2013 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Gloworm, Lights, Lights Shootout, X2 - December 18, 2013

Review: Gloworm X2 1500 Lumen Light

The Gloworm X2 is an even bigger surprise on its sophomore year. Born and raised on the Mtbr forums with headquarters in New Zealand, a couple of entrepreneurs listened to what the market had to say and delivered a product that addressed their needs. Starting with the Gloworm X2 last year, they now have the X1, XS and a CX self-contained light. We even saw them at Interbike this year, making the trek from New Zealand to show off all their new products.

Gloworm X2 features a small head unit that weighs 80 grams but delivers a dual beam pattern at a claimed 1500 Lumens. The beam is quite remarkable as it has both throw and a decent spread. The brightness measured 142 Mtbr Lux compared to 111 Lux for last year’s X2.

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 2.5 hours at max output. Two packs are available, a 4-cell and a 2-cell one and we used the 4-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.

Specifications

Price: $260
Claimed Lumens: 1500 Lumens
Measured Lumens: 1391 Lumens
Measured MTBR Lux: 142 Lux
Lumens per $: 5.35 Lumens
Lumens per gram: 4.31 Lumens
Time on High: 2.5 Hours
Charge Time: 2:30 Hours
Mounted Weight: 323 grams
Category: High End

Strengths

Great beam pattern
Claimed 1500 Lumens is a huge upgrade from 1200 last year
Both mounts included and remote switch as well
Configurable light modes including overdrive ‘bush’ mode
Good packaging and materials
Lenses are interchangeable with flood, spot or combination
An amazing value for the money
Light weight relative to its brightness
Great run time and available battery option to optimize for weight
Extremely compact packaging means it’s very portable

Weaknesses

Programming requires practice (like the GoPro user interface)
It doesn’t quite measure up to the claimed 1500 Lumens at our 1391 Lumens

Mounting

The light includes a helmet mount with a velcro strap and a center-mounted bar light with a rubber strap. An optional quick release bar mount is available.

Mtbr Light Meter Measurements

This light measured 142 Lux on our ambient light measurement facility. The light output measurement is performed by placing a Lux light meter beside the light. Both are pointed at the ceiling (five feet above) of a dark room. This measurement uses the ambient light produced by the bike light.

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 1391 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 1500 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 »

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.