Light & Motion Urban 350 vs Cygolite Expilion 850

The Light & Motion Urban 350 is very bright,it increases your visibility in traffic, easy to mount on your bike and has a good battery life.

The Urban 350 headlight emits 350 lumens of light in a 180 degree angle, which is bright enough to let you see and be seen, but not too bright to interfere with other drivers on the road. It has amber side cut-outs, which help drivers see you from the sides.

It's waterproof and impact-resistant (FL-1 certification), so it will easily survive rain and every day use. Light & Motion offer a 2 year warranty, but it's likely that the Urban 350 will last longer.

The battery will last for 12 hours in pulse mode (which is what most commuters use, since it alerts other drivers to your presence), 1.5 hours on high brightness, and 6 hours on low brightness. This headlight is charged via a micro-USB port, it takes about 5 hours until fully charged. It has a battery status indicator, that goes from green to red as the battery drains, so you don't have to guess at when it's going to run out.

The Urban 350 has a reliable silicone strap, that doesn't require any tools to be mounted or dismounted. It works like a belt- the strap has multiple round holes which are hooked on a plug to keep it secure. It can fit any handlebar, won't stretch or come undone in the middle of the ride, but is easy to take off before you leave your bike.

For commutes longer than 30 minutes you can get more battery life out of it by running it on a lower setting- the Expilion will run for 3 hours on the 425 lumens setting.
If you like to always have a full battery, the Expilion has a swappable 3.7-volt lithium-ion battery, though you'll have to purchase the spare separately.

The Cygolite Expilion 850 is one of the brightest light for the price. The highest setting emits 850 lumens of light which is great for roads with no lighting at all like in rural areas or off-road trails. Even on the lower setting it's still bright enough for non-illuminated bike paths.

The mount on the Expilion 850 clips around the handlebar, and then you slide on the light itself on the stationary mount. That means, you only have to aim the light in the direction of your choice once, and it will maintain it's direction when you come back to it.

On the highest setting (850 lumens) the battery will last for 1.5 hours, and on the flash setting for 22 hours. This is more than enough to get you through the week on one charge.