Long known for its well-balanced beam patterns, honest output reporting, and – coming from the Scuba world – water resistance, Light and Motion has been hard at work and is ready to share its line’s improvements for 2014. Not only have outputs for several key models gone up, but several models’ prices have come down due to efficiency gains by the US assembly team.
Sitting at the top of the range, the updated £400/$570 Seca 2000 Enduro now pumps out an impressive 2,000 lumens for 150 minutes and a still-stonking 1,100 lumens for 5 hours. 24-hour soloists should even be able to wring a full 11 hours out of the Enduro at a respectable 600 lumens. The Seca 2000 Race shaves £50/ $70 from the Enduro’s price tag and about 40% from its run times. The two are joined by a 1,500 lumen Seca 1500, which is a bit more attainable at £300/$400 and will run 2 hours on its highest setting. Both have race modes that toggle between 2- and 4- hour run times (3.5 and 7 hours with the Enduro battery). For those already invested in Light & motion products, it’s good to know that the Seca range is backward-compatible with all 3- and 6-cell Light & Motion lithium ion batteries.
For those who prefer a self-contained light that can easily swapped between commuter and trail bikes, the £225/$300 Taz 1200 is joined by the £180/$250 Taz 1000 with… a 1,000 lumen output. Like the Seca, the Taz gets a race mode that toggles between a 2hr high mode and 4hr low mode. The onboard batteries are charged via USB and side markers can be activated for road use or computer/GPS illumination.
Packing a lot of light into a relatively tiny package, the Urban line adds a trail-friendly 700 lumen model with a new peened reflector to manage its increased output. The little guy will only run for 90 minutes at full tilt- but lower settings will get you out of the woods should the ride run long. Yours for £130/$160.
Like the Urban 700, the compact, helmet-friendly Stella 500 (which is also bar-mountable) gets an improved reflector to make the most of those 500 lumens by creating a smoother, wider beam. The Stella’s race mode runs a bit longer than the others’- producing 2.75 and 6 hours of light. Stella is asking £150/$200 to make her your dance partner.
UK importers Madison have these lights coming in to stock now, so it’s time to get planning for that 24 hour race or those darker months.