CycleBeam 700 Lumen Helmet Light

The pros:-nice throw for day time use, can be seen during the day-Cheap for barrier to entryCon's:short battery lifeNo battery indicatorPoor standby timeFeels heavy on the headLarge foot printI got this mainly because I wanted a head lamp so drivers can see me in the city during the day (with flashing).I also have a cygolight on my bike, but at head level where drivers are at is also good, especially when cars are trying to cross trafficThe mount for it is pretty big making it stand high up on your helmet, almost making it look like a coal miner helmet.I didn't like that there was no indicator light warning you the battery is low and the fact that if you don't use it for a few days, your battery could be half way drained.The other thing too, is you definately know it's on your head. And a lot of motion can say your helmet around.I'm still now sure how I feel about it, but if your new to biking, then this could be your starting point.

I really wanted to like this light since the output was great and it was really well packaged and thought out.Pros:- Really bright.- USB charging, you don't need to worry about having a charger (with one caveat that I'll get into in the cons).- You could charge your phone from the battery pack.Cons:- The helmet mount stuck out a long way, this was pretty much the same as any of the generic Chinese lights I've bought.- The biggest issue for me is that although you didn't need a wall charger you needed a little dongle to convert from USB to the socket on the light. This was the deal breaker for me. I don't want to have to worry about carrying extra little bits around with me, I want to just plug a USB cord into the light like I do with my phone. The adapter is very small but still something you have to remember.- There isn't a rear light. This isn't a huge deal but similarly I didn't want to have to worry about charging multiple batteries.- There is no side visibility.Other than that the light was really well packaged and the quality seemed excellent, I just couldn't get over needing a dongle to charge it. Most of the stuff that I'm complaining about is obvious from the product details.

The Proton-700 is a great helmet light for the price. It is compact and fairly lightweight. The construction seems to be quite good and the battery pack comes with the mount and all the straps needed to mount on most helmets. The battery pack also has straps to mount to the helmet or an extension cable if you want to put in a backpack or jacket/shirt pocket. The battery pack is recharged with an included USB charger.I can feel the additional weight after mounting the light and the battery pack, but it does not bother me at all. I use this light in conjunction with the CycleBeam Tycho 1200 dual CREE light system and they complement each other. The Proton-700 has a high/medium/low/strobe/SOS system which is activated by pushing a lighted switch on top of the light. The CREE bulb is quite bright by itself. I have used this for a ride that was approximately 1.5 hours and it stayed on high with no issues. I was curious to see how long it would burn on high and as I am writing this review, it has been burning on high for 4 hours and still going. I purchased a backup battery to take along as an emergency backup, but I do not think I will need it. The backup battery also comes with a nylon case. When I ordered the backup battery it shipped without the advertised nylon case. When I e-mailed the company they promptly replied, apologized and sent me the case. I liked that I was able to contact someone and they responded the same day and followed through with what they indicated they would do.I have used this light for a little over a month and it has performed flawlessly. I am pleased with the purchase and for the price, I think it is one of the best choices for a bright 700 lumen helmet light. Recommended.

I bought this product after researching several other (higher priced) manufacturers of bike lights. I decided to get this light because of the following:1) "Looked" to be of high quality. I only had pictures and one video from another reviewer to go off of.2) Based off the perceived quality of the product, the price was very reasonable.3) Light output was true to the advertised amount based off other reviews.4) I applied for the Amazon store card which made this light only $5.Some of the best reviews are from people who received the product for reviewing purposes. While I think these reviews are of the highest quality available, there is still some bias. I am here to tell you that CycleBeam makes the highest quality bike lights for the price. If your looking for a bike light, just buy this because your not going to find a better "bang for your buck."Packaging is minimalistic, reminding me of Apple products. The box is not much wider than a deck of cards and is only about 4" high. The light itself is high quality aluminum, it looks like it could take a beating.The battery can be mounted on the helmet of you can use the extender cord and hide it in your shirt pocket. I haven't weighed the battery as I'm not weight weenie, but it is fairly light. I'm sure there are lighter options, but again, this will arguably be the best for the money. I wouldn't use this as a handle bar light as the beam is wide, but this is just personal preference. Light output is great. The days are getting shorter now and I had this on the trail yesterday for a short ride. I wouldn't mind having this as my ONLY light if commuting on pavement. For you trail riders, you can get by if this is your only light, but I would recommend a second handlebar light if you plan on bombing down some hills in the dark.