With a claimed output of 2,000 lumens, DStar’s new Septair light is right up at the top of the power pyramid, but this distinction is offset by its high weight and wobbly reliability.
The amount of light output by the CNC-machined head unit is genuinely outstanding. Even our six-degree spot version gave masses of all-round coverage vision to put your riding totally into context. The low power setting is still usable on technical trails too.
On the downside, the bottle battery is seriously heavy and you obviously need a bottle cage, but you can spec the half-size block battery from the Altair model if you want. Frustratingly, there’s no battery indicator light so you’ll just have to guess your maximum power run times.
The alloy drummed quick-release bar bracket is super-secure but the lamp’s weight and size makes helmet use inadvisable. More seriously, we had repeated overheat and cutout problems on full power on warmer nights. If that can be sorted there’s certainly great power-for-price potential here.
Beam shot - DStar Septair
For more information of how we tested this year's crop of lights, see our latest buyer's guide to mountain bike lights and Tested: 30 high-power mountain bike lights.
