Knog PWR Road Front Light

The Knog PWR Road 600 is a very nicely made modular front light that doubles up as a power bank for recharging phones and the like. It's full of innovations, such as interchangeable 'Lightheads', but outright lighting performance is a little underwhelming.

• Pros: Very nicely made, interesting customisation options, can be used as a power bank
• Cons: Expensive, outright lighting power is no more than OK, interchangeable Lightheads look weird in different battery bodies

What's this? A Knog light costing almost £85? For people who became fans of the Aussie brand through its fun, funky and value for money ethos, there may be some despair that Knog has a front light with an RRP that dangerously approaches three figures. But don't panic entirely. Although you may not be able to buy the PWR Road front light with your pocket money, it certainly hasn't lost any of Knog's fondness for innovation.

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The first thing to note is, this is not simply a front light. It's actually a 3350mAh power bank, perfect for charging phones and other electronic devices, but which also happens to accept a 600-lumen 'Lighthead' attachment that comes included here. This simply pushes on, with internal rubber seals keeping everything nice and waterproof. (When not in use as a light, Knog provides a blank plug to cover the charging ports.)

Light modes

Aside from the basic premise of the PWR Road, there are innovations found in the details. For example, the light has no buttons. You twist the Lighthead – the bit you push on – hold for a couple of seconds, and it switches on. Then twist it again to run through the six available modes: Max (600 lumens/2.3 hours); Mid (250 lumens/6.1 hours), Stamina (65 lumens/23 hours); Pulse (600 lumens/8 hours); Strobe Flash (250 lumens/12 hours) or finally Eco-Flash (65 lumens/195 hours).

Knog says charging takes about five hours – although in my experience this was actually closer to four hours – and you can see how much power your PWR Road has via four LEDs situated halfway along the CNC'ed aluminium body.

If the standard selection of six modes isn't enough, you can program supplementary modes and run-time preferences through Knog's ModeMaker app, downloadable from the Knog website. Meanwhile Knog says its Lightheads are interchangeable, so you could potentially fit one of the 1,000 or 2,000-lumen Lighthead options – although these have wider diameter bodies and would look a trifle odd fitted to the PWR Road's small aluminium body.

Build quality

Talking about the aluminium body, this is about as far away from the brightly coloured, silicone-infused Knog products of old as you could imagine. The PWR Road is really a beautifully made product, right down to the display-box-quality packaging. In the hand, the light feels sturdy but – at 153g – it's certainly not unnecessarily heavy.

The handlebar quick-release mounting bracket is another functional wonder and securely clamps around 31.8mm bars or 22.2mm bars with the included shim. It's actually a side bracket, so the light body slots onto it sideways, rather than on top, then a little thumbwheel extends a tongue that slots into one of two grooves on the light body to hold it in place. It's all very neat, works well and being quick release means removal is very simple, too.

Performance

But out on the road is where performance really counts and here the PWR Road is decent if not quite as spectacular as the rest of the package. At full power, the 600 lumens beam lights up the first 60 feet/20 metres of road well, but it starts to struggle as you reach further beyond 100 feet/30 metres. However, the smoothly graduated and ovalised beam shape does provide decent performance, lighting up the roadsides.

It's good enough for riding at a cruise but doesn't seem quite as bright as other 600-lumen lights I've tested, and you might well find forward visibility wanting if you're going hell for leather. In fact, to put my mind at rest, I compared it side-by-side with the CateEye Sync Core, which seems to outshine it, even though that only has a stated output of 500 lumens.

At less extreme speeds, such as urban riding and commuting, the PWR Road's 'Mid'/250-lumen option is very good. Incidentally, perfect for these kinds of riding duties, the lens has small illuminated side sections to keep you visible at 90 degrees.

Water resistance is also good – I gave it the full shower test, with no problems – and the handlebar bracket holds everything firmly.

Value and conclusion

Because of that slight letdown in performance terms, the £84.99 asking price seems a little steep. Yes, it's well made and the power bank potential is a handy extra, but this is a light first and foremost. The Sigma Buster 700 at £61.99 and the Kryptonite Alley F-800 at £74.99 – to name just two lights we've tested recently – offer noticeably better illumination for less money.

> Read more road.cc reviews of front lights for cycling

Perhaps the biggest problem with the PWR Road is its name. I think it's on the cusp of being underpowered for drop-bar riding at any great speed, and seems better suited as a general use front light. Recognise these lighting limits, though, and you've got a classy front light that's also ready to help you out when your phone runs out of charge.

Verdict

Well built and interesting, with added value as a power bank, but there are cheaper and more powerful front lights