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Niterider Lumina 400 front light

7
£80.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Good beam pattern but not enough battery live for longer rides in complete darkness
Weight: 
174g

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Night riding or commuting through the depths of winter requires illumination. The improvement in the technology and know-how has enabled manufacturers to produce smaller, brighter lights that run for longer, like the NiteRider Lumina 400 here.

NiteRider produce three categories of lights: Commuter, Sport Performance and Pro Performance. The Lumina 400 is one of five lights in the Sport range. It's only the second in the range but the cannily named light throws out 400 lumens on the top setting.

The run time is claimed to be 90 minutes but the red light would generally come up after 70 to 75 minutes. Charging is the other issue at over five hours; quite a chunk of time.

For short blasts when you need a lot of light the 400-lumen setting is a useful addition but it will struggle on longer rides when you have to drop the output.

The Lumina 400 once fitted is a rock solid light. The tool-free bracket is attached using a screw clasp that grips your bars well and this new design will fit all bars up to 31.8mm. To attach the light it has recessed groves on the unit that match up to the bracket and the light body is kept in place by a clasp, press it and you can remove the light - easy. Included in the package is a USB charging cable. No helmet mount though.

You get four settings - high, medium, low, walking - and a flash. These settings offer claimed run times of 90, 180, 360 minutes and 21 hours on the walk setting. The actual run times are closer to 75, 160, and 335 minutes; I haven't tried it on the walking setting. The Lumina 400 throws out 400, 200, 125 and 30 lumens on these settings.

The Lumina 400 is powered by a single 2200mA/h battery. The battery is fine but with the only means of charging provided by a micro USB cable it does feel as though you are adding to the already considerable charging time. Five hours is quite a chunk of time. You feel with a mains option you could shave off some of this time. The charging port is on the bottom of the light and protected by a rubber flap.

At 172g you aren't adding a significant weight to your bars.

Using the light is easy enough. There is a finger sized round LED button on top that glows blue when you have significant charge. When the battery life drops below 20% this glows turns red to alert you to the fact that time is running out. Drop below 10% and the reserve mode setting kicks in and adjusts the light.

Cycling through the settings is a simple action of pressing the button. To get to the walk or flash mode you just keep the button pressed. This will take you to the daylight flash mode which is pretty manic and will quite likely irritate after a short period of time. Even if you can put up with it those faced by it might not be so affable. From here you can then press to button once more to get you into the walk mode. To turn off you press and hold the button down. If you keep the light in your rucksack, the light has a lock mode, press and hold the power button through the flash mode until the power button turns or flashes red. A nice feature.

The light is provided by CREE LEDs, considered to be the brightest on the market. NiteRider says LEDs come in a wide range of color temperatures and many other light manufacturers use whatever is cheapest. They claim to spare no expense and only use LEDs with a colour temperature between 5700 and 6500 degrees Kelvin. The color temperature of daylight is 5780 degrees Kelvin. By selecting LEDs that are as close to daylight as possible and a little on the blue side of the color spectrum, this produces a very white light that simulates daylight and enhances the human eye's ability to detect all the little things that go bump in the night.

The beam pattern is focused through the centre. On the top setting it is intense with a reasonable light spread on the periphery of this central beam. The end result is a light that is focused enough, when on the top setting to pick out pot holes etc on unlit roads with enough warning but you could be left in the dark as the battery runs out of power. The company use an optical grade (they also state they are the only company to do this), Borofloat glass lens and reflector custom designed for riding. This optical package minimizes light transmission loss and makes sure you get light where you need it most.

You could use the Lumina 400 as a second light which perhaps would be more practical as the lower settings don't give you enough depth of beam or run time on the darker roads.

Verdict

Good beam pattern but not enough battery live for longer rides in complete darkness

The light comparator

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Niterider Lumina 400 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?

The NiteRider Lumina 400 is part of an extensive range of lights offered by the brand. Three ranges have numerous models within each that provide enough choice for every rider. The range has alight to cover a short ride to the pub, commuting, some serious off road night riding or even night racing. With output varying from the maximum 400 lumens down to 30 on the walking setting you do get a decent offering. The downside is the battery life doesn't provide that maximum output for longer than around 75-90 minutes. The light is easy to mount on the bracket which in itself is easy to fit. Using the Lumina 400 is straight forward in terms of turning on and off via the large led button. To change the setting you cycle through them by switching the light on and then pressing the button. To get to the flash you keep the button pressed on until the light flashes, release it and you have the flash mode. To get to the walk mode you press the led once more.

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

The NiteRider Lumina 400 features four settings and a flash. Specified as high, medium, low, walking and a flash. These settings offer an alleged 90, 180, 360 minutes and 21 hours on the walk setting. The actual run times are closer to 75, 160, 335 and I haven't tried it on the lowest. The Lumina 400 throws out 400, 200, 125 and 30 lumens on these settings.

Not too far away but the top setting doesn't perhaps offer as much output as you may need. If your ride or commute is close to that it doesn't give you much wriggle room and you maybe better off selecting one of the Pro series that offer longer run times. All the Sport range offer similar top end longevity only the output in lumens changes.

The Lumina 400 is powered by a single 2200mA/h battery. The battery is fine but with the only means of charging provided by a micro USB cable it does feel as though you are adding to the already considerable charging time. Five hours is quite a chunk of time. You feel with a mains option you could shave off some of this time. The charging port is on the bottom of the light and protected by a rubber flap.

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
8/10

The Lumina 400 is a solid unit, well made

The light is provided by CREE leds, considered to be the brightest on the market. As the company state, the reason for this is LEDs come in a wide range of color temperatures and many other light manufacturers use whatever is cheapest. They spare no expense and only LEDs with a color temperature between 5700 and 6500 degrees Kelvin. The color temperature of daylight is 5780 degrees Kelvin. By selecting LEDs that are as close to daylight as possible and a little on the blue side of the color spectrum, this produces a very white light that simulates daylight and enhances the human eye's ability to detect all the little things that go bump in the night.

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

The light is well made and robust, everything you want from a light that can be transported off the bike in a rucksuck. You can lock the light so when it is in you pack it can't get turned on accidentally. Simply hold down the power button, through the flashing mode until the power button turns or flashes red. Neat idea.

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

In terms of usage the Lumina 400 is one of the simplest around. Certainly when it comes to fitting the handlebar bracket, attaching the light to it and away you go. No tools are needed for the attachment to the bars, a screw fixing keeps this process simple and effective. Adding the light is straight forward too and it is no different when you want to take it off.

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

Through several heavy downpours the NiteRider Lumina 400 has shone through. There have been no power outs or niggles due to the inclement weather.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
7/10

This is the real let down with the Lumina 400. The run time and the time taken to replace this juice. On top beam, the 400 lumens is not a bad output but you can only squeeze about 75 - 90 mins and then you have to take 5 hrs using a USB charger to top it up again.

Rate the light for performance:
 
8/10

The Cree LEDs used are impressively bright, provided a nice channeled beam. This offers a decent light to see the road, obstacles in front. The periphery spread of light allows you to have a slightly broader view, again sufficient to remove the doubt from the road ahead.

Rate the light for durability:
 
8/10

The Lumina has proven to be a robust light, performing within its limitations but not proving a let down because it doesn't live up to the specification particularly.

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

At 172g the Lumina is an average weight for your bars, given the size.

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

The light or spread is fine, nicely channeled but the flash mode is really very manic and would give you a headache pretty quickly.

Rate the light for value:
 
8/10

£80 represents a reasonable investment but if you're commuting this isn't a bad light. It is though in a very competitive market so do your comparisons. If you do go for the Lumina 400 it won't let you down. Just be aware of the run times.

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

Slightly below par in how long it lasted on each ride but otherwise it is well made, robust and easy to use.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

The simplicity, to use, to attach and generally operate.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Run times that fall below the expected level and then only a USB charging option that takes the best part of 5 hrs.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes.

Would you consider buying the light? I would check the options first.

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Possibly, dependent on their requirements or journey time.

Anything further to say about the light in conclusion?

There is a lot to like about the Lumina 400, the ease of attachment, operation and the lock mode is a nice idea. I was disappointed with the run time and charging. Get that right and NiteRider would have a winner for this price.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 45  Height: 178cm  Weight: 80kg

I usually ride: Currently riding a Pinnacle Evaporite Three  My best bike is: As above

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, sportives, mtb, Not yet but looking to dip my toe in the world of TT

 

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1 comments

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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You can get the Niterider 750 for £62 online. More light output and longer battery life

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