Sigma Buster 1100 front light review

The Sigma Buster 1100 is one of the brand’s highest-output lights, packaged into a sleek design.

The front light is aimed at off-road use, with 165 metres of beam range and many mounting options.

It lights the way ahead efficiently, but it's easy to lose the inserts that help the light fit to different handlebars.

Sigma Buster 1100 specifications and details

On the top of the Buster 1100 are several lights indicating which mode you’re in and the current battery level.

There are six modes to choose from, with the highest pumping out 1,100 lumens.

There are two flashing modes – a night flash and a day flash – and four static modes - High (1,100 lumens), Mid (800), Low (400) and Eco (150).

The Buster 1100 weighs in at 215g, including the bracket.

While not the lightest on the market, it’s on the smaller side for a high-power light.

I found it to be small enough to forget about when attached to my handlebar but, perhaps, bigger than I’d like for taking on and off the bike when leaving it locked up.

It has an IPX4 water resistance rating, which is plenty for wetter rides, although you’ll need to avoid dunking it in puddles.

Sigma Buster 1100 performance

I used the Buster 1100 for a mixture of cycling to work and adventuring.

The lower modes worked well to make me visible on roads and bike paths, without dazzling other users. Once off-road, I could quickly switch to a higher-power mode.

I rarely found a need to adjust the position of the light, with a beam shape that kept visibility high on fire roads and singletrack.

The full 1,100 lumens of light even gave me the confidence to have my first go at night riding. I swapped the light on to the bar of my mountain bike and headed out to some local trails.

This is where the Buster really started to impress. It gave me the essential visibility to make my way down pitch-black trails, with the included handlebar mount sticking firm.

Having it helmet-mounted would improve the experience, given its size, something Sigma had in mind with the option of a bespoke helmet mount.

I was rarely concerned with battery life, even when blasting around on full power. It took six hours to drain the battery from full.

That said, only two and a half hours of this was at full power, at which point the automatic battery saver only allows the use of lower-power modes.

For longer rides, you can plug the light into a power bank and continue using it while charging.

However, the Buster 1100 is let down by the mounting system, when you want to switch between bikes.

It attaches by looping around the handlebar and tightening with a thumb screw. The light can be detached with a quick-release button, but this will leave behind the rest of the mount.

To enable fitting on different-diameter bars, two sizes of separate rubber linings are included. These are easily misplaced when not in use.

I found myself running around looking for them before heading out and had to leave the light behind on one ride due to not being able to find them.

Granted, this could be solved with better organisation, but the fewer pieces that are needed in a light’s construction, the better.

On a bike light of this size, many may prefer to simply remove light and bracket as one, using a ladder-strap design to help it tighten to bars of differing diameters.

Sigma Buster 1100 bottom line

This is a light I’d choose when it’s power (from a single unit) I need.

It’s not the simplest to use across multiple bikes, though, and, as with all brighter front lights, care needs to be taken to avoid dazzling those passing on roads or bike paths.

Take it into the darkness, though, and it packs a punch in a compact format.