Exposure Boost 3 – Cycling News

The Exposure Boost 3 is a lightly upgraded version of the Mk2, with a small case change and max power going from 350 to 600 lumens. The extra power (or run-time, if you prefer) makes it more useful, but unfortunately the needlessly complex controls and high price remain.

The Boost 3 is very small and light, yet easily bright enough to get you seen, whether you’re using flashing mode or a solid beam. It’s worth noting that it only puts out 600 lumens in Pulse mode – the brightest Constant setting is only 400 lumens.

Nevertheless, that’s a truly useful amount of light. Even the previous version, the Mk2, was bright enough at 300 lumens (on Constant) to get you through completely unlit sections with a bit of care. With the extra power, the Boost 3 is usable as a headlamp in fully dark areas. It’s a fairly narrow beam, but it’ll keep you safe at 18-20mph through unlit rural voids… unless you’re in the wrong mode when you get there, when it’ll be awkward at best – more on that in a second.

The 600-lumen DayBright setting (Exposure’s name for its flashing pattern) is more than up to getting you noticed, even on bright days, while the 270° lens means you’re visible from the side too. It’s all rated IP67, so is completely sealed against dust and capable of laying underwater for at least 30 minutes. Basically, you don’t need to consider the weather.

Pleasingly, the extra power has not reduced the run-time – roughly two hours on max – thanks to a 200mAh bump in battery capacity to 1600mAh. I’d hoped for a Mk2-matching power setting as the middle brightness of the three, but unfortunately it steps right down to 135 lumens and, lastly, 75. The 135 setting is good for urban riding as a be-seen light, but had it been 250-300 lumens, it would have covered you for both lit and unlit sections while burning usefully longer than two hours.

This is especially true as the Boost 3 shuts off without warning when flat. The best I got at full power was 2h10m at room temperature, while on a windy 2C ride, it was under two hours.

Full power run-times wouldn’t matter so much if changing the brightness was easy – but it’s not. The light seems designed to be set before riding and left alone. While most lights cycle their power outputs with single clicks, Exposure tucks that option away in a programming mode you can only access with the light switched off. To use it, you must remember the right button presses and the meaning of the flashes that follow, and you may need to refer to the table etched into the bottom of the light. (You’ll need a second light to read the table.)

I can’t honestly think of a benefit to doing it like this.

Here are Exposure’s instructions on changing the brightness:

“The lights have three programs with different intensities and run times. To select a program, start with the light off. Hold the Function Button down. The light will then start to emit single flashes. Count these flashes and release the button on the number of flashes that correspond to the program you want to be in. The Runtimes in each program are etched onto the product in the bellow [sic] table.”

For comparison, here are the instructions for Knogg’s Blinder Pro 600:

“Quick press – change mode.”

Like many modern lights, that Knog uses a long press to switch on and off, whereas the Exposure only turns off that way – to turn it on requires a double press. This means the Knog is free to assign the double press to switching to flash mode, meaning it – like so many competitors – does everything without needing a separate programming mode. It achieves this without being turned off, and without asking the user to memorise or count flashes or refer to a table.

It doesn’t help that the button (Exposure calls it an Optimised Mode Selector, or OMS) is quite small and stiff. When riding in thick gloves, it’s not that easy to find, as the Boost 3 will spin and slide back and forth in the clamp as you prod. The button… sorry, OMS is not lit or even coloured. You have to get a firm pinch on the lamp itself to actually press it, which isn’t that easy with such a tiny light.

Remove the Boost 3 from the bike and the button is pretty easy to operate, and left alone in its clamp the unit stays still and secure. The clamp – both the silicone ladder and the microphone-stand-type upper bit – is very nicely shaped and strongly built. Attaching it is quick and easy.

There’s been a small change to the case for this version, which is that the anti-dazzle shield on top of the lens is now part of the metal body instead of the silicone charging port seal. The change makes zero difference, so presumably it’s a manufacturing decision rather than an attempt at an upgrade.

Speaking of manufacturing, our test light had a small issue. On the Solid setting, it would suddenly drop in brightness, fade smoothly back up over a few seconds and then repeat, constantly. It wasn’t that noticeable, but Exposure confirmed it was a fault – it should shine steadily.

A customer would have theirs replaced under warranty, which lasts three years if you buy directly or two years if you’ve bought from a third party. Exposure also offers ‘lifetime repairs’ on all its products, which is reassuring – though these aren’t free.

Value

The good news is that, at £80, this is exactly the same price as the old version. The bad news is that £80 is pretty high for a light like this.

> See and be seen with our top front bike lights for on the road, trail or path

The Knog Blinder Pro 600 front light I mentioned earlier, for instance, is £20 cheaper at £59.99. It too has a machined aluminium body, runs two hours on full power and is IP67 rated – though the Knog actually produces 600 lumens in a constant beam, and lasts four hours on its useful 300 lumen medium setting.

Cheaper still is the Cateye AMPP400S, which matches the Boost 3’s 400 lumen on constant and is also bright enough to use as a proper headlamp. It’s £34.99.

If you’re happy at the £80 mark, you can have way more power. The Moon Rigel Max, for instance, is £79.99 and more than twice as bright at 1,500 lumens.

One caveat is that none of these options is as small and light – the Boost 3 has a meaningful edge there.

Overall

Basically, if you’ve no intention of adjusting or even switching this on/off while moving, it’s great. There’s no denying it both looks and feels a little bit special, and its tiny size and weight are appealing. It’s bright enough both to get you seen and to see by reliably, however dark it gets – plus it runs long enough for a pretty good day’s commuting.

Charging uses the ubiquitous USB-C plug just like (probably) your phone and is quick at 1h30m, which is again just as claimed. Given all this, you may well feel happy paying a premium for it. It looks premium. It’s not actually beating much on spec, however, unless size and weight are key.

If you want something that’s easy to use and/or feel value is more important, this is not the light for you. You can get far more user-friendly lights for less money, or more user-friendly lights offering superior performance for the same price.