BAR MOUNTED
CATEYE VOLT 1700 RC
£179.99
SPECIFICATION
Weight: 277g • Lumens: 1,700, 500, 200 • Contact: zyrofisher.co.uk
We didn’t test the Cateye Volt last year so it’s had a few updates since we last used one. On full power the new top-of-the-line Volt gets a whopping 1,700 lumens, and burn time is now over two hours. It also comes with a new tool-free replaceable cartridge battery, which unplugs from the back of the light. This is great if you want to plug in an extra battery (£99) to extend the run time, but oddly you can only charge the battery when it’s installed in the light, which sort of defeats the point of having it in the first place.
To make the most of the output and disperse the light evenly, the Volt 1700 uses Cateye’s Opticube lens technology. The resulting light is a clear blue and this helps pick up detail at night. The Volt 1700 has a more focused central beam than some, but it’s very even with no shadows or hot spots.
One button on top of the light functions as the on/off switch, and a colour-coded, three-level battery indicator. We’re not fans of this indicator because it has different colour sequences for charging and riding, although to be honest our test sample never actually worked when riding.
The updates don’t have a lot of practical value when
