Magicshine’s Allty 1000 combines a powerful 1,000-lumen Cree LED with a 21-degree spread and a separate LED strip above it, for a very effective range of modes and visibility.
It’s a compact and lightweight all-aluminium unit that has good protection from the elements, rated to IPX7, which means it can survive being submerged in a metre of water for 30 minutes.
The on/off switch doubles as a warning light for the battery, going from green to red when it dips down to 30 per cent power and flashing red at 10 per cent.
At its full 1,000-lumen output I achieved bang-on the 1.8 hours claimed running time, which should be enough for some off-road riding too.
The second-highest 500-lumen setting was sufficient for riding on unlit cycle paths and urban routes, and though it gave me well over three hours, that's a little less than the claimed four hours.
There’s also a steady 250-lumen setting and 1,000- and 500-lumen flash settings for daylight riding. The small-strip LED gives a steady 25-lumen output, and is handy as a daylight running and emergency light, lasting over a day on one charge.
The Allty front light has a Garmin-style base mount as well as straps for different bar diameters, so it’s easy to find a mount for it, and is secured using a hex bolt.
I do prefer mounts that can be screw-tightened to the bar because they stay in place over bumps, and some rubber straps can be a struggle. The downside is that you’ll need a tool if you need to make adjustments – unlike the tool-free FlexTight system used by Cateye, for example – but when you need to take the light off, it's just a quick 90-degree rotation to get the light free.
Oddly, my light was ever so slightly loose in the head unit; not so much that it could ever work loose, just with a tiny bit of play. However, it was an absolutely perfect fit in both the Garmin and Hide My Bell mounts I tried it with. Magicshine also makes a helmet mount for the Allty.
SeeMee 60 rear light
I paired the Allty 1000 with the SeeMee 60 rear light, which is also sold under other brand names. It has steady 30, 17 and 9-lumen modes and at £35 / $35 / AU$60 / €34 it may seem a little expensive for a rear light with this output – but it has a trick up its sleeve.
I’m not sure exactly where this falls on the gimmick-or-useful-feature scale, but internal vibration and brake sensors mean that when you stop suddenly the light increases its output to 60 lumens in what is described as "a frenzy of flashes" to warn motorists within a 180-degree viewing angle. It does work, and it’s definitely bright, but I’m not sure how effective it will be on motorists compared with a standard flashing light.
Another advantage to the sensors is that they also sense when you’ve stopped riding, and after 60 seconds the light turns itself off, reactivating automatically as soon as it’s moved again.
The Seemee 60 is a breeze to fit, easily mounting to helmets, backpacks and seatposts, and with an IPX6 rating – able to resist high-pressure, heavy sprays of water – it should carry on flashing whatever the weather.
- Magicshine Allty 1000: £100 / $85 / AU$153 / €84
- Magicshine Seemee 60: £35 / $35 / AU$60 / €34
Product
| Brand | magicshine |
| Price | 213.00 AUD,118.00 EUR,135.00 GBP,120.00 USD |
| Weight | 181.0000, GRAM () - Both lights |
Features
| br_lightType | front_and_rear |
| br_integratedBattery | yes |
| Features | Front Weight: 147g Front Output: 1000 lumens Front Light/Modes: Single Cree LED / Six modes, two flashing Rear Weight: 34g Rear Output: 60 lumens Rear Light/Modes: Four steady modes, two flashing plus braking |
