Cateye AMPP 500 Front Light

Cateye's AMPP 500 is one of its lower powered 'see by' lights, but it still manages to chuck out enough lumens to light dark rural roads for riding at a decent pace. It's not badly priced, though it has a slightly cheap feel to it, and if you need to run it on max most of the time then the battery life isn't massive.

The AMPP 500 uses a single LED and Cateye's OptiCube lens which gives the light quite a focused spot with a small amount of spread out to the sides. It's quite narrow; I'd like a little bit more illumination to pick up the verge either side of the ride to give a bit of depth and sense of speed.

The central spot is bright, though, especially considering the claimed 500 lumens against other lights of similar power.

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On the High 500 lumens mode I was happy riding at around 20mph without issue, but any faster than that on unlit back lanes with no road markings requires focus. On main roads you can go a bit quicker.

The Low mode offers 250 lumens which is okay for riding in urban environments and country lanes at a sedate pace.

There are two more modes, the Daytime Hyperconstant – 250 lumens backlit and a 500-lumen flash over the top – and the Flashing which is 250 lumens. Both are handy for getting you noticed.

Modes are changed via the on/off button on the top of the light which is usefully backlit so that you can see it when you are riding. It changes colour to red when the battery life is below 20%.

One thing I do like about the AMPP that so many other brands can't seem to achieve is that you don't have to scroll through the flashing modes to get back to High; a double-click from any mode will take you straight to it.

Battery life isn't massive: on High you'll get 1.5hrs, with 3hrs on Low. The Flashing mode gives you 50hrs, and the Daytime Hyperconstant will run out in 5hrs. A full recharge takes just over 4hrs if using a wall socket, and up to double that if using a PC or laptop.

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Depending on where you live and what roads you ride, if you're using High for the majority of the time it'll restrict your ride time.

To be fair to it, though, the AMPP 500 probably isn't a light you are likely to buy if you are spending most of your time on unlit roads. If you are riding or commuting in the dark in a mostly urban environment, or on major roads with street lighting, you're going to be able to get away with the lower or flashing modes, with the knowledge that if you have some unlit sections coming up you'll have enough illumination to keep you going.

Cateye's FlexTight bracket uses a wheel and notched band for fixing the light to the handlebar. It works well, keeping the AMPP firmly in place, and the small lever allows you to remove the light quickly outside of shops and so on.

Cateye gives an IP rating of IPX4 waterproofness. I gave it the heavy rain and bathroom shower test without issue; you just need to make sure the rubber cover over the charging port is secure.

Priced at £39.99, it's a decent light for the money. I'd prefer to see an aluminium body to give the AMPP a bit more of a feeling of quality and robustness, but at this sort of price there are compromises to be made.

You get an extra 50 lumens with the Blackburn Dayblazer 550 for the same cash, although burn-times are similar.

Beam-wise, the Cateye is noticeably brighter in the centre, but the Blackburn offers a better spread all round.

It's also the same price as the Ravemen LR500S, which is now five quid more than when we tested it back in 2019. Its outputs are similar to the Cateye, as are the burn-times, but it comes with an aluminium body.

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Overall, the Cateye is probably a better option for more urban areas, with quite a focused beam for riding on unlit lanes, and isn't a bad price considering how bright it is.

Verdict

Not the greatest beam pattern out there, but bright nonetheless and reliable