Infini Lava 500 front light

The Infini Lava 500 is a really nice unit that sits well on a helmet as well as a bar, pumps out loads of light and has a battery that lasts for ages.

Having a light on the handlebar is always important during the winter, but one you can fit on the helmet can be really useful given that everything you look at, regardless of angle, will be illuminated.

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As the name suggests, the Lava pumps out 500 retina-burning lumens on its maximum output. It has four other settings, with three strengths of solid beam and two flashing variations. In addition to this, the light has a memory function, so it'll turn on in the last setting you used. Output on all but the lowest powered solid beam is good enough for riding on unlit roads, and on full beam it's good enough for most off-road riding.

The light itself is made from thick plastic that has so far survived several drops, bumps and scrapes. It is IPX4 water resistant, which was more than enough for rain, but you wouldn't be able to drop it in the bath (if you were hoping to). It managed to survive some fairly apocalyptic rainfall during use, so lives up to its billing.

Operation is via a single rubber button on the top of the unit, with a prolonged press turning it on/off and a short press changing the light sequence. Set just behind this is a battery indicator light, which shows either green or red when first turned on to let you know whether or not the battery needs charging.

Charging isn't a frequent demand, though, because the battery life is impressive, with a claimed 9hrs (Constant), 5hrs (Boost), 3hrs (Super Bright), 25hrs (Pulsating), 400hrs (Flashing). From testing, these are about accurate, and given that this pumps out some serious light, they're pretty impressive too. Charging takes around 3 hours and is done through a USB cable that connects to a port on the bottom of the unit.

Whether you use it on your bar or helmet, it attaches through a mount with a rubberised base to protect bar or lid from scratches and abrasion. A rubber ladder keeps everything in place well and the strap is slim enough that it fitted all but the most aero of my helmets although it could possibly do with a little longer strap, as fitting it onto the handlebar was a little bit of a struggle. 

> Read our guide to the best front lights for cycling

Attaching the light to the mount is simple, with it just sliding on and clipping into place. There is a tag at the rear of the mechanism that needs to be pulled down before the light slides out, which is tricky to do on your helmet, but relatively simple when on the bar.

It's not the lightest light of this size, but given its output, it can be forgiven. Although I could certainly feel the additional 97g when on my helmet, it never felt insecure, there or on the bar.

The light comes with an RRP of £59.99, which isn't cheap, but given the performance is worth the investment if you want a top quality lamp to use on your lid.

Overall I was very impressed with the Lava 500. It pumps out an impressive amount of light while also providing a good battery life, plus it is simple to use and the memory element is really useful, especially if you're turning it on without being able to see it. Perhaps the strap could be a little longer for the bars to make it easier to connect, but all in, it is an impressive light.

Verdict

A high powered light with a long battery life