2016 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Cygolite, Dash 450, Lights, Lights Shootout - October 31, 2015

Review: Cygolite Dash 450

Cygolite Dash 450 adds four traditional LEDs but they would be more useful if visible from the side (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: Cygolite Dash 450

The Cygolite Dash 450 is an interesting concept with a main LED light and 4 helper LEDs to assist or to be used as a ‘to be seen’ mode light. It is a similar concept to the old NiteRider Moab light which used an HID light but incorporated three LED lights to give the light more usability.

Construction is good and the beam pattern is good as well with a fairly flat and wide beam. The main LED lens has cutouts to give it some side visibility. The four helper LEDs though don’t do much and end up making the light bigger and having more light modes to scroll through.

Stat Box

Claimed Lumens: 450 Lumens	Mtbr Lux: 40
Measured Lumens: 405 Lumens	Mounted weight: 100 grams
Lumens per $: 6.23 Lumens	Category: Headlight
Lumens per gram: 4.05 Lumens	Price: $65
Run time on high: 1:25 Hours	Rating: 3.5 Chilis-out-of-5

Pluses	Minuses
Construction and form factor are good	400 measured Lumens doesn’t match up
Beam pattern is fairly wide	to 450 claimed Lumens
Competitive price	The four extra LEDs don’t add value
	Bigger than it needs to be for the output and run time
	Size and shape makes it less handy as a utility light

Full Review: Cygolite Dash 450

It’s a pretty good looking package with four LEDs and a main LED. The beam pattern is more rectangular than round and that’s a good thing. The main LED lens also has some side visibility cutouts.

Construction is good and we like that the integrated rubber strap has its own space tucked out of the way and doesn’t protrude as much as other mounts.

The Cygolite Dash 450 adds four traditional LEDs for auxiliary visibility (click to enlarge).

We wished that it matched up to its 450 Lumen claims, as it’s not quite bright enough for good trail riding at a measured 400 Lumens. It does seem a little brighter in flash mode, but that’s not really ideal to claim in the Lumen output rating.

The four LEDs on top differentiate this product from the competition, but they don’t really add anything to the package since they don’t add any beam pattern or side visibility. As it stands, they just add a blue-ish light that is not very usable and it adds more light modes to scroll through.

Beam Pattern Photo

We photographed the lights in the same location setting with the same camera settings. The photo was taken in the back yard that is approximately 25 yards long. The backyard beam pattern allows you to gauge the throw and the width of the light. Compare all Beam Patterns here »

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 405 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 450 Lumens. The Lumen-hour graph below shows how the light performs over the first three minutes of its battery cycle. Compare all Lumen Tests here »

The light constantly fluctuates between 405 and 395 Lumens. It’s not really visible to the naked eye, but it is a sign of electronics that are not quite as stable as the competition.

The Cygolite Dash 450 weighs in at 100 grams (click to enlarge).

It is a pretty good effort from Cygolite and it has some unique elements to it.

For more information visit www.cygolite.com.

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.