NiteRider Lumina OLED 1100 Boost

If a single button operation with a multi-tiered light has ever confused and frustrated you (it has me on occasion), then Niterider might have the solution for you: an OLED screen that displays battery life and mode setting, while offering a slightly more intuitive three-button interface to select a mode.

Interestingly, the interface itself is not the only upgrade that's been made over the standard 1100 Boost model, although it's likely that it's helped pave the way. Now you get nine settings to choose from, in a three-tier layout.

Up top are the standard three static modes, and the boost mode that pumps everything up to 11(00 lumens). You get access to these settings in the same way as you would using the old single button system by using the red power button: a double click enters it into boost mode, while another double click takes it out again. All the while, the OLED screen shows what setting you're in, helpfully, as well as how much battery life remains if you leave it in a given setting.

You access the other tiers by pressing the 'page' button, which opens up a suite of five modes that pretty much covers any eventuality or need. You get:

Tier 2:

Low light with strobe

Standard flash

Walk mode (the 70lm static setting we saw with the 1100 Boost)

Tier 3:

Strobe

SOS

While not necessarily the most important setting, the SOS is a particularly nice touch, and shows that Niterider not only thinks about the worst case scenario for riders, but walkers and adventurers too. It'll last for 18 hours. Otherwise, battery life levels are right on a par with its 1100 Boost sibling – surprising, given that it's got an OLED display to power too. I suspect that this is helped by the fact that you can switch off the OLED display to help fortify that battery life.

It's even more surprising when we get the light on the road.cc scales too: despite the new interface, the light actually comes in at 11g lighter than the standard 1100 Boost. You can just about tell the difference while holding the light in your hands. On top of this, the actual body of the unit is slightly wider too (albeit a touch shorter, so overall volume is practically the same).

That width also influences the beam too. It's now very slightly wider/flatter than the non-OLED counterpart, while it's also slightly warmer in colour too. Niterider doesn't claim that it's changed the CREE LED, and to look at (while off, obviously) it appears like precisely the same unit, so this could simply be down to variance in the batch. The famous road.cc beam test will reveal the true extent of the difference of the shape.

The cover for the USB charge port has changed too, but thankfully the rubber cover itself is right up to standard – it doesn't fall out, creates a decent seal against weather, and is well tethered. Perfect. As a result, the device retains the IP64 water resistance of its siblings, and I've had no trouble with the seal around the OLED screen – no condensation with temperature changes or being left out in the rain.

> Read the latest road.cc reviews of front lights here

On the underside, the bracket interface is a slightly modified version, though it works just fine with the same bracket system as both the Lumina 900 Boost and the 1100 Boost. It comes with its own unit, of course, but functionality is exactly the same – just that the design on the bottom of the light has been adjusted, presumably to improve retention. It's still easy to release the light and clip it on, while the slight shortcoming in getting the ideal fit on narrow handlebars remains.

As for value, at £140 it's a very high price for a light of this size. Nevertheless, I'd sooner buy this over the standard 1100 Boost. While the light and battery lasts near-enough the same, this OLED version has an interface that is easier to use, very clear and offers a simple readout for essential information, a (potentially) useful SOS mode among a widened range of options, and arguably a better beam shape.

Verdict

Chiefly, the extra OLED control interface raises the bar over the 1100 Boost; it's costly, but worth it