Ravemen PR1000 USB Rechargeable DuaLens Front Light with Remote

The Ravemen PR1000 is a high-quality and durable front light, with a great battery life, a high-low beam that doesn't blind oncoming drivers and a variety of useful charging options. However, its strap mount could be better, and it doesn't have any side visibility.

Ravemen says its PR1000 is a "simulation of automotive headlight design", which basically means you can flip it between a high and a dipped beam. There are two lenses, with the dipped lens refracted to keep the beam shining downwards.

It is the most compact and lightest model in Ravemen's PR light range and, according to Ravemen, is the "best choice for road cycling, gravel biking and daily commuting". It comes with a wired remote switch, and an O-ring for mounting it, as well as a strap mount and a short USB-C charging cable.

Charging ports

The PR1000 has two rear ports: the smaller USB-C is for charging and to plug in the remote switch if required; the second port is a full-size standard USB out port that lets you use the PR1000 as a battery pack, so you can top up your phone for example.

You can also run the PR1000 can from an external battery pack for additional run time. This external battery pack will need a five-volt output, and you won't be able to connect the remote switch when the light's powered this way.

The Ravemen is a neat little unit, with an anodised silver aluminium body that feels solidly constructed, and it has a decent heft in the hand. The body's on-off and high-low buttons are rubberised and the charger ports are secured by small flaps, which are held in place when not in use by small bungs. It's IPX8 rated, and after downpours and fully submerging it in water, I can attest to its ability to withstand getting seriously soaked.

Although the rubberised buttons are easy to use when you're wearing fingerless gloves, the buttons are flush to the body and aren't as easy to press with thick winter gloves. I found I had to stab them quite hard to change modes.

Light modes

The high-dipped beam function is excellent, and you alternate between modes by pressing the main button on the top. Once in high or dipped mode, you can use the smaller top button or the external switch to cycle between different brightness modes.

When the light is dipped you can also hold down the external switch to temporarily get the light's full 1000 lumens – I found this useful for checking for potholes in the gloom.

The dipped mode is dissipated in a widely spread beam. I used this for several weeks on the shared-use Bristol-Bath bike path and didn't receive any complaints from oncoming cyclists – and believe me, they're quick to tell you if your light is shining in their eyes!

I found the dipped mode's 500 lumens perfectly adequate for riding on the road and felt safe riding at speeds of over 20mph.

The main beam is also very good. This turns on the second LED to create a powerful spotlight in the centre of the more dissipated dipped beam's spread.

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I found the rapid flash mode very useful for daytime riding. As with many of today's lights, the PR1000 handily remembers the last mode you used, which saves you cycling back to your favourite mode.

If I could have made an improvement to the lighting pattern, it would have been the addition of visibility from the side. Some brands have lenses on the side and I like the reassurance of traffic being able to see me from the sides, especially at junctions.

Run times and charging time

Ravemen claims the following run times for the different modes and I found these to be pretty accurate: in the dipped mode: 500 lumens for 2.5 hours; 300 lumens 4.5 hours; 150 lumens 10 hours; Eco mode 20.5 hours; rapid flash 36 hours.

On high mode: 'full beam' 1000 lumens 1.5 hours; 500 lumens 2.2 hours; 250s lumen 6 hours.

You can extend the run time by using a five-volt power pack. If the light's own battery is flat, you can run it at a maximum of 500 lumens – still a very handy output – using an external battery pack.

The charging time was good too, taking just two hours to charge from fully discharged.

This was complemented by a battery life that really stood out. While commuting I was using a mix of the various modes, and it just kept on going. Not only did it easily last a week of commuting – around eight hours – I even used the light to top up my phone battery at the end of the week.

The mount

I'm not quite so positive when it comes to the mount. This is a rubber strap with holes that let you adjust the tightness. The curve of the mount means it's suited only to round handlebars, and the strap isn't long enough for an aerobar. The mount is designed to let the PR1000 turn 10 degrees to the left or right, though I found the action loose, and it didn't really stay in place.

A more serious criticism is that on rough, potholed surfaces the mount just wasn't secure enough. On a few occasions the PR1000 slipped backwards and ended up pointing up in the air – which is the last thing you want on a steep, dark, pothole-strewn descent. The solution I found to keep the PR1000 in place was to attach the mount over my bar tape, enabling it to dig into the tape for extra friction, but that put it further away from the centre of my bar than I really wanted.

Fortunately, you can swap the rubber mount for Ravemen's ABM05 (for 31.8 and 35mm bars) or the ABM01 (for 22.2, 25.4 and 31.8mm bars). Both of these are screw-type mounts and are widely available for less than £6 – but I really would have preferred to have seen one of these included on what is otherwise such a high-quality offering.

Value and rivals

But for £79, I still think the Ravemen PR1000 is decent value compared to other lights with similar features and power output.

The Moon Rigel Pro that Stu tested costs £65. It also offers a 1000-lumen maximum output and an aluminium body, but it comes with a secure Garmin-style mount.

Jamie felt the £69 Magicshine Allty 1000 was very easy to use with useful modes, a secure mount, an alloy body and a decent amount of side illumination. 

The Knog PWR Road Front Light doesn't have quite the same maximum output but does share the PR1000's ability to charge other devices via its USB port – but at £99.99 it's now a fair bit dearer than the Ravemen, and when Matt tested it he felt the beam wasn't that effective.

To sum up, the Ravemen PR1000 is a well-constructed light with a genuinely useful dipped beam mode that doesn't blind other road users. It's quick to charge and its ability to double up as a power bank adds to the package. Had it come with a better mount – which would have been an inexpensive addition – it would have scored more.

Verdict

Well-constructed, with a useful dipped beam mode, good battery life and can double as a power bank, but a disappointing strap