Giant Numen Mini Light Combo

Giant has really gone back to basics with the Numen Mini Light Combo. You won't be overwhelmed with modes – it's steady or flashing – but they're easy to mount, use a single quick press for everything and create a usable, if not amazing brightness. Even the power source is old-school: two CR2032 coin batteries per light.

One press of the button switches on a steady beam, a second press takes it to a flashing mode, and a third switches it off. Their simplistic operation will appeal to those making short convenience trips or commutes, and make them ideal for children too.

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The LED casing sits inside a rubber cover with a flexible strap, and they are easy to take apart, so cleaning and drying is simple. They have no waterproof rating, but these have endured bike washing and I've even had them in the shower. They continue to function just fine. It's worth removing the cap and batteries and giving them a wipe around if they are exposed to heavy, persistent rain though.

Once mounted the lights don't budge, though they are only compatible with circular bars and posts. The rubber casing protects the lights from the elements and the effects of being dropped as well, which is handy.

Both lights are no more than 'be-seen' aids. The LEDs are bright, but they don't match something like Bookman's Block Light Front or its matching rear. They are not brilliantly effective in daylight either, and I personally wouldn't rely solely on them to get me seen at night.

They are a good supplement to a primary light, though, and a good option for saddle bag-stashing as emergency back-ups.

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The four CR2032 3V Lithium Cells supplied (each lamp takes two at a time) will power them for over 100 hours. Mine actually ran beyond this, though by then the output was ineffective.

Take care inserting and removing the batteries; the front one started to play up a short way into the test and I noticed the connector was bent. It straightened up just fine, at least, and I've had no problems since.

Value

It's difficult to draw comparisons; all the 'be-seen' lights we have tested in recent years have been USB rechargeable.

£11.99 for a set isn't steep considering you get 100 hours of runtime per light, but unless you already own a charger and rechargeable cell batteries, you're committed to buying replacements to keep them going (add the cost of a charger to the Numen Mini Lights and you're better off buying brighter USB rechargeables from the off).

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While the Magicshine Seemee 30 Combo is around a tenner more at £24.99, they're also bigger, brighter and better sealed against the elements. On the other hand, you can buy an extra 2000hrs of (the cheapest) CR2032s for the £10 and forget about recharging.

Lezyne's Femto USB Drive Pair adds USB recharging to a similar design to the Numens, but are more still at £29.

If non-USB and cheap is your preference, Halfords' 3-LED Bike Light Set is a tenner, while Decathlon's Elops SL 100 Front  and SL 100 Rear are £2.99 each. These only give around half the run time of Numens, though.

Overall

The Giant Numen Mini Light Combo certainly scores highly on the simplicity and usability stakes, and if you can't – or simply don't want to – recharge even between multiple rides, they have their place.

As additional lights or emergency backups they're good, and the price is good too. If you're after eye-catching brightness and flash modes, though, it's hard to recommend these even over more expensive modern designs.

Verdict

Handy and simple to use with plenty of run time, but the coin-battery power won't appeal to all