Hope Technology Vision 4 2009
Reviews / Lights
161,076
At a Glance
One thing you know you will get with a Hope product is quality, and with the Vision series of lights that is ever present; neatly packaged and beautifully machined the Hope Vision 4 really is one of the daddies in the lighting business.
This light has 4 stationary beam settings and an additional flash setting. The static settings: low, medium, high and max. We have given the Lux meter readings for both the max and high settings to show how similar they are. The battery life is increased considerably using the high as opposed to the max setting, and you don’t loose much of the effectiveness of the light making it an ideal option for longer night rides.
It’s a sturdy, well made light with a good handlebar fixing that, using a screw and lever design, makes it very easy to take on and off, or adjust. A single rubber on/off button is simple to use also. It comes with a helmet mount as well and enough Velcro to attach it wherever you chose. One neat feature is the light has been designed to self-cool. All LED lights get hot, but the Vision 4 senses this and dims when the temperature reaches levels that could damage the light. Of course under normal riding conditions no LED should over heat. It is when you stop riding and leave the light on that the temperatures can rise. It is great to see this built-in feature that is not present on a lot of other lights.
On the Trail
I was stood in front of this when it was first turned on in the woods and was quite literally blinded! It’s like being stood directly in front of the floodlighting at a football pitch! A very bright, white light with a wide beam and exceptionally long throw. We could see our distance measurement markers clearly, and in detail, and then further on up the path still with decent visibility. The beam of light appears constantly bright, no central focal point, but it’s so bright that’s not even an issue! The width of the beam is also impressive lighting up just about everything around you. It is interesting to note that although the output is only 60 lumens more than the Nuke Proof light the actual Lux readings were considerably higher. The battery life isn’t as impressive as the Nuke Proof, but then on the high setting the battery will last 3.5 hours which isn’t far off the Nuke Proof at 4 hours and yet it is still brighter. You could ride without a helmet light no problem using the Hope.
Overall
Well built, ridiculously bright and with a reasonable burn time in the high mode, this light is the daddy! If you’ve got the cash to spend and want floodlit trails to ride then this would be your prime choice.
Specs
• Maximum Output 960 lumens
• Mode: 5 settings (Low / Medium / High / Max / Flash)
• Burn Time: Max (960 lumens 2.5 hours) High (3.5 hours) Medium (9 hours) Low (36 Hours)
• Batteries Li-Ion Batteries with 4 cells
Lux Meter Reading
Medium Power
10 yards: 30 Lux
20 yards: 9 Lux
Full Power
10 yards: 43 Lux
20 yards: 10 Lux
UK RRP £299.99
Buy Lights on For more information visit Hope Technology Related
By Rou Chater
Rou Chater is the Publishing Editor of IMB Magazine; he’s a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but his passion for bikes knows no bounds. His first mountain bike was a Trek 820, which he bought in 1990. It didn’t take him long to earn himself a trip to the hospital on it, and he’s never looked back since. These days he’s keeping it rubber side down, riding locally and overseas as much as possible.
