100 lumen vs 300 lumen

fat and old · Postby **fat and old** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:58 pm

I have/use a 100 lumen Moon front light. I find it lacking on the paths at night....not so bad on the road. Looking at a Cateye Volt 300 lumen. would the diff be good, very good or mind blowing?

Added consideration is run time on steady. After checking IP's assertion re full vs flashing mode over the last 8 weeks I have to agree. (Which surprised me because as a driver I see flashing better myself).

Scott2468 · Postby **Scott2468** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:24 pm

This gives a general idea on what to expect.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/2010-mtbr-lights-shootout

Be aware there can be a big difference between lumens and "viewability". Lux is a better way to rate lighting for its practical use. I guess this is why most manufacturers do not use it. Another consideration is the battery and fade during each cycle.

rangersac · Postby **rangersac** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 1:57 pm

You'll find the Cateye Volt300 will blow the Moon out of the water. On full beam I'm happy using it as my sole front light, and a long portion of my 56km daily commute is on unlit windy roads. At $63 from Bikebug it's money well spent.

find_bruce · Postby **find_bruce** » Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:40 pm

The confusing world of lights, confounded by damn lies.

First some terms: Lux is a measure of how bright the light is at a particular point, Lumens is a measure of the overall amount of light. Lux is affected by the beam shape, while lumens is independent of beam shape. So a narrow beam or spot will have a higher lux measurement and will appear brighter, even though the lumen output is the same.

You can buy a cheap flux meter and measure it yourself. The real downside to lumens as a measure is that it needs a light integrating sphere, which is very expensive, hence the outright lies told about lumen output, particularly when claiming thousands of lumens. So while the 2015 MTBR light shootout says "Companies are becoming more honest with Lumen claims" this is only for the companies that submitted their lights for testing.

You will notice a difference between 100 and 300 lumens. Both Moon & Cateye are reasonably accurate in terms of light output.

The other issue to think about it beam shape. Because our eyes adjust to the amount of light, the issue is typically the relative brightness in the beam, either a hotspot in the middle or in the foreground.

The review of the volt 300 on MTBR includes beam shots, the full list.

carcharias · Postby **carcharias** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:01 pm

Cateye volt 300, seems to be good value. Beam pattern and throw vary a lot from manufacturer to manufacturer. I appreciate the way Moon provide plenty of info. on beam pattern/throw, (which is also accurate) and have spare parts available for the X-power range.(batteries, mounts etc.) The Moon Meteor 200 is a top selling light because...it's good!
I bought a USB rechargable light from another Taiwanese company, with a high lumen spec., only to find the beam is too spread, and does not have the throw I was expecting.This tends to annoy other cyclists and car drivers more than if it were more focused, and could be directed more toward the path/road.
I think Moon lights are very good, especially the X-power 500 model. The Moon will cost more $ than the Cateye...
Lumen rating should not be the deciding factor for choosing a light. There are many other aspects that need to be considered....
Just my thoughts...I could be wrong.
Have you considered the Moon Meteor 200 or the X-power 300/400? Merlin cycles sell these for good prices.

flashpixx · Postby **flashpixx** » Wed Jul 08, 2015 4:38 pm

rangersac wrote:You'll find the Cateye Volt300 will blow the Moon out of the water. On full beam I'm happy using it as my sole front light, and a long portion of my 56km daily commute is on unlit windy roads. At $63 from Bikebug it's money well spent.

Had the Moon Meteor 200. Was OK on lit paths but doesn't project enough light to be the sole source of light.

Have a Volt 300 now. Excellent. battery lasts 6 hours on the high beam + flash mode. High beam projects enough light to safely ride at 30 kmh. Highly recommended, even more so at $65 odd.

HiChris · Postby **HiChris** » Wed Jul 08, 2015 6:32 pm

I have the Cateye 300, replaced an old Cateye that I thought was OK. Chalk and cheese, the 300 does a great job and is rather cheap. Would buy it again.

fat and old · Postby **fat and old** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:50 am

Well, the old (18 months

) Moon died today in the rain...it won't turn off. So I'll be trying one of those bikebug Volt deals. Had a Moon rear die after 14 months, and a Serfas rear after 4 weeks. May have to look into those, too. And my little knog blinky snapped it's strap last week....6 months old.

Thanks peoples

singlespeedscott · Postby **singlespeedscott** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:53 am

I use the volt 300 for my commuting duties and highly recommend it. A great burn time even on high, much better than any of the competition. I usually only use the hi beam in the rain. In the summer I only run it on low. Most winter time commutes are done on the medium setting. Plenty of light on unlit roads and I get 8hrs between charges on medium.

carcharias · Postby **carcharias** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 7:04 pm

Shiver me timbers, the Cateye Volt 300 is a great light! Great value. Got to borrow one, long batt. time, plenty on medium setting.
I would reckon the Cateye Volt 300 (bikebug $63) is a much better idea than Moon Meteor 200.
Turns out i am wrong again...

softy · Postby **softy** » Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:44 am

Not a fan of Moon, they don't seem to like water, the software can play up too. I tried so many of there products. Got rid of them all!

I would diff go at least 300, if not more, I run 1200 lumens for night riding and when no streetlight put on high 2500 lumens. It might sound alot but it does not seem almost 10 times brighter.

If you like riding above 30km, you need to see debris and potholes, get good powerful lighting.

ValleyForge · Postby **ValleyForge** » Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:57 am

My Ay-Ups are 5 yrs old. Original batteries. Couldn't be happier. Just sayin'.

I guess it's TCO - higher initial cost but long life win here. Not had one fail in the wet, or on a long ride. I hate failure.

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=29725

singlespeedscott · Postby **singlespeedscott** » Sat Aug 22, 2015 2:56 pm

I got rid of my AYUP's. I had been using them in various forms for 12 or so years. Initially they where a great light. However I much prefer the all in one lighting systems these days. No dodgy connections or cracked cables. A battery warning light and much better light quality. AYUP needs to do an update.