Exposure BOOST DayBright

The Exposure BOOST DayBright front light is designed to let you be seen by other road users, but it doesn't have enough power for night-time riding on unlit routes. The settings are simple to use, with three power levels you can run in either continuous or pulse mode. But the single button can be tricky to operate with gloves, and the BOOST is also quite expensive for a daytime light, though it does have Exposure's usual excellent build quality.

There is nothing fancy about the design of the BOOST DayBright – but it does everything it needs to do very well. And though its build quality is right up there with any of the lights in our best front lights buyer's guide, you are paying a lot for the Exposure.

It's a neat, compact design, though, with a rubber band that wraps around the light's aluminium body, which covers the charging port and is home to the sole function button.

It mounts securely to its neat handlebar bracket that is attached to your handlebar using a thick rubber band. This works with round bars of different diameters, but if you're running a flat, aero bar you'll need a mount such as Exposure's GoPro Fitting Light Clip that attaches to the underside of a computer mount with a GoPro attachment.

The BOOST's IP65 rating means it's designed to survive rain and road spray but is not designed to be submerged in water, so there's no fording rivers with this. In the real riding world, I used it in some of the pretty foul weather this winter has generously provided us with and had no issues whatsoever.

The single XPL2 LED puts out 350 lumens at maximum power, which is enough for riding at night in urban and suburban areas with street lighting, but not sufficient if you're on an unlit route. I found the lowest power setting easily enough for daytime riding, which provides a runtime of 12 hours in continuous mode and 24 hours in pulse. These are also written on the light, just in case you forget...

During winter, I pretty much always ride with a front light to make other road users aware of my presence. The BOOST DayBright is small enough so that I would happily run it all year just for the extra safety it provides.

Its 1,500mAh USB rechargeable battery takes only three hours to fully charge and displays a traffic light system 'fuel gauge' to show you how much battery life is left. If the LEDs go beyond their optimum working temperature – probably not that likely this winter – Exposure's patented ITM circuitry reduces the LED's output, keeping the light as efficient as possible. Once it has cooled sufficiently, the power is automatically restored.

One of the few downsides I found is the light's single on/off/function button. A double click turns it on, a single click cycles through the mode, and you hold the button down until the light flashes twice to turn it off. But while I like having a single butting for all the functions, I found the small button that sits underneath the rubber band hard to find and operate with thick winter gloves. 

Value

For a be-seen light, there's no denying that at £70 Exposure's BOOST DayBright is rather expensive. For half that price you can get the Sigma Buster 300 Headlight that Emma found very easy to use when she reviewed it, though its run time was limited at maximum power.

If you want a more powerful front light that can also handle some rural riding at a price less than the Exposure, you could check out the Proviz LED360 Rigel Front Bike Light that Dave rated very highly. It boasts best-in-class run-times and only costs £54.99.

If you're looking for a be-seen light that fits any handlebar shape, Stu reviewed the £46.99 Topeak Headlux 450 USB Front Light, but he wasn't impressed with the output for a 450-lumen light.

Overall

The Exposure BOOST DayBright is solidly constructed with a sleek, minimalist design that works very well, and Exposure offers a variety of mounting systems. But it is let down slightly by its small function button and a high price for what is a be-seen light.

Verdict

Well-made, sleek and robust be-seen light – but it costs more than some night-time riding lights