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review
Lights - front
Blackburn Voyager Click front lightBlackburn Voyager Click.

Blackburn Voyager Click front light

8
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Nov 5, 2011

0
£12.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Brilliantly conceived back up light with an equally impressive price tag
Weight: 
30g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk
How we test

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Blackburn's Voyager Click Headlight mightn't be leading the pack in the lumens race but rather like horsepower or megapixels, figures are only half the picture. Thirteen measly pounds buys two ultra bright LEDs, fiendishly user-friendly switch, battery sipping run-times and no quibble lifetime warranty.

Arguably the most practical Audax/generic dynamo support light, its compact cube-shaped profile should satisfy the most ardent minimalists while presenting tourists and other night owls with the option of running a precession of blinkeys for optimal visibility. That said, 31.8 diameter bars gave the silicone strips indigestion and connecting the plastic 'S' hook coupling can prove fiddly in gloved hands.

Blackburn has decided to introduce colour to the Voyager range from tasteful to er, less tasteful depending on your point of view but otherwise it remains identical to last season's. A monocoque shell cum strap optimises the modest 15 lumens peripherally while shielding the rider's eyes from potentially distracting glare-especially in flashing mode. Flipping it over reveals a rubber shim that doubles as a surprisingly effective weather seal.

Removing this gives access to the coin operated battery hatch. Roadside exchanges might be infrequent but unlike competitors, it runs from two Cr2032 cells, overlooking this could lead to embarrassments. Speaking of which, my time honoured and generous application of petroleum jelly on the contacts and inside cover paid dividends when ours shot from the Univega's drops and in to the North Sea. Screaming its SOS in flashing mode, ours spent three minutes submerged in the chill waters but has chalked up 67 hours in steady mode since. Visible to three hundred and fifty yards on the open road, the switch allows easy toggling through town since flashing can become lost along the main strip and steady just a little bashful for roundabouts and right turns.

Verdict

Brilliantly conceived back up light with an equally impressive price tag.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Blackburn Voyager Metallic Click Headlight

Size tested: Black

Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Blackburn aren't prescriptive and this isn't a bad thing since the voyager transcend all genres of machine and riding styles. Basically they're an extremely competent and clever safety light with a lifetime warrantee.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?

2 Super-bright White LEDs

Press lens to turn on

15 Lumen output

Silicon straps mount to any handlebar, no tools required

70 hr steady, 140hr flashing runtimes

2 CR2032 Batteries included

Rate the light for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the light for design and ease of use. How simple was the light to use?
 
9/10
Rate the light for the design and usability of the clamping system/s
 
7/10
Rate the light for waterproofing. How did it stand up to the elements?
 
7/10

Generally excellent, although err on the side of weather resistant as opposed to proof.

Rate the light for battery life. How long did it last? How long did it take to recharge?
 
8/10

I've managed 67 hours in steady and previous incarnations have racked up a consistent 134 hours in flashing so pretty faithful to those quoted.

Rate the light for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the light for durability:
 
7/10

Generally excellent but it's weather-resistant rather than proof.

Rate the light for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

30g

Rate the light for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Simplicity itself to use on the fly.

Rate the light for value:
 
9/10

Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Blackburn Voyager Click is going to be a design classic full stop. Perfect as a get you home or complimentary to "Legal" lighting, it projects a pure, white beacon of light for three hundred or so yards on unlit roads without getting drowned out on the high street scramble. Generous (and seemingly faithful) run-times are the answer to a night owl's prayers.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the light

Pretty much the whole package.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light

Nothing, although a slightly revised strap would make a great light greater still.

Did you enjoy using the light? Yes

Would you consider buying the light? Yes

Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

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Blackburn Voyager Click front light
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Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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