Gemini Xera Flashlight 950L

The Gemini Xera Flashlight 950 is a bit of an anomaly – it's an expensive high-end light that uses cable ties to secure the handlebar mount, and eschews a battery indicator and USB charging – plus it has an odd method of toggling between modes. On the plus side, it does throw out a decent beam.

• Pros: Good beam, small and lightweight package
• Cons: Lack of battery indicator, tricky mode toggling, no USB charging, poor bar mount, excessive packaging

This 2018 model is very different from the Gemini Xera 950 Neil reviewed in December 2016 – that one consisted of a separate head unit and battery pack, and used a button to change modes. The 2018 Flashlight is better in that it is now an all-in-one design, with both light and battery housed in one small, sleek and lightweight torch-like unit. However, the removal of a simple power button in favour of a twisting method to activate the light and change modes is questionable.

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It's a tricky action to perform while riding along, as you have to lean forwards to reach then rotate the head, and it's easy to obscure the light with your hand as you twist it. With each twist forwards and backwards you cycle through the three steady and one flash mode, meaning you have to do this three times to toggle from flash to full beam – and each time the light goes out momentarily, which is far from ideal if it's your sole means of illumination.

Also, I found the lack of any indicator or window to enable you to see if the light was actually on while riding through well-lit streets quite disconcerting – you'd have no idea if it had stopped.

With 950 lumens on full beam, the Xera 950 is plenty powerful, and on unlit roads and my towpath commute the amount of light is perfectly adequate. The LED bulb throws out a strong beam with good projection and decent peripheral illumination. I wouldn't rely on it for descending dark country roads at speed, though, as the beam doesn't reach far enough for that.

In flashing (600 lumens) and low (100 lumens) steady modes, the Xera's beam is great for making yourself visible to other road users; low beam lasts about 8 hours, flashing 5:30 hours, so pretty good run-times. There's also a medium 600-lumen steady mode. Full beam lasted 1:45 hours on my sample. However, there's another black mark against the Xera in that it has no battery indicator, so you have to rely on memory and hope you've got it right.

As for charging, unlike most bike lights these days, which use a ubiquitous USB cable that plugs directly into the light body for no-fuss recharging at home or office, Gemini has opted for a removable non-standard-size 3400mAh battery that has to be recharged in the supplied mains-powered charger. This means you have to remember to cart the charger around with you, just in case. Gemini says it's handy because you can swap in a spare, fully charged battery to extend ride times, but it doesn't include another battery in the box, and carrying one with you is just something else to remember.

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

The supplied bar mount is a simple plastic U clip that attaches with zip-ties; fine if you want to fit and forget it on your winter bike, but if you have multiple bikes it's a faff to remove and refit. Also there is no lateral adjustment to help direct the light beam. You can buy a helmet mount as an extra but it's hard to find anywhere selling one; I only found one online retailer and it's priced at a hefty £10.

The RRP for the Xera seems vastly overpriced considering its shortcomings, though it's widely available for about £70 – although you could spend that amount more wisely. For a fiver more on the RRP you can buy the far more powerful Giant Recon 1600, while the Ravemen PR800 gives comparable light and costs £75, and the similar NiteRider Micro 850 is just £65.

Maybe part of the reason for the inflated price is the ridiculously over-the-top packaging – it comes in a fancy 8inch square presentation box that's destined to gather dust in a cupboard or sit in landfill ad infinitum.

Sorry Gemini, when I saw the Xera I really did want to like it, but it's impossible to recommend it.

Verdict

Good beam but let down by poor usability and archaic charging method