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review

One23 Intense Bright 1 and Super Bright 0.5 light set

8
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Good value lights, with a strong front beam for the price and very visible rear combined flash/constant mode
Weight: 
132g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk

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The One23 Intense Bright 1 and Super Bright 0.5 front and rear lights combination saves you a few quid over buying them separately. Your money gets you a pairing of a decent front beam for the price and a rear with a combined constant/flash mode that really gets noticed.

The One23 Intense Bright 1 front light has a strong beam for a light at this price, both seem weather resistant and the run times are fairly good for AAA battery lights. They sell separately for £28.99 and £12.99 so you save about enough to get an extra battery or two by buying them together.

Using good quality batteries you could theoretically get as much as 100 hours use from the rear light if you run it on flash mode. The front light gave us just over six hours on a sensible mix of full beam and half beam using the four HW Alkaline AAA batteries that came with it. Up to 24 hours is claimed, presumably on flashing.

Battery life obviously depends on the quality of batteries you buy though and running cost is the downside of AAA battery lights compared to USB charged lights. But if you run out of light on a long ride home, you can nip into any garage and buy new batteries, or carry spares in your saddlebag.

Front

The 1 Watt single white LED front light has a collimator lens to try and keep the beam tight: the reality is that other factors interfere with the idea of an infinite beam but what is does mean is that the Intense Bright 1 light has a beam that's far better to see with on dark roads than the beams on many other lights at £29. That said, it's still not as focused as many slightly more costly lights with more lumen strength.

It has an easy to use click switch on the top and three (high, low and flashing) settings. The low beam is good enough for regular urban use; the high beam is almost, but not quite, enough for dark roads with rough surfaces.

The slide-in handlebar mount can be easily spaced for wide or narrow bars but it's not hinged, so fitting and removing the mount means springing the plastic loop apart. While it seems tough enough, we've had a few clamps like this in the past that have weakened and eventually broken after constant mounting and removing. On the plus side, we do like the big (glove friendly) tightening wheel.

The lens is equipped with small side windows that emit some 'be seen by' light to the side but there's no swivel potential on the clamp.

Weather proofing seems good and battery replacement is easy: you simply click-twist the front of the light off and the four batteries sit in a well-sealed case inside the main light body.

Rear

The Super Bright 0.5 Watt rear light is excellent. It has three LEDs that can be set to constant, flashing or two flashing and one constant.

We had several riders asking us about the combined constant/flash mode as it's so effective from a distance; claimed visibility is up to 1000 metres.

Like most lights of this type it comes with a belt clip that doubles up as a slide-in mount that fastens on to your seat post, in this case with an easy to fit and remove strap that wraps around the post.

So far we've used the mixed constant/flashing mode for about 20 hours, but with a claimed run time of 100 hours you're not going to be worrying overly about the cost of replacing the two AAA batteries.

Conclusion

A good value lightset, with the two also available separately. We have some misgivings about the bracket on the front light but we particularly like the combined constant/flash mode on the rear light. The front has a strong beam for a light at this price, both seem weather resistant and run time is fairly good for AAA battery lights.

Verdict

Good value lights, with a strong front beam for the price and very visible rear combined flash/constant mode.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: One23 Intense Bright 1 and Super Bright 0.5 light set

Size tested: Black - Front and Rear

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?

It's a commuter lightset with more focused beam power in the front light and an excellent constant and flashing combo mode in the rear.

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

Plastic construction. Plastic handlebar bracket for the front. Rubber strap bracket for the rear. Single high power 1 Watt LED up front with Collimator beam and 4 x AAA batteries. Triple LED rear 0.5 Watt light with 2 x AAA batteries

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Tough and weatherproof light body construction but we're not fans of plastic handlebar clamps that need to be sprung apart to fit/remove.

Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
7/10
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
6/10

Rear rubber strap attachment is foolproof. Front light a little more fiddly and best suited to those who don't constantly remove the clamp.

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

No issues at all.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
8/10

The AAA batteries are claimed to last 24 hours for the front and 100 hours for the rear. That's presumably on flashing mode. We got just over six hours on the front using a mix of full and dimmed constant beam. The rear is still going strong.

Rate the light for performance:
 
8/10

As commuter lights these are brighter than most at this price. The front beam is almost, but not quite, good enough to see by on dark country lanes. The rear is superb.

Rate the light for durability:
 
8/10

No issues so far.

Rate the light for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10

For the visibility provided they're fairly light.

Rate the light for value:
 
8/10

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

No complaints. Easy to use and bright enough for all but the most demanding conditions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

The flashing/constant combination on the rear light.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

The design of the handlebar clamp on the front light.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes.

Would you consider buying the light? Yes.

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 58  Height: 181  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Merlin Ti  My best bike is: Ibis Silk SL

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

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1 comments

Avatar
nbrus | 10 years ago
0 likes

Check out the bicycle offers at Lidl/Aldi when they come around ... you will get a surprisingly good set of lights for less than £8. Much better value than paying £40 for something with a similar specification.

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