HELMET LIGHTS

CATEYE AMPP 800

£64.99

Weight: 163g • Lumens: 200, 400, 800 • Contact: cateyecycling.co.uk

SPECIFICATION

Depending on the application, the Cateye AMPP 800 is available as either a helmet light, a bar light or included with the AMPP as a kit option. We’re testing the standalone helmet unit, but we actually ordered the optional Gopro adapter for an extra £6.99. This slides straight onto the base and eliminates the heavier Velcro strap and extra faff of fitting, but it does only work with a helmet with Gopro compatibility like a Bontrager or Bell. It does reduce the stack height and, like the Magicshine RH 1500, the AMPP 800 is pretty low profile, while still having good angle adjustment. Using the Gopro mount also means you don’t get any wobble or rattle when riding rough terrain.

On full power, the AMPP 800 puts out 800 lumens, which is reasonable. The single LED and Opticube lens produces a slightly wider beam than the Magicshine, but the light is a crisp white which is perfect for picking out detail. The single mode means you have to toggle between several fixed and flashing options, although you can switch back to full beam at any time with a quick double press.

The on/off switch also does double duty as run-time indicator – blue is over 50% battery life remaining, yellow is between 50-30% and red is under 30% – but unfortunately, with the lamp mounted on your helmet, this function is somewhat redundant.

The Lithium-ion battery has about half the output of the Magicshine, but run-time is similar. It’s also charged in a similar way via a USB-C port hidden under a rubber bung on the base of the light.

On full power, the AMPP 800 is bright enough not to get overpowered by the bar light, and it’s great for picking out detail, but the Magicshine RN1500 gets twice the lumens for only a small increase in cost. The AMPP 800 is lighter weight, so it’s not as obvious when mounted on your helmet, but it’s a little bit under-gunned on power compared to the other helmet lights on test.