As the nights are drawing in and we head into Autumn, I decided I needed a new light for the bike. The CatEye has been trusty, and allows people to see me, but I can’t really see anything on the road or the track. So I decided to get a new light and write the Ravemen PR1600 front light review.
Ravemen PR1600 Out the Box
Out of the box, the Ravemen PR1600 front light feels like it’s well made and solid. It’s not “light” (no pun intended) but tbh I’d rather have something which can take a few knocks given the pitch-black chances of hitting the thing on something.
Ravemen PR1600 Mount
Mounting the Ravemen PR1600 front light couldn’t be easier. It just slides onto the mount and clips into place. The mount itself is easy to put onto the handlebars but requires an allen key, unlike the CatEye which uses some sort of clever adjustable pull-tie (and has lasted about 10 years). This is only a minor point – and affected me because I’d not adjusted it quite right.
Below is an example of me having the light on and off. As you can see it’s pretty bright – and this was with the light not being quite adjusted so it was pointing forward. Certainly with it on I’d be able to see the tree before I hit it.
The good thing about the The Ravemen PR1600 front light is the dip and the main beam – most of the time on roads you only need the dip, so cars can see you and you can see any junk in the road (which I can’t see when using the CatEye).
The main beam is used for track work – both have different intensity settings and the The Ravemen PR1600 front light will show you it’s effect on the battery life – which is really useful when planning on how long you’re going to be out.
The The Ravemen PR1600 front light also comes with a remote on and off switch. I’ve not attached this to bike yet – but it does work really well when I’ve tested it out at home.
So far so good – the Ravemen PR1600 front light works well. It’s not cheap (100 GBP) but it does the job, and is not as expensive as some of the other lights on the market. I’ll continue to test it over winter and update here.
I managed to put together a quick video of the Ravemen PR1600 front light in action at night. As you can see it’s pretty bright when on full blast – though the other settings are bright enough if you’re going along and don’t need the headlight effect.
Ravement PR1600 Roadtest
I took the Ravemen PR1600 front light on a cycle down some lovely dark lanes on Bonfire Night. This is Carr Lane – a road which leads to a level crossing (which has been closed for a number of years). It’s open now and a great place to cycle at night as there’s no one about except for the odd dog walker and horse owner.
It’s also worth noting the camera and the eye aren’t equal. Actually using the light you can see a lot more than is shown below.
How long does the Ravemen PR1600 front light Battery last?
Well, this is a good question. It’s got so many modes; this is probably best illustrated with a video. Here’s a video of my cycling (no pun intended) through the different settings, starting with dipped (the orange light) then moving onto full beam (the purple one).
Ravemen PR1600 Review Conclusion
I’d recommend the Ravemen PR1600 front light. It might not be the cheapest thing on the market, but it’s certainly not the most expensive. It’s well made, has lots of options for those (like me) who need something for on and off-roading.
It would be great if the battery would last longer on full power – but I can’t see a time when I’m going to need it. If you’re commuting somewhere too it’s easy enough to charge from pretty much anything with a USB port (I’ve been using an Xbox).