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Oxford Ultratorch 2K front light

5
£99.99

VERDICT:

5
10
Good battery life and huge lumen output, but it's wasted by poor lens design
Weight: 
345g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Oxford Ultratorch 2K chucks out a whopping load of lumens and has some pretty decent run-times for the large battery pack. Its beam pattern is poor, though, which makes it less than ideal for road use, plus it is fairly hefty.

  • Pros: Lengthy run-times; cheap for the lumen output
  • Cons: Basic optics; have to scroll through 'off' to get back to brightest setting

I've just reviewed the 2K's little brother, the 850, and it looks as though there is a common theme running through the Ultratorch range. The reflector and lens technology is simplistic, and having to scroll through the off position while riding is downright bizarre, both of which let down what are otherwise decent quality lights with very good run-times.

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The 2K uses three LEDs which put out a combined maximum output of 2,100 lumens, an impressive amount for a light that costs less than £100.

The problem is, with just a basic polycarbonate lens slapped in front and a simple reflector surrounding them, it does nothing focused with that colossal amount of illumination. You get an intense spot that you can direct down the road, while the rest of the light is bounced off the tops of trees and surrounding buildings.

This means that in the real world probably only half of that firepower is being used effectively. The splayed beam of light means that in the higher settings the 2K is downright antisocial to oncoming traffic and is only really useful for excursions off-road. Even then it isn't great as the light spread still isn't ideal.

It's a shame, because on maximum you can ride for two hours which is impressive, though admittedly there is a big battery in there which makes the 2K a bit on the porky side at 343g, plus it'll take 8 hours for a full charge.

Oxford Ultratorch 2K - side 2.jpg

The rest of the modes are 1,500 lumen (3hrs), 1,000 lumen (4hrs), 500 lumen (8hrs), 250 lumen (16hrs) and 125 lumen (32hrs). Oddly there is no flashing mode, but on a positive note those run-times were met consistently.

The power button is on the rear of the light and glows either green or red to display battery life. This is the only button on the light, so you use it to scroll through the modes from high down to low.

Oxford Ultratorch 2K - back.jpg

When you get to low, though, your next click will turn the light off – perfect when you are cruising along a dark country lane in the depths of night! You can turn the light off by pressing and holding the power button, so why not just omit the 'off' from the cycle?

The bracket is alloy and it'll fit both 31.8mm and 25.4mm diameter handlebars with the shims included. It's sturdy too, and to make sure the light doesn't come detached from the mount you can use the thumbscrew to attach it. A neat touch.

Oxford Ultratorch 2K - mount.jpg

The charge port (below the on/off switch) has a rubber cover which keeps the rain out and I had no issues with ingress during testing or from a blast from the bathroom shower for good measure. In fact, the overall build quality is very good indeed.

Value

As I've said, a 2,100-lumen light for a penny under a ton is a good price – or it would be if it wasn't for all of the issues mentioned above.

For the same money you can get the Giant Recon HL1600. True, it's only got 1,600 lumens, but it uses them well with a flat, wide beam pattern, and while it gets beaten convincingly by the 2K on burn-times the Giant connects with a speed sensor (purchased separately) and uses ambient light to auto-change modes, which increases battery life.

When it comes to big output lights on a budget, Magicshine is probably one of the most well-known. The trouble is, the ones I've used have similar issues to the 2K, a point echoed by Mike's review of the MJ-902B Smart Light – poor lens design and scrolling through unnecessary modes being the theme.

Overall, I think the 2K shows that if you want a big output light it's worth paying a bit more for decent lens technology.

Verdict

Good battery life and huge lumen output, but it's wasted by poor lens design

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Oxford Ultratorch 2K

Size tested: USB rechargeable 25.4/31.8mm handlebar sliding bracket

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A high-powered light that delivers good battery run-times.

Oxford simply lists:

USB rechargeable

25.4/31.8mm handlebar sliding bracket

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

Oxford lists:

Hard anodized aircraft aluminium and polycarbonate casing

3x CREE XM-L2 LED, 2,100lm Maximum Output

Battery: 9000mAh Lithium Ion

Runtime: 2hrs (2100lm), 3hrs (1500lm), 4hrs (1000lm), 8hrs (500lm), 16hrs (250lm), 32hrs (125lm)

Charge time: 8hrs

Waterproof: IPX4

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
8/10

There is nothing much to it as there is only one button.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
8/10

A quality clamp design that is sturdy and keeps the light attached no matter how rough the ride.

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
8/10

No issues with water ingress.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
7/10

Good battery life, although a full charge does take a lengthy 8hrs.

Rate the light for performance:
 
5/10
Rate the light for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the light for weight:
 
5/10

A big battery means it is weighty.

Rate the light for value:
 
3/10

On paper, pretty decent, but in the real world its performance means it's not such great value. At the £100 mark we see many 1,000 to 1,600-lumen lights, but some are a better design and use more of those lumens in a controlled manor. That said, there are similarly priced lights that suffer from the same issues.

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It'll work better as an off-road light but it is still wasting a lot of the light output upwards.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Good battery life.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Scrolling through 'off' to get back to high beam.

Did you enjoy using the light? No

Would you consider buying the light? No

Would you recommend the light to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your overall score

A well-made light with good battery life but poor optics mean that illumination is being spread all over the place, making it pretty average in performance.

Overall rating: 5/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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3 comments

Avatar
gibatronic | 4 years ago
0 likes

Just go with Knog, they've neiled every aspect of it: Knog Blinder Road or Knog PWR Road.

Avatar
kevvjj | 4 years ago
0 likes

This isn't good value at all, especially given the poor unfocussed lens. You can get the excellent Moon Meteor Storm Pro for £80, it's 100grams lighter and similar burn times, but 2 hours less to charge (and you can buy spare battery packs for it)

Lumen output:

boost - 2000lm - 2.00hr
mode1 - 1750lm - 2.30hr
mode2 - 1100lm - 4.30hr
mode3 - 120lm - 43.00hr
fl1 - 100lm - 200.00hr
steady fl - 200lm - 98.00hr
day fl - 400lm - 260.00hr

Avatar
RoubaixCube replied to kevvjj | 4 years ago
0 likes
kevvjj wrote:

This isn't good value at all, especially given the poor unfocussed lens. You can get the excellent Moon Meteor Storm Pro for £80, it's 100grams lighter and similar burn times, but 2 hours less to charge (and you can buy spare battery packs for it)

Lumen output:

boost - 2000lm - 2.00hr
mode1 - 1750lm - 2.30hr
mode2 - 1100lm - 4.30hr
mode3 - 120lm - 43.00hr
fl1 - 100lm - 200.00hr
steady fl - 200lm - 98.00hr
day fl - 400lm - 260.00hr

 

Excellent bit of kit those Moon lights. I have the little brother, Vortex Pro and it does an amazing job.

 

Batteries can be a bit hard to come by though, At least where the higher capacity ones are concerned.

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