2016 Lights Shootout

The Lezyne Power Drive 900XL side profile reveals a compact design.

The Lezyne Power Drive 900XL side profile reveals a compact design (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 Power Drive 900XL

The highlights of this light are the fine, wide optics and excellent form factor. The beam is nice with a wide swath and a fairly oval spot. Quality is good too with nice machining and black powdercoating.

It is much smaller than before and is much more handy as a helmet light or even a pocket flashlight. Mount is now a rubber strap that has a molded base to ensure it stays put when cinched down.

Claimed Lumens: 900 LumensMtbr Lux: 86
Measured Lumens: 850 LumensMounted weight: 154 grams
Lumens per $: 8.50 LumensCategory: Headlight
Lumens per gram: 6.78 LumensPrice: $100
Run time on high: 1:20 HoursRating:
4 Flamin' Chili Peppers
4 Chilis-out-of-5
Stat Box


Pluses

Minuses
  • $150 price is a one of the best for the output
  • Claimed Lumen output is in a hidden mode
  • Beam pattern optics is very trail useable
  • 850 Lumen output doesn't match 900 claim
  • Form factor is much sleeker and easier to handle
  • USB port cover is not the easy to access
  • Lost replaceable battery (infinite run time) option

Full Review: Lezyne Power Drive 900XL

It is a good light indeed and for $100 it offers good value. Its output puts it at one of the lower priced lights at around the 850 Lumen level. Optics and beam pattern are a highlight of this offering too.

What's not great is the output out of the box is much lower than 900 Lumens claimed. The user has to realize that they are in 'Blast' mode of 600 Lumens and that they have to go to Overdrive mode using a special sequence. Our fear is most buyers will never realize that they are not using the highest mode that they were expecting when they purchased the light. It's just too difficult to tell with the naked eye whether the output is 600 Lumens or 900.

Another issue we had is, we only got 850 Lumens out of the light even in Overdrive mode. It's not characteristic of Lezyne to measure under their claimed output, but it seems all their new lights this year measure lower than claimed.

The Lezyne Power Drive 900XL  dual lenses provide a good horizontal beam.

The Lezyne Power Drive 900XL dual lenses provide a good horizontal beam (click to enlarge).​

The Infinite, field-replaceable battery option is gone now too. That was a great option for some, as they could carry extra batteries and guarantee themselves enough runtime at maximum output. It seems that was removed for better light form factors and better light output.

Continue to page 2 for more on the Lezyne Power Drive 900XL, the beam pattern and Lumen measurement »

Lezyne Power Drive 900XL weight of 154 grams is one of the best for the output level.

Lezyne Power Drive 900XL weight of 154 grams is one of the best for the output level (click to enlarge).​

The light is ideal as a helmet light by itself or complementing the Lezyne Deca Drive 1500 XXL. The 154 gram weight is perfect for helmet mounting, as no wires are required on this self-contained unit.

Lezyne Power Drive 900XL Beam Pattern

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 »

Run time is 1:20 on high. It's a bit on the low side, so switching to a lower power during long climbs may be advisable on longer rides.

Good optics, good price and form factor make this a good purchase as long as the customer is able to access the Overdrive mode from the onset.

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