Cateye's Volt 800 front light manages to output a whopping 800 lumens from a single LED.
The beam is confidence inspiring in high output mode, casting itself far and wide on the road or cycle path, it's also very effective off-road which is perhaps the ultimate test for a bike light.
High output drains the 3100mAh battery in around 2 hours, fairly standard when compared to other lights. Knocking the output down to 400 lumens extends the battery life to 3.5 hours, there's also a 200 lumen mode as well as a flashing mode.
Recharge time depends on the charger or USB output that you use. A tablet charger or USB3.0 will result in a faster charging time than a phone charger or USB2.0 but in general expect to be charging for 6-8 hours making it a good option for a commuter.
The single barrel construction is solid and sturdy as well as being waterproof, we've ridden in the rain with the Volt 800 without any problems.
The handlebar mount is standard to many of Cateye's products and is solid and sturdy although the light can be a bit fiddly to get on and off at times.
An optional helmet mount is available, the Volt 800 is pretty low-slung and compact as well as not being overly heavy so we can't see any problems with using it.
