Exposure Sirius MK7 DayBright

Exposure's Sirius MK7 Daybright is an easy-to-use light that's suitable for commuting – and more – and for getting you noticed in daylight. Various different programs allow you to choose the balance between brightness and run-time that best suits your needs, and the overall build standard is very high.

• Pros: Powerful, solid construction, good daytime mode
• Cons: Beam is quite narrow

Like most of Exposure's lights, the Sirius has an anodised 6063 aluminium casing. Drop it and you might scratch the finish but you're unlikely to cause any damage that's going to affect the function. It really is ruff 'n' tuff. The light has an IPX6 rating, meaning that water won't get inside during normal use.

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You get to choose from seven different programs. Program 1, for instance, offers you 1.5hrs of run-time in high mode, 4hrs in medium mode and 10hrs in low mode. Program 5, to take another example, offers just two modes, one with 3hrs of run-time and the other with 10hrs. Select the program that works best for you and then, when you're riding along, you just hit the button on the back to move between modes. I've been using this light since November, and I've never had any trouble finding and pressing that button in winter gloves.

Little LEDs alongside the button shine for a couple of seconds to tell you which mode you're in. Green indicates high, amber is medium and low is red, which is pretty easy to remember. The LEDs then become battery level indicators, again using a traffic light sequence, giving you plenty of opportunity to switch to a low power mode if you're running on fumes. The lowest power constant mode has a run-time of 36hrs so you really shouldn't get caught out. Exposure prints all of the various run-times on the bottom of the aluminium casing, and in my experience they're pretty accurate.

The light comes from a white XPL2 Cree LED and Exposure claims a maximum of 750 lumens. The beam is very round and quite concentrated. It punches a big hole into the darkness but you don't get the spread that you do with some rivals.

Is that an issue? It depends what you're after. I've been using the Sirius for commuting from the office, which is in a city, to my house, which is in a little village 15 miles away. The first part of the journey is on well-lit streets, the rest is on pretty well-used roads. I've been using a program that allows me to flick between a medium mode (in town and when there's traffic coming in the opposite direction) and high mode (when I'm on an unlit road without any traffic).

I've never felt like I've needed any more light for the commute than the Sirius offers. You get good side visibility too, courtesy of a lens that extends well forward of the body of the light, a hood in the aluminium casing preventing any of that light shining up into your eyes. On the other hand, I would want a wider beam for a fast training ride out in the lanes, for which the Sirius isn't intended.

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

The Daybright mode is an interesting feature that, as the name suggests, is intended to get you seen while riding during the day. It's a pulse pattern that's really bright and noticeable from a long way off – we're talking hundreds of metres – even on a sunny day.

The Sirius snaps into a little plastic bracket that sits on your handlebar. It's not the most sophisticated system but it works fine. The bracket itself is held in place by a stretchy O-ring. Again, it's not going to win any prizes for innovation but it does the job and switching between bikes is a cinch. The back of the bracket is shaped to fit round bars so it doesn't play nicely with anything aero. If you want to helmet-mount the Sirius for off-road riding a separate bracket will cost you £22.

The Sirius is powered by a 2,900 mAh lithium-ion battery and run-times range from 1.5hrs to 36hrs. You can recharge from either the mains or a USB port. Recharging from empty takes from 4hrs.

Although £100 might seem like a lot to spend on a commuting light, the Sirius is bright, the Daybright mode could well be useful for you, and Exposure's build quality is excellent. You also get a two-year warranty here. This is a high-quality product that should last, so although the initial outlay is pretty high, you're likely to get your money's worth over the long haul.

Verdict

Powerful, durable and easy-to-operate commuting light with a useful daytime mode