Moon Meteor Storm Pro front light review

Recently updated, the 2019 Moon Meteor Storm Pro has been updated to offer more power, while keeping the same form factor and long run times.

The light now has an output of 1,700 lumens on the highest non-boost setting, an improvement of 50 lumens over the outgoing model. Choose boost mode and you'll get 2,000 lumens out of the Meteor Storm Pro.

Moon Meteor Storm Pro details and specification

Using two in-line LEDs that can put out a maximum of 2000 lumens in boost mode, it’s possible to choose between one of three beam settings: a mixed beam which uses both LEDs, and a wide or narrow beam that uses one of the two LEDs on its own.

The light is controlled by two buttons on the back of its body — one to cycle between modes and to turn the light on and off, and the second button to activate and control its Variable Lumen System that lets you set its output beyond the pre-defined modes. The light also has mode memory, remembering which mode was selected when turned off.

A remote control can be attached to the light’s body using a 34cm long USB-C cable and has the same number of buttons that function identically to those on the light’s body. There’s also an LED display on the back of the light that indicates which mode you’re in, how much battery life is left and charge percentage when its plugged in.

The Meteor Storm Pro is supplied with a tool-free bar clamp that tightens with a thumbwheel and is compatible with both 31.8mm and 35mm bars. Also supplied is a helmet mount that uses Velcro straps to attach. The remote control has a Velcro strap mounting system, too. The light slides into place and locks on the bar and helmet mounts with a small, sprung plastic catch.

The light has 24 modes in total including 12 constant modes that range from 50 lumens with a 75-hour claimed run time to the top-whack 2,000-lumen boost mode. There are also 12 flashing modes that extend theoretical run times up to 150 hours with a 100-lumen output.

The removable batteries can be swapped out and bought separately for $24 each should you wish to extend run time. A single USB-C cable charges the light but no plug adaptor is supplied in the box. At £119.99, the light is one of the cheapest high-powered lights we’ve tested this year.

Moon Meteor Storm Pro performance

Despite the Moon Meteor Storm Pro feeling much brighter than its claimed lumen output, the beam’s pattern is especially focused even when it’s operating in the mixed beam mode.

This focused beam is perfectly adequate for straightforward trail riding, bridleway bashing or trails that aren’t particularly technical or twisty, but head towards twisty trails and certain obstacles can jump out at you especially if you’re unfamiliar with the terrain.

The amount of power it puts out in the 2000 lumen mode means that few shadows are cast on the trail directly in front of the light but its side-to-side spread is especially limited, which makes spotting lines around turns quite tricky. The saving grace is that the light doesn’t have a harsh cut off at its limits.

The colour of the LEDs is whiter than it is blue which means details pop well, but it isn’t too harsh on your eyes. The remote means operating the light is, in theory, easy on the go but the Velcro strap is quite hard to get tight enough to use the remote in anger or with conviction.

Run time on the most powerful (2,000-lumen) setting is 2 hours 5 minutes, which is slightly over Moon’s claims and in such a small package, quite impressive.

The light’s plethora of modes means that it isn’t especially intuitive to master without studying the instructions carefully. Once the way it works is imprinted into your mind, operation isn’t hugely challenging, though. The battery indicator works well and it remained in boost mode until nearing the very end of its battery’s capacity, only reducing its output once the last battery indicator LED started flashing.

The tool-free bar clamp is easy to use and provides a very secure fit on the bars — the light not moving or wobbling around during testing over a variety of terrains. The supplied helmet mount is a nice feature, but the light’s weight makes using it on your lid slightly prohibitive as it causes your helmet to move. You’re unlikely to use the remote when it’s mounted to your helmet, either.

Moon Meteor Storm Pro bottom line

The Meteor Storm Pro is a solid-performing, well-formed package at a bargain price given its maximum output and run time. Unfortunately, with only two LEDs, most of its power is focussed directly to the front. This sort of beam pattern is best-suited to helmet-mounted applications but the light’s all-in-one design and bulk means lid-mounting is prohibitive.

As a relatively inexpensive high-powered light, the Meteor Storm Pro is best suited to riders not looking to get too rowdy on the trail - we’d say it’s perfect for people who dabble in night riding rather than those looking to go out on regular epics.

How we tested

Testing lights objectively is a tough task. Whilst it’s entirely possible to measure the number of lumens a light emits with the correct tools, there are a lot more variables that change how much of that light illuminates the trail. The colour of the light, the beam pattern and lens types have as much effect as the outright power.

For those reasons we’ve not gone out and measured the number of lumens a light emits, instead we’ve tried our hardest to describe how and why the lights do and do not excel by describing the beam pattern, its colour and overall performance. Subjective opinions aren’t infallible, though, but hopefully they’re more valuable than just scientific numbers in this case.