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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: DECEMBER 20th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Moon Sports Rigel Max 1500 Front Light
144g (light) 25g (helmet mount) 18g (bar mount) £79.99
The Moon Sports Rigel Max is one of the Moon Sports Rigel Family of lights, sitting in the middle of the range in terms of power and price. I was immediately impressed by the quality of illumination and, although there’s probably more tech than I usually think necessary, there are lots of nice touches that have convinced this old sceptic that this an impressive bit of gear for all kinds of cycling. With a variety of mounting options and plenty of punch, there is a great deal to like here. With a top end of 1500 lumens steady output and some funky tech, this is a lot of light. Equally, top run time is around an hour and a half (see below) so extended, more technical, night tripping is limited.
Pros: stand-by mode, variable lumens setting, 500 lumens punches above weight, variety of mounting options, Go-Pro adaptor.
Cons: short run time at top end, more detailed instructions would be useful for stand-by and variable lumens functions.
Spec
The Rigel Max 1500 lamp comes in a box with a handlebar mount, a helmet mount and a GoPro adaptor, and a USB-C charging cable. Inside the CNC aluminium case - which should help cooling – is a Li-Polymer battery. Not as long-lasting as Li-Ion batteries, these discharge more slowly and are generally regarded as more stable. As technology advances they are becoming more common. They also charge more quickly. There are two LEDS behind the removable lens. The idea is that the lens can be removed and turned upside down so that the light can be mounted upside down without negating the anti-dazzle technology. The two LEDs are designed to give full coverage and do not operate separately, like some Ravemen lights, for example.
There are two steady modes and four flash, an intelligent mode for daytime running, a motion sensor, a variable lumen mode, stand-by mode, memory mode, overheat protection – I won’t be binning the instructions! More of all those later. More on mounts and bracket options later, too, but there are plenty.
There are functions that offer additional tunability. There’s the Intelligent Operation and Motion Sensing Function, which will turn the light off in daylight or when still and power it up when dark falls or when entering a dark area e.g. a tunnel. There’s also the Variable Lumens System, which does what you’d expect. Other useful stuff includes an automatic dim-down should the light start to overheat, a lock-out function, and mode memory. The whole lot comes with a limited two-year warranty.
There are a few warnings, including a reminder to charge fully every three months if the light is in storage, and so on. Some are common sense, such as adjusting the beam properly and not shining it directly into the eyes.
Mount 4.25/5
Bars – atop or underslung – and helmet options are in the box. The bar bracket should fit all standard bars. The bracket has a Garmin-style half turn fixture which enables it to be combined with a number of other bits of gear. I’ve set it in a suitably adjusted Garmin mount, added it above the Ravemen FR300 time running light, and others that employ a similar bracket. It also has a GoPro adaptor, which adds even more options – bolt not included.
The helmet mount should fit any vented helmet. I’ve tried it on MTB and Road lids and, with a little ingenuity have managed to get a suitable angle for the beam. Some urban helmets would prove difficult or impossible. For MTB use, frequent night-riders who enjoy longer jaunts may want to upgrade to the remote control – but I can’t really comment on that as I have not used it.
Whichever mounting system I have used, the light has stayed in position, although lodging it atop the Ravemen FR300 saw increased vibration which is definitively not the fault of the Moon Rigel Max. Equally, when bar mounted, it is easy to lower the beam a little by simply pushing down on the light. This has been much appreciated by on-coming cyclists and pedestrians along the unlit rural canal towpath that is my most direct route home from work. The point is that the bracket does not slip, it requires firm and deliberate movement by the rider.
The strap is a watch-strap type and should fit most bars.
I have tended to mount the Rigel Max out-front on the Jones bars to maximise the very good side on presence.
Care and durability 4.25/5
IPX7 promises full protection against rain, snow, even immersion - even though the latter is warned against by the manufacturer. Personally, I try to avoid dipping the light in the canal or ford, although off-roaders may occasionally lose things in river crossings. IPX7 is a comfort, whatever the warnings on the packet say.
The casing remains scratch-free after a month of use. Although the main danger has been when pocketed along with other lights when away from the bike.
Initially I had some trepidation when switching the lens. It felt brittle and has, of course, to hold tight and fit flush. One should be careful, of course, but I am no longer anxious. Just unclip gently and lift away. Given that some plastics do not like prolonged freezing temperatures, I’d be inclined to keep the light indoors on winter nights – good practice for batteries, too.
Switch 4/5
Atop the unit is the push button switch that controls all aspects of the light. Firm presses are required, but all is operable even in full-finger gloves. The central location means that the firm push does not tilt the light up and down when toggling on the go. A remote control is available as a separate purchase.
Two illuminated lines indicate charge level and mode with neat, minimalist clarity. However, getting used to it all took me a bit of time – well, the modes did anyway. I did not find this intuitive, so familiarise yourself with what it all means if you want to make the most of the Rigel Max’s considerable potential.
Charge and run times 4/5
Stated charge time is three hours. Far from most rapid, this is not unusual for a light with this kind of output. Besides, treat the battery kindly and get a charge underway as soon as you can after the red light shows and it’ll be full much sooner.
Run times are 1.5 hours for the 1500 lumens steady; 4 for the 500 lumens counterpart. The flash modes offer one at 100 lumens, and two at 400. The 100 offers a mammoth 110 hours of running time. Of the two 400s there is a steady/flash mode that gives 52 hours and a day flash offering a huge 146 hours. There’s also an SOS flash at 80 lumens.
The Variable Lumens mode offers the first five modes at anything from 20-1500 lumens. You have to select mode before setting the lumens. Clearly, a 1500 flash might be helpful in contacting extra-terrestrials, but some common sense is needed. Some of these modes offer colossal running times, although they may be impracticable or unlikely in real world situations. However, it does allow for a lower-lumens setting for well-lit quiet roads.
Then there is the Intelligent Mode that turns the light on when entering a dark area or on and off when setting off or stopping. It can be left like that for 1000 hours.
Run times are adaptable, and although the top end is on the shorter side, 1.5 hours is not unusual for 1500 lumens. The day flash run time is great and gives many miles of cycling, even on long multi-day tours.
The steady/flash mode has acted as a suburban mode – even in busy traffic. I’ve tended to reserve the 100 lumens flash for unlit roads, when I have felt there’s the need to bolster either my B&M dynamo light or another light rechargeable, such as the Kranx 800 Spot or the Ravemen LR1200. Strangely, the lengthy flash modes have often lead me to use this light both as the main front light or the auxiliary.
Modes, output, and performance 4/5
1500 lumens copes with the darkest nights on gravel tracks, and is highly effective helmet mounted for more technical stuff. The latter is a rare outing for me these days, but a more frequent night-time off-roader has confirmed my impressions. On the road, the 1500 top mode is a tad over the top. However, it does get on-coming car lights dipping before they come around the corner.
Generally, I have found the 500 lumens mode to be my favourite. It may not get drivers dipping their lights until they see the whites of your light, but it does punch a powerful beam; more powerful than the figures suggest, in my opinion. OK, I have matched it up against the Kranx 800 Spot and other lights with similar modes. It certainly, gives 600 to 700 modes a run for their money. I have found it more than adequate for narrow, unlit, but familiar towpath commuting at around 15 mph.
The breadth of the beam, with a solid clear core with extensive peripheral bleed, from the dual LEDs, gives very clear sight of indistinct road edges and verges. That may be expected compared to a single LED, but it does add to off-road potential.
The Variable Lumens mode took a bit of getting used to but, once worked through, has given the slightly lower modes I missed from the pre-set. Fundamentally, I’d have liked a three hundred steady mode – or something like that, for suburban riding on lit, but not traffic-infested, roads.
In that sense, I’d have swapped a low-lumens steady for one of the three flashes. Not that any are ineffective – in fact they are all very good. As mentioned above the steady/flash mode works well as a sort of eco-mode for lit suburban streets – even busy ones, when the flash is a distinct plus.
Flashing modes give some really good output, with the day flash being especially effective – anecdotally. In some city centre contexts, I have employed the Rigel in flash mode, combined with a steady beam at a low-lumens mode. I can’t say exactly how effective this has been, but driver shave kept their distance. By and large, though, I’ve preferred to ose the Rigel Max’s likeable 500 lumens when commuting after dark in the city, the suburbs, and the unlit countryside.
With some bars hosting a whole load of other gear, mounting under the bar is very helpful. The simple reversible lens works well. I have had no complaints – although pedestrians on unlit cycle tracks have grimaced at top-power.
Overall, this is a light that covers just about all bases. Great for general riding, and adaptable as for commuting use, long multi-day tours, gravel jaunts in the dark.
Value 4.5/5
For a light with this tunability, £79.99 is not unusual. However, if that is less important, then there are plenty of rivals at this price point. The Ravemen LR1200 has a slightly higher output at the top end, more pre-set modes and comes in around the same price. However, run time in that crucial mid-lumens mode (600 in this case) is a little shorter and peripheral presence is not as good, in my opinion.
Pushing the envelope a bit, the Ravemen LR1600 is another £10 or so, but has a remote control and that bit of extra oomph for fast night time training. Equally, runtimes a generally shorter, except at the very top end. Cheaper than the Moon Rigel Max is the Ravemen LR1000, although runtimes are shorter. The Ravemen PR range is a good option if you want dual lens lights, with the Moon Rigel Max being comparable in output to the mid-range lights, but cheaper without some of the features. The Moon Rigel Max is still a good option, possibly for the less frequent night-time off-roader in unfamiliar territory.
Again, pushing the envelope, the Magicshine Evo 1700 Underhung Light is both more powerful and more expensive, but with lengthy charging times.
For those eschewing faster and more technical stuff, I have been using the Kranx 800 Spot – unsophisticated and lower end price bracket as it is (£34.99) for mixed terrain commuting, and particularly like its 630 lumens mode.
To put the Rigel’s tech in context, a good deal is shared with the Cateye Volt 1700 – more modes etc., but a bit weighty for the mount over gravel and rough-stuff – that comes in at £179.
Summary
The Moon Rigel Max 1500 is a very likeable light. Run times are comparable or better than a number of its competitors, and charging time is conveniently short. That seems to me to make it a really good choice for night-time commuters and other regulars, especially those who want to ramp the pace up or take on more challenging terrain every now and again; or those who ant a strong day-time runner built in. Embrace the tech to make the most of it.
Verdict 4.25/5 highly competitive light combining value, tech, and output.
Steve Dyster
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024
