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NiteRider Lumina 1200 OLED Boost

8
£140.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Impressive wide and flat beam pattern and a cool OLED display to let you know what's what
Weight: 
135g

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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New for 2018/19 is NiteRider's Lumina 1200 OLED Boost which sits in the company's Urban Commuter line-up. It's a clever little light that dishes out plenty of illumination and offers decent enough burn-times – which you can track on the OLED digital display that tells you modes and battery life – pretty good for its £140 price tag.

  • Pros: Separate mode selections, wide flat beam pattern, digital display
  • Cons: Bulky bracket, easy to switch on in a bag if you forget to lock it  1

Like we've seen on Exposure lights recently, NiteRider has added an OLED screen to some of its lights to display which mode you are using and, more importantly, battery life. Many lights use different colour LEDs to give you an idea of how much burn-time you've got left, and it's not a bad system but having a display telling you exactly what's what – especially when you are constantly changing modes – is very useful.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

I'm not a fan of lights that require you to scroll through all of the modes, static and flashing, to get back to the start – the last thing you want on a pitch black country lane is three strobe disco effects before you get back to the high power setting. NiteRider has got around this here by splitting the modes up into three groups that are all accessible via the backlit buttons on the OLED display.

Page one has the static modes: a 1,000-lumen output which gives you 1hr 30mins of playtime, a 550 lumen (3hrs), and a 275 lumen (6hrs) which you can scroll through via the power button.

NiteRider Lumina Oled1200 Boost - controls.jpg

If you want maximum output for a twisty, technical section then a double click of the same button will give you the 1,200-lumen Boost mode. If you use it for the entire ride you'll be in darkness in just over an hour (each of the modes met their quoted burn-times), but on the road you are highly unlikely to need it often.

On the Lumina, NiteRider has used a new collimator lens to control the light being emitted from the single CREE LED. This gives a wider, flatter beam than most road lights, which tend to go for a powerful central spot, as you can see on our beam comparison, above.

It gives an excellent amount of peripheral vision, with even wide single carriageway A-roads getting a good spread of light from verge to verge. This allows you to run it at lower power outputs than a bright spot light would require for the same amount of spatial awareness. I could easily ride at near daylight speeds on the 550-lumen mode for all but the fastest downhill sections, so you can get out for a decent length ride in the dark.

> Buyer's Guide: The best front lights for cycling

Page two and three are made up of various flashing modes, including an SOS setup, which are all bright enough for daytime use. There is also a Walk Mode setting which allows the Lumina to be used as a torch or to limp home if you get caught out. It only gives 75 lumen but it'll run for 18 hours.

For your money you are getting a light that is very well built. NiteRider has created a solid unit with an aluminium body and there are plenty of cooling fins to stop the body overheating when it's turned on. I've dropped it a couple of times and the whole thing still looks like new.

Each of the buttons has a solid little click, and are easy to use even with thick gloves on.

For water resistance, the NiteRider is rated to IP64 which means it's only designed to keep water spray out. Although I had no issues, I'd like to see a higher rating like many other lights on the market – IPX6, for example, which means it keeps out water jets.

I did have issues with the NiteRider Omega 300 rear light letting in water and that has the same rating, so I wasn't taking any chances on my first wet ride with the Lumina – there were plenty of spares on the bike.

> Six tips for cycling at night

A front light doesn't see the same levels of abuse from road spray as a rear light, so it doesn't matter so much that the charge port is positioned underneath. It is well covered by a rubber cap anyway, and even when I tested it under the bathroom shower it didn't get any water ingress so things are looking good.

One thing you need to remember if you take the light off and chuck it in your bag is to use the lock to stop it being turned on by accident. Just a single press of the power button switches the Lumina on, but you can lock it by pressing and holding the power button for seven seconds. The screen will tell you when it is locked. You also need to hold the button down for the same time to unlock it.

The Lumina is quite a lightweight, small package considering its performance, while the clamp is quite a clumpy affair that won't win any prizes for aesthetics, that's for sure, but it does hold the light firmly once you've got the position set up on the handlebar (31.8-35mm diameter), with no movement or vibration.

NiteRider Lumina Oled1200 Boost - mount.jpg

Value-wise, I reckon the NiteRider delivers a lot for the money. The £129.99 Cateye Volt 1300 RC chucks more light out and has longer burn-times, but I prefer the wider beam pattern of the NiteRider. I also like the added benefit of the OLED screen on the Lumina, and the fact that you can select the static modes without having to scroll through the flashing ones.

You can pay a lot less if you don't want that screen, though: Blackburn offers the DayBlazer 1100 for just £84.99, which has similar burn-times. And you can buy a standard Lumina 1200 Boost without the OLED screen for £100.

Overall, the Lumina really delivers a lot for such a small light. The beam pattern is great for almost all riding, even off-road, and the build quality and ease of use are spot on.

Verdict

Impressive wide and flat beam pattern and a cool OLED display to let you know what's what

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road.cc test report

Make and model: NiteRider Lumina 1200 OLED Boost

Size tested: 1200 Lumens

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?

NiteRider says, "The NiteRider® Lumina™ OLED 1200 Boost is an innovative bike light that removes the guesswork related to battery life, allowing you to plan your next ride safely with complete confidence, day or night. The OLED multifunctional digital display screen delivers precise battery run times as a percentage and actual time for the Lumina™ OLED's 9 lighting levels. The Lumina™ OLED 1200 Boost features a custom engineered collimator sense, producing a generous widespread beam pattern. With Boost Mode providing a stunning 1200 lumens of maximum light output, this makes the Lumina™ OLED highly capable for use when navigating through diverse riding conditions."

I think the 1200 OLED Boost is a very decent light, especially the wide, flat beam pattern.

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

NiteRider lists these features:

* New Collimator Lens, distributes a generous even widespread beam

* Boost Mode! Unleash maximum LED output

* 5 Light Levels plus 4 Daylight Flash Modes

* CREE™ LED at 6000k

* Multifunctional OLED screen provides detailed operational information

* FL1 Standard IP64, water resistant

* Intellicharge™ – Reduce charge time in half!

* Backlit buttons for easy to use interface in any lighting condition

* Secure on and off-road capable handlebar mount

* Fits standard and oversize 35mm handlebars

* Convenient USB rechargeable

WARRANTY

The Lumina™ OLED 1200 Boost is backed by NiteRider's lifetime warranty that covers any defects in material and workmanship, mechanical components

(housings, covers, mounts and fasteners) and LEDs.

SYSTEM INCLUDES

LED Light Head with OLED Display

Internal Li-Ion Battery

Handlebar Mount fit up to 35mm

USB Charging Cable

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
9/10
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
8/10
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
7/10
Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
7/10

Decent quoted burn-times which it achieves. Charging takes around three hours if you plug it into the wall.

Rate the light for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the light for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the light for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the light for value:
 
6/10

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

As a commuter light (where it sits in NiteRider's line-up) it's pretty hard to fault and you can still get a decent length road ride out of it if you are frugal with the power outputs.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

The OLED display letting you know modes and battery life.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

The clamp is quite bulky on the handlebar.

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

It matches many at this price for power output, and offers an excellent beam pattern. The added OLED screen is a bonus.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? Yes

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

For anything other than long night-time training rides, the Lumina is hard to fault, and hopefully it'll continue to keep the water out.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

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: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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1 comments

Avatar
Xenophon2 | 4 years ago
0 likes

I own this light and have been using it for just over one year during the winter months and when it was still dark when commuting to my workplace in the night/ early morning, essentially from mid-September to April. 

Was very happy with  the performance and the fit on my handlebars until a couple of days ago when the display kept indicating a 100% charge remaining on low intensity mode after a 30 minute ride (usually it hovers around 86% then).  That the indicated number is obviously incorrect doesn't matter but what matters a great deal is that the light simply will not charge.  Apparently the circuit thinks it's fully charged while in reality it's empty.  I don't appear to be the only one experiencing this issue.

So far the seller (e-commerce, I know....) has been unresponsive to my warranty claims but we'll see if they respond in january.

 

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