2015 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Gloworm, Lights, Lights Shootout, X1 - November 2, 2014

Review: Gloworm X1

The big change for this year is the mounts are now a new quick-release style, compatible with the GoPro quick-release mechanism. It is simple to use and it opens up the base used for GoPro mounts.

The Gloworm X1 is a great addition to the Gloworm line as it introduces a single LED, lightweight unit to complement the more powerful X2 and X3 lights. This makes it ideal for helmet mounting, as the measured 898 Lumen light weighs in at under 200 grams. The battery can thus be mounted on the helmet as well, making it a ‘self-contained’ system.

The light has a wired remote switch that will keep your hands away from the head unit that can get hot, and it will bring the switch by your fingertips when the light is bar mounted. The light also includes a bar mount in addition to the helmet mount.

And finally, battery pack looks good with Panasonic cells and a fuel gauge on the pack. Run time is an excellent 2.25 hours at max output. Two packs are available, a 4-cell and a 2-cell one and we used the 2-cell on this test.

Programability is one of the high points of the Gloworm design, as there is almost a limitless amount of light levels and options available. It is well-designed but any UI that doesn’t have displays or monitors requires a bit of practice to get used to.

Configurable optics is another high point of Gloworm, as this light includes both wide and focused beam optics. This really expands the range of the light, as the same light can be used for spread or throw. Or better yet, get two and configure the optics to be one of each.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FufZsa4Fs0w

Video: Test loop with the Gloworm X1. Camera is on a locked ISO setting and is set to Wide Angle mode

Beam Pattern Photo

We photographed the lights in the same location setting with the same camera settings. The photos were taken in the back yard that is approximately 25 yards long. These photos feature many objects and a distinct background to analyze detail and beam pattern. Compare all Beam Patterns here »

Photo: This is the beam pattern of the X1 with the wide lens. The X1 comes with a spot lens and wide lens included in the kit.

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 898 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 950 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 »