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: Trail LED DS
Trail LED certainly upped their game by exceeding Lumen claims and delivering a staggering 3150 Lumens against a claimed 3200. They also developed an elegant new mount that holds the finned light head on the the bar securely.
Quality and usability is still top notch as the head unit displays the finest machining we've ever seen in a light. The notches for the rubber mounting straps are making a lot of sense to us now in terms of their simplicity. The light can be used the helmet with its 108 gram head or mounted on the bars.
One of the coolest things about this light is the form factor. It is not round or square, rather it's a horizontal array of lights. This allows it to have the ideal wide beam pattern with a high center. It also allows room for plenty of cooling fins.
Trail LED is a bike light company similar to the great handmade bike builders like Moots and Chris King. It is run by craftsman Grady Pace who is meticulous about his work and craftsmanship. These lights are machined from billet aluminum and then assembled in Dallas, TX. All components except lenses, batteries, and chargers come from the USA.
They sent us three lights and they are illuminating in their design and innovation. The three in the line are:
Trail LED XXX: $300 - 2000 Lumens claimed
Trail LED Halo: $1,200 - 6000 Lumens claimed
This DS model is the workhorse of the line and achieves the happy medium between compact and exotic.