Although the Blackburn Dayblazer 1500’s diminutive size (110mm long×30mm tall×26mm wide) and 144g weight might suggest a lack of power, it packs a 1,500-lumen punch, along with five operating modes plus handlebar and GoPro mount kits, all for a reasonable price.
This all-in-one unit houses the Dayblazer’s USB rechargeable battery and two vertically positioned LED bulbs, and is IP67 dustproof and waterproof rated.
On the top of the light body is a single button that doubles as a battery charge indicator, changing from green (100 to 75 per cent) to yellow (75 to 25 per cent) and finally red when it has less than 25 per cent charge remaining. The button also cycles through the five modes.
The rubber mounting strap can fit bar diameters from 25.4mm up to 35mm, but can be swapped out for a GoPro-style fitment.
Blackburn Dayblazer 1500 performance
The mount strap is stretchy enough to wrap around a 35mm handlebar, but is quite fiddly to attach because it is only just long enough.
Despite the unit’s relatively small size, it still takes up a fair amount of space on the bar, the strap measuring 19mm wide and the light sitting atop the bar.
During testing, there was a small amount of mount creep as the light shifted to point upwards, but it remained in position over very rough terrain so this doesn’t appear to be an inherent instability.
If it proves to be an ongoing issue there’s also the included GoPro-style mount that can be used for a firmer connection.
The single button cycles through the light’s modes logically, but it is stiff to press, which caused the light to rotate around the bar when I pushed it.
Although it is easy to see because it’s illuminated – to display battery charge – its position isn’t easy to reach when on the move, and nigh-on impossible over rough terrain.
In my lab test, the Dayblazer 1500 ran for 2hrs 6mins in full power mode, slightly longer than it’s claimed to last.
It feels like the light’s power exceeds the stated 1,500 lumens, with a highly focused spot projecting just in front of the light.
Rocks, roots and line choices are well illuminated in this area, but outside of it little of the power gets used. Although the beam pattern is round, with a reasonably wide shape, its cut-off is quite sharp at the sides.
This is instantly noticeable as soon as the trail becomes slightly twisty, where I ended up relying on my knowledge of the track rather than being able to pick lines on the exits of corners. It means riding faster, more technical, twisting trails becomes total guesswork.
On bridleways or doubletrack and, at a push, blue-graded trail centre runs, there is enough power and beam spread to ride confidently.
There’s also enough downward light projection to illuminate compressions, the back sides of depressions and jump landings, but at times a little more power would help.
The lens cowl does a good job of stopping the light dazzling you when the front wheel lifts on small rises or jumps.
Its blue and white hue isn’t too harsh and doesn’t create any glare or high-contrast patches on the trail, although that’s likely more to do with the low 1,500-lumen power output than the LEDs' hue.
Blackburn Dayblazer 1500 bottom line
Thanks to its reasonable price, I can forgive most of the Dayblazer’s shortcomings. It’ll be great for beginners looking to dabble in night riding and would double up as a great road bike light.
For experienced MTBers, the Dayblazer would work well as a companion light with a brighter partner, whether it’s mounted on the bar or helmet, especially if you’re looking to tackle fast or gnarly singletrack.
How we tested
For our 2021 MTB lights test, we put eight units to the test, starting at just over £100 and rising all the way to nearly £500.
Whatever your budget, there should be one that will suit your needs.
Of course, there are plenty of lights available online for less money, but they won't necessarily offer the same reliability or aftersales support as the trusted brands tested here.
All the lights chosen have a minimum output of a claimed 1,500 lumens, but some are much brighter. Generally, more lumens equates to a higher price.
As well as testing how each light performs on the same trail on back-to-back runs – assessing beam pattern, LED colour, ease of operation and, most importantly, light projection – we also timed them all on max power to find out just how long the batteries last, and whether they live up to the brand’s claims.
You can find all of our top-rated options in BikeRadar's guide to the best mountain bike lights.
Also tested
Product
| Brand | blackburn_design |
| Price | 90.00 GBP,95.00 USD |
| Weight | 144.0000, GRAM () - |
Features
| br_lightType | front |
| br_integratedBattery | yes |
| Features | Run time: 2hrs 6mins (measured) |
| br_outputLumens | 1500 |
