The Moon Gem 3.0 (£18.49) and Moon Gem 2.0 (£18.17) are two USB chargeable bike lights distributed by Raleigh in the UK. This winter, these are the two bike lights I’ll mostly be using. Let me explain why…
The Moon lights are USB chargeable. Now I no longer have to remember to grab a £4 pack of batteries when the low light indicator comes on. I simply plug them in to my laptop. In the long run, this will save a lot of money, as well as bike rides without a light.
The rear Moon Gem 3.0 bike light is a similar size to the Blackburn Flea. Both have 4 Ultra bright LEDs achieving an adequate light output for cycle commuters. However, it wouldn’t hurt to supplement it with a secondary light. Perhaps the Knog Wearable Boomer or the Fibre Flare.
The Moon Gem 3.0 uses a clever bracket. This makes it very easy to quickly attach and remove the light from your bike. You can also twist the mount upwards. This is a fantastic little design feature as it means you can adjust your light, so it is not pointing downwards.
The front Moon Gem 2.0 use a similar mounting system, with a silicone strap that makes mounting quick and easy. The silicone strap and the clip looks like it can take some abuse, and I doubt you could snap it off unless you seriously mishandled it.
On the front bike light you can switch between full brightness and reduced brightness. You can also choose from different flashing modes. I’ve found myself mostly using the full power option. The manufacturer states that you get 19 Lumens of output. In comparison, The Knog Boomer states it has 50 lumens. However, I found the Moon Gem 2.0 to be brighter, which goes to show you can’t necessarily use the lumen figure as an accurate reading. Overall, it provides a decent amount of light for most commutes.
The power button is a little tough to press, and you wouldn’t be able to activate it with a pair of gloves. However, it also means the light is less likely to be accidentally pressed in your pocket or bag.
You don’t get a lot of battery life from the Moon lights, perhaps due to their tiny package. Therefore, every 6-8 rides you’ll need to charge them up again. However, charge time is very quick taking around 2 to 2.5 hours. There’s an indicator for when the battery is fully charged.
Review
Overall, the Moon Gem bike lights are small yet bright, making them a suitable choice for most cycle commuters. Those looking for additional power output should consider something a little more powerful, such as the Knog O Blinder.
[button link=”https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/go/moon-gem-2/” color=”green”]Click to take a look at the Moon Gem Front Light[/button]
[button link=”https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/go/moon-gem-3/” color=”green”]Click to take a look at the Moon Gem Rear Light[/button]
I have these Moon lights – have had for about a year now (purchased because I really wanted something USB-chargeable because I was fed up of buying CR2016 batteries) and can’t complain. They are plenty bright for my commute on lit roads, quick to charge, sit securely on the bike and take half a second to put on/take off the bike at either end of the ride. Very happy with them.
Same here! Have had them for a year as well. I’m never buying non-USB lights ever again.
My only gripe with the front Moon gem is that the plastic that holds onto the rubbery bit can crack after a whole year of putting it on and off. Had to do some duct tape sugery …
Additionally for the front, I also have the 300 Lumen model and it fools most cars into thinking I’m a moped because I only have it on steady. For a 20+ minute ride, I only need to recharge it once a week.
I’m a fan of the Magicshine-type lights you can get from Ebay or DealExtreme, e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CREE-XML-XM-L-T6-1800LM-LED-Bicycle-bike-Head-Light-Lamp-Bicycle-Light-SET-/180946786907?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item2a2144da5b&_uhb=1
They are, quite simply, awesome.
http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w397/Gizmoish/7E2B5489-F760-4BAB-B8FE-81891A741309-2779-00000355F53E646B_zps6cdd8926.jpg
Agree. Great lights.
Have been on the look out for some helmet mounted lights for a while but was put off by size.
Discovered these gems 😉 and now have Gem 2.0 front and rear mounted to my helmet.
Small enough to be unobtrusive but bright enough to get me noticed.
Excellent value too.
“You don’t get a lot of battery life from the Moon lights, perhaps due to their tiny package. Therefore, every 6-8 rides you’ll need to charge them up again. However, charge time is very quick taking around 2 to 2.5 hours.”
That is a terrible specification. You are just encouraging manufacturers to build throw away ‘adequate’ lights with next to no battery capacity. 2.5 hours charge time for 6-8 rides (not sure how long that is) also sounds like very slow charging to me.
It’s surely much better to use slightly larger LED lamps that have proper reflectors built into them and also take hi capacity 2000mAH AA rechargeable batteries (which are sold in supermarkets along with fast chargers) and last for over 100 hours and can be replaced when they start to loose capacity.
I just checked out the moon comet in hargroves cycles, the front runs at a claimed 100 lumens and the rear at 30, it is usb chargeable and the rear has a saddle mount option.
Moon make great bike lights. Unfortunately for me I need a high powered light as most of my commute is on unlit narrow roads. The Moon XP500 is certainly worth a look if you need more light to keep safe at night. It’s a bit pricy, but you can find cheaper if you shop around. Also the Moon Shield is a great rear red. Can’t put a price on safety though.
This is the best light I have come across for best bang for your buck. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3000-Lumen-Fluxient-3x-XM-L-U2-with-solid-swivel-mount-brightest-on-the-market-/150943825069?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Cycling_Bike_Lights&hash=item2324f3fcad
I bought this light last week and i have owned the niterider 3000 pro which cost me 500 quid.
This 3000 lumen power house is unreal and a fraction of the price magicshine MJ-880 and niterider 3000 pro charge. It is is that bright you have to use the dip on it to avoid blinding car drivers on the road. It’s the best deal your going to find anywhere. The battery life lasts a good 3 1/2 hours with the full beam set at 3000 lumens.
Paul Owens – is this just more product pimping? I’ve seen a few posts today on other forums pushing these exact lights (which have since been removed by the mods).
Very interesting, but it all seems too good and the use of underhand marketing techniques and slating of other products is poor. Perhaps its another SuperstarComponents business in teh making 😉
Within a few months, the rubber band started to wear and the plastic anchoring the light broke, making the light unmountable. Too bad, because the light itself is a nice little piece of gear. But the strap problem is a deal-breaker.
Same issue with the mount breaking – there is now no way of mounting the light, making it worthless. Anyone know a contact to try and get a replacement bit of brittle pastic for the mount?
I have been using Moon cycle lights for the past year. However, one of my lights started to not hold it’s charge and the power button fell off. When I emailed Moon regarding this, with it still being under warranty, they said I would have to pay twice as much as the light is worth so as to ship it to Hong Kong (from the UK) so they can fix it and send it back.
So, it is a good product until it breaks and you need their customer services to help.
I will be switching to a UK based cycle light company so as for a swifter, and cheaper, repair/replace system.
If you like night riding, then a bike light set is necessary to keep you safe. Your review is helpful to those who do not know how to choose among lights in the market.
It looks tiny and beautiful.