Sigma Buster 600

The Buster 600 is the most powerful of Sigma's one piece lights, rated at 600 lumens. It says it ensures that 'off-road and on road trips at night are a pleasure', but really it's a basic commuter light with just enough punch for dark lanes.

• Pros: Bright, step-down power saving
• Cons: Silly price and very basic

On first inspection the Buster 600 appears to be a very basic light of a sort that's been around for years. Angular design, button on the top, bog-standard screw clamp, you know the kind of thing. On second inspection that's precisely what it is. It has a decent output, respectable run-time and charges from the ubiquitous USB port, but those are modest boasts in 2017 and there's nothing more to justify its eye-watering price tag.

The Ravemen PR lights we've reviewed and liked so far – the PR600 and PR1200 – double as a power bank for your devices, use a proper German style beam pattern and provide you with a remote control switch. The Buster has none of these features and feels distinctly old school. Choose the PR900 and you also get more power plus a properly usable fuel gauge for about £10 less (RRP) than Sigma's offering. The Sigma also has a very basic screw clamp, despite offering a more practical silicone strap as an optional extra. How much does a silicone bracket cost for heaven's sake?

Okay, so the Buster is poor value for the features on offer, but how does it perform as a light? Quite respectably. Looking at the road.cc beam comparison engine above, it appears to be brighter than some other lights of comparable power. That may be a function of the beam pattern and I haven't seen the other lights to compare them in the Real World©, but still, it suggests the Buster's output isn't exaggerated.

In use it has the usual array of modes. It cycles through these, which means you'll have to pass through a horrible strobe and an SOS pattern if you want to swap between full power and the more modest modes.

The button doubles as an illuminated fuel gauge, with the red light coming on at 30%. In use the button needs a double press to switch the light on, which can feel awkward, especially as the button is small and stiff. It's very unlikely to switch on while it's bumping about in a bag, so at least you won't find your light has mysteriously emptied itself.

I live in Devon, where the lanes are dark, the roads are rough and the badgers are surprising. The Buster wouldn't be my first choice for hooning about at full speed. The output is too modest and the centrally focused beam provides very little peripheral light. For regular commuting it's okay and the lower modes (Standard, 250 lumens, and Eco, 110 lumens) are fine for lit roads. Like everything about this light it's not really bad, just... meh.

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Charging is via a USB port, covered by a chunky rubber bung. Claimed run-time on full power is 2hrs; I tried a run-down test but as the light gradually steps down as the battery discharges it was almost impossible to accurately check the claim. What I did notice was that the light seemed to take ages to fully discharge. That's reassuring, it doesn't just go 'phut' after two hours, but you may also be misled by the amount of power that is available. Not great if you're about to head down a dark lane.

There's nothing particularly bad about the Buster and a few years ago I might have been rather kinder. It's a basic light that does a reasonable job but it's hugely expensive for the features on offer.

Verdict

Decent performance, but very poor value at full RRP