LED Cycling light

The Fenix TK15 is the big brother of the PD31's I reviewed recently and offers the same standards of construction but with considerably greater oomph.

Another general-purpose lamp that doesn't fall into the jack-of-all-trades, master of none category, 337 lumens is genuinely impressive (albeit not as powerful as some ultra bright bike specific rechargeable systems) but the switch on mine seemed prone to accidental engagement and the otherwise sturdy nylon bracket works best on stems with rises between zero and ten degrees.

This good quality Ixon LED from Busch + Muller gives a beam that'll get you seen around town and provides enough illumination for journeys on unlit roads as long as you're prepared to squint a bit.

The light patch on the ground is rectangular. That's because Busch & Muller are a German brand and the Ixon IQ is designed to comply with German road lighting regulations that limit the amount of the beam that's allowed to land anywhere but on the road.

Knog's cheeky, no-nonsense approach to LEDs made a splash when they hit the UK a few years back with the Frog. The Aussie company had solved the problem of complicated fixings and brackets to keep your light and bicycle in happy attachment. Plus, they were fun and simple.

Since then Knog have developed their product range impressively. These Knog Frog Strobes - arriving at road.cc in front-and-rear tag team - are an evolution of the original Knog Frogs, the small single LEDs encased in stretchy, easy-to-attach silicone that were the company's first hit.

BBB's Ultrabeam is a useful light but it has to be said the design is starting to show its age, looking frumpy alongside the latest generation of super bright rechargeables. On the other hand, it's an honest to goodness compact companion great for occasional scoots round town or cosying up to old school dynamos.

Build quality and side-visibility have been greatly improved and the highest setting is just about good enough for navigating suburban cycle paths while a deluxe USB chargeable AAA variant is also available should you prefer.

The LED4Si is Lumicycle's flagship road light. It's not as powerful as Lumicycle's MTB-oriented XPG systems – a claimed 1120 lumens against 1500 for the XPG – but the 4Si is designed for the road and has a tighter beam, so it can get away with less total output and get better battery life. And 1120 lumens is still a lot...

Exposure's range of lights and the Joystick in particular have been the weapon of choice for spendy MAMILs for some years now. Combining light weight, high power and smart design Exposure's lights have pretty much defined the template for all-in-one lights.

Knog's Boomer Rechargeable front light has all the brands' trademark chic and belts out a decent amount of light into the bargain. Arguably the most waterproof of the plug in breed thanks to those beefy neoprene covers, there's a genuine child-like wow factor seeing the battery and circuitry through their clear bodies... well there is for me anyway.

Cateye's nano shot rechargeable front light is the answer to a svelte commuter/ winter road bikes' prayers. No hefty batteries to induce premature bottle cage fatigue, or contaminate a sportier bikes' clean lines, its slender fig biscuit profile and textbook build quality delivers a scorching 250 lumens, charges from the computer's USB in a matter of three hours all in exchange for £100!

Niterider's MiNewt 600 cordless is a compact and elegant light that packs plenty of punch, and is small enough - just - to go on your helmet as well as your bars. With good build quality and a super-simple clamp, it's a very good option for all your riding, so long as you don't want to pull an all-nighter.

You’re going to like these Magicshine lights, I did. I’m getting this test report out as quick as I can because, you might need to strike something off the Christmas list and convince yourself or your significant other, that you need a present just like this.