Ravemen PR1600 front light

Welcome to my new favourite road light, the Ravemen PR1600 DuaLens. It comes with dual lenses, one with a cut off 'dipped' beam, a wireless remote control, decent battery life and more light output than you really need, all for a decent price.

• Pros: Good run-times; high/low beam; great waterproofing
• Cons: Having to scroll through flash to get to a higher output

Dave loved the PR1200 when he reviewed it back in 2017, and I can see why. This is the first Ravemen light I've ever used and it does everything I need for riding on the road in the dark and even venturing onto the gravel tracks.

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You can still get the PR1200 with its 1,200-lumen output, but if you want a little more in reserve then you can get this 1,600-lumen option.

So, what's so special about it?

High-powered bike lights are a bit like guns: it's not necessarily the weapon that's the issue, it's the muppet using it.

Very few bike lights are road-specific when it comes to beam patterns, but I've never really had issue with dazzling drivers. By tweaking the angle of the light and using the right output for the conditions I've covered tens of thousands of miles commuting in the dark without a barrage of oncoming riders or drivers full beaming me.

This Ravemen takes the guesswork out by offering two lenses sitting side by side. The one on the left is basically the same as a vehicle's dipped beam, putting out a good spread of light across the ground in front of you while cutting it off in a level plane from the centre of the LED. As long as you set the light level on your handlebar you won't be dazzling anyone.

A tap on the larger of the two buttons and the right-hand LED comes on, which is more of a floodlight, like a full beam; another tap of the same button and you're back to just the dipped beam again.

What makes this model even better is the wireless remote control which I attached to the inside of the hood on my right shifter, allowing me to flick between high and low beam with my thumb without having to move my hand from the handlebar. Its large and small buttons mimic those on the light unit. You even get a little blue high beam light that illuminates when you are at full power.

It's not just beneficial for oncoming traffic, either. If you spend a lot of time on main roads you can use the high beam to flash overtaking HGVs to let them know that they have cleared you and can pull back in.

A la modes

That 1,600-lumen figure is for when both of the LEDs are fired up; they're 800 lumens each and will give you a run-time of 2.5hrs on dipped and 1.4hrs on full. Both are within +/-5% in testing.

On all but the darkest technical descents and back lanes, 800 lumens is a lot of firepower, and because the beam pattern is so good you don't need to be chucking so much light about.

The next mode down sees 400 lumens from each LED, giving plenty of visibility on all but the darkest and twistiest back lanes, plus you'll up your burn times to 4hrs/2hrs for the low/high modes.

There is a 200-lumen mode (7hrs/4hrs) if you want to stretch battery life, which is handily relayed to you in hours remaining via the screen on top, plus there is an Economy mode for the dipped side only which last 20hrs.

Most lights these days have a daylight flashing mode and the Ravemen is no different. It's one of those where the LED stays on permanently on a low output with a bright flash to get you noticed, ideal when filtering through traffic.

You get to each of the modes by scrolling through using the small button on the light body or the remote control, and this is my only bug bear. If you are on the second mode and you want to get back to the brightest you have to scroll through the daylight flash – not something I want to be doing on a back lane. It would be good to have something like the mode selections found on Exposure's lights or Lezyne's high-powered options.

Saying that, though, if you need a short blast of full power for an unexpected descent you can press and hold the smaller of the two buttons (on the remote or the light itself) which gives you the full 1,600 lumen until you let go. A very clever little addition to get you out of trouble. 

As I've said, the beam pattern is brilliant, so you get a good sense of what is going on around you close up as well as in the distance. The verges are lit up and you can easily pick out the contrast between the road surface and potholes or drain covers, even in the wet.

The build quality is also top notch with very little plastic to be found. The main body is machined from aluminium, as is the lens housing, and if you drop it the worst you are going to do is a couple of scratches.

It's quite a compact light considering the battery size and power output, and when mounted on the secure bracket it doesn't move about or vibrate while you are riding. The bracket will fit both 31.8mm and 35mm handlebars.

Keeping out the elements isn't an issue either. I've tested the PR1600 in both heavy downpours and in the shower at home and water has failed to enter anywhere after being sprayed in all directions.

The Ravemen is charged via USB at the rear which is hidden behind a rubber cover that fits snuggly thanks to an insert that plugs into the slot. It's the latest USB-C version as well.

The PR1600 can also be used to charge other devices by using it as a power bank, and it can be topped up itself while in use.

Value

When it comes to value there'll be the 'Why pay so much?', 'I could get a 7,000lm (insert name of Chinese torch) for £2.50, there is no difference!' Well, there is. There is a lot of technology going on in lights like the Ravemen, especially when it comes to the optics and what you are getting. I reckon £129.99 is a very good investment, especially if you are a commuter and will be using the PR1600 morning and evening.

As for the competition, there is the Giant Recon HL1600, which Ash was very impressed with. He liked the wide, flat beam and only had issues with the annoying button and the overall plasticky feel for its £99.99. The Ravemen is 30 quid more but its overall build quality and materials are much higher spec, plus you have the better beam patterns.

> The best front lights for cycling

Before using the PR1600, my go-to road light was an Exposure Strada. It has the same high/low beam setup in one of the programs, and a remote control. It is also excellently made and has a pretty decent beam for road use, but the 1,500-lumen version, the Strada SB, costs a cool £300.

Conclusion

As far as I'm concerned, there is very little to criticise on the PR1600 other than having to scroll through the modes. It delivers a beam pattern that works on the road while chucking out the luminosity missing from similarly designed lights that meet the German StVZO approved standards.

Verdict

A proper road-specific beam wrapped up in an excellent package