The Blackburn Dayblazer 1100 offers a good maximum lumens output but, although the resulting beam has a consistent and even quality, it doesn’t have much spread or depth.
Interestingly, when I reduced power there was not much visible difference between high and low mode. For general road or urban commute use and on reasonably well lit streets that isn’t so much of a problem. On country roads or routes lacking street lighting, I would miss the option of more powerful and far-reaching illumination.
Underlining the Dayblazer’s better suitability to an urban setting is the cutaway in the light housing to allow visibility from the side at junctions.
There are five modes in all: Blitz (maximum 1,100 lumens), High, Low, Pulse and Strobe. All modes are accessed by cycling through the power button on the top.
Unlike some other lights, though, there is not an option to short-cut to full power mode from whichever mode you happen to be riding in. For all the times you don’t need it, the lack of that feature isn’t so much of a problem, but when you do need to hit full beam you can guarantee it isn’t usually prompted by something that means you want to take your time cruising through the other modes to get there.
The same power button acts as a battery life indicator that runs down to flashing red as a final warning. Charging is via a standard micro-USB cable, which is both practical and efficient.
The rubber watch-strap style handlebar fixing bracket is not a favourite of mine – in fact, it is a struggle to get it properly tight. For most road use that hasn’t proved to be too much of a problem and it stays put well enough. But, venture onto a bumpy towpath or the rough of the trail, and the mount is not quite as rock solid as I’d like.
A plus, however, is the Go-Pro-style mount adaptor that comes included with the light package. I would always opt to use that in conjunction with my Garmin bracket, rather than the bar strap fixing.
This aside, the Blackburn Dayblazer is a well-made and easy-to-use model that delivers a consistent beam. Supplying it with an additional mounting option as standard makes it more versatile and is a nice touch that usually only comes as an extra.
However, there are more powerful lights with a better range of modes that make them stronger contenders for your disposable income and they come at the same price, or a few pounds more. As much as I found it simple to use, those competitors make the Dayblazer a harder choice to opt for.
How we tested
With winter on its way, now is the time to review your bike lights setup and invest in a new set if your lights are weak or you're in need of an update.
So we've put nine sets of the best front lights for around £100 to the test.
Other lights on test:
Product
| Brand | blackburn_design |
| Price | 130.00 AUD,90.00 EUR,85.00 GBP,95.00 USD |
| Weight | 144.0000, GRAM () - including mount |
Features
| br_lightType | front |
| Features | Lumens: 1100 Lux (5m at full beam) 165 Run time (full beam): 60 minutes IP rating: 7 Battery capacity: N/A Modes: Five including pulse and strobe |
