Review: CatEye Volt 1600
The Volt 1600 has the same form factor as the Volt 1200 but is 30% brighter (click to enlarge).
Editor’s Note: This article is part of Mtbr and RoadBikeReview’s 2016 Bike Lights Shootout. See the 2016 Mtbr Headlights Index and the RoadBikeReview Commuter Lights Index.
The Lowdown: CatEye Volt 1600
Surpassed last year the by the Lezyne Mega Drive and Light & Motion Taz 1500, CatEye upped its output from 1200 Lumens to 1500 Lumens this year. It still uses the same reliable chassis and mounting.
Price has gone up a hair to $220, but it is still a fair deal for such a powerful, high-quality light. 2-hour runtime is quite good but the implied bonus is at a very useable 800 Lumens and a 4 hour runtime.
| Claimed Lumens: 1600 Lumens | Mtbr Lux: 144 |
| Measured Lumens: 1585 Lumens | Mounted weight: 257 grams |
| Lumens per $: 7.20 Lumens | Category: Headlight |
| Lumens per gram: 6.17 Lumens | Price: $220 |
| Run time on high: 2:00 Hours |
Rating:  4.5 Chilis-out-of-5 |
Pluses |
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Full Review: CatEye Volt 1600
The Volt 1600′s controlled, square shaped beam pattern is its strong point, as not too much light is wasted on top unlike other lights when there is a full, round beam that shoots up in to the sky. But the square is not ideal either, as a rectangle is preferred to put more light on the sides or periphery. For lights of this power, it’s ideal to have a very wide beam to allow the rider to see the trail periphery well.
It uses two XML LEDs to form a nice rectangular beam pattern (click to enlarge).
The enemy of this light is heat, as there is not a lot of heat sinking available and the light can heat up rather quickly. As it heats up, the light gets dimmer to protect the LED. Even after we cooled it down with a powerful fan, the Volt 1600 stepped up in brightness but very, very slowly. In warmer conditions or rides where the rider is not moving the whole time, the rider will not get as much light from the Volt 1200. It will start out very bright and dim down as the light gets hot.
So as this light gets brighter, temperature management and heat sinking are staying put. One notices the heat when not providing enough airflow and touching the switch on the light.
Continue to page 2 for the beam pattern and Lumen measurement »
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