Lezyne Power Drive XL 2012
Reviews / Lights
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At A Glance
The Power Drive XL is one of the flagship lights from Lezyne aimed at the rider looking for something light small and powerful. A newly launched big brother in the form of the Mega Drive tops the billing for performance boasting a 1000 lumen output while the Power Drive is a more modest 400. However, this little light can still hold its own, boasting a sleek CNC machined aluminium body. The lens has MOR Optics (MOR stands for Maximum Optical Reflection) essentially a one piece optic in front of the LED designed to give a wider and smoother beam of light. The Power Drive also comes with the Infinite Light system, a snazzy way of saying an extra battery, but it does mean you double the run time of the light to an impressive 4 hours on high! Hardly infinite, but i guess the more batteries you have the longer it will last. It is a powerful 18650 Lithium Ion battery, that won't be easy to get in shops, but Lezyne will happily sell you as many as you desire. Charging is achieved through a small micro USB port in the underside of the light, protected of course with a rubber seal.
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On the Trail
The Lezyne works well on the trail, offering a reasonable spread of light and, for riders who prefer their night riding to be just that, it will happily cope on its own as a light on your helmet. There is a pleasant yellow tinge to the beam that gives it a more natural feel than the stark white light delivered by some LED's. These units can be picked up for as little as £84.99, which makes it the bargain of the year in terms of form and build quality. For a little extra you can get the fully loaded version that comes complete with a helmet mount, which is the only option for serious night riding as this unit makes for a great head torch for those on a budget. We really liked the indicator light which doubles up as the on off switch, hold down the button and the light comes on and the button will glow either green, orange or red, indicating the state of the battery. The light has 4 modes, from start up the cycle is Medium, High, Low, Flash.
Overall
At the price you can't fault this light for value and ability. Whilst it does lack some of the power of the bigger offerings, it has a very resonable price tag!
Run Times: 2hrs on High (400 Lumens)
Lux Test
5m: 117
10m: 29
20m: 7
Weight: 295 Grams
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This review was in Issue 20 of IMB.
For more information visit LezyneRelated
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.
