Kryptonite Alley F-800

At the brightest end of Kryptonite's front light series, the Alley F-800 torch-style light is bright enough for picking out potholes and broad enough for good peripheral vision. It also overdelivers on its claimed 90 minutes of high/steady visibility and provides almost exactly 24 hours on economical flash.

• Pros: Bright and broad beam, overdelivers on battery life
• Cons: The clamp is on the chunky side

With the F-800, Kryptonite has packed more lumens into an almost identical compact body to its 150 through to 650 – making this a simple upgrade if you've already got the attachment sorted on your setup.

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That resin and aluminium body is nominally longer than its F-300 cousin which I tested earlier in the year, but width remains the same. The feel of this unit is one of sturdiness. At 162g, it's not the lightest 800-lumen front light out there – the Lezyne Lite Drive Stu tested is smaller and lighter at 151g – but it soaks up knocks and drops without issue.

The F-800's bracket is sturdy too; a little chunkier than the Cateye Volt 800 or Ravemen PR800's clamps, and more reliable than rubber band systems. I found it a little cumbersome – as with the F-300 I tested – but once you get to grips with it, it proves exceptionally fast for grabbing the light and running for the train/office/coffee shop. The light is swiftly removed by depressing a quick release button, and easily snapped back on.

The widely used Micro USB charging port for the lithium-ion battery is hidden under a rubber bung for waterproofing. This proved successful in shielding the unit from any water damage on test, from rainy rides to considerably more water from the hose.

The F-800 has identical settings and features to the Kryptonite F-300. Its six modes are designed to take you from daytime to total darkness, comprising a high (800 lumens), medium (400) and low steady (140), plus a daytime and night time pulse (800 and 400) and an economical flash (170). There's also a handy memory feature which switches back on to the mode you left it in, so you don't have to.

Its six-mode setup feels simple to get to grips with. More so than the identically priced Ravemen PR800 which offers nine modes. Yet the F-800 also provides a broader and brighter range of pulses than the PR800, with a full 800-lumen pulse versus the Ravemen's mere 100.

At full whack the beam is bright and broad. I could pick out potholes ahead, while road signs and parked cars are easily picked up in the periphery.

The low steady setting at 140 lumens was bright enough to pass oncoming commuters without losing visibility, or for passing through well-lit areas. Lasting for its full 10 claimed hours, this mode would suit long days in the saddle, too.

The 800-lumen daytime pulse mode, with its nice steady pace, is very bright – overkill perhaps for fine days. The night-time 400-lumen pulse felt adequate for most conditions, but the 800 comes in handy on particularly dreary early mornings.

> Buyer's Guide: The best front lights for cycling

The traffic light system for battery life is a well-thought-through feature on Kryptonite's lights, giving you a very fast indication of where you're at – both when on charge and on the bike. The power button on top of the light glows green, amber or red to provide information that the light has a respective 100-50, 50-25 and 25% or below battery life remaining. When it sinks to 10% battery, the unit switches itself to economical flash mode to get you home. The light hits 50% full in 58 minutes, and fully charged in 100 – very handy for busy commuters.

Claimed run-time is almost identical to the F-300 I tested. As with its other units, Kryptonite claims 90 minutes on full power before changing itself to economical flash. On test, though, it outperformed. Full power lasted over 2 hours.

At 162g, the F-800 sits in the middle of the weight range; Cateye's Volt is on the lighter side at 140g, while at the heavier end the Ravemen 800 comes in at 190g (though its more torch-like CR700 is just 129g, the CR900 130g).

With an RRP of £74.99 the F-800 is not the cheapest around, but it's not the most expensive either, and its well-thought-through features add value. It's the same price as Ravemen's PR800, £15 cheaper than the Cateye Volt 800, but Blackburn's DayBlazer 800 is £54.99.

Overall, the F-800 is a bright and sturdy front light whose six options provide versatility and safety without overcomplicating things. It overdelivers on battery life and the traffic light system is a genuinely useful feature that now I've tried I wouldn't want to do without.

Verdict

Versatile and hardwearing front light with a broad beam, impressive illumination and useful auto-economy mode