By today’s standards, 800 lumens doesn’t sound like much at all – but bearing in mind that not too long ago 800 lumens was high output, the Terra3 is a bit of a bargain, on paper at least.
Mostly, it doesn’t disappoint. Not having to secure lamp, battery and cables with various velcro straps is certainly neat and convenient and at around 300g it’s not massively heavy. In use, the highest setting penetrates the gloom perfectly well and it’s a genuinely useable light for riding off road. Due to the quality of the beam produced by three Cree LEDs, the light isn’t found wanting when on full. At lower settings it’s still good news and only when someone rides behind you with a crazy-bright lamp do you realise its limitations.
Burn times are good too – three hours is claimed on continuous full beam but I managed a six-hour ride from a single charge by switching to lower outputs on easier trails or roads. The on/off button is illuminated green, amber or red depending on the amount of juice left. There’s no flashing mode but blinky lights cost next to nothing.
So that’s all good then.
Well, not quite. When it rains, the clamp almost completely loses its grip and even small bumps cause the light to slip. No amount of tightening makes a difference and you spend a lot of time not being able to see where you’re going, stopping, swearing…
Overall: A nice amount of light, lightweight and great value. Just make sure you spend a few quid more on some grippy tape to put around your bars to keep it secure in damp conditions.
Review Info
| Brand: | Electron |
| Product: | Electron Terra 3 |
| From: | Madison, madison.co.uk |
| Price: | £149.99 |
| Tested: | by Jason Miles for One month |
