Blackburn Countdown 1600 front light review

Blackburn’s Countdown 1600 front light has a relatively modest price (£159.99) and output at 1,600 lumens.

Its all-in-one form factor combines battery, bulbs and an upward-facing LED screen into a single unit, weighing 268g including the supplied bar clamp.

The backlit LED display provides run-time information for the light’s selected mode.

The hinged clamp is compatible with 31.6mm and 35mm diameter handlebars (but can close to 22.2mm for road or gravel bikes) thanks to supplied rubber shims. The fastening bolt is tool-free.

The head unit slides onto the clamp and is locked into place with a metal pin. You release it by pulling down on the pin’s button.

Three buttons turn the light on or off and toggle between six modes, four of which are constant, one a pulse and the final one a strobe. The light's lithium-ion battery has enough charge for a claimed run time of 1.3 hours at maximum power.

Charging, which is taken care of by micro USB, takes four hours from empty to full.

It has an IP67 dust and waterproof rating, giving total protection against dirt ingress and submersion in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes.

Blackburn Countdown 1600 performance

Attaching the Countdown 1600 mountain bike light to a handlebar is easy. The rubberised shims tune fit for different diameters, and the tool-free clamp speeds up installation and removal times.

The mount’s design relies on the clamping bolt’s tension to simultaneously tighten the handlebar clamp and the light’s mounting rails together.

Thanks to the clamp head’s plastic design and small lever tabs, tuning in enough tension to stop the mounting rail from twisting or moving is tricky.

If the rail-to-clamp interface had slots or teeth, this would be less of an issue. Equally, if more of the mounting hardware was made from metal, and the bolt head’s tabs were bigger, more tension could be fed into the clamp to help maintain stability.

The interface between the light and the mount is good. The sprung pin provides enough force to keep the light in place and makes it quick and easy to remove.

The clamp’s relatively narrow width (11mm) keeps plenty of space free on the bar for other accessories.

On the trail

The Countdown 1600 provides an impressive amount of power in its Blitz mode, feeling much brighter than its claimed 1,600-lumen output.

It’s powerful enough for most black-graded trail centre trails even when used without a secondary light.

The light is thrown down the trail well and it makes confidently hitting higher speeds easy because you can spot lines well ahead of getting to them.

Introduce tight switchbacks, however, and the beam’s spread limits speed and confidence.

While there’s plenty of power up to the peripheral cut-off points, the transition from light to dark here is quite sudden.

This makes it tricky to spot lines on the exits of turns and to enjoy the increased speeds the light enables.

With ample power on tap, it’s a shame Blackburn hasn’t distributed it more evenly. A wider, more gradual side cut-off would improve the Countdown’s performance further.

Emitting a white light with brown/red/orange highlights, the Countdown 1600 illuminates trail surfaces well, adding depth. This reduces the high contrast that whiter, more powerful lights can create.

Its rear-facing LED display is quick and easy to read, and the remaining run time information is valuable. However, the smaller battery charge indicator ‘blobs’ are harder to decipher on the move.

The three-button controls are also easy to use and understand. You don’t have to read an instruction manual to operate the Countdown 1600.

How long does the Blackburn Countdown 1600’s battery last?

In my bench test, when set to its maximum 1,600 lumen output, the Blackburn Countdown 1600’s battery lasted for 1.43 hours, slightly more than Blackburn’s 1.3-hour claims.

This is impressive given its size and cost.

Blackburn Countdown 1600 bottom line

A surprise performer, the Blackburn Countdown 1600’s fairly limited output doesn’t hold it back on faster or straighter trails.

This makes it a great entry-level light that has plenty of power for the casual night rider.

Increasing the beam’s spread would improve performance, but adding an affordable helmet-mounted light would have the same effect.

The Countdown 1600's mount is a weak point and should be made from more robust materials.