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.