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Blackburn Dayblazer 1000 Front Light

7
£64.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Decent but unremarkable front light – a bargain at current discounts, though
Decent light output
Longer-than-claimed run times
No beam shaping
Rubber strap mount
Weight: 
134g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Although I wouldn't class Blackburn's Dayblazer 1000 as one of the very best front bike lights you can buy, it's a decent general-purpose unit, throwing out plenty of light for both seeing and being seen, exceeding its claimed run-times in all its modes, and easy to swap between bikes. Its only significant fault is a rubber-strap mount that needs careful brute force to get it properly tight.

There's nothing very sophisticated about the Dayblazer 1000's beam, which is basically a uniform, broad, round patch of light at a claimed maximum of 1,000 lumens. It throws plenty of light down the road so it's good for moderate speeds on unlit lanes and gravel roads. I felt perfectly confident at 51km/h on an unlit road descent where I'd done 56km/h the day before in daylight on a faster setup. I was also happy whizzing down a dirt road at 37km/h, though that felt like the limit of my skill and bravery without a lot more light and a proper mountain bike instead of the Carrera Subway I was on.

That was in Blitz, the brightest of three steady modes. High (500 lumens) and Low (350 lumens) modes put out enough light to see where you're going at lower speeds so you can conserve battery on longer rides. For visibility while commuting and road riding you can also choose a throbbing Pulse mode and a Strobe mode.

The beam shape means you end up illuminating the trees and throwing light into oncoming road users' eyes if you want to illuminate the road well ahead.

If you want to use the Dayblazer 1000 as a daytime running light, then you want the Strobe mode, which is an extremely effective attention-getter with a really long run-time. Ride for an hour a day and it'll alert drivers to your presence for over four weeks.

Mounting

The Dayblazer 1000 attaches to your handlebar with a thick rubber ladder-strap. Riding fast over rough ground can make it move a bit if you don't fit it round the fattest section of your handlebar and make sure you get it as tight as possible. There's a fitting in the box to attach it to a GoPro mount instead, which would be the way to go if you want a more solid mounting.

An Exposure Lights cleat will also fit, so if you've got an Exposure mount kicking around you could use that.

Usability

Cycling through the power levels takes you from one to the next without turning the light completely off at any point. When you do turn it off, by holding the button down for one second, it remembers which mode you were in and returns to it when you turn it on.

However, if you're riding dirt roads it's a bit disconcerting to cycle through the two flashing modes to get from High or Low back to Blitz. Another light I'm currently testing has you press and hold its button to access flashing modes, which is a better way of doing things.

2021 Blackburn Dayblazer 1000 Front Light - side.jpg

Speaking of the Dayblazer's button, it doubles as a battery gauge, showing green for more than 75% charge, orange for 75-25%, and red for less than 25%.

That's it for features; you can't tweak the power levels like a Moon light, and there's no ANT+ connection to show battery level on your bike computer like a Giant Recon.

Run-times (minutes)

Mode Claimed Actual
Charging 300 260
Blitz 90 135
High 180 280
Low 330 505
Pulse 390 605
Strobe 930 1,865

As you can see in the table I created, above, in every department the Dayblazer 1000 exceeds its claimed run-times. Attached to a USB power supply it charged in 260 minutes instead of 300, while the Strobe mode, claimed to run for 930 minutes (15 hours, 30 minutes) ran for just over twice that.

2021 Blackburn Dayblazer 1000 Front Light - charger port.jpg

I was a bit concerned that in Blitz mode I might be seeing an inflated run-time because the unit had got warm and that might have throttled the power being delivered to the LED. I repeated that test with a fan blowing air over the light, keeping the temperature under 30°C. The run-time was the same.

Of course, it may be that Blackburn has deliberately understated the Dayblazer's run-times so that anyone who actually measures them feels like they're getting something for nothing. If so, well done, it worked on me.

Value

There are lots of good lights around this price and output, some of which offer more for your money.

The Moon Rigel Pro, for example, has some clever additional features for its £64.99 rrp (read our review for more details), but shorter run-times, while the £79.99 Giant Recon HL1100 is slightly brighter and offers Smart Mode to adapt to the conditions as you ride.

Or you could consider the Magicshine Allty 1000 or Lezyne Lite Drive 1000XL. At full price, £68.99 the Magicshine, £75.99 the Lezyne (or £85.99 for the metallic finish), they're probably better choices, but grab a Dayblazer 1000 at the current discounts and it's a great deal.

If you're looking for a front and rear light, check out our best bike lights guide which lists our top 10 of each.

Overall & conclusions

The Blackburn Dayblazer 1000 is a solid if unsophisticated choice for commuting, evening excursions and light trail riding. If you can pick it up at the deep discount a couple of online retailers are currently offering, it's a bargain, but there are better lights for its £65 full rrp.

Who should buy the Blackburn Dayblazer 1000?

Anyone who wants a simple, basic but bright light and can get it at a deep discount.

Verdict

Decent but unremarkable front light – a bargain at current discounts, though

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Blackburn Dayblazer 1000 Front Light

Size tested: 1000 Lumen

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Blackburn says:

Want to hit the local trail for a midnight shred, or commute home on a November evening? The sleek and tiny Dayblazer 1000 has you covered.

MEET THE NEW CHAMP!

This little devil packs a 1000-lumen punch onto a tiny bar perch. Weighing in at just 140 grams, this light hits way above its weight class. Gone are the days of a 10-watt halogen bulb and a bulky water-bottle-shaped, lead acid battery pack. Now we've got it all wound up in a tiny bar-mounted front light! Want to hit the local trail for a midnight shred, or commute home on a November evening? The sleek and tiny Dayblazer 1000 has you covered. Featuring our eye-popping BLITZ Daytime Running Mode to grab the attention of cars, an action-style camera mount, ample side visibility and IP-67 submersibility, the Dayblazer 1000 is your new best riding buddy.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

From Blackburn:

Recharge Type: Micro-USB rechargeable - Charges via any standard USB port (charging cable included)

Brightness: Up to 1,000 lumens

Country of Origin: China

Recharge Time: 5-hour recharge

Mounting Options: Universal Mount - Action-camera-style mount fits most helmets and handlebars 22–35mm in diameter

Product Weight: 140 grams

Run Times

Blitz mode: 1.5 hours at 1,000 lumens

High mode: 3 hours at 500 lumens

Low mode: 5.5 hours and 350 lumens

Pulse mode: 6.5 hours at 210 lumens

Strobe mode: 15 hours at 100 lumens

Water Resistance: IP-67 submersible - Ingress protection rating, or "IP Rating," is a techy way to describe the level of water- and dust-proofness of a product. This light meets the IP-67 Standard, which means it is totally protected against dust/grit and fully protected against the effects of immersion between 15cm and 1 meter for 30 minutes.

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Sturdy aluminium casing.

Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
8/10
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
6/10

A rubber strap is a bit basic for a £65 light, and you have to make sure you use the tightest possible.

Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
9/10

Claimed IP67 borne out by very wet rides.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
9/10

Can't complain about battery life that's longer than claimed.

Rate the light for performance:
 
7/10

Basic but unexciting. Everything works as it's supposed to, but other similarly priced lights have considerably more sophisticated features.

Rate the light for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the light for weight:
 
5/10

Smack-dab what you'd expect for the power and run-times.

Rate the light for value:
 
5/10

It really is bang average unless you pick it up at a discount. So do that.

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It lights the way just fine, but there are so many lights out there that are cleverer.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Being able to see where I was going.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Very ordinary rubber-strap mount; having to go through flashing modes to get from low to brighter modes.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's very similar to its rivals, as you can see from those mentioned in the main review.

Did you enjoy using the light? Mostly

Would you consider buying the light? Only at a deep discount.

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Only at a deep discount.

Use this box to explain your overall score

I admit I was wavering between 6 and 7. Overall, this is a good light, it's just in no way exceptional.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 55  Height: 5ft 11in  Weight: 100kg

I usually ride: Scapin Style  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, mtb,

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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1 comments

Avatar
jayinjapants | 1 year ago
1 like

I have a less powerful version of this. The light itself is fine but the power button popped out somewhere and disappeared between taking it off my bike in the morning and going home in the evening. No idea how. There's just a hole where it was. I have to use a lock key or pen to turn it on / off and keep it covered with electrical tape to seal it from the elements.

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