Kryptonite Incite X6 USB To See Front

The Incite X6 USB To See Front is part of Kryptonite's new smart light range. Its seven modes include an auto brightness-adjust mode, and there's a handy data display to keep track of the battery. Kryptonite says that with its 60 lux and precise beam pattern it's enough for riding in almost any conditions. Unfortunately, I did not find that to be the case.

There are three steady modes: low, which lasts 15 hours, medium (6 hours) and high beam (3 hours). There's an on-off pulse mode and a low-high pulse mode, both good for 20 hours, and an economy pulse mode that does 30 hours. And finally there's the auto-adjust brightness mode; how long you get there depends on the lighting conditions.

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There's a single button on top of the light to cycle through all seven modes, and four small red LEDs to show you which mode you're in.

I'll admit I didn't noticed the correlation between the LEDs and the mode until I sat down to write this review... I just cycle through until I found one that throws out the kind of light I want. I might use those LEDs a bit more now I know what they mean.

Display

A more useful feature is the data display. It shows you how much time you have left before it goes into emergency mode, which is the economy flash mode.

To test how much you can trust this, I started a timer and switched the freshly-charged light on high steady. The display on the light just stopped counting down after three hours – as advertised, but the light carried on for another two hours before going into limp mode.

This was in ideal circumstances, indoors at room temperature. I'd much prefer a light overdelivered like this to conking out earlier than expected.

It's clear from this experiment that the countdown timer is just that. It knows what mode you're in, it knows how long that should last, and it counts down from there. It looks like it uses some calculation to adjust how long it's been on for the different modes.

It would be better if it adjusted itself according to the actual battery level, but I still found this useful.

Performance

Kryptonite makes a point of using lux rather than lumen for the Incite series. Lux is the total amount of light that falls on an area, rather than the amount of light emitted, which is expressed in lumen. In other words, lux is determined by a combination of the amount of light emitted, the optics used and the beam pattern.

I couldn't find a published lumen figure for this light, which makes it hard to compare with other lights we've reviewed. Still, Kryptonite does state that: 'With the lux level of 60, the Incite X6 is bright enough to light your way in almost any conditions.'

Unfortunately, I have to disagree. It will get you home in an emergency, but this light is simply not powerful enough to enjoy a ride in complete darkness (as you can see above with our beam comparison engine).

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As a 'be seen' light however, the Kryptonite Incite X6 comes into its own, and you get at least 20 hours of run-time in any of the pulse modes.

While the button is not illuminated, it's still pretty easy to find even in big gloves, so long as you know to feel between the display and the red LEDs. Transparent areas in the housing to the side of the lens throw out plenty of light to make you visible from the side.

Charging is via micro-USB cable and takes about four hours from flat on a 2A supply. The display comes in handy again: it shows you the charge level as a percentage. The charging port is on the back of the light, and protected from the elements with a rubber bung.

Mounting

The clamp is quite nifty: it has a ratchet you cinch up tight, and then a cam lever to flip – a bit like a wheel quick release – to stop it going anywhere. The light attachment to the clamp has a nice action to it and feels solid.

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The clamp allows the light to rotate 180 degrees horizontally, with a 2mm hex bolt to adjust how easily it spins. This mechanism isn't quite up to the job.

On rough surfaces the light wanders enough to need regular adjustment, even with the bolt done as I tightly as I dare. This is hardly ideal for a 'be seen' light, and downright dangerous for a 'see' light.

Value

At £64.99, the Incite X6 is expensive for a 'be seen' light. There are options out there that do this job for less, such as the Lezyne Hecto Drive 500XL and the Vel 500 Lumen, which both cost £40, though neither of these offer such long run-times.

Conclusion

If you're looking to for a safety light for your commute – one you can charge once a week and forget about otherwise – this one might be worth looking at, assuming you can put up with the horizontal adjustment niggle. If you're after headlamp to actually light your way under dark skies, though, this will disappoint.

Verdict

Not bright enough for riding on unlit roads, but a decent – if expensive – light for being seen