Lights

Moon X-Power 1500 light review

It looks funky and on paper the Moon X-Power 1500 has all the credentials we look for in a trail riding night light, but the flimsy clamp and poor spread of light left us distinctly unimpressed.

Three Cree XM-L LEDs are housed inside an alien looking unit made from plastic. Each LED is surrounded by a heat sink which is visible through the vents. We had concerns about the weatherproofing of this design but tested on a rain sodden ride we experienced no problems.

The beam pattern produced by the three LEDs is a long oval shape, which provides reasonable reach but lacks spread for travelling at slower speeds. Four brightness settings and a flash mode can be accessed from the small power button, which also acts as a fuel gauge, on top of the unit. Unfortunately the off setting is included in the sequence, meaning it isn’t possible to switch seamlessly between the four brightness modes when riding without being plunged into darkness at some point.

The tool free clamp uses a rubber watch-style band with several notches of adjustment. While it’s easy to use, it does a poor job of securing the light firmly in place on the handlebars. We experienced unsatisfactory bounce riding on regular trails that ruined the night riding experience. As good as the light output and beam pattern is, it’s no good if the beam isn’t fixed firmly in place.

A helmet mount is included in the box but at 142g the light is noticeably heavy in this configuration, although still favourable to the bouncy bar mount.

Ventilated design helps to keep those LEDs cool. One great feature, and to be fair the X-Power has several notable features. Such a shame it is let down by such a small but all-important failure.

Run time is a claimed 2.5 hours, but our first ride didn’t last long before we turned around and headed home to swap for decent set of lights. With a decent clamp the Moon could be a very good light and we liked it’s unique styling. At this price we expect better.

Verdict

The Moon X Power left us feeling a little underwhelmed. Including the ‘off’ mode in the sequence is plain daft for a trail riding light and the bracket just isn’t secure enough for going off-road. With a decent bracket, this could be a great light. As it is, we feel there are better options available.

Pros

Bright
Run time
Funky looks

Cons

Expensive (though we’ve seen it available with 40% discounts at which price it’s a better deal)
Beam spread not broad enough for low speeds
Poorly designed mount

Price: £299
More information: Moon Sport

What Moon says: