- 4 / 5 Bee's Knees -
There is something to be said about owning goods that just work regardless of what you throw at them. If any light could withstand a nuclear blast, I'd hedge my bets on those made by Niterider. Being the perfectionist that I am, it is very easy to gravitate towards products that exude more character and edge. Neither of those two words describe any of the Niterider lights I’m familiar with. Instead, a more function-centric design is employed. Because of this, Niterider has established a reputation for themselves as the go-to brand for exceptionally reliable and durable bike lights. Not straying from this approach, the Lumina 750 is the newest light in the family of Lumina lights.
While the reflector remains unchanged from recent year models, there is good reason – why fix what isn’t broken. The Lumina provides a familiar beam pattern with a balanced spot-to-flood ratio and a usable shape. Without being deficient in flood, this light has great punch and has a reach that is among the furthest of many popular lights lumen-for-lumen. A marginal gain of 50lm was added to last years 700 but does somehow feel like a new light. 700lm owners have no reason to rush out and snag a new light but when you’re in the market for a new one, it is nice that Niterider is staying competitive with their outputs.
For their mounts, Niterider hasn’t changed anything either, but again, things remain in good working order. Most of their lights utilize the same quick release bar mount which seems to work equally well across their entire range of models. Riders with exceptional dexterity can likely removed the light with one hand. Attaching the light single handed proves to be much easier. As before, the mount is very secure and intuitive to use. And again, the design is a little chunky but ultimately I'm splitting hairs and entirely thankful that this mount prevents any jitters. I should also mention that the 750 does include a helmet mount to give riders their choice of mounting styles. For an intimate write-up on the helmet mount, check out my review of the Lumina Flare.
Operation is kept simple as always. Some users may find the organization of the light settings to be backwards from a typical setup. Instead of a starting on high, the light cycles from low to high. Flash mode is isolated from the constants via holding the power button and the walk setting is only accessed directly after going past the flash setting. Although the organization is less typical, it is by no means a hindrance and having the flash isolated is a godsend. As with all respectable lights, this guy is USB rechargeable and does so punctually (see below).
After writing this review for the Lumina 750, I imagine the folks at Niterider may be a bit disappointed with what could be received as a bit of a lack luster conclusion. But really, that is kind-of the point. It is a bit hard to get excited about these particular lights but they are total workhorses and offer so much value to cyclists who don’t require an ultra-chic, CNC'd light with a premium price tag. When friends or co-workers approach me as hobbyist cyclists or simply as people who want sensibly priced no-nonsense bike lights for their commute, I almost always recommend the Lumina. No other light balances output, ease of use, reliability and most certainly value as well as Niterider. That may not be the most glamorous testimonial but trust me, you’ll be regretting your $50 eeeBay-special when its battery won’t hold a charge after a years use, or when you scratch the anodized finish on your $600 imported light cannon.