thebentriders.com
On test: Light & Motion Vega

As a long time bike commuter, I'm accustomed to putting up with the drawbacks of halogen and HID lighting systems; sure they're bright, but they're also heavy, expensive, and not always user-friendly.

Until recently, the only alternative has been low-powered LED "safety" lights which are lightweight, simple, and inexpensive but don't offer enough wattage for year-round conditions. They also burn through batteries like crazy (I hate to contribute to filling our landfills with spent alkaline batteries).

Light & Motion took the best attributes from these two types of lights and combined them in an elegant commuter light they call the Vega. The Vega utilizes the world's brightest LED, the 3-watt Luxeon Star Power Light Source, that delivers 85 lumens and a 10,000 hour LED life. This is one bright little light; at 218g total weight, the Vega offers one of the best light to weight ratios on the market.

The Vega has four modes: high, medium, low, and flasher. On the high setting there is plenty of light for urban and suburban commuting (in the areas I ride there is always some ambient light). Note: for riding in darkened rural areas a high-watt halogen system might be a better choice. I haven't found a use for the medium and low settings, but the flasher mode is great for those times around dawn and dusk when a light isn't needed for seeing, but is required for safety.

The Vega's industrial NiMH battery is built right into the body of the light, saving weight and eliminating cumbersome battery cables and water bottle cells (and those nasty spent alkalines). It's an elegant solution and the first of its kind; I suspect we'll see a series of knock-offs to follow.

Some halogen systems still require babysitting the charger to avoid overcharging and damaging expensive NiMH cells. The Vega comes supplied with a "smart" charger that automatically shuts off when the light is fully charged; no more staying up late to unplug the charger.

If you're looking for a light for all night randonneuring, this is not your light. But if you, like me, need a light for early morning or late evening commutes or training rides under two hours, the Vega is the state-of-the-art.