2016 Lights Shootout

The Deca Drive 1500XXL sports 3 LEDs.

The Deca Drive 1500XXL sports 3 LEDs (click to enlarge).​

Editor's Note: This article is part of Mtbr and RoadBikeReview's 2016 Bike Lights Shootout. See the 2016 Mtbr Headlights Index and the RoadBikeReview Commuter Lights Index.

The Lowdown: Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XXL

Lezyne's top end light now is the Deca Drive instead of the Mega Drive from last year. It is a lot more sleek than last year, but it shares the output of last year's top light at about 1400 Lumens.

Beam pattern is beautiful with a wide beam and a high center optic to see far into the trail. The beam can almost be described as a clover leaf with widfe sides and a center bump. It's sleek lines and smooth surfaces make it a lot more useable around the house too as the ultimate flashlight.

But the full output of 1500 Lumens is in a 'hidden' mode that most users will never realize unless they read the manual very carefully and go in to 'race' mode. We really prefer that manufacturers do not claim outputs that are in hidden modes that users may never find. Visually, the human eye can't really tell and we're really able to determine this in the lab.

But price and performance are still strong Lezyne traits, as this one sells for an aggressive $150.

Claimed Lumens: 1500 LumensMtbr Lux: 1400
Measured Lumens: 1390 LumensMounted weight: 279 grams
Lumens per $: 9.27 LumensCategory: Headlight
Lumens per gram: 4.98 LumensPrice: $150
Run time on high: 1:45 HoursRating:
4 Flamin' Chili Peppers
4 Chilis-out-of-5
Stat Box


Pluses

Minuses
  • $150 price is a one of the best
  • 1390 lumen output doesn't match 1500 claim
  • Beam pattern is very trail useable
  • Claimed lumen output is in a hidden mode
  • Form factor is much sleeker and easier to handle
  • USB port cover is not the easy to access
  • Mount is completely removable making it a perfect flashlight
  • Lost replaceable battery option
  • Does not get hot due to aggressive temp management

Full Review: Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XXL

Lezyne seems to be at a crossroads where they have completely abandoned their previous, very successful and stable output designs to new, sleeker models. They've lost the infinite battery abilities they're known for in favor of safer, easier to ship and more sleek designs. Lithium batteries have been the center of controversy with shipping and airline flights, especially when there's loose cells involved.

The result is a much sleeker design with very good optics. Heat sinking is not as generous as before, so the Lumen outputs are not as flat and consistent as the previous models.

The battery/USB hatch is no longer present as the light has gone away from field replaceable batteries.

The battery/USB hatch is no longer present as the light has gone away from field replaceable batteries (click to enlarge).​

But the lights are a lot more handy now and can have much more utility around the house. Mounting is still the same with two different plastic mounts for the bar sizes. But the new 35mm bars pose a problem, as the mounts won't fit those.

The USB port is a bit difficult to access, as it deeply recessed and there's a big rubber plug with two levels of sealing. It takes some getting used to, to give a good tug and hold it out of the way to get the USB plug in.

Continue to page 2 for the beam pattern and Lumen measurement »

Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XL

Beam Pattern Photo

We photographed the lights in the same location setting with the same camera settings. The photo was taken in the back yard that is approximately 25 yards long. The backyard beam pattern allows you to gauge the throw and the width of the light. Compare all Beam Patterns here »

Beam pattern for the Lezyne is excellent. It's a nice white color and it has a nice clover shape with wide sides for trail periphery and a high center top to give it good throw. It's also handy for seeing low lying branches that might hit one's helmet

Lezyne Deca Drive 1500XL Lumen Measurement

Integrating Sphere Measured Lumens

This light measured 1390 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 »

One factor we raise, is the maximum output is only available in a hidden mode called 'race mode'. This is accessed by pressing the power button for a long time to toggle over to the two-level race mode. This always left us confused when testing the light, as it's completely out of the norm. Our concern is that many buyers may never realize that they're not getting full output from the light. It's simply hard to realize Lumen levels when there's context for comparison.

Weight with mount is 279 grams.

Weight with mount is 279 grams (click to enlarge).​

There's sweeping changes to the Lezyne line, but the bottom line is good optics and beam pattern are delivered. The price is very competitive too at $150.

For more information visit www.lezyne.com.

This article is part of Mtbr and RoadBikeReview's 2016 Bike Lights Shootout. See the 2016 Mtbr Headlights Index and the RoadBikeReview Commuter Lights Index