Moon Meteor front light

The Moon Meteor is a compact and relatively well made front light, offering 400 lumens in its highest steady setting, along with a 500-lumen daytime flash. Provided you're not calling on the full 400 too regularly, run-times are favourable, and it makes a decent dynamo companion, too.

Specification

The details are listed in the test report below, but it's pretty standard stuff, though still good, given the price point. In terms of optics, a Cree XP-G3 diode is projected through a "high precision" optical lens. It's fuelled by a 3.7V 1200mAh lithium polymer battery. A CNC machined aluminium alloy casing is both aesthetic and functional and should withstand accidental knocks while serving as a heat sink.

In terms of weatherproofing, we're talking IPX4 – rain, in the everyday sense. That's lower than some, but sufficient for most forms of road-biased riding. A quick slither of silicone grease around the charge port cover might be good insurance against water/ingress, but I've had no issues in several weeks.

The top-mounted switch is tricky to operate wearing winter weight gloves, but not enough that I'd invest in the aftermarket remote. A definite, double prod brings the Meteor to life, while subsequent presses go through the settings. The memory function makes things easier too.

Just south of the switch, we have small mode and charge indicators.

Mount

The stock mount is a "watch strap" type designed to entertain oversized and standard handlebar patterns. I've found ours a good fit with everything from 25.4 through to 31.8mm and indeed, some helmets. Talking of which, GoPro and helmet-specific mounts are available, but I'd try the stock bracket first.

Performance

There are eight modes in total, four steady and four flashing, including that 500-lumen daylight flash.

Starting with the steady modes, the full 400 lumens is borderline adequate for navigating semi-rural roads, up to around 14mph. Though generally OTT for the suburbs and town centres, it came in handy around dusk, although it will deplete the battery pretty quickly.

The 250 or 130-lumen settings strike a happier medium – 250 lumens is also useful enough for map reading, tending punctures and so on along country roads, especially when helmet-mounted.

I'm not convinced the 70-lumen mode has any real merit – you're not going to navigate with it, and when it comes to being seen, any of the flashing options win hands down.

So then, the flashing modes. This is where the Meteor comes into its own – well, for me at least. Some would argue the 500-lumen day flash is a little impotent but in my experience it has proven extremely effective, especially in dull and overcast conditions. Other vehicles seemed to acknowledge me at around 150-200 metres.

The beam setting flashes red to denote this mode, which can be a little disconcerting to start with. I also had the power setting fall to red within an hour, four charge cycles in, on our first sample. No such issues with the replacement – besides which, a reputable dealer would simply address it under warranty.

> Buyer's Guide: The best 2019/2020 front lights for cycling

The hybrid Flash 3 (low steady, 500-lumen flash) option is surprisingly effective, too. So much so, it became my default when using the Meteor as a safety light, post-dawn and pre-dusk. It's really an alternating strobe, switching between a pulsing and steady state. Along unlit roads, friends reckon it's visible to around 200 metres. Fully juiced, its not returned quite the full 13 hours, but 12hrs 53mins between charges is pretty good going. Peripheral punch is reassuringly good too, so no problems when turning right, or entering the flow of traffic.

Flash 2 is 130 lumens and another pretty good choice for country roads and paired with a high power dynamo, such as Exposure's Revo MK1. Aside from waiting at junctions, it's been a godsend when the Revo's 'coming alive', especially along pitch black lanes. I've managed to get within 7 minutes of the 25 hours cited.

In a group context and, indeed, in slow-moving rush hour traffic, I'd go for its comparatively tame 40-lumen sibling. Still adequate for town (paired with a dynamo, for example), it shouldn't irritate at close quarters, and should last 80 hours.

One thing to be aware of: don't park it beside wireless computers, otherwise it will block the signal between sensor and head unit.

Moon cites a 2.5-hour charge time, and that was spot on from the mains. Bank on another 20 minutes or so from laptops/PC ports.

Value

A penny shy of £25, the Meteor is cheaper than many – for that price I'm struggling to find fault and, indeed, many direct competitors, and it's the cheapest light in our 2019/2020 beam comparison. The Lezyne Mini Drive 400XL is a fiver more at £30, and the Moon beats that on run-times and outputs.

Blackburn's 400-lumen DayBlazer is another capable option, but it's even pricier at £34.99.

Conclusion

For town and suburban commuting, as backing singer to a higher power setup or best bike contingency, the Moon Meteor is a good choice. Typical of the breed, run-times are relatively short in the higher steady settings, but these are mitigated by eye-catching and frugal flashing modes.

Verdict

Competitively priced commuter/safety light with nice flashing modes