Review: Helmet light comparison
Trying to find the right helmet light for your riding style can be difficult. Below we have taken the most popular and compared them. Read on for more.
There are helmet light with lumens from 600 to 6000 and price can range from over 100 € all the way up to 799 €. Trying to find the correct one can be a difficult choice. One of the most deciding factors, next to lumen value, is the light beam shape.
To help you solve this problem, we took various helmet light from our assortment and set them up to show you their light beams. Each time, we set them up on handlebars 1.60 m high at an angle that best shows off the lights strengths. To show how far each light shines we have also included 5 pylons, each 10 m apart.
Below is the comparison, which should help you find the helmet light to best serve your needs.
Lupine
This German company machines all of their lights bodies out of aluminium and they are known for their great weight to brightness ratio.
Lupine Neo
Lupine Neo light beam
| Brightness | Burn Time | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 lumens | 2.5 - 80 h | 185 g (incl. battery) | 4 |
Lupine Piko
The Piko is optimal because of its small size and large amount of light.
Lupine Piko lightbeam
| Brightness | Burn TIme | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 lumens | 1.25 - 80 h | 195 g (incl. battery) | 6 |
Lupine’s newest light, the Blika, is programmable and its modes can be adjusted by the user for their current needs.
Lupine Blika
Lupine Blika Lightbeam
| Brightness | Burn TIme | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2100 lumens | 2 - 80 h | 220 g (incl. battery) | 6 |
Lupine Wilma
Lupine Wilma light beam
| Brightness | Burn TIme | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3200 lumens | 1.75 - 150 h | 360 g (incl. battery) | 10 |
Lupine Betty
Their flagship model, Betty, has 5000 lumens which leaves nothing to miss on the trail.
Lupine Betty light beam
| Brightness | Burn Time | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 lumens | 1 - 150 h | 450 g (incl. battery) | 11 |
Hope
Hope is known for their high quality machining abilities and their lights are just as good. The lamp bodies are made of aluminium and the light beams are clear and bright.
Hope Vision R4+
-
| Brightness | Burn TIme | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 lumens | 2.25 - 30 h | 315 g (incl. battery) | 6 |
The Hope Vision series is well made and turns night into day.
Hope Vision R8+
Hope Vision R8+ light beam
| Brightness | Burn Time | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 lumens | 1 - 35 h | 690 g (incl. battery) | 6 |
Garmin
A company more known for their high quality navigation systems, Garmin is as great at producing lights. They keep them small and bright to light up everything you need.
Garmin Varia UT 800 Trail
The Varia UT 800 is the perfect compact trail light for after work rides.
Garmin Varia UT 800 Trail light beam
| Brightness | Burn Time | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 lumens | 15 - 6 h | 130 g (incl. battery) | 3 |
CATEYE
Cateye is a Japanese manufacturer with over 60 years of tradition producing lights of all kinds. Their know-how comes into play when looking at the quality and brightness of the lights.
CATEYE HL-EL471RC Volt800
The Volt800’s integrated battery and streamlined form stick out from other helmet lights. It’s 800 lumens shine far, providing enough light to see obstacles.
Lightbeam CATEYE Volt800
| Brightness | Burn Time | Weight | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 lumens | 2 - 80 h | 143 g (incl. battery) | 5 |
CATEYE HL-EL6000RC Volt6000
This light is the brightest in our test. With its power you can see from left to right and straight forward as if the sun was out.
Lightbeam CATEYE Volt6000
Overview
| Light | Brightness | Burn Time | Weight (incl. battery) | Modes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lupine Neo | 900 lumens | 2.5 - 80 h | 185 g | 4 |
| Lupine Piko | 1800 lumens | 1.25 - 80 h | 195 g | 6 |
| Lupine Bilka | 2100 lumens | 2 - 80 h | 220 g | 6 |
| Lupine Wilma | 3200 lumens | 1.75 - 150 h | 360 g | 10 |
| Lupine Betty | 5000 lumens | 1 - 150 h | 450 g | 11 |
| Light & Motion SECA 2200 Enduro | 2200 lumens | 2.5 - 20 h | 495 g | 3 |
| Light & Motion IMJIN | 800 lumens | 2 - 8 h | 232 g | 3 |
| Knog Blinder Arc 640 | 640 lumens | 1.7 - 7.3 h | 150 g | 3 |
| Hope Vision R4+ | 1500 lumens | 2.25 - 30 h | 315 g | 6 |
| Hope Vision R8+ | 3000 lumens | 1 - 35 h | 690 g | 6 |
| Garmin Varia UT 800 Trail | 800 lumens | 1.5 - 6 h | 130 g | 3 |
| CATEYE HL-EL471RC Volt800 | 800 lumens | 2 - 80 h | 143 g | 5 |
| CATEYE HL-EL6000RC Volt6000 | 6000 lumens | 1 - 12 h | 708 g | 6 |
