Hope Vision Single LED

...Another innovation seen on the Hope light and some other LED lights is the use of a collimated lens, which significantly improves beam spread.

'''And our Hope?'''

The Hope Vison has a single LED emitter producing 240 lumens on max power. It's bright. It's main feature however is rather than having an integral battery, it instead runs on 4 AA batteries. On the one hand you get greater flexibility, but on the other you have ...
...red version. It has "VISION hope ONE" laser etched into the red anodised aluminium shell. In addition the aluminium ring around the lens and the battery end cap are silver rather than colour matched. In my view the unit is attractively styled. It was easy to assemble - choose the correct rubber spacers for the quick release handlebar clamp, bolt it to the light unit, and fit it to your handlebars and away you go. Out of the box it appeared ... more

How Bright?

LED lights have almost universally replaced halogens as the bulb of choice in your typical cycle lights. The very bright light of an LED is very good at ensuring you get seen but the narrow beam wasn't so good at seeing with. For riding off-road a good halogen setup was superior to LED until very recently. The last couple of years have seen light manufacturers incorporate high power LED's into light units. Compared to a standard 2.4 watt halogen in a typical commuter light delivering about 40-50 lumens, a 1 watt LED will produce about 80 lumens, while the latest LED emitters will produce around 250 lumens from a measly 5 watts. Coupled with lighter and more energy dense Li-ion battery packs, 900 lumen light units intended for racing off-road are a feasible although rather expensive option. Another innovation seen on the Hope light and some other LED lights is the use of a collimated lens, which significantly improves beam spread.

And our Hope?

The Hope Vison has a single LED emitter producing 240 lumens on max power. It's bright. It's main feature however is rather than having an integral battery, it instead runs on 4 AA batteries. On the one hand you get greater flexibility, but on the other you have to buy batteries for your light, as none are included. You also get a handlebar bracket, rubber adaptors for over-size and standard bars, a helmet mount, and a lanyard to go round your wrist.

First Impressions

Well first off the picture supplied by Ciao does not give the unit justice. I purchased the red version. It has "VISION hope ONE" laser etched into the red anodised aluminium shell. In addition the aluminium ring around the lens and the battery end cap are silver rather than colour matched. In my view the unit is attractively styled. It was easy to assemble - choose the correct rubber spacers for the quick release handlebar clamp, bolt it to the light unit, and fit it to your handlebars and away you go. Out of the box it appeared to be well made.

The Good

The large control button on the top is easy to use - a single press for on, and hold down for off. There are 4 light outputs and a flashing mode, more than enough for most uses. The beam is simple to adjust, and the unit can be unclipped in seconds and popped in a bag. Amusingly most people assume that my red light is a mini coke can or similar, and don't realise that it is a light. The 4 AA battery's are held in an adapted battery holder, which makes insertion into the light unit fairly simple. Battery choice is fairly flexible, and will work with a wide variety of battery types including lithium. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries. On longer rides I also carry alkaline batteries as a backup - something you can't do with the lights that come with an integrated battery.

The Bright

Light output is indeed very good. It has good penetration, and spread. It is very similar in character to the Exposure Joystick Light, which while much lighter retails for around £145. For use on road it is more than adequate and is much better than the 10/12 watt halogen setup I used to have. Personally though I can't visually detect a difference between the brightest setting and the next brightest, and seeing as you get double the battery duration, I tend to use the lower setting. Light output is adequate for off-road use, although I feel that it definitely benefits from the addition of a helmet mounted light such as Exposure's Joystick. It also makes a fantastically bright torch - very handy for repairs in the dark.

The Bad

Has to be the quick release bar mount. It uses two small rubber inserts between the clamp and bar. The surface area of these is much too small, and the light tends to squirm about in use. This makes it a liability off road where you will encounter a good deal of vibration, and a light which ends up illuminating your quick release is no use you to whatsoever. I managed to improve this by wrapping some insulating tape around the bar, and setting the clamp so that it was as tight as possible. I have since cured this problem altogether. I managed to dislodge one of the rubber inserts after using the light as a torch - I jury rigged it with a bit of cloth to get me home. Back in the garage I removed the other insert, found a spare bar clamp insert from another light, and used that instead. The light is absolutely perfect now. It doesn't squirm or move around. The other issue is the weight, which makes using the supplied helmet mount something of interesting proposition - I personally would advise you not to try. You have to use decent quality rechargeable batteries. Cheaper batteries may experience significant voltage drop as they discharge. Once the battery voltage drops below a certain level the unit will simply cut out, and unlike some other units there is no battery indicator light - the price you pay for making the unit versatile. I personally have had no problems with batteries, but then I knew the light was fussy and brought top spec Duracells.

Durability

Apart form the problems with the bracket, durability is really good. I have had the unit now for just under 12 months and it has been in daily use, everything is still working as it did. Light output is still excellent - cheaper LED's will dim with age. It has got a few knocks and scratches, but everything is holding up well.

Conclusion

For the money the brightest light around in a durable well thought out package, let down by "innovative" clamp design.

 

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