AW19 MOON METEOR STORM LITE, Black

Product Information

Astrophotographer Jeff Berkes captured this shot of Leonid meteors over a house in New Jersey in 2012. (Image credit: Jeff Berkes) Comet crumbs The included helmet mount is a simple plate with the same mount as the handlebar version, which can be angled up or down, and secured with a Velcro strap. Front bike lights broadly break down into two categories, those that allow you to be seen, and those that will allow you to see the road.

When it comes to Lights products such as Moon Meteor Storm Lite Front Light, it’s essential to consider quality in addition to price. While it’s tempting to opt for the cheapest option available, low-quality Moon Meteor Storm Lite Front Light can actually end up costing you more in the long run. The "lion's share" (no pun intended) of comet dust can be found just ahead and trailing behind Tempel-Tuttle. That comet last swept through the inner solar system in 1998. That's why spectacular meteor showers were seen in 1999, 2001 and 2002, with declining numbers thereafter. There is also a remote button that plugs into the USB port on the underside of the light and mounts to the bar to give an alternative to using the button on the light. Despite the Moon Meteor Storm Pro feeling much brighter than its claimed lumen output, the beam’s pattern is especially focused even when it’s operating in the mixed beam mode. Run-times were spot on as advertised, and pretty good too for the size of the light. Running boost mode permanently will kill the battery in an hour, but the modes I used the most, 600-lumen steady and day flash, gave 2 hours and up to 65 hours respectively, more than enough for the riding I do at this time of year. With mixed use I got three days or so from the light before it needed a charge, with that handy LED panel showing the battery level in 20% increments.

To operate, the Storm took a bit of learning. With many lights you simply switch them on and cycle through the modes. With the Storm you switch it on it and can cycle through five modes, but to switch between steady and flashing you have to hold the power button down for two seconds. To do this it passes through the 'off' setting (a one-second hold), which means you really need to be somewhere lit or stationary if you want to swap on the move. How waterproof? We douse each light in a shower for five minutes, making sure each is subject to a steady stream of water droplets from every angle.

Bright white LEDs trump the older yellowish halogen bulbs pretty much everywhere except when it is foggy. Even on their lowest settings all you end up with is a load of glare as it lights up the cloud in front of you rather than the road. Battery life is good, and I often achieved in excess of all of the claimed burn times I tested by around 10%. You can follow progress of how much juice you have left by way of the matrix display, which also tells you what mode you are in. The helmet mount is a standard Velcro strap with padding to protect your helmet. The addition of a hand tightening angle adjuster allows you to set the light how you like. Included is a 'remote' which plugs into the charging port. It attaches to the side of the helmet with Velcro, allowing you to change modes without having to reach to the very top of the light.With both LEDs on the output is 1300 lumens (Boost), 800 lumens (Mode 1) and 100 lumens (Mode 2); with run times of 2 hours, 3 hours, and 25 hours respectively. To do this we strap each of the lights to a bike (in turn), wait until it gets dark, and head out to an unlit country lane.

With either of the two LEDs on separately this changes to 800 lumens–Boost (2.5 hours), 600 lumens–Mode 1 (3.5 hours), and 80 lumens–Mode 2 (27.5 hours).The outputs in Mode 1 and Mode 2 are fully customisable by pressing and holding the VLS button. For example, you could have Mode 1 (both LEDs) at 800 lumens for use on unlit roads and set Mode 2 to (one LED) 80 lumens to use as a 'town' mode. This is very smart and allows you to tailor your light to the riding conditions and to how much battery life you need to conserve. Changing between the modes is super simple using the Power button on the light, or using the remote control mounted next to your gear shifter.

So, the 2023 Leonids are expected to show lean activity this year. According to a highly regarded Russian expert in meteor shower predictions, Mikhail Maslov, forecasts indicate a "moderate" maximum, which he suggests will stay approximately at the same level (about 15 per hour) during the period from 0:00 to 12:00 UT on Nov. 18. Similarly priced lights such as the Cateye AMPP 800 are shy on output compared to the Moon, and with the latter you are also getting longer burn times with an extra 500 lumens. The Cateye is a good light, though, with a slightly nicer beam pattern; I used the 1000-lumen version alongside the Moon and the review will be up soon. The remote button plugs in underneath and is attached with a Velcro strap. Its lead is 35cm long, which is more than enough for a road bike and should be sufficient for most mountain bike bars too. However, I did find that even when done up as tight as possible the button would slide around the bar, the small rubber pad not enough to keep it in place. I fixed this by using a cable tie in place of the strap. In Moon's large range of bike lights, the Storm Lite slots in at the bottom of the Storm range, offering only slightly lower outputs than the top two but no fewer features. Flash 1 gives 100 lumens which is enough to get you noticed in an urban environment at night, with a 400-lumen Flash 2 to get you noticed in the daylight. The battery will last 125hrs for Flash 1 and 220hrs for Flash 2 – its flash pattern means that the LED isn't on as much as Flash 1.The mounts are secure and easy to assemble and fit—I have ridden off-road with the light and it has stayed solid and focussed. The front bike light should always be positioned as close to the centre of the bike's handlebars as possible. Make sure the light is attached tightly and securely so it won't budge as you roll over bumps in the road. In a group context and, indeed, in slow-moving rush hour traffic, I'd go for its comparatively tame 40-lumen sibling. Still adequate for town (paired with a dynamo, for example), it shouldn't irritate at close quarters, and should last 80 hours. The Moon Meteor is a compact and relatively well made front light, offering 400 lumens in its highest steady setting, along with a 500-lumen daytime flash. Provided you're not calling on the full 400 too regularly, run-times are favourable, and it makes a decent dynamo companion, too.