Blackburn DayBlazer 800 Front

The Blackburn DayBlazer 800 front light is one of the most compact torches I've used – at least one packing 800 lumens. It represents excellent value and is a great option if you generally ride in built-up areas but fancy letting rip along the backroads after work, although run-times in the higher settings are relatively short.

• Pros: Compact dimensions, good quality optics, modes cater for most contexts
• Cons: Short run-times in the higher settings

The DayBlazer 800 offers a lot of bang for modest buck. The first thing that struck me was how much smaller it is than the DayBlazer 1100. It's well made, stylish and rugged, made from anodised 6061 aluminium alloy and able to resist falls onto hard surfaces. It also has a waterproof rating of IP67, and neither exposure to the occasional heavy shower nor blasting it at close range using my garden hose has revealed any obvious weaknesses. Blackburn's limited lifetime warranty adds further confidence.

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Behind the Total Internal Reflection (TIR) lens sits a single Cree diode, and it's fuelled by a rechargeable lithium polymer cell. Pretty standard stuff these days but very well executed, especially for this price point.

Modes

There are five modes, which are sensibly staggered for general riding. Three steady: Blitz (800 lumens), Medium (500 lumens) and Low (300 lumens); plus pulsing and strobing at 200 lumens apiece. Some might argue the low and pulsing/strobe settings are perhaps a little tall for town, and a more frugal 100-lumen flashing might be useful.

Switch

The switch is a centre-mounted, rubberised affair. It's very positive, so no danger of accidental power-ups or unwanted changes, yet easily operated mid-ride wearing full-finger gloves. Its integral 'fuel tank' battery life indicator is useful: fully juiced, it'll register green when full, but rather than turning amber as expected at 75%, it was clear, though thankfully it had the manners to turn red on cue (25%).

Mounts

In common with its bigger brother, there is the standard watch strap type bar bracket, which accommodates all diameters easily and securely, and it also comes with a GoPro mount for attaching to a helmet, which is a nice touch and similarly secure.

Performance

Output and beam quality are impressive. Unleashing the full 800, I was able to navigate pitch black lanes to around 20mph with decent warning of potholes, ruts and similar hazards. Along straight sections, oncoming traffic dipped their beams at around 50 metres. At 20-22mph I had 10, maybe 15 metres' swerving notice of anything nasty looming up.

The hybrid spot/flood pattern is superior to some designs in identical contexts, such as the Xeccon Spear 900 which I have also used for extended periods. The DayBlazer's wide, pure arc provides plenty of presence at junctions, roundabouts and similar danger spots. Given their size, the side windows have less impact but are welcome enough.

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Atop a helmet, it's proved a very effective backing singer to the 800-lumen Exposure Revo dynamo lamp on my Univega, providing a good overview of conditions, with the Revo picking out the detailed stuff.

Its compact design also means it occupies refreshingly little bar space, and if paired with a dynamo can prove a godsend in rural contexts when output from the dynamo lamp can dim – on a very steep or blustery climb, for example, not to mention when checking/tackling roadside mechanicals.

Predictably, 800 lumens guzzles reserves, but the 90 minutes cited is accurate to within a few minutes. Dipping down to the lower settings where possible and appropriate is key.

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Medium is 500 lumens and bright enough for partially lit, semi-rural work at a steady 18-20mph, with advanced warning of lumps 'n' bumps. Oncoming traffic typically dipped their lights at 15-20 metres in these contexts. Although overkill for suburban work, this setting isn't overly abrasive should you forget to nudge down to 300 through built-up areas. Again, run-times have been within a few minutes of those quoted.

Low (300 lumens) is a funny fit in some respects; 200 would have been a better choice on the frugality front, but it has plenty of bite around town and economy is pretty good: 4hrs 54mins from a full charge, when used exclusively. That's enough juice to fuel a week's middle-distance commute, or a few training rides.

Pulse and strobe are 200 lumens apiece and very distinctive, even during the day. In common with the DayBlazer 1100, oscillation is unusual enough not to get lost against competing neon malaise, even that of seafront arcades. It certainly seems to have caught drivers' attention and made a few think twice before chancing it at roundabouts. It's just good enough for navigating suburban roads too.

The super-frugal strobe arguably delivered the best balance of presence and economy, returning nigh-on 12 hours from a full 4-hour charge. Visibility is to around 150 metres along unlit roads, dipping to 100 or so in built-up areas.

Charging

Blackburn cites 4 hours to charge, which is accurate, guzzling from a laptop/PC. Experience suggests you can save 20 minutes or so charging direct from the mains, and a little more using a higher power cable.

Value

The DayBlazer 800 performs very well on value too. True, some boasting the same maximum output are brighter and with longer run-times, but you're paying a fair bit more: Cateye's Volt 800 is £89.99, for example, and Kryptonite's F-800 is £64.99. You can also pay more for lower max output, such as Knog's 450-lumen PWR Rider at £57.99. There are cheaper options boasting more lumens, but their build and output quality do not compare with the DayBlazer 800, such as the Magicshine MJ-900 at £49.98.

Conclusion

This genre of lamp favours those riders who tackle various environments on their commutes/training rides, who want something tuneable and capable but not overly specialist. Intelligent use of the settings will deliver decent run-times.

I'd like to see an emergency kickdown, inducing a strobing/SOS pattern when reserves dip too low, but otherwise the DayBlazer 800 is a great light for the money.

Verdict

Powerful and versatile compact light offering great value for money, bearing in mind genre-typical limitations