In depth Review of Extreme1400 and Extreme 2K. Which do I prefer and way

[Bike Lore]

I get this question over and over: Which cycle light do I prefer and why?

 

There is no easy definitive answer. It comes down to what you use your light for. In cycling there are two camps of thought. Maximum amount light output that shine as wide and far as possible vs small, light weight and preference to endurance. The latter can be found with both types.

If you do MTB the first should appeal to you, if you do more road cycling the latter.

These factors use to be mutually exclusive but technology has really improved over the last 2 years.

Not just with LED’s getting more efficient, but notably in battery technology as well. Interestingly the cost of quality batteries is the largest contributor to the price of a light, more than the light itself.

The advances in LED light and battery technology is very exciting.

 

My preferred setup is as follows

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/07/Compare.jpg

Extreme 2K on the handle bars and Extreme 1400(whit Panasonic cells) on the helmet.

 

The combination of these two lights are incredible. Both of the lights are part of Extreme Lights K range which comes standard with the latest Cree XM-L2 and the most advanced Panasonic battery pack.

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/10/Side-view.jpg

 

Extreme 2k As handle bar mount light

 

The small size and wide beam of the Extreme 2k make it ideal for both helmet – and handle bar mount. It has sufficient light output but comes to its own right in regards to runtime and weight.

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/07/Extreme2k-Front-502x502.gif

Modes / Light Output / Runtime (4 Cell 6800mAh)

High 1800 4h

Low 400 20h

Strobe 1800 10h

 

Light and 4 cell, high capacity, battery pack weighs 399g

 

Extreme 1400K as helmet mount

The Extreme 1400K has a nice hot spot which gives ample throw. The side spill is nice and wide which give excellent peripheral vision. We took what was good in the Extreme1200 and made it better. Most of the light is in the hot spot but it has sufficient amount of light to use as a handlebar/primary light or helmet/secondary light.

 

Interestingly the hot spot of the Extreme 1400 makes it look as bright or brighter even than the Extreme 2k. There is a very good reason for this. You need exponentially more light the wider and more even the beam is. And the Extreme 2k is very wide.

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/05/Extreme1400-front4-502x502.jpg

Output Lumen / Runtime

High +1000 Lumen / 9h

Low 250 Lumen / 42h

Strobe 400 Lumen / 13h

Weight with battery: 395g

 

Both the lights come with the advance high quality 4 cell Panasonic battery pack . The advances of these batteries can be seen in the runtime. The Extreme 1400 uses less power and therefore can run much longer. This makes it a number one choice for all-night endurance events.

Here is a beam comparison showing the difference.

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/11/New-Cycle-animation.gif

 

Why two lights?

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/06/peartree_16.jpg

I really prefer having a dual setup. There are a few reasons for this. Having two lights mean you won’t be stranded in the dark if one fail. Secondly, It gives me flexibility. When cornering a single track you can trace the path with the hot spot while your handlebar mounted light is negotiating the turn, effectively pointing the other direction.

I have tried a lot of combinations and have found that the two lights should have little difference in effective brightness. In other words the one which has a larger hot spot should illuminates about the same as the more concentrated light. That is not that easy to achieve.

http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/11/BeamPattern.jpg

The above picture shows very clearly the exponential effect of increasing width of the beam. 3A has 3 x more area as 1A. Therefor if you want the area to be the same brightness you will effectively need 3 x more light!

The Extreme 2k and Extreme 1400 makes an excellent pair because they complement each other. The Extreme 1400 sharp hot spot gives you much further throw than the Extreme 2k. But where the Extreme 1400 lack in side spill the Extreme 2k’s wide beam makes up for.

 

Original post

Edited November 21, 2013 by Hannes Zietsman