NiteRider Lumina 900 Boost

When a light's lumen count approaches a grand, we're expecting some serious brightness. NiteRider's Lumina 900 Boost model lives up to expectations.

Two years ago we had the Lumina 750 on test, and rated it highly with a solid four out of five star rating. We found that it was bright enough and suitable for a range of uses, from city commuting to night-time jaunts on trails and unlit roads.

Buy NiteRider Lumina 900 Boost

This version, the 900 Boost, on paper receives a 150-lumen boost to bring it close to that magic 1000-lumen marker, while it also makes use of high-output Cree LEDs to shine.

Those LEDs create a neutral white light, and the lens focuses that light in a defined circle on the road, with little bleed outwards. Clearly the thinking here is to maximise light on the road, and it's extremely effective. It highlight hazards easily when in the boost 900-lumen mode, as well as the normal high mode of 700 lumens.

There are seven modes to choose from, set out in two levels and accessible via the use of a single power button. To access the first tier, you press the button for a second, and it switches onto the 250-lumen setting. Clicking once in sequence cycles you through the 350-lumen and 700-lumen settings, while a quick double click switches on the 900-lumen boost mode.

The second tier offers up flashing modes – an-always-on-but-pulsing mode, accessible by holding the button for three seconds, and a standard on-off flash mode which you can have with another press. There's also a long-life 45-lumen setting that's claimed to be good for 26 hours of constant use.

Historically, we've seen accurate or marginally better-than-claimed battery life from NiteRider models, and the 900 Boost is no different. On the maximum 900-lumen setting, battery life is a claimed one hour, but I had a full 1hr 45min before it decided to give up the ghost. At around 1hr 10min it dims to prolong the run time, but nevertheless given the size of the unit and the constant brightness it supplies before this moment, it's an impressive lifespan.

It's also worth pointing out that if you do use the boost setting, as I suspect you will, the unit does put out a fair amount of heat around the bulb area. Nothing crazy, but it does run too hot to touch around the silver areas that are there to help with cooling.

The LED in the switch turns red (instead of the usual blue) to indicate low battery, while charging is easy via a protected micro-USB port. You can lock the unit by holding the button for seven seconds when it's off to prevent accidental activation while in the depths of a bag.

Finally, where the 350 Swift models feature a strap that's easily removable with the light attached, it's less the case here. Instead, it's a strap that feeds in on itself (around the handlebars) and tethers to itself via belt-like holes. The light is easily removed by the lever that releases it from the bracket, with the bracket then best removed after.

It's an easy system, if a little fiddly to feed through the tight gap if you're taking the bracket on and off again routinely, and I found that the strap fitted a little loosely (using the first hole) to the handlebar, which on my bike at the time of testing is a little on the skinny side compared to most. Tightening it wasn't an option as it was just that little too tight to seat over the next hole, so occasionally I had to reach forward to adjust the light while riding to point it in the optimal direction, instead of leaving it to slowly dip to shine on the top of my front wheel.

That little criticism aside, though, the £85 price seems very competitive given the brightness of the light, as well as the decent battery life – you can get a solid six hours off the 200-lumen setting, for example – in such a tidy unit. It's good for all uses (save for heavy-duty all-night riding), which is all you can ask for at this price.

Verdict

Strongly-performing light that represents a decent bump over the 750 we saw two years ago