 lumen option. I imagine they will add the remote feature to the lower cost Monteer lights in the near future as well.

[@user-gm8ll5hs4x]

Which Light do you use you mentioned?

[@richardwarsinske7064]

I love everything about this light except the dip beam. Not only does it prevent up side down usage but vertical aim of the two beams is different enough that it severely limits the dip beam's throw + floods the foreground with excessive amounts of light (in the higher modes) creating reflective glare. Still a very nice light but this prevents the Ray from being my favorite self-contained Magicshine light and I find the RN3000 works better for me.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Thanks for the input. I'm hopeful companies move toward fliippable bike lights - the Moon Sport Rigel 700 for example has a simple lens that can be removed and flipped.

[@PuddyIzzy]

Love the vid! How's the water resistance/proofing with and without the switch applied? Thank you!

[@TheSweetCyclists]

We haven't had any issues with water proofing. There is a large rubber cover that protects the USB-C port which protects it when you don't have the wired remote connected.

[@saranyaas6674]

Hi, I always choose lights with remote. Can you confirm that it has two switches on the remote? ie up and down? Having two switches, is it difficult to operate the remote?

[@josenavas8999]

Hello, thanks for the review. One question I don't seem to find an answer is if the light can be charged from an external battery while using it ? Thanks

[@TheSweetCyclists]

No problem. I don't have the light anymore to test it in person, but most of Magicshine's newer lights do support on-the-go charging so I suspect the Ray 2600 would as well.

[@hannes6114]

Will this be good for trail riding?

[@JudithWaller]

How does it compare to the RN3000 (apart from being 400 lumens less)? I'm looking for a light to mount on my helmet, and struggling to choose between these two!

[@TheSweetCyclists]

That's a good question. The Ray 2600 is a bit easier to use with the two-button interface and wired remote. Note the wired remote is a bit short so it wouldn't reach the handlebars from the helmet. The Ray 2600 also has "boost" mode so you can simply double press the top button to access the full 2600 lumens.

[@petrd1104]

Do not understand, why the remote control does not have feature high beam/ low beam. It would be literally the only really needed usecase. When alone on the road, you can smash 2600 in full mode, when see coming car you could switch to ground oriented 500 for example, car passes , you get back to 2600. Same as in the car. Sounds very logic ..

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Note, Magicshine has released a Ray 2600B with a wireless two button remote that has more functionality and makes it easier to switch between modes.

[@anthonyguzman761]

Do you have any recommendations of a front headlight with at least 1000 lumens, decent battery that can be used upside down since the only purpose would be to see the road?

[@richardwarsinske7064]

Allty 1000 or 1500 would be my recommendation from the Magicshine light family. Both come with high capacity 21700 batteries and have a nice focused road oriented beam with a symmetrical shape that allows inverted use. Mode button will be on the bottom of the light but still easy to find and operate even with gloved fingers.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Great question, it seems like Magicshine and a lot of light companies are adding directional beams and soft-beam cutoffs to reduce glare that will cause more glare when the lights are mounted upside down. As Richard mentioned, the Allty 1000 / 2000 or even the older Monteer 1400 are a good option as they just have standard cone beams. The MOH 55 is also a great option if you don't mind a wired battery pack. I hope longer term companies start to offer rotatable lenses or upside down mounts to avoid this issue.

[@YUTfan2]

Will double clicking the remote button change from Right to left LED and then to both?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Yes, I believe so. Single click to switch intensity and double click to switch the modes.

[@YUTfan2]

@@TheSweetCyclists Got the info already. There is an eleborate video about remote from magicshine in youtube. Thanks for the info though.

[@jamboratelly]

Can you recommend a front light with the capabilities of the Ray 2600 that can be mounted upside down?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Great question. Unfortunately there aren't that many headlights with directional beams that are designed to mounted upside down. There are headlights like the Magicshine RN 3000 that don't have a directional beam where you can easily mount upside down. Otherwise, the Moon Sport Rigel 700 has a reversible lens (kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWeqoIWQjtp6l80) so it can be flipped without an issue.

[@jamboratelly]

@@TheSweetCyclists Thanks for the reply and your detailed video. It's becoming a rabbit hole as I search for a light that'll suit Ultra distance and night riding.

[@RickB918]

I owned this light. I found it to be a very good light but after 2.5 months I could no longer use the strobe during the day time.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Did you contact Magicshine support? After such a short period I'm sure they would have sent a replacement.

[@tonyg3091]

If I mount this light on my Garmin mount, where do I mount my Garmin? 😂

[@TheSweetCyclists]

You can use the included GoPro to Garmin adapter and mount this light upside down underneath your Garmin computer as this light is not directional like other beam-cutoff style lights. It's a little less convenient as the power button is upside down, but it's a pretty clean setup.

[@64o]

Initially was excited to hear about a new Magicshine product but after watching the video can't justify it replacing my Allty 2000. Only aspect in which it's better is the 600 lumens brighter constant mode and the USB-C charging. Has two lenses as opposed to the Allty 2000's three and doesn't have an OLED screen. The smart mode on the SeeMe 200 rear light is actually effective but don't see the point of it here. And last and most importantly, Magicshine products have always had ferocious flash modes. So much so that they're effective even on the brightest of summer's days. At rush hour when traffic is at a standstill and every fifth car or so seems to be partially blocking the cycle lane the flash mode on my Allty 2000 is great at getting the driver's attention and their pulling back over into the road. Only other lights i've had do that are the Exposure brand of lights which have unparalleled optics, disruptive flashing modes and very high pricing. The flashing modes on the Allty 2000 have the option of using the full 2000 lumens of output unlike this that appears capped at 330 lumens. Thanks for the review!

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Thanks for the input. I agree, if you already have the Allty 2000 the Ray 2600 probably isn't worth upgrading to. I'm actually surprised you like the full power flash modes, I've always thought they've been overkill but I can see why they'd be useful in traffic. Hopefully Magicshine adds some more OLED screens, it's great to have a runtime display and numeric battery status.

[@MagicshineLights]

@@TheSweetCyclists Thanks we will consider about this suggestion :)

[@MagicshineLights]

Thank you for the feedback !

[@64o]

@@TheSweetCyclists Maybe with the brighter constant mode it's designed more toward mountain bikers or the growing gravel market? Am subscribed to your channel and seems you're either out in the country or the suburbs. I'm in a metropolis where the drivers treat the roads as if it's Mario Kart and pedestrians walk out into the road without looking and that's gotten even worse the last couple of years with them using the cycle lane for social distancing. Has lessened recently though still certain areas i'll get runners coming straight toward me in the cycle lane and not wanting to move. Somewhere like Copenhagen where there's more of a cycling culture i could imagine not needing lights or using something from Reelight but here that's unfortunately not the case. Spoken with friends that cycle and people i've sold cycling accessories to and most of them prioritise how long the battery lasts above everything else. And not in the sense of it lasting their journey. They want the battery to last a month. Never understood prioritising battery over brightness when a brighter light makes cars give you a wider berth. And actually after watching your video went and bought a Magicshine out front mount as have put Rokform phone mounts on all my bikes so haven't been able to use my Allty 2000 and your video reminded me of how good a light it is.

[@YUTfan2]

Is your Allty 2000 still working fine without any issue. Has battery backup deteriorated?

[@YUTfan2]

Will it give steady brightness throughout the claimed time or brightness will decrease drastically with time?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

It depends on you riding conditions and what mode you use. The full 2600 lumen mode will generate quite a bit of heat so if you are somewhere warm or not moving it will reduce output as a safety measure. As long as you're riding at a good pace the lights can maintain their output though.

[@YUTfan2]

@@TheSweetCyclists Okay. Please ignore the heating. My question is about light performance versus battery percentage. Will the brightness of light decreases with battery percentage?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

@@YUTfan2 No, LED lights will maintain their brightness until it runs out of power. It's one downside compared to traditional AAA battery lights - you can't tell it's dying without checking a battery status indicator.

[@YUTfan2]

@@TheSweetCyclists ​ Fine. One more doubt regarding the remote, will double clicking work on remote ?Will it change from left to right and then to both LED using the remote button?

[@twosix_00]

This is a personal opinion question, do you prefer the DRL that the Allty 1000/2000 models have or the ambient light sensor that the Ray2600 has? What do you think is more useful?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Personally I think the DRL is more useful as you have full control over it. Ambient light sensors are great but their calibration can be tricky so it may not trigger as fast as you'd like or might be too sensitive.

[@adrianrafferty4643]

I bought the ray 2600 , i can honestly say its garbage. The light was great for the 1st 3 weeks, then i noticed that the full beam would gradually degrade of it own accord to the lowest setting, then increase to full beam again - at night when i needed it most. This went on for a couple of weeks. I thought i'd done something, but magic shine after a few video uploads to their support site, admitted liability with a warranty claim. Trying to return it also posed issues. Maybe i just got a bad light. But this issue, as well as issues with the seemee60 and the usb connector inside the light coming away with the cable ( after being replaced - it happened twice) has given me such a bitter taste , that i'll never purchase another magicshine light ever again. Hope you have better luck than i did.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Sorry to hear about your issues. In the past, Magicshine's support team has been pretty helpful and sent replacement when there were manufacturing issues (a USB connector on our Seemee 60 also had comeout after 1.5 years of use).

[@adrianrafferty4643]

@@TheSweetCyclists the seemee60 is a poor design. The usb port on the light pulled out when removing the cable. It was replaced under warranty. Exactly the same thing happened again on the replacement light. Unfortunately the timing on the second one, exceeded the 1st warranty of 1 year, and so I have an unrepairable light. They refused to reimburse or replace . Don't think I'll ever purchase anything for magic shine ever again. Good luck , hope your light lasts longer than mine did

[@TT-rl4su]

Sounds like you were in the smart mode :-) I have this light and so far I am impressed.

[@kirwinnixon7656]

I think this company should make a light that can run on it's own battery power but have a optional port to plug a separate battery pack so that should make more sales toward the separate battery sales will be higher in demand..🔋

[@TheSweetCyclists]

I believe the Ray 2600 supports USB-C on-the-go charging. There already are a few lights on the market that also have that feature. Ideally, Magicshine would offer more lights like the Allty 2000 with cartridge style batteries - you could easily swap them during a ride to extend your runtime.

[@bosnahYUG]

i bought 2 from 1300 and going to put it like 20 cm from each other on the steering wheel

[@TheSweetCyclists]

That should be more than enough light for riding with. I'd recommend a cheap Allty 400 or Seemee 30 if you want extra visibility on the road.

[@YUTfan2]

How is the performance now. Is the run time as claimed by magicshine?

[@bosnahYUG]

@@YUTfan2 yeah around 45 minutes i can do with full light

[@TheSweetCyclists]

@@YUTfan2 Our experience is consistent with the claimed runtimes - but note it can vary with weather conditions as well. The great thing about all of Magicshine's newer lights is that you can check the battery before you ride with one button click and charge it up if needed.

[@twosix_00]

It would be helpful if you could put subtitles in Spanish too, good video, greetings🙂

[@MagicshineLights]

magicshine.com/es/collections/bike-front-light/products/magicshine-ray-2600-light here you can choose Spanish version ;)

[@twosix_00]

@@MagicshineLights Something that intrigues me is knowing what type of LED this RN3000 or even the RAY2600 uses. I know the Allty2000 uses 2 XM-L2 V60 LEDs, but... Which of these do you think has better performance in practice or which one degrades slower as white light becomes warmer over time. I hope you can give me your opinion to make a good purchase:)

[@MagicshineLights]

@@twosix_00 There are different LEDs in the RN3000 and the RAY2600, and different effect and function.It's on your choice.

[@oric780]

Attention this site does not send you your order. After multiple attempts to reach them, I did not receive my order. I lost several hundred euros. I have filed a complaint, I am waiting for the competent authorities to return.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

What website are you ordering this from? The official Magicshine website's have always had great support and shipping in my experience.

[@DanTuber]

too much button pressing required

[@TheSweetCyclists]

The Ray 2600 actually needs less button pressing than normal headlights. You can leave it in "smart mode" and it will switch between daytime and nighttime mode automatically. There is no motion sensor for the Ray 2600 though, so it doesn't automatically turn off or on.

[@icas80]

@@TheSweetCyclists It's advertised it does.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

@@icas80 Good catch - I was confusing this with a different light. The Ray 2600 does have an auto-standby to shut it off. I think it's still better to manually turn it off and only use the auto-shutoff for shorter stops.

[@icas80]

@@TheSweetCyclists All good! I'm trying to decide between the 2600 and the 3000. I wish teh 3000 had the 2 button system.

[@SiriusParallax]

Fenix BC30 v2.0 - лучшее решение для меня 😎👍