Magicshine EVO 1300

The Magicshine EVO 1300 is extremely bright, very well made and exceptionally solid. You can use its high beam function when a boost is required, it has an optional wireless remote control and its app lets you customise the modes to your specific needs. The under-the-handlebar mount is secure, the price is right and it has firmly cemented itself as my favourite front light. It really is that good.

Check out our best front lights buyer's guide for more options, and our best bike lights guide for more see and be seen by choices.

> Buy now: Magicshine EVO 1300 for £69.99 from Magicshine

The Magicshine EVO 1300 is designed to be mounted underneath your handlebar in order for the high-beam function (more on that later) to work as designed. I used my GoPro mount but it comes with an out-front mount in the box.

The maximum output – no surprise here – is 1,300 lumens, which is extremely bright. And one of the light's killer features is its accompanying app, which lets you create your own modes. You don't have to use it, but I found it an excellent addition to the overall package.

I created a mode with a full-brightness flash, along with a less bright constant setting and a maximum output mode. These provided the perfect setup for me: an awesome daytime flash, a moderate constant beam for duller days and full whack for riding unlit lanes at night.

But the choice is yours. You might want to go for a 50% output and a 75% output with a flash – and it's as simple as connecting the light to the app through Bluetooth and making the changes.

And I love this – because unlike other lights I've reviewed, I've not been left wishing for a mode that wasn't available.

Magicshine also includes a small wireless remote that attaches to the bar using Velcro, which lets you trigger the high beam or cycle through its modes. It's a neat addition, though not one I actually used that much.

The light is designed to be mounted under your bike's handlebar. It feels secure once it's mounted and it's out of the way of your hands when you're riding, which is a big plus for me. You secure it with a simple quarter-turn Garmin mount, so attaching it or taking it off takes less than a second. Neat.

Its position under the bar does mean it isn't quite as simple to turn on or cycle through the modes, though I didn't find this as issue. And that's where the remote comes into play, of course.

Using the light

This is where the light really scores, in large part thanks to the near-rectangular shape of the illumination it puts out. Its two lenses work together so that the lower half of the output is brighter, letting you pick out the details that are just in front of you when you're riding, but it's less bright at the top so you're not blinding oncoming road users.

The high beam function is fantastic and another of the light's, er, highlights. It acts something like a car's headlights, letting you reduce the output when you're riding in traffic or in an urban area, switching to the high beam when you're cycling along a pitch-black lane, where the well-thought-out shape and 1,300 lumens of power will light your way.

My first thought on hearing about the high beam is that it would be a bit of a gimmick, but it's actually a very well-considered idea that's equally well executed. A touch of the button and you can go from a super-bright output to a still-bright – but dipped – beam.

You can switch between the high and low beams using one of the two buttons on the light or the remote, with the other button letting you cycle through the light's different modes.

The buttons on the light also act as a battery level display – a single tap when the light is off showing either green or red, depending on the battery level. Unfortunately there's no more nuance to it than that, which is a bit of a shame.

While you can connect the light to your phone to change the settings, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to connect it to a Garmin or another head unit, as it would have been good to integrate it with Di2 buttons, for example. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but I do feel Magicshine has missed a trick.

I found the Evo 1300 excellent for riding down pitch-black lanes at night. In my time I've tested a lot of bike lights, and I have to say this is the best all-round light I've ever used.

The output is impressively bright, the lens is well shaped and the battery life is excellent. I managed two hours at its maximum output, and for the mode I used it in most of the time – a full-brightness day flash – I was getting around nine hours.

In its low beam setting, Magicshine says you can get about three hours on high, six on medium and 15 on low, and my testing showed these figures to be pretty much on the money.

The claimed charge time is four and a half hours and I actually managed a smidge under that. And one final bonus is that you can charge the light at the same time as you're using it.

I feel the light's only minor drawbacks are the lack of a good battery level display and the inability to use it with my Garmin. Other than that? It's excellent.

Value

I rode with the Magicshine next to the BBB Strike 1200 on my bike's handlebar and found the Magicshine's output far outstripped that of the BBB. While the Magicshine should be a little more powerful – it's a 1,300 lumen light – it was head and shoulders brighter, some of which might be down to the excellent lens configuration.

It's got a lot in common with the Ravemen LR1200 USB, which Stu liked for its light distribution and good running times, though he didn't rate the battery indicator.

And I don't think it's a million miles away from some of the higher-end lights out there, from the likes of Exposure. Its Strada Mk12 SB has a slightly higher output and a similar run time at its maximum power, but it costs just under £350 and I'd also say it has a less elegant mounting solution.

Conclusion

If you haven't already guessed, I've loved using this light. The lens shape and dipping function mean it's excellent in both urban areas and on unlit routes, the output is excellent and the battery life very good.

At £79.99, I think it's well priced, and I've not used another light that comes close to having all the Magicshine's features. I found the ability to change modes extremely useful, it has a neat and secure mounting solution. I really don't think you'd be disappointed with the Evo 1300.

> Buy now: Magicshine EVO 1300 for £69.99 from Magicshine

Verdict

Excellent, bright and long lasting. With customisable outputs and a great mount, there are almost no complaints