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dhb Flashlight Long Sleeve Jersey

8
£34.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Stylish top with excellent reflectives to get you seen but shouldn't be mistaken for a winter jersey - it's very lightweight
Weight: 
228g

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Wiggle's in-house brand dhb has an ever-growing range and they generally do a good job at most price points. This year they've added a big new range of cycling clothes with an emphasis on being seen, particularly at night. The Flashlight range includes jackets, jerseys, shorts, gilets and tights (and more) with generous use of 3M Scotchlite reflectives, mostly in a smart hexagon motif as seen on this long-sleeve jersey. It's a lightweight option so you'd need other layers in the colder months, but it's well made and the reflectives work well.

Wiggle is pricing the whole Flashlight range keenly, undercutting the equivalents from Altura's popular Night Vision by 10-20%. Here this long-sleeve jersey is significantly cheaper than Altura's long-sleeve jersey, but don't be fooled, they're not really competitors. This jersey uses a thin and extremely breathable polyester fabric which is more akin to a base-layer than a winter jersey, whereas the Altura is a warmer top.

The Flashlight jersey is well made, with neat flat-lock stitching and good quality reflective YKK zips; there's a quarter-length zip at the front and a zipped "phone pocket" at the back in addition to the standard three pockets. Unfortunately, the water-resistant phone pocket is too small for most modern smart-phones, but you could keep a key or some coins safe there, I guess. The other pockets are of a generous size and have reinforced stitching to cope with you stuffing your other layers in there when it gets too hot.

The first time I loaded up the pockets, though, I found that they tended to swing around a bit. I attributed this to the fact that the cut on this jersey is fairly loose, but after a couple of cool washes I did notice that the jersey fitted more closely. I was testing a medium, and the fit improved having shrunk a little so bear that in mind when you first try it on. There's a silicone gripper strip across the back at the bottom, which also works better once the jersey is a closer fit. I've not had any issues with the reflectives coming off in the wash but I am fairly careful, using maximum 40 degrees and non-bio detergent. I'll update if this changes down the line.

As I mentioned, this is not an especially warm jersey. I found it was comfortable over about 12 degrees, or a bit lower when paired with a wind-blocking gilet. The jersey fabric itself does next to nothing to keep the wind out. It's a curious choice for a reflective jersey; surely the majority of use will be in the evenings of the cooler months, and after October you'd certainly want a jacket over the top, covering those nice reflectives.

You could always put a good thermal base-layer underneath, and this works well up to a point, but when it's colder you really need some windblocking to avoid discomfort. The reflective patches on the shoulders remain partially visible when you're wearing a gilet, which does improve your visibility from front, but there won't be much visible from the rear. In short, I don't anticipate getting a lot of visibility benefits over the winter as I'll be mostly wearing this as a base-layer. It is much more effective for late summer evening rides when you're glad of the sleeves and the well-positioned reflectives do a great job of getting you seen. One area where this could be improved is the sleeves - it is a strange omission to have no reflective details at all to help drivers see your turn signals.

You've got a choice of colours - for my money the "charcoal" grey we tested is the pick of the range, but the royal blue is also attractive, or you could have it in fluoro yellow if you really want to. With the possible exception of the yellow, I like how the aesthetics don't scream SAFETY too loudly; you can make sure you get seen without looking like a lollipop lady.

In short, this is a well-made and attractive jersey with well-positioned quality reflectives which catch headlights brilliantly. It's very keenly priced, but is by no means a winter jersey - the wind whistles right through it. Best saved for evening rides in the spring or late summer, but makes a decent base-layer in the colder months.

Verdict

Stylish top with excellent reflectives to get you seen but shouldn't be mistaken for a winter jersey - it's very lightweight

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road.cc test report

Make and model: dhb Flashlight Long Sleeve Jersey

Size tested: Charcoal - Medium

Tell us what the product 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?

With an ultra high visibility finish and lightweight, breathable construction, the dhb Flashlight Long Sleeve Jersey is perfect to keep you safe and seen on the roads in all lighting conditions. Ideal for commuting and leisure bike rides. Adding style to your hi viz wardrobe, the dhb Flashlight Jersey range has been finished with geometric 3M™ Scotchlite™ reflective prints, strategically placed for optimum impact.

The dhb Flashlight Jersey has been designed to keep you seen in any lighting condition and doesn't compromise on reflective components. The main body is finished in a brightly coloured fluoro yellow for optimum impact, with contrasting black sleeves offering a solid base to give further contrast to the reflective shoulder graphics. Critically positioned reflective trims have been strategically added for total 360 degree visibility, with 3M™ Scotchlite™ reflective prints and further reflective zip tabs and logo's of the highest quality and durability featured throughout.

The Flashlight Jersey has been finished with the essential features a cyclist may need, whether for commuting or the leisure ride. A classic arrangement of three drop pockets are positioned at the lower back of the jersey, with a concealed zip pocket for storing your valuables featured at the center. This has been lined with a water resistant fabric against the back to prevent sweat from entering the pocket and damaging your phone or other electrical items. A silicon gripper has been added around the hemline to stop the jersey riding up when in the cycling position, allowing you to focus on the road ahead.

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

High quality 3M™ Scotchlite™ reflective prints on rear pockets and upper arms to provide the highest level reflectivity and durability

Brightly coloured with critically positioned reflective graphics and trims to provide 360 degree visibility in all conditions

YKK zips with reflective trim for added visibility

Reflective dhb and Flashlight logos to further increase visibility

3 vertical drop pockets at the rear

One rear zipped pocket with water resistant fabric for storing your ride essentials securely

Custom dhb silicone gripper to maintain jersey position

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Pretty good, especially at this price.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Reflectives work very well and you certainly won't overheat. It's surprising that dhb chose not to use its excellent Windslam fleecy jersey material for this, which would make it more useful in the cooler months.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

No issues to date.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

Well it's pretty light for a L/S jersey, I'm just not sure this is a good thing.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

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

I was confident using this for night-time riding, as the reflectives are well placed and catch headlights very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Styling and positioning of reflectives, excellent value.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I'd have made it out of a thicker fabric, and I'd have made the phone pocket phone-sized.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

There's nothing wrong with this jersey and it's very well-priced as we'd expect from dhb. I just don't quite get the concept they were going for - maybe they're aiming at warmer countries than ours? On performance alone, I'd give this 3.5 stars, but as it's such good value it gets a solid 4/5.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 190cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Boardman CX team for the daily commute  My best bike is: Rose Xeon CRS

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Jez spends his days making robots that drive cars but is happiest when on two wheels.  His roots are in mountain biking but he spends more time nowadays on the road, occasionally racing but more often just riding. 

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1 comments

Avatar
dhbsport | 9 years ago
0 likes

Thanks for the review road.cc - really great comments! Just to note we have recently launched a thermal jersey and gilet in the Flashlight range - designed for colder, winter temperatures.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/?s=dhb+flashlight+thermal+jersey

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/?s=dhb+flashlight+thermal+gilet

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