The front light is one of the essential bike lights. The combination of front and rear lights ensures that cyclists can see and be seen on the road, thus avoiding road crashes.

As more and more states require cyclists to have front lights, more manufacturers are designing their version of front lights. Two of the most popular front lights in the market today are Lenzyne’s 1000XL front light and Smart Bike Lights’ FARINA front light.

If you’re one of those who have a hard time choosing between the two, then this blog is for you. We’ll place the two of the most popular front lights head to head to help identify which front light is best for you.

The Criteria

To give you an accurate analysis, we will categorize our analysis based on the top factors that determine the efficiency of front lights.

First, we’ll check the light output and settings of both Lezyne 1000XL and FARINA. This includes their maximum light output, light setting, adherence to light requirements, and other light features. 

Next is battery efficiency. We’re going to check the battery capacity of the two bike lights with their light output. Aside from this, we’re also going to review its recharging convenience and overall battery life.

Third, and perhaps the most important, are the smart features. With all the light and cycling technologies available today, it’s only essential that two of the top front lights have great smart features in their units.

Last is the pricing of each front light concerning their features–because no one dislikes an affordable yet high-quality bike light.

Light Output

With 1000 maximum lumens, Lezyne 1000XL has one of the best light outputs among the city front lights available today. Aside from this maximum output Lezyne also has 8 light settings with various light outputs ranging from 15-1000 lumens to suit your cycling needs. 

The generic flashing, pulsing, and economy setup has a brightness of 150 lumens. On the other hand, the Enduro mode for more active cycling is at 250 lumens, and the Blast feature is at 500. The Overdrive and Dayflash are at 1000 lumens, respectively.

While the diversity of these figures is attractive, there is only one thing that can be considered a disadvantage–none of these light setups are automatically triggered.

Lezyne 1000XL comes with a remote switch to adjust the light output and switch from one setting to another. This is troublesome considering that all cyclists will change their light setup while biking on the road.

This is the edge of FARINA front lights.

FARINA comes with 1100 lumens maximum output. Despite its 100 lumens advantage over Lezyne, its best feature is its Ambient Light Sensing.

This Ambient Light Sensing technology automatically adjusts the light setup of the front light depending on its environment. This is especially important if you’re used to riding along roads with dark areas or even unpredictable weather conditions.

You don’t have to pull over to adjust your lights; you don’t even have to click on something! Aside from this maximum convenience, this Ambient Light Sensing feature also ensures that you get the best light set up on your every ride.

Aside from this, FARINA comes with STVzO cut-off line. It functions as a light carpet that ensures the optimal projection of lights. With a light output as high as 1000 lumens, it’s easy to cause momentary blindness among other road users. The STVzO cut-off line avoids this problem.

The STVzO cut-off line is also available with other more expensive units of Lezyne. However, for a bike light with 1000 maximum lumens, it’s only imperative that it also has optimal projection to ensure road safety.

In short, while Lezyne 1000XL has more variety in light settings, FARINA’s ambient light sensing, and optimal projection win this round.

Battery Efficiency

The Lezyne 1000XL has a maximum run time of 57 hours when used in its Economy mode. Its maximum output can last up to 7 hours and thirty minutes when used on its maximum output. 

This is far from FARINA’s 20-hour battery capacity on its maximum output.

The secret of FARINA? Cutting-edge optics.

As we mentioned earlier, FARINA comes with an STVzO cut-off line that looks like a light carpet. This is achieved through dual CREE LED lights that ensure optimal wide and long beam projection.

The optic of these dual CREE LEDs allows the FARINA to get the maximum light output without higher battery input. Without draining your battery, you get an ultra-bright light with the best possible projection. That’s battery efficiency at its finest.

Aside from this, FARINA can also be used while charging. Its premium lithium-ion battery allows you to plug it with any battery pack. 

Smart Features

Lezyne 1000XL comes with a Smart Connect app that allows users to adjust the brightness and switch from one light setting to another. It can also be connected to Lezyne’s GPS tracker, which is sold separately.

Like Lezyne 1000XL, FARINA comes with its smartphone application, the Smart Grid. It also allows you to adjust the brightness and light setting of the FARINA.

The main difference between the smart features of Lezyne and FARINA is that FARINA comes with its accelerometer. It doesn’t need an external GPS device to measure direction and speed.

The built-in accelerometer of FARINA allows you to activate anti-theft alerts, which Lezyne doesn’t have. You’ll automatically get notifications should something happen to your bike.

This doesn’t just ensure the safety of your bike but of your front light as well. When left unattended, most front lights can easily be unstrapped and unhooked from the bike.

Price

As of this writing, Lezyne 1000XL is now priced at $84.99, while FARINA is at $89.99. There might be a slight difference between the price point, but with the $5 increase in FARINA, you’ll get automatic light sensing, 20 hours of battery time, anti-theft alerts, and other smart features.

So, you’ll don’t just get what you pay for–you’ll get more.

Furthermore, Smart Bike Lights offer various promos and discounts for combo purchasing and bulk orders.

In conclusion

While Lezyne remains one of the top names when it comes to bike lights, the smart technology of Farina is a force to reckon with. It’s now time for cyclists to get the technologies long-enjoyed by automobiles.  

FARINA’s smart features, engineered optics, and other groundbreaking capabilities make it the top front light for cyclists.