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Magicshine MJ-856 Bike Light Review

 

Product Description

A while ago we reviewed the Magicshine MJ-808E bike light, which uses a single CREE XM-L LED to generate 1000 lumens of output.

Although that seemed amazingly bright at the time and is still a great light for those on a budget or for helmet mounting,, technological advances mean it is now possible to get another 60% more light, with the Magicshine MJ-856 bike light.

The MJ-856 achieves this by using four CREE XP-G LEDs that illuminate together to output a blistering 1600 Lumens. For those who haven't used these LED bike lights before, 1600 Lumens is noticeably brighter your average car headlight!

Two buttons on the rear of the light are used to increase and decrease the brightness with the modes outputting approximately 100%, 75%, 50% and 30% brightness respectively. This makes it possible to use a lower setting to conserve battery when full power isn't needed and then run on full blast for those wooded, technical trails. An LED under the transparent button cover changes colour to indicate how much battery capacity is left.

Having such a bright light is fantastic, but as these lights get brighter and brighter it gets harder to dissipate the heat that is generated. The Magicshine MJ-856 handles this by using a casing that looks a little bit like a household radiator design, while still making the light look very swish with a lovely brushed silver finish. The casing design works really well and even after riding for over an hour at full output the light is very cool to the touch. The light does require a moving airflow around it or the in built overheat protection circuit will automatically reduce its output to a lower level.

Currently the Magicshine MJ-856 Bike Light can be mounted using a fixed handlebar mounting bracket or by using a rubber 'O' ring to fix it to the handlebars. We have tried both methods and would say both work equally well, so it is really a matter of personal preference on this one. Make sure you order the right model for your preferred fitting method - they are both the same price.

Open Light Systems Batteries

In the UK these lights are supplied with very high quality, German-engineered, Open Light Systems batteries. These batteries are 100% compatible but have a much longer overall life than the original manufacturer's batteries. This is achieved by using only premium quality Panasonic cells and Panasonic are widely regarded as the best cells you can get in the lithium-ion battery industry.

What we liked in particular is that the batteries come in a variety of capacities. The range includes a 4.5Ah model, a 5.8Ah model, an 8.7Ah model and a 17.4Ah bottle battery that can be fits into any standard bottle cage. On full power the MJ-856 will run for a couple of hours with the 5.8Ah battery. The batteries are quite light so it is easy to carry a spare in your pocket if necessary.

Overall

It is very difficult to find fault with Magicshine MJ-856 light and with the range of high quality batteries now available, it has definitely become our light of choice for getting in some good winter night training ahead of the new Trailquest season!

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED