Grinder Review: Helmet Lights Grouptest

Lezyne Power Drive

Price: £79.99
From: Upgrade www.upgradebikes.co.uk

Wow. A light that costs less than three figures sterling. There are, of course, plenty of sub-£100 lights out there but we wanted to restrict this group test to lights that were up to the job of proper off-road night riding. Trail illumination costs money. The Power Drive is a single LED light kicking out a claimed 300 lumens. At the time of going to press we hadn’t been supplied with the production helmet mount for the Power Drive (though it should be available by the time you read this), so we tested it in an Exposure Lights ball-and-socket mount instead which it fitted very nicely. The button on top of the unit is nicely proud and positive in use. It took a while to get used to turning the light on and off (long presses that only execute the command after the long press has been unpressed) but it’s something you’ll get used to. Once on, cycling through the four power settings (high, medium, low and flashing) was fine. Out on the trail, despite the marginally fewer lumens claimed, it illuminated just as powerfully as the 325 lumen Exposure Lights Joystick. It’s a bit heavier, although still not really noticeable on your head and the burn times aren’t as impressive (1.5 hours on full power), but for most rides and riders it was more than up to the job.

Overall: If you don’t need long burn times then the Power Drive is a cheaper alternative to the Exposure Lights Joystick that lights up the trail just as decently.

Review Info