LUU Pico 380 front light

The LUU Pico 380 is a compact but bright front light with a fairly narrow beam that is well suited to road riding.

Until a couple of years ago, fairly anaemic front lights were the norm on the road; enough to be seen by but not enough to hurtle down a hill in the black of night. For greater illumination you were looking at a mountain bike light with separate battery pack and a fairly hefty overall weight.

So rapid has the development of battery and particularly LED technology been, that today's compact and mid-price front lights can kick out a lot of light. Great for seeing where you're going and perhaps even more effective for annoying other road users. This winter has seen a lot of debate about whether bike lights are getting too bright and posing a genuine safety risk by blinding other users.

As can be seen in our light beam test, the Pico 380 is certainly not the brightest light we tested but for its size and price it does pretty well. It has a more tightly-focused beam than many lights which suits road-riding really well. You can direct the main area of illumination onto the tarmac and avoid annoying other road-users. The beam output is basically circular so you do notice the narrower spread when going around tight corners, where you may wish for some more light out to the sides.

The light unit itself has a solid, well-built feel to it. It has a single button which you hold to switch it on or off. Subsequent presses cycle through the brightness levels. If you hold it for longer still, it toggles between flashing and constant modes (although you do go via "off" on the way, which isn't ideal while riding). There are four constant levels and three different speeds of flashing. Battery life varies between 2:30 on full power to 20+ hours on flashing.

I tend to prefer flashing lights for daytime use in traffic to be sure of being seen, and constant lighting at night-time (as parts of my commute are unlit), so I used most of the modes over the test period. At higher speeds in darkness I found the highest power level was required, but for urban use you can save battery life by using the lower levels. This generally gave enough life for a week's commuting (8 miles each way). On the high setting I was able to see far enough for 30mph or so on a good surface. On bad surfaces you may want a bit more light to be able to pick out the lumps and bumps.

The button illuminates blue (when on constant) or red (when on flashing). It switches to red flashing at a claimed 10% charge level. This warning came far too late on the first unit we had - there were only about 3 minutes between the battery warning and the light switching itself altogether, with the result that I found myself stranded in the dark a few miles from home. This light went back to the distributors, and the the replacement fared a little better - perhaps 15-20 minutes of low-power constant beam remained after the warning.

I still don't think this is enough. Given that the lowest-power constant setting has a claimed 15-hour life, you should really have a minimum of 1 hour on low after the battery warning. I much prefer lights that have a three-stage battery indicator, rather than simply telling you at the last moment that they're about to expire.

The light fixes to the bar with an excellent clamp. This is sized for an oversized bar but supplied with the necessary rubber shim to fit older bikes. The clamp itself has an M4 capscrew, so you do need a 3mm Allen key to fit or adjust it. If you just use the light on one bike, this is not a problem, but if you're perennially switching it between bikes it would be nicer to have a thumbscrew that you could operate with tools. Spare clamps are available and this would be something I'd certainly consider.

Fixing to the clamp with a quarter-turn (akin to a Garmin), once in place the light is held very solidly. I found it a bit annoying that once you'd clamped the light to the bar you couldn't adjust the angle (without digging out that 3mm Allen key), but I found that if you didn't tighten the clamp too much (and added a little grease) it would hold firmly but still allow you to tweak the angle when required.

Charging is via a mains charger with a unique round plug (not a micro-USB as is increasingly common elsewhere). This does mean that you're limited to charging it wherever you keep the charger - no top-ups at the office. The charging port is sealed with a little rubber bung - I had no issues with waterproofing during the test.

LUU have quite a range of lights - all with a similar operation and clamp, but with increasing size and brightness. The Pico 380 is the smallest, cheapest and lightest of the range. In terms of pricing, you can find it for around £70 online.

There are quite a few competitors, however. Obvious alternatives would include the Cateye Volt 300 - £20 cheaper, similar lighting output and the option to carry a spare battery. The Lezyne Power Drive XL (/content/review/99706-lezyne-power-drive-xl-front-light) is priced similarly to the LUU and also has the option to carry a spare battery. Both the Cateye and the Lezyne are designed to allow side visibility - something which is sadly lacking here.

Curious as to why the LUU advertised a "multi-port" system, despite no reference to this in the instructions, I found that that you can buy a remote control button which is connected via a cable to the same charger port. Other optional items include a helmet mount and this would be a good light for this purpose - not too heavy and with a fairly focused beam. £15 seems a lot for a helmet mount or spare bar mount, however - Lezyne offer a package including helmet mount, storage case and spare battery for the same price increase.

Conclusion

For a compact light, the Pico has a really good beam for road use - less prone to annoying other road users than wider beams. Solid, well-made case and excellent clamp. Issues with the battery life indicator dented my confidence, however - I'd try and carry a spare light. Up against some excellent competition - this might not be my first choice.

Verdict

Good beam for road use, but there's a lot of competition in this category.

The light comparator

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