2014 Lights Shootout, Bike Light, Lights, Lights Shootout, Lupine Lighting, Wilma 7 - November 1, 2013

Review: Lupine Wilma 7

Last year, when folks asked me for the best light, I would say the “Lupine Wilma 7”. It wasn’t cheap but if someone was looking for the ultimate setup, this was the one that delivered ultimate brightness and flexibility. It could be used on the bar or the helmet and it would perform the task admirably. Battery options were broad and the charging was lightning fast.

With the Piko as the wingman on the helmet, this combination was the ultimate, most useable and flexible. The 2400 Lumen Wilma 7 last year just got better with a true upgrade to 2800 Lumens.

Of course, there’s the big brother called the Betty and that is the true exotic light. The Wilma is more the supercar that you can drive to work everyday.

The Lupine Wilma 7 is a little beast. At only 364 grams, it puts out a staggering 2770 Lumens. And though $595 is not cheap, it’s actually a great value, delivering a very competitive 4.6 Lumens per dollar. That makes it the best value in the Lupine line and better than some Chinese manufactured lights.

Thermal management on this light is the best in the business. It steps down in brightness as it gets hot and steps up when it cools. Let’s say, you’re on an awesome ride and decide to take a 5 minute snack break. This light will step down in brightness as there is no airflow and it will protect itself and never get too hot. Then you get going on a 25 mph downhill, this light will step up to full brightness very quickly. It’s as if you have an automatic light. And even if you don’t stop and take a break, the light will behave this way on the long, slow climbs and the fast descents. You’ll get more light as you need it and the Wilma will always protect itself and get maximum light and battery efficiency.

Such are great figures when you talk about a German made light that is designed and manufactured to last a decade instead of a year. It is a light you can depend on in the harshest, most remote conditions. You can be assured that it is safe to charge and use in your household.

It is so bright that it actually measured brighter than last year’s Lupine Betty, which was rated at 2600 Lumens. This light also has a big 26 degree, even beam pattern. These qualities make the Lupine Wilma 7 one of our favorite lights this year.

Specifications

Price: $595
Claimed Lumens: 2800 Lumens
Measured Lumens: 2770 Lumens
Measured MTBR Lux: 270 Lux
Lumens per $: 4.66 Lumens
Lumens per gram: 7.69 Lumens
Time on High: 1:45 Hours
Charge Time: 2:00 Hours
Mounted Weight: 360 grams
Category: High End

Strengths

Impressive 26 degree, even beam pattern
Honest rating at 2800 Lumens
The best Lumens per gram rating and still an excellent value at Lumens per dollar
Like all Lupine lights, it will step down quickly when it gets hot. But it will ramp back up quickly when there is sufficient airflow
4 hour run time at 1100 Lumens or 1.5 hours at 2400
Excellent charger and smart battery with indicator
Lupine quality and reputation. In 10 years, you can still be using this light.
Can be used with impressive array of Lupine batteries

Weaknesses

It’s still $600
Can get hot when stationary and will step down in brightness as the light head is small

Mounting

This uses the standard Lupine mounting of a rubber strap that goes around the bar. A helmet mount is included.

Mtbr Light Meter Measurements

This light measured 270 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 2770 Lumens in an integrating sphere. Claimed Lumens by the manufacturer is 2800 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 »

Tunnel Beam Pattern Photo

The location is useful since it has walls and a ceiling that can display a bike light beam pattern. The walls have a lot of graffiti on them and actually show detail when they are lit up by a light with a wide angle. Cones and targets are set up with the far target set up at 120 feet.