Electron Micro 1W Front Light

Electron's Micro 1W light is a commuter light with, as the name implies, a single 1W LED. This puts it at the being seen rather than the seeing by end of the bike light spectrum, even so it does provide a degree of road illumination, as our light data shows; enough for badly lit urban streets.

Mounting the light to the handlebars is a stress free affair. A simple quick release loop is contrained with a tool-free bolt and grips the bars through a piece of rubber. The rubber strip is thoughtfully moulded with little nubs which sit in grooves on the clamp, avoiding the fiddly process of holding the strip whilst simultanously trying to tighten the clamp. The light then slides cleanly onto this clamp; held by a plastic clip, the whole assembly never slipped or wobbled.

Power is supplied by four AAA batteries. Those in the light as it comes are non-rechargeables, you could of course use rechargeables once these run out, although in our experience there is often a penalty in overall run time when you do. And the run time? Electron say you can get up to 80 hours - that was optimistic in my testing, I got closer to 60 hour, my guess is 80 is what you'll get using it solely in flashing mode. A power level gauge is included by means of the on light - switching from green to red as voltage starts to dip - so you shouldn't be left high and dry. Battery replacement is as easy as twisting the body a few degrees to open, then slotting in the new cells with the right orientation.

A simple two mode operation: constant and strobe, operated by a single button, does the job and means you aren't forever cycling through as you miss the mode you want. That button is also easily used with winter gloves. The design is well waterproofed and finished in a nice rubber coating to ensure easy removal even when wet. Another nice feature I noticed was small holes at the sides of the light diffuser in order to provide a small amount of side-on visability.

Verdict

Overall, the Micro 1W fulfils its job as a commuter light well and presents good value with a 24.99 RRP - shop around and you can find it for considerably less than that. Whilst there is no inbuilt recharge option (you can of course use your own recharger and cells) in some ways this may suit busy commuters better - you can just pop in your nearest shop. A simple mounting and quick release add to the commuter credentials. The light provided is good enough to provide inner-city visibility, even a certainly element of side-on, but I wouldn't want to navigate unlit lanes with it.