Exposure Joystick Mk17

The USE Exposure Joystick Mk17 is still one of the very best helmet- or handlebar-mounted lights out there. This diminutive package punches way above its small weight, and you'll be enjoying its performance, reliability and repairability many years after you forget the rather steep (but fair) price.

Our best front bike lights buyer's guide rounds up all our favourites from under £50 to around £300.

Nine years ago I reviewed the USE Exposure Mk10 Joystick – back then £140 got you 800 lumens lasting 90 minutes in an 87g package. I still have that light, and it's still running fine. I had to send it back to USE for a new controller after seven years of pretty much every-ride twice-weekly use, which cost me the princely sum of £14.

Last year I had a go with the Mk16 Joystick – £170, 98g, 1,150 lumens and a 90-minute run-time on full.

The Mk17 offering is the same output, same weight, same run-time – but costs £20 more, which is what a year of inflation will do...

For that £20 you get the same wall-plug charger, and USE now includes a USB charging cable (£5 in its store). Rejoice, commuters and bikepackers of the world – but sigh – it's USB-A. As I fretted in my last Joystick review, the modern world is done with USB-A, and Exposure really does need to get on the USB-C bus. Please.

Going down the USB-C route will also save the e-waste of providing wall-wart light-specific chargers – USB-C is more than capable of providing whatever current the light can take. Also let's see USE use USB-C to cut down that four-hour charging time eh? For such a smart light four hours to charge is an age, when the similar-capacity batteries in our phones can fully charge in roughly half the time. Exposure has introduced USB-C charging to the 2024 TraceR rear light, so is clearly aware of its existence...

The excellent helmet bracket is the same, the Goldilocks-porridge beam pattern is the same, the industry-leading selectable control modes are the same, the physical exterior – button, port, LEDs – is the same.

The only thing that's changed in the last year is the price and the USB cable.

And while I'd much prefer to see USB-C, let's not underplay that cable entirely – if you're travelling light, commuting, bikepacking in remote areas and so on – being able to charge your light off a USB source will be a godsend.

Regarding that price: a lot has happened in the last decade, and today in the cost-of-living crisis £190 is a lot of dosh. But, according to the Bank of England, £140 back in 2015 is the equivalent of £185 now. So what is effectively pretty much the same money you're getting an extra 350 lumens – with the same run-time – plus the ability to charge it off any handy USB-A port.

How does it ride? Just as well as the Mk16 – so, an excellent helmet-mounted light for seeing around corners, spotting potholes and so on, and on the bar as a see-me light with the daytime flash mode, and good enough for more moderately paced rides on unlit routes. As always, you wouldn't want to be riding at more than about 15mph or so, depending on how good your eyes are and how wet the road is.

Value

Liam did review the Knog PWR Mountain Kit Light for our sister site off.road.cc. At £220 it's a little dearer than the Exposure but it puts out a mighty 2,000 lumens, and Liam even rated it for helmet use as it weighs just 100g – powered by a separate lightweight power pack.

The Exposure Daybright Mark 3 works well for daytime-running use and perhaps as a night-time backup to a bar-mounted light. Josh appreciated its all-round quality if not its micro-USB charging. It also has a rear-facing red LED, which will work in conjunction with the front LED when you mount it on a helmet.

If you're really limited on budget, the Brightside Topside Helmet Light is a super-bargain helmet-mounted front-and rear light that costs just £29.99. Shaun found it a versatile and user-friendly design.

Conclusion

Yes, as our buyer's guide shows, you can buy much brighter lights for a good deal less money. And yes, some even double as helmet lights without being too heavy/protruding/difficult to control. But there are few other direct competitors to the newest incarnation of the Exposure Joystick, though the slightly more expensive Knog runs it close in some ways.

But no one else puts together a package that combines the function, performance and run-time of the Joystick, backed by the warranty, support and repairability on offer from a UK-based company. That's what your £190 gets you, and the value is entirely in the well-illuminated eye of the beholder.

Once again Exposure delivers a fabulous light that could be improved with better accessories, but in itself is excellent.

Verdict

Still the best overall helmet/handlebar light out there, with best-in-class repairability