Busch + Muller Big Bang Lightset review

Designed and built in Germany, this is a light set of giant proportions in both size, output and price – but does its performance justify the money you pay?

The battery is a very lightweight and compact Lithium Ion unit, with enough juice to power the massive lamp at 140lux for an impressive five hours. The 100mm diameter lamp houses a gas discharge bulb, also known as HID. 

The light has an additional clip-on lens – without it the beam pattern is a flat ‘dipped beam’, ideal for on the road. When the off-road lens is fitted, a penetrating spot and huge flood pattern is emitted.

With an HID bulb, the light emitted is a blue-white colour which has the effect of flattening the contrast in the trail floor, meaning it becomes very difficult to distinguish between surface conditions, whether it is wet or dry, and whether it is hard pack or loose surface.

With the lens fitted the spot beam is very focused, was super bright and seared deep into the distance, but this left a serious contrast between the focused spot and the peripheral flood. 

This meant that the mid range illumination was seriously lacking in comparison to the distance spot.