Click HERE to read the full report by Road.CC
Make and model: Magicshine Allty 1500
Size tested: 1500 Lumens
Tell us what the light is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Magicshine says: "Our newest all in one design bike light with independent DRL (Daytime Running Light), Allty 1500 is a solid choice for road, urban and & commuter cyclists, as well as a helmet light for a MTB setup."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the light?
Magicshine lists:
Independent Daytime Running Light, an always-on built-in safety LED for day or night.
1500 lumens max of verified output from 1x SST-40 LED
100 – 50 – 25% Flash and Strobe power modes
2 hours runtime on full brightness mode, up to 30 hours on DRL alone
All in one integrated design, 133 g in weight
5000 mAh capacity internal battery
Power button battery indicator
Garmin quarter turn mount
Solid and impressive.
One button with an integrated battery light. Couldn't be simpler.
Simple, sturdy and effective. Quarter-turn release makes light removal easy.
Visibly well sealed, and has a deep rubber bung for the USB port. Rated IPX7 – can handle being one metre under water for 30 mins – so no concerns.
It just squeaked up to the 2hr claimed run-time on full power, and recharging is on a par... but that means slow, at over five hours via the recommended mains-fed 5V/1A charger.
Gives a clear and well-focused beam that's bright enough to leave your speed unaffected on unlit country lanes. It could spread just a tad wider for fast but tight bends/junctions, but not by much.
Alloy top/front and rugged plastic lower give no cause for concern. Has passed the 1m drop test, Magicshine says.
Perfectly acceptable for the power.
Impressive price for the spec and performance.
Tell us how the light performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well indeed – the beam is clear and bright with no dark spots, and the side lighting is just about right; only the tightest, fastest corners leave you slightly in the dark. You shouldn't have to cycle through the 25-lumen daytime setting to dip to the more efficient output settings, though. Especially given the full beam's sub-2hr run-time.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the light
Bright enough for 30mph+ in unlit countryside.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the light
Can't dip from full power without going though a 25-lumen mode you can't see anything with.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £89.99, the Allty 1500 is well priced for its power. The Lezyne Super Drive 1600XXL is £120, for instance, while the Topeak CubiCubi 1200 is £119.99.
You can get cheaper though: the Olight M2R Warrior 1500 Lumen torch is £80.90, if not actually bike-specific, while the Moon Meteor Vortex Pro 1300 is only a little less bright at £79.99.
The Allty 1500 also faces strong competition from its own 1,000-lumen stablemate, as that's still very bright and is far easier to adjust for output – and consequently battery life – as you ride. It's £69.99.
Did you enjoy using the light? Yes
Would you consider buying the light? Yes
Would you recommend the light to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
This is an excellent light in almost every area, and while you could overlook the too-basic charge indicator (Magicshine is not alone there), it's harder to ignore the not-bright-enough-to-ride-by daytime setting being included in the cycle of seriously bright modes. If it were not, this would be a nine, just like the Allty 1000, but it's an issue that has to impact the score. It's still a very good unit, though.
