I measured bicycle lights’ performance figures such as lumens and runtime with my integrating sphere (see How to measure lumens of a light with an integrating sphere).
Below is a list with measured figures. I hope this list will help you when you choose a bike light.
- The values listed on this list are not the manufacturer’s nominal values, but are all actual measured values.
- In the initial view of the list, each row is in descending order of Lumen-to-Weight-Ratio (LWR).
Each line can be rearranged by pressing the item name listed in the header of the list. - You can also find lights by entering the name of the light or manufacturer’s name in the search box.
Note: When the list is viewed on a smartphone with a narrow width, all values may not be displayed.I recommend you use a PC web browser.
Most of the reviews are currently in Japanese, as they are currently being translated into English.
| Item (link to review) | Manufac-turer (link to product) | Mode | Run-time | Average Lumens | Weight (gram) | Weight (ounce) | Total Lumen Output | Lumen-to-Weight-Ratio (LWR) | LWR percen-tile rank | link to sellers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOLT1700 (HL-EL1020RC)
| Cateye | LOW | 16.31 | 283 | 272 | 9.59 | 4612 | 16.96 | 100% | |
| RN800
| OLIGHT | LOW | 7.82 | 337 | 175 | 6.17 | 2637 | 15.07 | 98% | |
| RN1500
| OLIGHT | MEDIUM | 5.59 | 465 | 179 | 6.31 | 2600 | 14.52 | 96% | |
| Volt800 (HL-EL471RC)
| Cateye | Low | 11.01 | 202 | 153 | 5.4 | 2219 | 14.51 | 93% | |
| RN1500
| OLIGHT | LOW | 13.11 | 196 | 179 | 6.31 | 2573 | 14.37 | 91% | |
| RN1500
| OLIGHT | HIGH | 2.14 | 1121 | 179 | 6.31 | 2395 | 13.38 | 89% | |
| VOLT1700 (HL-EL1020RC)
| Cateye | MIDDLE | 4.41 | 803 | 272 | 9.59 | 3538 | 13.01 | 87% | |
| RN800
| OLIGHT | MID | 3.95 | 572 | 175 | 6.17 | 2260 | 12.92 | 84% | |
| B01 (included 21700 battery)
| LUMINTOP | Mid | 9.67 | 245 | 185 | 6.53 | 2369 | 12.81 | 82% | |
| VOLT400 NEO (with BA-3.4) (HL-EL465RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | MIDDLE | 16.6 | 121 | 163 | 5.75 | 2000 | 12.27 | 80% | |
| GVOLT70 (HL-EL551RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | Middle | 11.32 | 119 | 116 | 4.09 | 1344 | 11.59 | 76% | |
| B01 (Samsung 21700 battery)
| LUMINTOP | High | 4.27 | 492 | 187 | 6.6 | 2101 | 11.23 | 73% | |
| Volt800 (HL-EL471RC)
| Cateye | Middle | 3.89 | 464 | 153 | 5.4 | 1805 | 11.8 | 78% | |
| AMPP300 (HL-EL083RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | LOW | 9.4 | 140 | 122 | 4.3 | 1314 | 10.77 | 71% | |
| GVOLT70 (HL-EL551RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | Hi | 6.58 | 187 | 116 | 4.09 | 1233 | 10.63 | 67% | |
| B01 (Samsung 21700 battery)
| LUMINTOP | Mid | 8.5 | 234 | 187 | 6.6 | 1988 | 10.63 | 67% | |
| VOLT400 NEO (with BA-3.4) (HL-EL465RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | HIGH | 5.04 | 339 | 163 | 5.75 | 1710 | 10.49 | 64% | |
| AMPP500 (HL-EL085RC)
| Cateye | LOW | 3.79 | 318 | 119 | 4.2 | 1204 | 10.12 | 62% | |
| B01 (included 21700 battery)
| LUMINTOP | High | 3.93 | 470 | 185 | 6.53 | 1847 | 9.99 | 60% | |
| RN800
| OLIGHT | HIGH | 2.07 | 843 | 175 | 6.17 | 1744 | 9.97 | 58% | |
| B01 (included 21700 battery)
| LUMINTOP | Turbo | 3.67 | 473 | 185 | 6.53 | 1735 | 9.38 | 56% | |
| VOLT400 NEO (standard battery) (HL-EL465RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | MIDDLE | 11.51 | 132 | 163 | 5.75 | 1515 | 9.29 | 53% | |
| AMPP300 (HL-EL083RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | HIGH | 3.19 | 353 | 122 | 4.3 | 1127 | 9.24 | 51% | |
| VOLT1700 (HL-EL1020RC)
| Cateye | HIGH | 1.81 | 1384 | 272 | 9.59 | 2511 | 9.23 | 49% | |
| Volt800 (HL-EL471RC)
| Cateye | Hi | 2.12 | 659 | 153 | 5.4 | 1398 | 9.14 | 47% | |
| LITE DRIVE 1000XL
| LEZYNE | ECONOMY | 8.39 | 159 | 153 | 5.4 | 1332 | 8.71 | 44% | |
| B01 (Samsung 21700 battery)
| LUMINTOP | Turbo | 3.39 | 468 | 187 | 6.6 | 1586 | 8.48 | 42% | |
| LITE DRIVE 1000XL
| LEZYNE | ENDURO | 5.3 | 244 | 153 | 5.4 | 1296 | 8.47 | 40% | |
| AMPP500 (HL-EL085RC)
| Cateye | HIGH | 1.94 | 506 | 119 | 4.2 | 979 | 8.23 | 38% | |
| LITE DRIVE 1000XL
| LEZYNE | BLAST | 2.7 | 461 | 153 | 5.4 | 1245 | 8.14 | 36% | |
| URBAN2 (HL-EL160)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | - | 32.14 | 25 | 101 | 3.56 | 815 | 8.07 | 33% | |
| VOLT400 NEO (standard battery) (HL-EL465RC)
| Cateye (Japanese page) | HIGH | 3.35 | 390 | 163 | 5.75 | 1307 | 8.02 | 31% | |
| XB-800R | Gentos | Mid | 7.98 | 166 | 176 | 6.21 | 1323 | 7.52 | 29% | |
| XB-800R | Gentos | Low | 17.81 | 72 | 176 | 6.21 | 1288 | 7.32 | 27% | |
| XB-800R | Gentos | High | 3.14 | 403 | 176 | 6.21 | 1265 | 7.19 | 24% | |
| e-lume450 (USL-450)
| Serfas (Japanese page) | Mid | 6.33 | 163 | 148 | 5.22 | 1030 | 6.96 | 22% | |
| e-lume450 (USL-450)
| Serfas (Japanese page) | Hi | 3.33 | 306 | 148 | 5.22 | 1018 | 6.88 | 20% | |
| e-lume450 (USL-450)
| Serfas (Japanese page) | Low | 13.14 | 76 | 148 | 5.22 | 1004 | 6.79 | 18% | |
| e-lume450 (USL-450)
| Serfas (Japanese page) | OVER | 2.27 | 400 | 148 | 5.22 | 908 | 6.14 | 16% | |
| B11
| Bosiwo | Middle | 9.23 | 93 | 164 | 5.78 | 861 | 5.25 | 13% | |
| B11
| Bosiwo | Hi | 6.19 | 135 | 164 | 5.78 | 837 | 5.1 | 11% | |
| B11
| Bosiwo | Low | 14.74 | 56 | 164 | 5.78 | 830 | 5.06 | 9% | |
| RN400
| OLIGHT | MID | 3.51 | 126 | 97 | 3.42 | 440 | 4.54 | 7% | |
| RN400
| OLIGHT | LOW | 7.34 | 59 | 97 | 3.42 | 433 | 4.46 | 4% | |
| RN400
| OLIGHT | HIGH | 1.63 | 255 | 97 | 3.42 | 415 | 4.28 | 2% | |
Item Descriptions See here for detailed explanation.
- Runtime (in hours)
Time taken for the light to reach 10% of its initial lumen. - Average lumens
Average value of lumens during the lighting time. - Total Lumen Output
Total cumulative amount of lumens produced by the light during the lighting time.
(= Runtime * Average Lumens) - Weight (in grams (g) or ounce (oz))
Weight of the light including its fixture and battery. - Lumen-to-Weight-Ratio (LWR)
Total Lumen Output divided by the weight (in grams) of the light. - LWR percentile rank
Percentile rank of the light’s LWR among the bicycle lights measured so far.
Notes on data use
- All measurements were conducted at room temperature between 20°C and 25°C (between 68°F and 77 °F) using new batteries.
The performance (lumens value and runtime) described in the list may not be achieved when using deteriorated batteries or at extremely low/high temperatures. - The values may change in the future due to data updates and re-measurements.
- Lights that have received extremely low review score are not recommended for use, and links to the manufacturer and sales website may not be included in the list.
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