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Ravemen CR1000 USB Front Light with Remote

8
£79.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Great build, burn-times and price, though the flash modes are a bit lacking and the clamp can't do aero bars
Well built
Great run times
Effective beam profile
Flash modes a little weak
Weight: 
140g

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 Ravemen CR1000 USB Front Light With Remote features a unique T-Shape beam which illuminates the important bits without dazzling oncoming drivers. The 1,000-lumen output, high quality aluminium body and strong run-times make it a good choice for road riders and commuters alike, though the flash modes could be improved and the mount doesn't fit aero bars.

We test lots of 1,000-lumen lights on road.cc, as it's the sweet spot for comfortable vision in full darkness. This means the Ravemen is up against some strong competition – and it puts up an excellent fight.

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Ravemen has crammed a 4,000mAh battery to a very compact body for run-times up there with the likes of the Magicshine Allty 1000 (also 4,000mAh), and comfortably longer than the 2,200mAH Moon Meteor Storm. It takes around three hours to charge completely from flat, which is reasonable, although it's longer from low output sources such as laptops.

2020 Ravemen CR1000 USB Rechargeable T-Shape Anti-Glare Front Light with Remote - button and USB port.jpg

The CR1000 measures just 104mm x 29mm x 32mm, and sits neatly without taking up too much bar space. The anodised aluminium body feels high quality, and the 140g heft is on par – for example, the Magicshine and Moon lights above weigh 146g and 207g respectively.

The CR1000 has a claimed impact resistance of one metre, meaning it won't break if you drop it from that height... but not necessarily that it will break under a heavier impact. In reality it perhaps doesn't tell you much.

2020 Ravemen CR1000 USB Rechargeable T-Shape Anti-Glare Front Light with Remote 2.jpg

More meaningful is the IPX6 rating, which is high and means it can 'resist high-pressure, heavy sprays of water,' making it ideal for winter riding. Over the test it endured a few wet rides and the shower test, and it still behaves just as it should.

The 'X' means it's not rated for dust protection, but not that it doesn't keep out dust – just that it hasn't been tested (poor performance would be a 0 instead of an X).

2020 Ravemen CR1000 beam pattern.jpg

The unique thing about the CR1000 is its T-shaped beam. In Ravemen's own words, this gives 'close-range flood lighting and a long-distance spotlight' without dazzling traffic. It works well, with plenty of visibility far ahead for fast descents, and a channel of light that's perfect for picking up potholes.

Although it's not the widest beam, it's just enough that things in hedges won't make you jump.

The modes:

High – 1000 lumen – 2 hrs

Mid – 600 lumen – 2.7 hrs

Low – 350 lumen – 5.8 hrs

Eco – 100 lumen – 25 hrs

Pulse Flash – 500 lumen – 43.5 hrs

Rapid Flash – 150 lumen – 45 hrs

Operation

A single press of the button on the rear scrolls through the modes – like most lights these days it turns on in the mode you were using when you last turned it off. At first I thought a double-click was taking me straight to the 1,000-lumen mode, but actually I’m told it’s just that the button works really fast – it fooled me, in a good way! Anyway, it's great. Scrolling through umpteen modes is not only tedious but dangerous, and the main reason I've steered clear of the otherwise excellent Lezyne lights such as the Lite Drive 1000XL.
(Editor's note: While the Lezyne Lite Drive 1000XL does force you to scroll through all modes to get from high beam to low when the light is in its multi-function setting, it does offer another more basic very high beam/very low beam only mode setting.)

In thick gloves the button can be harder to use than those situated on the top of the light, as it's both tucked away and quite flat. To get around this you can use the supplied remote with its 35cm cable and much bigger button. The light cannot be turned on or off with it, and a long press engages full power – great for a sudden dark patch.

2020 Ravemen CR1000 USB Rechargeable T-Shape Anti-Glare Front Light with Remote - remote button.jpg

The button on the lamp doubles as a battery indicator. It's green above 65% charge and red for 10-35%. Dip under 10% and it flashes red, while at 2% the beam itself starts flashing. This works reasonably well, but an orange light wouldn't go amiss as the indicator displays the same whether you've got 100% or 36% juice left.

The six modes cover every base without being excessive, and testing shows run times to be pretty much bang on. That said it hasn't been particularly cold, which can reduce them. Still, two hours is half an hour longer than the Lezyne mentioned above manages at full power, and 12 minutes longer than the Magicshine Allty 1000.

2020 Ravemen CR1000 USB Rechargeable T-Shape Anti-Glare Front Light with Remote - rear of unit.jpg

Other modes are obviously better still, although the two lowest constant settings aren't bright enough for full dark. In reality you're limited to 2.7 hours of full darkness riding, but then that's enough for most riders.

The two flash modes have very impressive run-times, but other lights arguably have more eye-catching patterns. The 500-lumen one is plenty bright enough, but could do with flashing a little more often, while the 150-lumen flash is just a bit too easy to miss in a busy street. A brighter, more frequent flash setting would be safer and worth the drop in run-time in my opinion.

> The best 2020 front lights for cycling — 40-light beam comparison plus how-to-choose guide

The windows on either side glow orange for side visibility, which is another great feature for urban riding and commuters, and the CR1000 can operate while being charged from a battery pack, too.

The clamp doesn't have quite the same quality feel as the rest of the unit, but it's well designed and it certainly gives a good grip on the light. The clamp itself won't fit to handlebars with an aerodynamic profile – something that's becoming ever more common on road bikes – though it's very far from being alone there. Plus although the clamp doesn't fit round an aero bar the thick rubber band is very stretchy and will fit around all but the widest aero bars – according Raveman's UK distributor. We didn't have an aero bar to try it on, but it certainly fitted securely enough to a semi-aero bar and the feeling in the road.cc office was that while the clamp wouldn't fit an aero bar it would sit on top of some and the rubber band would hold it in place.

2020 Ravemen CR1000 USB Rechargeable T-Shape Anti-Glare Front Light with Remote - clamp 2.jpg

The Ravemen fits circular bars between 22.2mm and 35mmm in diameter, though, which should cover the vast majority of commuters, road bikes and mountain bikes. And it holds the CR1000 securely with minimal vibration, and allows easy removal of the unit with a click and slide motion.

2020 Ravemen CR1000 USB Rechargeable T-Shape Anti-Glare Front Light with Remote - clamp 1.jpg

At £79.99 the Ravemen is competitively priced, especially considering its battery capacity, build quality and run-times. Of the lights mentioned earlier, the Lezyne Lite Drive 1000XL (£70) is slightly cheaper but the run-times are shorter, and the mode choices are a pain.

The Magicshine Allty 1000 (£69.99) is extremely good value and has more eye-catching flash modes, but the Ravemen has slightly longer burn-times. Plenty of 1,000-lumen lights are more expensive: the Cateye AMPP 1100 front light, for example, is £109.99.

Overall

The CR1000 is a good little light with a big enough punch for medium length nighttime rides. Build quality, burn-times, beam pattern and price are all excellent, though the flash modes aren't as eye-catching as those from competitors, and a mount that fits aero bars would be good.

Verdict

Great build, burn-times and price, though the flash modes are a bit lacking and the clamp can't do aero bars

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Ravemen CR1000 USB Front Light with Remote

Size tested: 1000 Lumen

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?

Ravemen says: "With a 4000mAh large battery and max 1000 lumens, CR1000 is designed for road riders that ride at night at fast speed and long distance."

I think 1000 lumens is more than enough for night riding, and the light is used effectively without dazzling oncoming traffic. It's well made and the quick release clamp and side visibility also make it appealing for commuters.

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

Anti Glare: T shaped lens is the second generation anti-glare lens from Ravemen

T-shaped beam with anti-glare cut-off line creates no dazzle for other road uses

Outdoor beam shot allows the rider to see better and further

Dual side lights increase side visibility and riding safety at crossroads

Extend the runtime of the battery by connecting with an external power source

Wired remote button

High capacity 4000mAh battery

IPX6 water resistance

Durable anodized aluminium body

Quick-release clamp

Memory mode - remembers the last used brightness for when the light is turned on again

Micro USB charging port compatible with most phone charges

Compatible with handlebars from 22.22mm to 35mm

LED: 1*CREE XM-L2 with lifespan of 50000 hours

104mm x 29mm x 32mm

Weight: 140g

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
7/10

The button is slightly tricky to find, but mode selection is easy and quick. The battery indicator is easy to read, but could do with an intermediate step.

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
7/10

It's easy to use, but doesn't fit aero bars.

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
9/10

IPX6 is as good as it gets at this price.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
9/10

Burn times are long and accurate, and three hours to charge from flat (using a proper charger) is good.

Rate the light for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the light for durability:
 
9/10

The aluminium body is robust and IPX 6 waterproofing is excellent.

Rate the light for weight:
 
9/10

Lighter than a lot of 1,000-lumen lights.

Rate the light for value:
 
7/10

Good build and features for the price.

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

Very well - it's more than bright enough to light up even the darkest of lanes, side visibility is good, burn times are lengthy and accurate, and heavy rain is no issue.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

The beam pattern.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

The clamp.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It stacks up well. It's £10 more than some obvious competitors, but lasts longer on a charge. There are many lights costing more that don't offer much extra.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? Yes

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The big battery yet compact size mean burn times are excellent, and the price is competitive. It's very good, although if the mount was a bit more sophisticated – and could accommodate aero bars – and the flash modes more impressive, it would be even better.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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10 comments

Avatar
ages | 2 years ago
0 likes

" It's green above 65% charge and red for 10-35%" 

What is the indicator color for battery percentage from 36% to 64% ?

Avatar
nicyoong | 2 years ago
0 likes

Would the CR1000 beam pattern be affected if its used upside down with an under mount for bike comp?

Avatar
sunnyape replied to nicyoong | 2 years ago
1 like

The front bezel of the light unscrews, then you can rotate the lens cover 180 degrees to flip the beam pattern for upside down mounting. I've had mine like that under my Wahoo for about 4 months and it's been a great light; a good beam shape and spread with decent battery light.

Avatar
nicyoong replied to sunnyape | 2 years ago
0 likes

Nice! Thx for the info!!!

Avatar
AndyL | 3 years ago
1 like

"double-click skips directly to 1000 lumen mode" <--- This does not work for mine, does anyone have this problem as well? Cheers

Avatar
MRMOLE replied to AndyL | 3 years ago
1 like

While it would be nice if the CR1000 actually did that (double-click to high) according to Ravemen that comment in the review is incorrect.

Avatar
ages replied to AndyL | 2 years ago
0 likes
AndyL wrote:

"double-click skips directly to 1000 lumen mode" <--- This does not work for mine, does anyone have this problem as well? Cheers

Long press on the remote button will temporarily switch to 1000 lumen.

Avatar
Psi Squared | 3 years ago
0 likes

Is there an optional GoPro mount?

Avatar
MRMOLE replied to Psi Squared | 3 years ago
0 likes

Yes but it's also included as part of the Ravemen helmet mount. All the sites I've seen that carry these charge the same for either so the helmet mount is the best deal.

Avatar
Yorky-M | 3 years ago
0 likes

I own the 900 model. Max beam is 1 hour , not 2.5 and this is its third winter so the durability is good. bounced off the clamp once but i would recommend it 

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