Kryptonite Street F-450

A capable front light that sits nicely in the mid-priced commuter category, with decent battery life and simplicity on its side, the Kryptonite Street F-450 has proved a useful companion as the nights draw in.

• Pros: Simple to use, decent battery life, battery indicator
• Cons: Slightly fiddly to tighten strap on oversize bars

This offering from Kryptonite sits between the Street F-250 and the recently tested Alley F-650 in its Street Light series.

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Out of the packaging, which includes an adjustable handlebar clamp, instructions and USB cable, the light is compact and reasonably light, with a matt grey and black all-plastic textured finish, with the USB charge point underneath a rubber cover, and a transparent rubber cover over the button on the top. Helpfully, and the reason it is see-through, is that the light uses a multi-colour LED in a traffic light sequence of green-amber-red to indicate the remaining battery power.

The F-450 has six modes: full, medium and low steady settings, a daytime and night-time pulse, and flashing.

Using the light on local (mostly lit) roads, I found the pulse modes useful for just being seen in overcast daylight conditions and dusk. My old rear light is permanently set to its pulse mode as it's what I prefer, so I was pleased to find these modes on the F-450.

On low, medium and high the beam pattern is quite focused, with a small spread of light outside the beam. It's fine for urban riding, but even on high it's not powerful enough for unlit lanes unless you lower your speed substantially, so look for a higher output light such as the F-650 if that's your main type of riding.

The side ports on the light are useful, a little larger than many of these smaller units, giving decent side visibility when crossing junctions and the like.

Kryptonite states the run-times as 2 hours for the highest output and 24 hours for the flashing, with varying times in between for the others. I tested the high output mode a few times and it lasted just over two hours, so lives up to the claimed time. The other modes were used varyingly, but nothing made me doubt they wouldn't run for at least the stated times.

The light as mentioned helpfully gives you an idea of the battery life via the coloured button on the top, green indicating 100-50%, amber 50-25% and red under 25%. I did find that it dropped from green to amber in around 20 minutes in high output, but then sat at amber for quite some time before dropping to red with around 15 minutes left – so not entirely accurate, but enough to know when it's really low and may be worth swapping to a lower setting – which, if you leave it long enough, the light does by itself.

> Buyer's Guide: The best 2017/2018 front lights for cycling

Charging times were average for a lower output light, with a few hours needed if charging at work from a laptop USB, but around two hours using a wall charger. I used a Samsung fast charger but I don't think it makes much difference. Of note, though, is that it is a sealed unit – once the batteries have outlived their working life, they cannot be swapped, as with some lights on the market.

Fitting the light to a bike is via a chunky bracket and strap. On my oversize bar it was easy enough to position but a little fiddly to get really tight, with not a lot of strap to pull on to get it really tight. Once done, though, it was nice and secure. The light then drops on at an angle and clicks in at the back, with a push release to take it off again – quick enough for you to bother even on short stops for security.

As a mid-range commuting light that won't break the bank, the F-450 is a decent option that should last a good many seasons. It compares well with other options in the 450-lumen range, including the more expensive Knog PWR Commuter retailing at £49.99 but with lower run-times (review to come), and the cheaper NiteRider Swift 450 retailing at £38, but again with lower run-time modes and fewer modes, making the F-450 an attractive buy.

Verdict

An affordable and dependable medium strength light suitable for commuting and general low-light riding