New Fenix BC30 Bike Light Review - Dual distance beam -Twin XM-L2 T6

Skyraider59

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Fenix BC30 Bike Light,
Dual distance beam -Twin XM-L2 T6

(photo heavy)

The BC30 is Fenix latest high power bike light and feature twin XM-L2-T6 leds delivering their Dual Distance Beam technology. This is their first replaceable internal battery bike light making the BC30 a powerful and user friendly cycle light for on or off road.

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What's in the box
The BC30 come in good quality cardboard box with data and photos on front and back. Inside is a foam cut out protecting the various items, to include BC30 light, handle bar clamp, remote burst switch, user manual and registration/warranty card and a small plastic bag with 3 "O" ring replacement and a couple of rubber inserts to adjust the clamping diameter according to the size of your handle bar.

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Initial overview and feel
At first view the light inspire confidence due to its overall quality, usual with Fenix lights.
Housing two 18650 batteries the BC30 is a fairly big cycle light but well balanced in its designed as well as its looks. The light is made of aluminum alloy with a good quality plastic battery cradle and aluminum end cap. The BC30 also has some very impressive features, 1200lms on Turbo, 1800lms on remote burst mode, long run time, low power indicator, adjustable handle bar clamp and their Dual Distance Beam. The BC30 certainly looks at home on my bike handle bar and could also be used around the house or while camping as a hand held flashlight.


The head is satin silver, nice contrast with the satin mat black body, four cooling groves are positioned on each side of the light with an additional six on the upper body.
You can immediately see that the BC30 has been designed for the cyclist has the head has a small visor on the top to reduce the height of the beam and the lens has been constructed to reflect the light downwards. Both features will more than likely help to minimizing the risk of blinding oncoming traffic if and only if your light is properly adjusted on your bike, ie beam pointing slightly downwards and not straight at other road users!
The twin lens is designed to achieve their Dual Distance Beam and is very specific to their system and appear to work well as the light is well spread on the floor. The internal battery cradle is removable from the rear of the light making the head and body a single mass for better heat dissipation. This works very well with the whole body warming up if no airflow is present.

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The cradle has a square cut out on the underneath to facilitate battery removable by pushing the battery out through that opening (well thought out Fenix) They advise you to use flat top and they are right, standard batteries with the raised terminal make the battery removal a little more difficult.
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The cradle locking system is easy to operate and the release ring is spring loaded staying in flush with the end cap when not in use. The Battery cradle is made of an aluminum end cap attached to a plastic cradle which looks high quality.

The light handlebar clamping is made of strong plastic rail attached to the underneath of the BC30, which do slide into the handlebar clamp and lock in place via a release catch at the rear.
Again, Fenix are showing good friendly cycling design as the clamp as an horizontal 30 degree side adjustment to compensate for the curvature of many handle bars. I had to change the rubber insert to the two slimmer one, and they are easily replaced and locate securely into the mounting and do give a very firm grip without marking the handlebar.
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A small "Jack plug" port with a rubber bung is situated under the light to attach the remote "Burst" switch.
The Remote Burst switch has a Velcro strap with an anti-slip backing and the switch itself has a "glow in the dark" rubber cover. The connecting jack plug has an "O" ring giving a waterproof and firm connection. This need to be pushed in firmly to establish a tight connection, if not the plug will come off! Once again, I am very impressed by the attention to details which went into the design of the BC30.

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Manufacturer Data

Utilizes two Cree XM-L2 T6 LED with a lifespan of 50,000 hours
• Uses two 18650 rechargeable batteries (Li-ion) or four 3V CR123A batteries (Lithium)
• Output mode / Runtime:
Burst: 1800 lumens
Turbo: 1200 lumens / 1h 50min
High: 500 lumens / 5h
Mid: 200 lumens / 11h
Low: 100 lumens / 20h
Flashing: 200 lumens
**Lumen/Run time figures given are from Fenix lab test carried out with their ARB-L2 and they warn you that results may vary due to battery and environment**
• Dimensions and Weight:
Length: 4.99" / 126.7mm
Width: 1.97" / 50mm
Height: 1.25" / 31.8mm
Weight: 5.68oz / 161 grams (excluding batteries and handlebar mount)
• Instant Burst: 1800 Lumens
• Flashing Mode: 200 Lumens
• Maximum Distance: 170 meters (557 feet)
• Max 1800-Lumen Output
• Instant burst activation with the remote pressure switch
• Dual distance beam system
• 4 brightness levels plus warning mode
• Digitally regulated output - maintains constant brightness
• Quick attach and detach handlebar mount sized for 22mm - 35mm handlebars
• Easy, secure adjustment of the light's direction
• Made of aluminium alloy and quality plastic
• 0 - 30 degree horizontal adjustment and any vertical adjustment to satisfy your various lighting needs
• High-quality detachable rubber mat included for improved shock resistance
• Innovative quick-change battery system for fast and easy battery replacement
• Low-power battery indicator
• Normal function in heavy rain or thick fog (IPX-6 Rating)

Settings

The light is turn on by a 2 second push of the power switch, which will activate your last used constant mode (well done again, no need to cycle through the modes!) then modes can be changed by a single press of the switch, the flash mode can be activated by a double press of the switch once the light is on, to return to the constant mode , only one press is required. To switch off, again a two second press is required. The "remote burst mode" switch will work when the BC30 is on or off and will require constant pressure for illumination to the 1800lms or the highest level according to the power left in the batteries. The low Battery warning system is incorporated in the switch and will turn from green to red when the battery gets low. No data is given regarding run time and light behaviour when the battery light is on red. As this is important to cyclists, have a look to my test results, this do differ enormously according to the batteries you use.

Riding with the BC30
The first thing I notice once turn on; was its neutral tint, not surprising as I am used to cool white cycle and flashlights and this was a little warm for me.
**Please note the BC30 tint is neutral and not warm**
I do prefer the raw white light coming out of cool tint leds for forest trails. (Just down to personal preference).
The colour rendering of the BC30 is very good and did not create some of the harsh shadows encountered sometime with the cool white LED while cycling. The NW generally does not look as bright as the CW but will illuminate better in rainy or foggy conditions and is preferred by some cyclists. I would have liked for Fenix to offer both tints for sale. The beam is very wide with good throw and place a lot of uniform lighting on the ground where you need most see photos. As mentioned before, the fitting and removal of the light is very quick and easy, The battery condition warning light is dim enough not to interfere with your night vision while ridding and is showing through the switch. The body main switch on my review sample sometime required several attempts to change light mode while wearing gloves on a ride.
This may be due to the switch not being raised much from the body of the BC30.
The burst mode switch due to its small size and its velcro strap can be position virtually anywhere on your handle bar. Mine was position on the left hand side just before the gear trigger! What I did found, is that despite the fact that I can always used a little more light on technical or fast section, the difference to my eyes from 1200 to 1800 lumens on a forest trail was not that great (see video) and changing light modes for me was an unnecessary distraction! So I did not use it in the forest but what I did find is; once on the road, the burst mode was a good way to attract motorists attention, like flashing your car headlamp. The Burst mode for me is more of a road feature!

The BC30 wide beam is well suited as an handlebar light and ridding trails with an additional helmet mounted cool white light was a great combination for me.
For road use, I found the BC30 NW tint excellent and found the high or medium setting more than sufficient for non lit roads giving me long riding time.

Home test
The Fenix BC30 was tested with my home made light sphere and a cooling fan was used between the readings. (please note they will be a small margin of error for the readings as the BC30 was removed and reposition on the sphere for the various readings)
The test/monitoring was started 2mn after initial turn on, this is in line with ANSI method of testing flashlights. The BC30 was turned onto TURBO then left until it switches itself off. As you will see from the graph, the light did step down to different levels to achieved long run times.


The BC30 was tested with 18650 batteries
3 years old AW 2600mAh (Start voltage 4.2/4.2v, end voltage 3.04/3.66v)
2 years old INTEL 3100mAh, (Start voltage 4.19/4.19v, end voltage 3.04/3.12v)
6 months old PLUZPOWER 3400mAh (Start voltage 4.21/4.21v, end voltage 2.86/3.07v)
New FENIX 2600 mAh (Start voltage 4.2/4.2v, end voltage 3.0-3.06/3.17-3.27v)

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Interesting to note the difference in run time with different batteries.
The time given by Fenix is correct but you must realise that the time given by manufacturers are from turn on to turn off and not the time the light will run at a specific output level. Ie you will not get 1h50mn at 1200 lumens, but this is the same for all manufacturers given running time


Manufacters data - Low100 lumens / reading from my integration sphere - 73000 lux
Medium 200 lumens / 144000 lux
High 500 lumens / 346000 lux
Turbo 1200 lumens / 830000 lux

The Fenix 2600 mAh batteries achieve the longest run time on turbo mode (approx 86mn) out of my four batteries tests but the PluzPower 3400mAh did achieved the longest overall runtime with 4h.15 from turn on to turn off (approx 80mn on the turbo level), not surprising due to the extra amperage.
I would be very interested to see what runtime you do get out of the new Fenix 3400mAh batteries?

Outdoor beam shots
Trying to replicate what the eye does see at night via a photo is not easy, so to help a little with your perception of the light performance I have given the film speed, F stop and exposure. I do try to mimic as much what I can see via the camera settings, so you will notice sometime different exposure etc.





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BC30 Turbo on handle bar and Solarstorm X2 on my helmet, you can see the white spot in the centre of the trail.
Nice riding combination a Neutral white on your bar and cool light on your lid!

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Small video of the modes taken after a forest ride.


Below are comparison shots with another twin XL-M, the Solarstorm X2 .

Despite the fact that the X2 has a lesser Lux output but it appear to be brighter on the photo! When you studdy the photo you will see that the X2 light is a lot more concentrated with a lot less spread that the BC30. On a road and on a trail the BC30 fitted as an handlebar lightbeam is a lot more effective than the X2 with a fantastic spread light.

BC30 TURBO and X2 ON HIGH (highest setting)
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BC30 on high and X2 on medium (second highest level)
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ARB-L2 18650 Fenix 2600mAh batteries

Flat top batteries
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Please note the batteries are not included in the box giving you the choice of purchasing your preferred make and amperage or used the one you already have.


For/Against
Please note, that like in all reviews some of the For/Against may be down to the reviewer personal preferences.
For: Fantastic uniform beam, great output even if you disregard the burst mode, good runtimes, long steady turbo mode, lights level are well chosen, easy interface, good clamp and well designed battery cradle, cyclist purpose built light with an attractive look; safe light (30+ mn once red low battery warning is activated) and levels stepping down to conserve power, last used memory mode, very long overall runtimes with 3400 mAh batteries, very comprehensive instruction booklet, remote burst switch, well priced for the quality, features and output. 1800 lumens burst mode good feature but only for road use.

Against: Very minor points: only offered in Neutral White tint (for some this will not be a negative point), only have one flash mode.


So to sum up the review, if like me you like the internal battery(ies) cycle lights; the BC30 is an excellent choice, the light has very good features, good output and run time for that type of set up and when you look at the like for like competition, for me the UK retail price is attractive.

For me this is a real keeper!

The Fenix BC30 and the 18650 2600 mAh batteries were kindly supplied by Fenix for my review via their UK distributor myfenix.co.uk
A free engraving service for the light was also offered by their UK distributor.


Skyraider59 (UK)
 
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survivaledc

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Great review. I have been waiting for something like this (18650 x 2 and bike specific) to take the place on my helmet or bars where I currently have Lezyne Super Drives mounted.
 

Derek Dean

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Very nice review. I'm interested specifically in how well they achieved a beam that won't blind oncoming traffic? From your photos, it still seems to shoot a lot of light upwards. Can you walk away from the mounted light and look back at it without being blinded? Thanks.
 

Skyraider59

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Hi Derek I am sure Fenix have not achieved such a beam "beam that won't blind oncoming traffic". Even car headlamps which are designed to give the best lighting possible and not blind oncoming traffic still have to be re adjusted on a regular basic. If it is adjusted correctly, it will less likely blind oncoming trafic but this is also true of all bike lights. I commute to work all year round, sun, rain or snow, day and night, I have used many lights and in the past many were the straight flashlight type and it is just a matter of how low your beam is pointing so you do not blind oncoming traffic. A lot of cyclist have the light pointing to upwards to reach further distance, this is like driving a car on high beam all the time, not friendly to oncoming traffic, this is why some drivers get irritated.
Some of the lights only have a plain glass and no visor and the light emitted from the LED has a conical shape getting wider as you step away. The BC30 has a small visor which clip the top of the light cone and also has that special lens which appear to reflect the high rays downwards putting a lot of light on the ground. I will have to see if I can take some photos, but as regarding not blinding oncoming traffic, you have to dip your light, like in a car so direct your beam to the floor to a shorter distance to your front wheel. The adjustment to achieve a good reach without blinding oncoming traffic will require trial and error!
I am sorry if my review has given you the impression that the BC30 has a beam which will not blind oncoming traffic, it has a more friendly beam than other lights and if adjusted properly, it will be more friendly to oncoming traffic due to the beam and light design.

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Derek Dean

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Skyraider59, no, it wasn't your review that gave me the idea, it was precisely the image you posted above, put out by Fenix, that led me to believe they MIGHT be providing a beam with a good horizontal cutoff.

You're review was top notch and provided every bit of information one could want about the BC30. Great photos too. Believe me, I sincerely appreciate the amount of effort that went into that review! And thanks for your quick reply. The BC30 looks like a very nice entry into the bicycle lighting market.
 

Jagged77

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Great review Skyraider. I'm pretty sure that this is the bike light I'm going to go for, looks like it ticks all the boxes. I like the look of the mounting system, the compact self contained unit, the power and runtimes, not to mention the beam pattern. For me the neutral tint is fine and will go well with the H600w mkII I use as a helmet light. All my riding is at least 80% off road (and that includes as much rocks, ruts, mud and puddles as i can find) so the only question remains really is how robust the unit is over time.
 

Skyraider59

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Hi Guys thanks all for your support, and you are not kidding a lot of time goes into the reviews. I was out again on Friday night in Friston forest with the FENIX BC30 and despite the fact that I have never been keen on Neutral tint, this is growing on me, I am using a twin XM-L cool tint on my helmet and must say that I like very much that combination of the two tints.
I must say that I am still getting a smile on my face every time I cycle with turbo mode on roads as the BC30 put so much light on the tarmac in such a wide the beam, its brilliant!
The burst switch is still mounted on my bar but I did no bother connecting it for the forest ride, I think this is one of those things which does look like a good on paper but are very seldom used! May be other riders will have different opinions, but for me this is only good on the road to signal other road user, so I could live without it. :)
The other thing that I do like as well is the run time with 3400 batteries 255mn of light starting on Turbo, look at the graph, this is the kind of run time I some time achieve with lights with external power pack! So very impressed to get this out of light with internal batteries, Fenix have done a very good job.
<<so the only question remains really is how robust the unit is over time.>>
The only weak point I could see, may be would be the connecting mounting rail/clamp in a big tumble as this is made of plastic! I will not try to test this theory as I don't heal as quickly as I use to :)
I think wo ever get one will be very pleased with it.
Regarding a charger, if you have not got one my latest personal choice is the XTAR VP1, I bought one early this year as I wanted to get an idea of the conditions of my batteries and I have found this really good, it has two separate voltage display for the two bays and can charge at 0.25,0.5 and1 amp and again I think is not too dear. If any of you guys do get one, please share your thoughts with us.
Best
 
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Lighteous

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Nicely done Skyraider! I ordered a BC30 from Battery Junction (it shipped today) before seeing your review. I have to say that all of my second thoughts and regrets were eased by your review and I'm now looking forward with excitement for my new light to arrive. I appreciate all the time, effort and attention to detail the went into your exceptionally well done review!
 

lucky1981

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Hello Skyraider59,
thanks for the excellent review I read carefully.

I received my BC30 yesterday and still have not done a road test. The user interface of this light it seems simple and intuitive. There is only one thing I have not figured out by reading the instruction manual, the Operation section where I read: "If the current level is the brightest possible When the light is on, the remote switch activates the next level down until released".
I do not understand what it means exactly this: it seems that with the remote button can activate a lower level when the light is at full brightness? Or what? I did some tests with the remote button but I can only activate the "burst" mode. Can you help me understand?

Best regards
 
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Sherbona

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"If the current level is the brightest possible..." means that the light can't go any brighter e.g., there's not enough 'oomph' left in the batteries to go any higher. When it is in this condition it will instead go lower when the remote switch is pressed so that you can still have an attention-getting change in light brightness.
 

idleprocess

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After a few day rides with the light in its slow strobe mode and some short night rides, I'm satisfied with this light.

Accolades
  • I've yet to run it down after back-to-back 60 minute night rides on Fenix 2600mAH cells using level 2 / 3 and generous use of burst
  • Far superior beam to an ordinary flashlight
  • Tint is better than most LED flashlights on the market - a step up from the PD35 I was using previously - although CRI could be better
  • Strobe mode is great for daylight riding
  • Burst mode really attracts attention from pedestrians and motor vehicles when you're cruising along in levels 1-3

Nipicks
  • As has been mentioned elsewhere, the retention on the momentary switch connector is a bit lacking - I find that it sometimes comes loose after a few bumps. I may see if I can put a shim of some sort on the upper end of the plug to get it to stick better.
  • The momentary switch is a bit ... tall. I find myself wishing it were perhaps half its height - would make actuating it far easier in my setup
  • The glow-in-the-dark momentary switch cover is a neat idea ... for about 5 minutes, but I guess that's enough to remind you of its location then vaguely commit it to muscle memory.
  • Initial activation of burst mode seems a bit flakey - especially if the light has just been sitting
  • Not sure how long the momentary switch is going to hold up ... already contemplating hacking together replacements
  • While the optics do a far superior job relative to the ordinary flashlight that was acting as my light source earlier, they seem to put a great deal more light immediately in front of the rider than is desired. This may be related to the fact that I ride the largest mass-produced frames out there and the light is sitting some ~42" / 107cm above the ground.
  • One does need to have a strategy for using burst mode properly when operating the light at levels 1-3 - get your eyes forward as you hit the switch lest that patch of forward illumination snap your pupils shut
  • I wish the light had a broader spread - even on the road I'd like to be able to see around corners and cast some light to the shoulder / sidewalk where eternally-distracted pedestrians are apt to randomly wander into the street ... but maybe that's just me; in a more open environment than the suburban jungle, I suspect it excels.
  • I'm irrationally dissatisfied with the plastic battery carrier cap because it seems a bit un-sturdy - why couldn't this be aluminum?



There is only one thing I have not figured out by reading the instruction manual, the Operation section where I read: "If the current level is the brightest possible When the light is on, the remote switch activates the next level down until released".
I do not understand what it means exactly this: it seems that with the remote button can activate a lower level when the light is at full brightness? Or what? I did some tests with the remote button but I can only activate the "burst" mode. Can you help me understand?

Two things come to mind.

One: lost in translation
The light goes into burst mode as expected when you press the remote switch, and the manual should read "the light activates the burst mode when depressed".

Two: batteries are running low
While I have never run mine down that far during the short period I've owned it, I suspect that this is a feedback mechanism for the user - namely that the batteries lack sufficient power to go into burst mode and the light is already operating at maximum output; in order to enable some sort of signalling function, the light will instead dip into a lower output.
 

lucky1981

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Sherbona and idleprocess, thanks for your replies.
In fact I think he's right Sherbona, now I understood perfectly.
:thumbsup::thanks:
 

jeebus

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I just got this light and I have a question for other owners about the dual beam. A lot of the pics appear to show a significant hot-spot, as if one of the two beams is more focused than the other, but my two beams are identical, both very very broad with no hot spot whatsoever. My two beams are identical and aren't even aimed differently as near as I can tell (I hold my finger or a piece of cardboard in front of one beam and then the other to compare), so I'm not sure why anyone would call this a dual-distance light.

Did I get a manufacturing defect or what? Is there any visible difference between the two beams for other people?
 

idleprocess

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Did I get a manufacturing defect or what? Is there any visible difference between the two beams for other people?

Fenix makes the same dual distance beam system claim on other single-LED bike lights such as the BT20; it is a function the semi fresnel elements at the top of each optic which produce the semi trapezoid hotspot rather than different optics for each LED.
 

Jesper2730

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Hi

I'm looking for a new bike lamp to replace my aging Philips Bike Light (PBL), the one with 80 lux output driven by four AA Ni-Mh batteries. The PBL has served me good, but I feel that I could use a little more light during my winter commutes when it's pitch dark.

Will the Fenix BC30 provide more light than the PBL? I have looked for some comparisons but can't find anything useful.


Best regards,
Jesper
Denmark
 

PhilJ

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@Jesper2730 - that philips light of yours is a joke - the manufacturer states it's 220 lumen (no ANSI reference though), the BC30 is 1200 lumen (not considering the burst mode).
BC30 will be a hell of a lot brighter than your previous light. No 4xAA light can compete with a modern 2x18650 light.
 

Derek Dean

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PhilJ,
I think you're being a bit hard on the Philips Bike Light. It's got a precision engineered reflector that places the light where it's most needed by commuters, on the surface of the roadway, not up in the air and in the eyes of on-coming traffic.

The new Fenix BC30 looks to be a very nice light that I'm sure will serve many folks well, but for those of us who prefer a shaped beam, the less bright Philips SafeRide and the Busch & Muller Ixon IQ Premium do a better job of providing the kind of beam we're looking for.

Brightness isn't everything.
 

idleprocess

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PhilJ,The new Fenix BC30 looks to be a very nice light that I'm sure will serve many folks well, but for those of us who prefer a shaped beam, the less bright Philips SafeRide and the Busch & Muller Ixon IQ Premium do a better job of providing the kind of beam we're looking for.
I don't know how the BC30's beam compares to others', but it does have a more complex (and useful) geometry than simple reflectors or TIR optics. It has a cutoff of sorts with semi-fresnel optics that redirect that light towards the near field in order to form a sort of trapezoidal hotspot below where a simple reflector/optic would point it and what appears to be a very intense spill at a high downward angle so you can almost see directly below the light.

I find it immensely more useful than the only modestly floody PD35 I was using previously where I had to constantly choose between seeing far enough forward to avoid obstacles, not annoying pedestrians and drivers with the intense glare of the hotspot, and trying not to impair my night vision with the hotspot a mere ~5m out. It's entirely possible to angle the PD30 such that you throw lumens down the road without dazzling drivers or most pedestrians.

Brightness isn't everything.
No, it's not.

The BC30 spits out a heck of a lot of light ... so much that I only ride with it at level 2 or 3 since there is so much light in the foreground and one must almost squint when using burst mode in order to avoid pupil contraction and to be able to concentrate on the objects that pop out of the gloom beyond the pool of light in your forefront. While one might wish that burst activated another LED focused further forward, that would reduce its utility in warning others (pedestrians, drivers) of your approach.
 

PhilJ

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PhilJ,
I think you're being a bit hard on the Philips Bike Light. It's got a precision engineered reflector that places the light where it's most needed by commuters, on the surface of the roadway, not up in the air and in the eyes of on-coming traffic.

The new Fenix BC30 looks to be a very nice light that I'm sure will serve many folks well, but for those of us who prefer a shaped beam, the less bright Philips SafeRide and the Busch & Muller Ixon IQ Premium do a better job of providing the kind of beam we're looking for.

Brightness isn't everything.


umm, whether it's up in the air or on the road depends only on how you mount the light. How narrow or broad the beam is, now that's a different question and here's where most reviewers agree the BC30 has an exceptionally wide beam, illuminating the surroundings at the expense of possibly a greater throw. I really doubt the 220 lumen 4xAA Philips comes anywhere close to what the BC30 is capable of - those lights are in a totally different league.

btw, "precision engineered reflector" is the same marketing hogwash as the "dual distance beam" that Fenix prides itself in
 
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