LifeLine Aero Beam 25 review

The LifeLine Aero Beam 25 has a small price by performs better than expected. It isn’t especially bright though and in its highest setting has a run-time of just 1 hour 20 minutes.

Mounting stability and side-on beam visibility aren’t great either but, for the cost, I can almost forgive it.

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LifeLine Aero Beam 25 details and specification

Powered by a USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the Lifeline Aero Beam has 16 COB-style LEDs that can be switched between five modes: two constant, two flashing and one pulse.

The long and thin shape means it’s suited to tube mounting and it’s supplied with two different mounts: one for thin tubes and one for larger tubes. A silicone strap secures the light to the bike.

The Aero Beam 25's body is made from plastic and LifeLine claims the light is water-resistant.

LifeLine Aero Beam 25 performance

The two supplied rubber mounting surfaces and silicone ladder strap are easy to use and the light’s a doddle to mount to the bike. Fastening locations are fairly limited because of the light’s thin and long vertical shape, but it has a fairly slim profile.

No other accessories are supplied with the light, so you’re limited to mounting it on tubes out of the box.

The rubber mounts are soft enough to deform around tubes rather than causing the light to perch on them, helping to reduce the likelihood of it flopping from side to side.

The rubber O-rings don’t secure the light very well and knocks do make it twist on the tubes quite easily. Vibrations didn’t cause it to move around much though, and unless it was bashed, it always returned to the set position.

The light’s USB port is protected from the elements by the rubber mounting bracket, relying on pressure created by the O-ring to keep it in place. One knock or bash and the cover could easily become dislodged, compromising how waterproof it is.

The button’s location and size make it tricky to push even when you’re not on the bike, although the change between the six modes is intuitive.

The pulse setting is useful considering the constant setting isn’t very impressive, even on its brightest mode. That said, it’s not dull, just not as bright as other lights on the market.

Despite the beam not being very bright, it projects its light well, flooding the floor with light, although not in a very wide spread. Up to 30 degrees from the rear of the bike and the light’s beam is still as bright.

From 30 to 80 degrees there’s a constantly, albeit slightly lower, output of light. At 90 degrees the light’s beam doesn’t project any light, instead relying on the LEDs’ power to give some illumination.

Run time is 1 hour 20 minutes, only 10 minutes less than LifeLine claims. This kind of burn time isn’t very long considering the light’s limited power output, and the low purchase price does mean some compromises.

LifeLine Aero Beam 25 bottom line

For the money, the Aero Beam 25 performs well and I can almost forgive its foibles. It just isn’t bright enough for my needs and the mount could be more secure.