Cateye AMPP 800 front light

The Cateye AMPP 800 is a powerful and solidly made light with a wide beam and impressive horizontal visibility that is easy to attach and remove, although it would be good if it held its charge for a little longer.

• Pros: Powerful, easy to fit
• Cons: Battery life not as good as some competitors

It's got to that time of year when lights are not just an additional safety feature but a necessity. It's an odd feeling to open a box of review kit and feel a sense of sadness when you pull out a light, but the AMPP 800 has taken a little bit of the disappointment away as I was pretty impressed.

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As you may have guessed from the name, this light's max output is 800 lumens. I took it along a few unlit lanes and found it more than adequate for seeing with, although I probably would want something with a little more output for trail riding or gravel.

One element of the Cateye that I particularly like is that it doesn't just give out light from the front, because of the OptiCube lens technology it also allows light to shine horizontally, making you more visible from the side.

The regular beam is helped with this technology too as it allows it to be a wider beam, meaning you can see more of what's in front of you. The beam is definitely more of an ellipse than a circle, so it perhaps doesn't stretch as far in front as others, but you get to see more of what's directly around you.

In terms of modes there are five: High, Middle, Low, Daytime HyperConstant, and Flashing, each offering different effectiveness in different situations as well as impacting battery usage. Switching between modes is done through a short press on the single button on the top of the light, which also has a memory function so when you next turn it on it will be on your last chosen mode by default.

The button also has a three-coloured battery indicator to let you know how much charge is left, which is surprisingly useful as you don't go from 'fine' to 'you've got 10 minutes to charge me' without warning.

Battery life, as with every light, varies dramatically depending on what mode you use: from 1.5hrs on high (my journey to work is 45 minutes and I had to charge again after a trip to work and back)  to 30hrs on flashing mode. This isn't quite as good as other lights for solid modes – for instance, the ETC Kochab 1000 Lumen front light has a run-time of 12.5hrs on its lowest constant setting at 250 lumens, compared to the 4hrs for this at 200.

Charging is done through a micro USB cable via a port on the bottom of the light. This has a silicone cap over the top to help keep out the water. Charging takes around 3hrs plugged into the mains, closer to 4.5hrs charged via a laptop.

The silicone cap over the USB port keeps water out – I took the light out in a few biblical downpours and didn't have any issues with water getting in. The aluminium body and sturdy construction also mean it's likely to survive a few bashes.

Fitting the light to your bars is easy with a FlexTight bracket – essentially a threaded strap that you tighten using a nut. To attach the light, just slide it into the mount and it clips into place; to unclip, press the latch underneath the mount and slide it back out.

At £84.99 it isn't the cheapest 800-lumen front light, but given how robust it is, combined with some of its other qualities such as the width of the beam and side visibility, and I wouldn't say it's overpriced.

It is five quid more than the ETC Kochab I mentioned earlier, which has an additional 200 lumens, but that uses plastics rather than aluminium. Similarly, the Knog PWR Road comes in at the same RRP but doesn't offer the same levels of output – 600 vs 800 – although it does double up as a power bank.

> Buyer's Guide: The best front lights for cycling

Overall, the Cateye AMPP 800 is a relatively expensive but well made and innovative front light. The battery could hold its charge for longer, but aside from that there is little not to like: it's hardy, powerful enough for most, and has a decent wide beam to boot.

Verdict

Battery life could be longer, but this is a well made and bright enough light for most situations