Astrolux BL03 XPG LED bike light test

The company has been on the market since 2015, they offer countless flashlights and headlamps for a wide variety of applications. They have products for fishermen, hunters and divers in addition to simple users. They have a light source that costs hundreds of thousands of forints and illuminates more than 3 kilometers. Moreover, unlike Chinese customs, these data are relatively close to reality. So it's not a small company, so it could be guessed that the products developed for bikers also represent good quality.

The packaging of the Astrolux BL03 projects quality, the product is a sophisticated, clean, arrived in a black box. There is a picture of the product on the cover and a table on the back about how much operating time can be expected in which mode of use. These data proved to be almost correct during the test. Unwrapped the box first we get the lamp itself, below it is the charging cable and the clamp required for fastening. The remote control it comes separately in a small bubble bag, because it is not part of the package, can be purchased as an option.

Holding the Astrolux BL03 in your hand, the use of quality materials is immediately apparent.

The device has a metal housing, it has a corresponding weight - 16 deka -, but it creates an absolutely professional feeling. Applying the lamp wasn't too much of a challenge, one it can be attached to the steering wheel with a quick-release clamp, which requires no tools. The light fixture must be pulled into the rail running on top of the counter piece attached to the steering wheel, until it clicks, indicating that you are in the right place. To remove it, press the plastic tab on the side of the rail, then you can pull it off with one movement. If you leave your bike somewhere, you should take it off, because the devil doesn't sleep, right?

Fixing the remote control was not so easy,

egy with a velcro solution you have to work, which wouldn't be a problem, but the velcro was made too long for the normal steering wheel, so impossible to fasten tightly. No matter how I tried, it always stung a bit, which isn't a tragedy after all, but it's still annoying. The remote control is a useful accessory anyway, as it can be used to switch the lights on at the push of a button, is more convenient, as if we are starting to dig the top of the lamp. I know I'm insatiable, but it would have been nice if the connection had been solved wirelessly, but alas they stayed with the old-school solution. Which is painful for two reasons, one of which is that an extra cable has to be routed through the already quite crowded steering wheel. The other, which is perhaps worse, is that the controller immediately occupies the lamp body Type-C connector, which is used to charge the device. Thus, if you would like to charge a power bank on the go and thereby extend the operating time, then it is only possible by connecting the remote control.

After everything was installed, the test could start. Because of the right circumstances I tried to start in the twilight and get wrapped up in the night, so that I can test it under various lighting conditions. The Astrolux BL03 is equipped with two XTE and 1 XPG LED, the former a "muted", the latter a "remote" headlight, if we stick to automotive terminology. By turning on the two types of light at the same time, we get a brutally strong light, according to the manufacturer, the combined brightness is 1200 lumens. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to measure the exact brightness, but I think to bring this value. As an addition, while driving, when I approached a traffic sign, then he illuminated it as harshly as if I was driving a car with high beams. It was also interesting to see the thousands of tiny insects scurrying around in front of the lamp.

Unfortunately, the 6000 mAh battery drains relatively quickly at full power,

it lasted about an hour and a half for me, which is the same as the values ​​given by the manufacturer. They installed one With LCD display, on which you can monitor the current charge in percentage, so I saw the value drop about every minute. However, it is the rarest case when full strength is justified, so to speak only use the dimmed one on the lowest level, then you can push this out to up to 20 hours. This is not bad, considering that if you ride all night, you need a maximum of 8 hours, so it can last two full nights without charging. Charging it doesn't cause much trouble either With a cable with a Type-C connector, not even with the help of a power bank. However, what was striking was that it also comes with a fast charger it took all night to fill up, the factory specifies 3 and 4 hours, so there is a significant difference here.

If you are familiar with the world of bike lights, this will not come as a surprise the 5 types of modes that both LEDs can handle separately. Stand here for what they are: that strong, medium, weak, steady flashing and SOS mode. You can switch between them by pressing the buttons, by definition the first press activates the strong mode, the second the medium, and so on. For the most part, I used the medium mode from the long distance, which I used the principle of seeing and being seen was perfectly realized and the action did not sink quickly. At full power, heating can be experienced around the LEDs, but the manufacturer draws attention to this with the help of a printed HOT inscription and the symbol referring to it.