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review
Lights - front
Blackburn Voyager 2.0 front lightBlackburn Voyager Front Light

Blackburn Voyager 2.0 front light

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 17, 2010

0
£14.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Solid commuter lamp for (sub)urban duties or as a complement to a dynamo system
Weight: 
76g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk
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Blackburn’s Voyager 2.0 is a lightweight LED lamp that’s useful as a be-seen light around town or as a backup to a dynamo system. It offers long, battery-sipping burn times, great peripheral visibility, and excellent build quality.

Output relative to its size is pretty good, with its three LEDs projecting a really pure beam of light. It’s sufficient to be seen with around town or in rural backwaters, although away from streetlights I wouldn’t use the Voyager by itself. Peripheral illumination, especially in flashing mode, is very impressive, making unlit crossroads and side-road junctions less perilous. On unlit roads a halo effect around the main beam can be distracting. You don’t notice this in town centre traffic.

The battery cover is securely retained by three recessed screws. This is a double-edged sword: the Voyager is very weatherproof – it shrugs off rain and it worked fine when I turned a hose on it – but roadside battery switching is awkward. Not that you’ll be replacing its three AAA batteries often. I managed run times of 63 hours in static mode and 124 in flashing, against a claimed 65/130.

The diamond-shaped switch is easy to use in heavyweight winter gloves yet is unlikely to come on accidentally at the bottom of a bag. The Voyager quick-releases on and off its handlebar bracket, locking in place with a reassuring click. The bracket itself bucks the trend for tool-free fitting and attaches semi-permanently via a Phillips-head screw. It will fit the whole spectrum of handlebar diameters, thanks to a selection of rubber shims (although innertube off-cuts are a better choice for the biggest bulge diameters).

Verdict

Solid commuter lamp for (sub)urban duties or as a complement to a dynamo system.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Blackburn Voyager 2.0 front light

Size tested: Black

Tell us what the product 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?

"The Voyager 2.0 light takes a traditional looking cycle light and gives it a big kick of technology"

With a refreshingly wallet friendly price too.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly as a contingency/secondary system

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, in urban settings or the above context.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Front light
commuting lights
Blackburn
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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