Review: The New Sigma Buster 2000 LED Helmet Light - A Bright All-rounder

To shed a little light on this subject, I took out a Liteville 301 to test how good the Sigma Buster 2000 performed on the trail. Packing 2000 lumens, a high-performance battery pack, and well thought out accessories, the aluminium Buster 2000 strikes a great balance between price and performance.

* Cree, Inc. is the market leading manufacturer of LED chips

* Lumen is the unit of luminous flux or rather, how much light is produced. Although this unit of measurement alone does not say much about the how well the light functions, it allows for a certain level of comparison.

Inside the box, there are three different mounts: a silicone strap as a universal mount, a Velcro helmet mount and a GoPro adapter for mounting both the light and camera at the same time.

For night time trail riding, I went with the helmet mount. After quickly screwing the light to the mount, it can be attached to the helmet with the Velcro strap. Of course, the battery cannot be forgotten and it found its place in my backpack. It would have fit into a jersey pocket equally well. If the cable is too short to run from helmet to backpack, the included extension cable can be used. The light also comes with a remote to control the different settings. It attaches perfectly to the handlebars and is glow in the dark so it can be seen.

*The IP44 protection rating stands for the level of “Ingress Protection” a product has.

The “44” indicates that the product is protected against water spray as well as solid objects with a diameter of more than 1.0 mm.

Mounting the light to a helmet has a few advantages. Corners are illuminated due to natural head movements, the beam is consistent because of minimized vibrations and the beam angle is large enough to light up objects that are not necessarily on the ground.

I was very impressed how the light illuminated the trail and how comfortable it was on top of my helmet. The beam is consistent, and the transition from the brightest point (the middle) to the weakest point (the outer edge) is smooth. The 100 g is also very easy to forget on top of your head. While riding downhill, I used the full 2000 lumens, and on the climbs I only needed the eco setting. Though the eco setting is still so bright that one often forgets to turn the power back up when heading back downhill. This goes to show that it is not all about lumens. Even in lower power modes the Cree LEDs provide an effective light beam.

The number of cyclists staying off the streets is increasing. Gravel, Cyclocross, and Road bikers that take part in 24h races, are only some examples of athletes that need a good light. To make sure that the Buster can also handle this, I took it out with my Transition Cyclocross bike.

This time, I mounted the light to the handlebars with the universal silicon strap mount and I used two additional silicon straps to attach the battery to the top tube. The soft silicon material ensures there is no damage done to the frame. It was no surprise that the light’s power was more than enough for my Cross bike. The only thing I would recommend is to also mount the light on a helmet. When the light is attached to the handlebars, every bump affects the beam and when the things get a little rougher the light begins to vibrate.

Now I also need to tell you that this light is not approved for street use in Germany. For those reading this outside of Germany, please check with your local agencies and their regulations. However, I would personally never recommend using this light on a road because the strength of the beam and the beam angle can blind drivers very easily.

Now only one question remains: how long does the light burn? Sigma claims that the it burns for 2.5 h in high power, 5 h in power, 10 h in standard and 20 h in eco mode. To test these times, I charged the battery fully and left the light on full power at average room temperatures. The 2000 lumen high power mode burned for roughly 4 h which is significantly more than Sigma suggests. This can change depending on temperatures. Recharging the battery should have taken 5 h but it only took 4 h. The light did heat up, but this was due to the fact that there was no moving air to cool it down. Though it did heat up, there was no damage done to the light or the battery.

Lastly, the battery has two features that make it stand out. The first is the practical four level battery indicator that show you at the push of a button exactly how much juice the four Panasonic cells have left. The second great feature is the USB port that allows you to charge other devices, for example my Garmin Edge 520. This power bank function is perfect for longer rides.

All in all, I am very happy with this helmet light. The Sigma Buster 2000 is a true all around companion at a great price. It has all of the features needed to be competitive in the helmet light market as well. It has enough power to ride trails at night and the size and weight make it unnoticeable wherever you mount it. The battery, which works as a power bank, completes the package.

More pictures, info, and facts can be found on our webpage. If you are stuck with choosing between helmet lights, check out our helmet light overview for a comparison of 13 different ones.

https://www.bike-components.de/blog/2016/09/13-helmet-lights-reviewed-and-explained-there-is-more-to-it-than-sheer-brightness/