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Magicshine MJ-858 front light

9
£59.95

VERDICT:

9
10
Excellent update to established high performance light; lots of light from a smaller, cheaper package
Weight: 
215g

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Magicshine have quickly become a well-known name in the bike light industry, particularly in the UK. From early importers from the US to the present day of an established UK importer they have been part of the fairly recent surge in high-ouput bike lights.

The MJ-858 is styled as the replacement for Magicshine's stalwart MJ-808 unit, with Magicshine highlighting the compact design and excellent cooling compared to the predecessor. It certainly is small, a tiny gem of cast, black anodised aluminium with a small light aperture and base. It is barely longer than the base itself, which has two hooks for the now common rubber O-ring bar fixing. At the back of the head unit is a single power control button.

The light comes packaged with the head unit, battery, charger and O-rings. The battery included in mine was a 2.9Ah two-cell battery, although Magicshine offer a 4.4Ah four-cell battery pack as standard for the £60 price tag. I really think this is a great addition, as I found the 2-cell unit wasn't really up to daily winter commuting. The draw from the head unit and MJ-818 rear light resulted in almost daily recharging, with the battery lasting little more than two hours on full power. It didn't take me long to come to the same conclusion as Magicshine and switch in the four-cell battery from my MJ-808.

That said, the small two-cell battery was impressively compact, with an excellent wide, stretch-Velcro, strap. It has quickly found a home in my jersey pocket as a back-up battery for those days I forget to charge the main one. Both the two-cell and four-cell battery packs fit easily on the stem of my bike.

There are three beam settings, full, low and blink. The power settings are accessed by pressing the power button, which doubles as the battery life indicator. Pressing the button switches the unit on and cycles the beam settings and blink mode through to off. This does mean that moving from a lower beam setting to a higher one means cycling down through power off, which is a bit disconcerting on an unlit road.

Luckily, the button is reliable and easy to use even with winter gloves on. I never experienced any issues with control of the unit during a ride. The power button is back lit and the colour changes as the battery discharges, displaying green, blue, red and finally blinking red when the battery is close to empty. In a small change to previous Magicshine units I've used, the display only shows lit when the head unit is switched on, so if you are running a rear light from the same battery (as I do with the MJ-818) then the affect it is having on the battery life isn't obvious.

A change from the MJ-808 is the battery life indicator no longer shows amber between blue and red, with the unit having a bit more run time on the red indicator than it previously did. On the emergency red-flash mode there is still a decent 20 to 25 minutes of riding time which is enough to be practically useful.

In use the light is as impressive as it is discrete. It packs out a very decent beam with a good spread and a surprising throw for such a small reflector. I had no issues descending at speed on full beam, and even at the lower settings the output is more than enough for most riding. For a light as small as it is, and as well made, it really is striking how good the output is.

The price is another plus, with the new model being substantially cheaper than its predecessor. If the £60 price was with the two-cell battery I might caveat how good that price looks against the need to get a 'proper' four-cell battery, but as it includes the larger power pack it is superb value. There are plenty of imitators to Magicshine units available, but when the UK supplier is offering this model for the price they are it's hard to see what the benefits would be. Having the warranty and support makes it more than worthwhile to me.

Verdict

Excellent update to established high performance light; lots of light from a smaller, cheaper package

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Magicshine MJ-858 front light

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Magicshine say a lot:

The 2015 model Magicshine MJ-858 is the best new Magicshine product we've seen for a few years. Lightweight, enhanced cooling, compact design but with a fabulous 1000 lumens beam, the low price makes this a light that's hard to ignore.

Dimensions

If you haven't got much bar space left, have a look at the MJ-858. With a diameter of 3.2cm and length 4.5cm this is a diminutive light that stores away easily into pockets or small bags without a problem. Total weight is 147gm including the battery bag.

Mounting

The tried and tested Magicshine 'O' ring mounting system continues to win plaudits for its robustness as well as ease and speed of use. With a choice of two 'O' rings for different size bars, mounting this light is easy to do within seconds. It's clean and easy, ideal for commuters.

Battery

The standard battery is a 4 X 18650 cell 4.4Ah battery. With a fully sealed plastic cover and rubber straps to enable you to fix the battery to your bike without the need for a battery bag, it offers excellent protection against the elements.

Design

This is a barrel shaped design, black T6 Aluminium alloy. The inner case has cooling fins along it's length while the outer shell offers further cooling ensures a cool touch to the hand.

In Use

The MJ-858 continues the Magicshine reputation for ease of use. The single click switch at the rear of the light controls both on/ff and beam functions and it really is simple to use. Clicking the switch brings on in turn high beam, low beam and flash modes. The rear switch has 5 colour modes to warn of reducing battery power. Green, blue yellow red and finally flashing red (<5%) give adequate warning of impending power loss.

Run Time

The MJ-858 will run for 3.5 hours on full brightness with it's 4.4Ah battery, you can easily extend this by reducing the output. However if run time is parramount to your requirements, then just upgrade to the bigger 6.6Ah battery to get well over 5 hours run time on full power.

Beam

The MJ-858 uses a single CREE XM-L2 LED. It packs a punchy beam of 1000 lumens, comparable to the MJ-808E. However we tested both lights together and the MJ-858 has a brighter beam with significantly less halo effect than the MJ-808E. The brightness is evident in the beam spread which offers more of a flood beam than the MJ808E although in our judgement, beam length was similar.

Warranty

The factory offers a 12 month warranty on the light head, 180 days on the battery. However Bonita likes to do things a little bit differently and as exclusive UK distributor for this model, she is offering a 12 month warranty on all components, including the battery. Another reason to buy from Magicshine UK.

This is pretty comprehensive. I'd say it was well aimed at all winter riding, but commuters probably get the best out of it, on rural roads and urban streets. I didn't notice the 'yellow' battery indicator light on my head unit.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

This is a simple two-part light, with a small head unit and battery pack. Output of the light is 1000 lumens on full beam which lasts a bit under four hours.

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
9/10

The head unit is black anodised aluminium, with a cage around the heatsink so that you can handle it reasonably safely with it on.

Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
9/10

It is very easy to install, use and maintain (charge). Simple controls even with cold, padded fingers.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
9/10

I have used the rubber O-ring construction on a number of lights now and found it to be reliable.

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
9/10

No problems at all with waterproofing. The light is very small so there is little splash on the lens itself, and there have been no odd moments where water has entered the head unit or the battery pack.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
9/10

Recharging takes about 5-6 hours from red-flash indicator to full charge. On full power the head unit lasts about 3.5h, but that is also supplying charge to the rear light as well.

Rate the light for performance:
 
9/10

The spread and throw of the beam are excellent given the size of the unit, and the light is a white tone (not much blue or yellow in the beam). The run time at full power is quite impressive.

Rate the light for durability:
 
9/10

There has been no signs of any of the light unit losing performance in use through both heavy wet weather and freezing cold.

Rate the light for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

It is small and very light – I would expect the battery pack to weigh much more than the head unit!

Rate the light for value:
 
9/10

I'm very impressed that the suppliers can offer this model for around 30% less than the predecessor MJ-808. Given the UK supplier, output, battery life, and that it is supplied with a higher capacity battery, I think £60 is excellent value.

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Extremely well. The light is consistent, easy to use even with thick gloves on, and provides an excellent output.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

The quality of the beam – when descending Wiltshire's finest potholed roads I had more confidence with the throw and spread of the light.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

There is little to dislike. I'd prefer an orange light indicator and always prefer lights that don't mean I have to go through 'off' to get to 'full power', but I feel like I'm being unfair.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes.

Would you consider buying the light? Yes.

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Definitely. I've frequently recommended the MJ-808 to others and now that there is a cheaper version with equally good output I shall keep doing so.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 182cm  Weight: 69kg

I usually ride: Specialized Allez Sport 2008  My best bike is: Moda Tempo 2010

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, Triathlon

 

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
Ush | 9 years ago
0 likes

Superb lights at the right price. I have one and will be getting more.

Avatar
cybernaut | 9 years ago
0 likes

Looking at the beam pattern this seems to be another off road light.

Speaking as a driver and a rider (on & off road) - what a shame the manufacturers and distributors can't seem to offer an adaptor or make lenses to make more of these road safe.

Wouldn't it be nice to have one system which did both?

Avatar
cybernaut | 9 years ago
0 likes

Looking at the beam pattern this seems to be another off road light.

Speaking as a driver and a rider (on & off road) - what a shame the manufacturers and distributors can't seem to offer an adaptor or make lenses to make more of these road safe.

Wouldn't it be nice to have one system which did both?

Avatar
joemmo replied to cybernaut | 9 years ago
0 likes
cybernaut wrote:

Looking at the beam pattern this seems to be another off road light.

Speaking as a driver and a rider (on & off road) - what a shame the manufacturers and distributors can't seem to offer an adaptor or make lenses to make more of these road safe.

Wouldn't it be nice to have one system which did both?

It's possible to get diffuser lenses for the older version so maybe someone will make an after market lens for this one.

Can the reviewer comment on the flashing modes, if there are any?

Avatar
Bonita replied to cybernaut | 9 years ago
0 likes

Hi Bonita, here from Magicshine UK. We offer a couple of lights that are versatile enough to use safely for both on and off road, specifically the MyTinySun Folkslight which can be used in 'dipped' mode for when in traffic but is also versatile enough to give a 2000 lumen wide beam option for when off road.

Magicshine also offer the Eagle 600 which is designed specifically for commuting and can be angled away from on coming traffic. I'm sure there are many other manufacturers that offer lights that can be used safely both on and off road, especially those from the Germany as their laws are far more stringent than our own. I hope that helps 'Cybernaut' but if you'd like any further information then just get in touch. info [at] magicshineuk.co.uk Best wishes Bonita XX

Avatar
a_to_the_j | 9 years ago
0 likes

you can also buy an adapter to run USB items off the battery (ie phone / navigation etc) if you search the web (hint: german magicshine)

Avatar
newtonuk | 9 years ago
0 likes

I've got one, it's great. So small and unobtrusive on the bars.

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