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Giant Recon HL900 front light

8
£79.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Its big brother might prove better value, but the Recon HL900 still packs a punch for its weight
Weight: 
120g

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The Giant Recon HL900 is compact, bright and has some neat smart features that make it a good deal at £79.99. Its only real problem is that for just £20 more, you can get its 1600-lumen big brother.

  • Pros: Bright, auto-adjusting output, decent battery life
  • Cons: Value compared to the HL1600

Giant has its fingers in many pies in the bike industry. It makes far more than just bikes these days, and this stretches to lights, with the Recon 900 and its soon-to-be-available big brother, the Recon HL1600.

> Find your nearest dealer here

What sets the Recon family apart is the smart setting. It's easy to miss it as you scroll through the settings, mistaking it for a simply brighter flash mode, but the normally green indicator around the function button flashes blue to indicate that the ANT+ chip inside is looking for a speed sensor to connect to.

Why? Well, it comes down to something called 'SpeedBeam' technology which receives data from a connected sensor and auto adjusts brightness according to the speed that you're riding. You do need a sensor unit itself – it won't pair to a Garmin or other head unit for example – but it's definitely a handy little feature that has the potential to save battery life automatically.

That smart mode works by cycling through the modes until the indicator flashes blue, in which time it'll pick up a fitted ANT+ speed sensor and change its static brightness according to the speed you're travelling; faster equals brighter, and slower equals dimmer to save battery life. That indicator also runs in a traffic light system to indicate the status of battery.

If you don't connect it to a sensor, then the smart setting starts basing its choice of mode on ambient light conditions using an in-built light sensor. During the day, for example, it can sit on an 800lm flash mode, while at night it keeps the beam on with a flash in the background.

You also get standard settings at 900lm, 450lm, and 150lm, plus a 100lm simple flash mode too.

Burn-time for the highest 900lm setting was recorded at 1:46hrs, which is quite good.

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

Initially, I was slightly perturbed after noticing it flicking between the full 900lm output and a slightly lower output – not when out on the bike, but when the light was shining on my white walls at home. A fault? Nope. The reason I couldn't see it while riding is because it only occurs when the light is stationary: it's designed to lower output to prevent overheating of the bulb when it's not being air-cooled.

The Recon produces a nice, even, round beam that fills the periphery very well given the single-LED squared nature of the light. I reviewed the (slightly) updated Cateye Volt 800 recently too, and it's fair to say that they're fairly similar in the ultimate brightness given – supported by our beam testing – even if the Giant light clearly bleeds out to the edges more.

The Recon is a tenner cheaper than the Cateye, though, and that can't match the adaptive smart mode of Giant's light. Plus, you get a slat on either side for some side visibility too.

The bracket is secure and allows for up-and-down adjustability, while the light slides in and out easily. I'm also impressed by the build quality too – Giant doesn't seem to do anything by halves in anything it makes – an alloy body with a good quality rubber cover on the underside for the USB charger, and it achieves an IPX6 waterproofness rating.

Giant Recon HL 900 - mount.jpg

The function button is also easy to use. No touch sensor here (as you'll find on the 1600); it's a proper button, clickable, which makes working it easier on the move.

That said, the price is a slight problem when you consider that the 1600 is only £20 more, and on paper offers a serious chunk more power to go with it (demonstrated in our beam testing). Yes, it's heavier (the Recon HL900 is only 120g including the bracket), but if you need the way lit for commuting or night riding then the double LED array is likely going to benefit you too... and the near-double battery capacity will see you through longer stints if you run that light on its medium 800lm setting, which should near-enough match the 900 lumen offering here with a single array.

However, in terms of value the Recon HL900 marries up well to the comparable Volt 800, and although it's undercut by the Lezyne Lite Drive 800XL by £23, we know from our beam testing that the Recon's is significantly superior.

Verdict

Its big brother might prove better value, but the Recon HL900 still packs a punch for its weight

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Giant Recon HL900 front light

Size tested: 900 lumens

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?

Giant says: "SMARTER SEEING. Aside from the outstanding light output and industry-leading usage time, the Recon HL900 demonstrates the SpeedBeam technology, which adjusts light beam output based on riding speed; also features a light sensor to monitor ambient light source to change light output; these features help save battery power for when you need it. Brighter, longer and smarter."

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

Features:

- Output: 900 lumens

- Modes: High (900LM) 1.6hrs, Middle 4.5hrs (450LM), Low 10hrs (150LM), Smart (450LM with flash output in Day) 24hrs; (450LM with steady output at Night) 2.8hrs, Flash (100LM) 50hrs

- Power: Li-Ion polymer battery (3100mAh), USB rechargeable

- Run time: Up to 50 hrs

- Charge time: 3.5 hours(2A)

- Mount: OSFM adjustable strap QR

- Weight: 125g with mount [120g actual]

- Dimensions: 105x28x30mm

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
8/10

The USB cap on the underside is good quality, as is the fitting.

Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
8/10

The button is much better than the 1600 (full review to come).

Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
8/10

Easy to use and fit – simple plastic construction though.

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
8/10

IPX6 rating.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
7/10

1:46hrs on the top setting is good.

Rate the light for performance:
 
8/10

Performance is very good overall.

Rate the light for durability:
 
7/10

Decent, although I've seen arguably sturdier brackets.

Rate the light for weight:
 
8/10

Comparable with others of this type – 120g all-in is nothing to fear on your bar if you go out for a long ride.

Rate the light for value:
 
7/10

For just £20 more you could have a lot more power (the 1600).

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

Very well, very competently.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Bright, auto-adjusting output, good battery life.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Nothing really – only that for £20 more you can get the HL1600...

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

It's undercut by the Lezyne Lite Drive 800XL by £23, but is a tenner cheaper than the excellent Cateye Volt 800.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? I wouldn't rule it out, but I'd be tempted to upgrade to the 1600.

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The 1600 version is arguably a better deal, but there's no doubt that this is a very good light.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 188cm  Weight: 80kg

I usually ride: Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0 SL (2016)  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding

Add new comment

3 comments

Avatar
oeympe | 3 years ago
0 likes

Is the compatibility good with Wahoo RPM Speed sensor or the SpeedBeam fonction only works with Giant RideSense and Garmin sensors?

I am hesitating between this light, the BBB Strike 1000 and the Magic Shine Allty 1000 (ETC Kochab 1000).

EDIT : Unfortunately, I have never succeed to pair the Giant Recon HL 900 with my Wahoo RPM Speed sensor. So no SpeedBeam fonction.

Avatar
easycamper | 4 years ago
0 likes

Anyway, thank you for this clear and readable review. There aren't many reviews yet on these relatively new lights, so this was helpful to make my purchasing decision. I just picked one of these up for $95 CAD or about £60.

Avatar
handlebarcam | 5 years ago
0 likes

Normally I'd complain that this review makes no mention of how dazzling the light is for oncoming road users; but it is such a word salad I couldn't force myself to read the entire thing. After about the fifth weirdly-extended sentence, needlessly constructed in the passive voice, I gave up.

However, I get the gist that Giant think having a 900 lumen light with no beam cut-off can be mitigated by varying the brightness with speed. This is nonsense, because even if two cyclists are approaching each other at 15 mph, it'll still take 7-8 seconds to close the last 100m. That is plenty of time to be blinded sufficiently to hit a pothole, for example.

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