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biolite headlamp 800 pro review

The best way I’ve found to reduce or eliminate car usage in a city is with an electric bike. But in the winter, nights come at you early, and it’s more important than ever to ensure that as cyclists, we’re visible to the biggest danger on the roads: car drivers. I’ve been testing out a new headlamp called the BioLite HeadLamp 800 Pro that isn’t specifically meant for cyclists, but has proven perfect for me as a way to add both front and rear LED lighting to pretty much any helmet.

That’s a major part of this series, often finding cool gear that might not have been originally meant for us as e-bikers, but that works great and can be co-opted to make car-replacing electric bikes even better and easier to use.

I love helmets that have built-in LED illumination. While most electric bikes come with their own headlights, having a higher-mounted LED makes riders even more visible. These are usually lower power be-seen lights, though the ability to actually shine light in an area you want to quickly glance at is a major superpower for those early winter nights on poorly lit trails and bike lanes. Light is good, but directional light is great.

The downside of helmet-based lights is that you’re limited to the few manufacturers that actually do incorporate them, and even then the lights are usually fairly weak. Even though there are great options out there (I love the helmet offered by Electric Bike Company for its 100% customizable paint job and built-in LED lighting), adding lighting to your own helmet can save money and give you a wider range of options for helmet features. I’ve been testing out the HeadLamp 800 Pro from BioLite for use as a cycling light, and this thing is darn near perfect for riding at night or in other low-visibility scenarios like rain/snow storms.

Like most headlamps, it’s easy to adjust it to fit just about any helmet, instantly giving you old-school mining helmet vibes. It’s also got a coating inside the bands that makes it lock onto the shell without sliding around like an old underwear waistband. I don’t ride without a helmet often, but it’s still comfortable right on your head or over a knit hat, if you like to go sans brain bucket.

Unlike my hiking headlamps that have been dancing around in my camping gear bags for nearly a decade, this thing is much lower profile so it doesn’t add a lot of bulk or momentum when turning my head around while cycling. I do a lot of shoulder checks, so not having something heavy out for in front of my face is important to me.

As far as lighting levels, there are plenty. The low brightness mode is just 5 lumens, so I don’t really use that one except when all I want is to be seen by drivers. Usually I like having more light thrown out in front of me to serve as my own headlight. The 250-lumen medium mode and 500-lumen high mode are great for everyday cycling use. There’s an even higher 800-lumen mode, but that’s more than I need and I don’t want to blind drivers, either. And it’s easy to adjust between the front spot light modes, flood light, strobe light, and dimming options.

There’s also a red light on the rear that is perfect for cyclists like us, as it gives you a high-mounted tail light – something you’ll almost never see on a bike. Lower-mounted e-bike lights under the seat are often blocked by backpacks or winter jackets that hang lower, so a high-mounted tail light on the back of your head is a great idea. That one can also either be full-on flood light or a strobe, depending on how you prefer. I like solid lights as opposed to strobes, and your head motion will likely give the rear LED enough movement to catch drivers attention, but the strobe option is there if you like it. The front light also has a red option, which is great for when I’m camping, but I wouldn’t use that front red mode while riding as it could cause some directional confusion for other drivers and is really meant as a night vision-preservation tool outside of cycling. For camping and hiking, it’s great.

As far as run-time, I find that the built-in battery is longer than any typical commuting trip I’ll ever make. The say medium power lasts four hours of constant use and high power lasts for two hours on constant use, which I haven’t really measured because I just try to charge it around once a week to not get too low. It uses a micro-USB port to charge, which I wish was USB-C since I have more of those cords laying around, but it’s not a deal breaker for me.

If you want to keep the power up high and still have an even longer run-time than several hours, the BioLite HeadLamp 800 Pro has pass-through charging that allows you to run the light from a powerbank like you’d use to charge your phone.

I’ve tried it with the Charge 80 PD battery that BioLite sent me with the headlamp, which has massive capacity yet still fits in your pocket. It’s barely larger than a smartphone, yet can recharge a smartphone around 5 times. You could even use it to charge a laptop (which I have also done in a pinch while traveling) with the 18W USB-C PD port. I like my gear to be multi-use, and I try to avoid carrying single-use tools on principle whenever possible. So a power bank that can run my headlight, charge my phone, or come on flights with me to keep my laptop charged is a major force multiplier. (With a note towards travel, I once had to talk my way into not getting my 110Wh powerbank confiscated in a German airport, so this 75Wh power bank is a lot more airline-friendly in countries with 100Wh flight-approved battery limits).

When used with my headlamp, the Charge 80 PD powers the light with a “Run Forever” cord that includes a band clip so that the USB port isn’t put under stress while connected. That means I can keep the battery in my pocket and still have it powering or charging the headlamp. In practice, I tried this to test it out and it works well, but I’m never biking for more than a few hours in a row at night, so I haven’t really needed to run the headlamp off auxiliary power in a real-world use case – at least not yet. But if you’re taking it on a night hike then I can absolutely see that scenario being useful.

biolite headlamp 800 pro review

The only downside that jumps out at me is the price, since the BioLite HeadLamp 800 Pro is rather expensive at $99.95. Since I’m used to my 10-year-old camping headlamp from REI that owes me nothing, that seems steep initially. But then again, this thing lasts so much longer, doesn’t require AAA batteries, is around 8x as powerful, is built out of aluminum for long-lasting ruggedness, and gives me a rear red LED light that’s perfect for cyclists.

It’s also not light, at 5.3 oz or around 150g. That’s a third of a pound or so. But I find that I don’t notice the extra weight after a minute or two, and the low-profile design helps it stay close to the helmet.

BioLite also has other models with some of the same features, though not quite as tricked out, for significantly less. So if you like the idea of adding front and rear LED lights to your helmet and can get away with fewer lumens or other features, they’ve got other options there too.

Lastly, I should probably note that helmet manufacturers usually say not to add things to helmets as it changes how they react in a crash.

Your bike helmet was certified in its naked form, so adding things like lights, GoPro mounts, and other foreign attachments is considered a “no-no” by helmet companies, even if everyone still does it.

The nice thing about adding something like the HeadLamp 800 Pro is that it is merely held on by an elastic band and thus likely has more freedom to move or slide out of the way in a crash. That doesn’t mean it necessarily will, and anything external added to a helmet probably reduces its performance in a crash compared to stock, but I feel like the ability for an elastic band to simply slide off is better than rigidly mounted objects like GoPro mounts that create non-moving stress risers. But hey, that’s just my two cents. Helmet manufacturers will still tell you to keep it clean.

Read more: Non-bike bike gear review: Foldylock Forever is the most secure folding bike lock

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Hyundai Ioniq 5 charges faster on a Tesla Supercharger than a Model 3 does

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1 hour ago

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January 16, 2025

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Hyundai Ioniq 5 charges faster on a Tesla Supercharger than a Model 3 does

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Hyundai’s new 2025 IONIQ 5 Limited with a Tesla NACS port (Source: Hyundai)

With the release of Hyundai’s 2025 Ioniq 5 with native NACS port, owners are heading to Tesla Superchargers to see how the experience is. And it turns out, the away team is beating the home team at charging speed… at least in some metrics.

This has been a busy time for the transition to NACS, the new EV charging standard for North America that was originally advanced by Tesla and now standardized by SAE.

We’ve seen several brands added to Tesla’s “coming soon” list for Supercharger access, and even beyond that, VW and Honda have both made their own announcements that access is coming soon. But we’ve also had a setback, as Kia announced access would be delayed (though some owners are finding ways to charge anyway).

Hyundai is one of the brands that was added to the “coming soon” list, but it also already released a vehicle with a native NACS port, and several of them are out in the wild. Given that the car includes the right port to charge on a Supercharger, it ought to be able to charge no problem, right?

Well, owners are finding that it can, if they go through the normal process for third party vehicles on Tesla Superchargers (download the app, set up payment information, start charge sessions through app, etc) and have the proper adapters or a 2025 car with native NACS. Hyundai hasn’t made it official yet, but it seems plenty possible.

And today we saw one test that shows Hyundai beating Tesla in one metric, even on Tesla’s home turf.

Out of Spec reviews took a Tesla Model 3 and a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 with native NACS port to a local Tesla Supercharger to do a 1v1 charging test, and find out which vehicle charges better and faster on Tesla’s network.

The Ioniq 5 is based on Kia/Hyundai’s joint E-GMP platform, which has been hailed for its exceptional charging performance.

Despite it having a lower peak charge rate than some other vehicles (it tops out at around 230kW), it has an exceptionally broad charging curve, which means that it can maintain that peak charge rate for longer than other vehicles. Other vehicles start charging fast, but slow down rapidly as the battery fills up.

The upshot of this is that charging sessions will be faster with a broad charge curve, as long as you’re charging up to a high state of charge. Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 can charge from 10-80% in just 18 minutes, making it the current charging speed champion (and the Ioniq 6 charges even faster in terms of “miles per minute,” if you account for vehicle efficiency – more on that later).

That broad charge curve shined in Out of Spec’s side-by-side test, which you can see on its YouTube channel. The two cars have similar battery sizes, so it’s actually a pretty close test.

In the test, the Model 3, charging on home turf, charged for 31 minutes and 53 seconds, and 55.7kWh was delivered from the charger to the vehicle.

But the upstart Ioniq 5 managed to gain 59.6kWh in 30 minutes and 37 seconds, a slightly shorter time and slightly more energy delivered.

Those numbers are close enough to call it a wash, but still an impressive showing on away turf.

The victory is all the greater when considering that the Hyundai isn’t even charging at full power. The E-GMP platform uses an 800 volt architecture, and Tesla’s Superchargers mostly use 400 volts (the new V4 Supercharger will provide 400-1000 volts, but most in the wild are V3).

This means that the Ioniq 5 could only achieve a peak charge rate of 123kW in the test, which is nevertheless improved from the ~100kW that earlier model year E-GMP cars have seen when charging at Superchargers. But that’s far lower than the 250kW peak the Model 3 can reach.

But that aforementioned charge curve is still what ended up winning out. Slow and steady won this race.

There were a few difficulties in this specific test. For some reason, the Ioniq 5 randomly stopped charging, and Out of Spec couldn’t figure out why, and had to spend time restarting the charge session – which thankfully didn’t take that long, due to the much faster handshake speed to start charging sessions on Superchargers as compared to CCS stations.

The interruption also meant that the Hyundai had to ramp up its charging speed again. It may also be difficult to precondition a Hyundai – warming the battery to achieve better charging speeds – because so far, Tesla stations aren’t included in Ioniq 5’s navigation system, so preconditioning won’t happen automatically. An update should come soon to enable that.

However, this wasn’t a total victory for the Ioniq 5. Despite achieving a faster charge rate and getting more total energy, the Model 3 still won out in the most important practical metric – miles per minute.

Energy really doesn’t matter that much, what matters is how far it can get you. And the Model 3 is much more efficient than the Ioniq 5. While the cars have similarly-sized batteries, Tesla says the Model 3 can go 363 miles, whereas Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 can go 303 miles. Account for that ~20% higher efficiency, and the Model 3 won today’s test handily.

Now, if we were to try the same test with an Ioniq 6…

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Nissan secures EV powertrain supply for next-gen LEAF, electric SUVs at its UK plant

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January 16, 2025

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Nissan secures EV powertrain supply for next-gen LEAF, electric SUVs at its UK plant

Nissan-EV-powertrain

Nissan will begin building updated LEAF models at its Sunderland, UK plant later this year. Ahead of its arrival, Nissan scored a new supply deal with JATCO for EV powertrains that will be built at a nearby facility. The parts will be used for the new LEAF and other upcoming Nissan EVs.

Nissan scores EV powertrain supply deal for new LEAF

Japanese auto transmission giant JATCO opened its new manufacturing plant in Sunderland on Thursday, calling it “a major boost” to the UK auto industry.

The 138,840 sq ft facility is part of a nearly $60 million (£48.7m) investment as the UK government pushes to establish a competitive EV supply chain. It will create up to 183 new jobs in the area and will be able to build up to 340,000 EV powertrains annually.

JATCO established a new division, JATCO UK, that will begin supplying upcoming electric Nissan models built in Sunderland.

The investment is on top of Nissan’s up to $3.8 billion (£3 billion) commitment to prepare its UK plant to build next-gen LEAF, Qashqai, and Juke EV models.

Nissan’s so-called “EV36Zero hub” in Sunderland includes three new gigafactories to produce three EVs and their batteries.

Nissan's-next-gen-LEAF
Nissan Chill-Out concept, a preview of the next-gen LEAF (Source: Nissan)

JATCO’s new plant will open in 2026 and begin supplying units for upcoming Nissan EV models. The first will be the next-generation LEAF. According to Autocar, Nissan could begin producing new LEAF models as soon as March. The electric Juke and Qashqai SUVs will follow around 2027.

Nissan-LEAF-EV-powertrain
Next-gen Nissan LEAF testing in the US (Source: Autospy)

Earlier this week, the updated LEAF was spotted testing in the US. Past reports claimed that it looks more like a crossover coupe than the outgoing hatch design.

Sources who have seen the new model described it as a “mini Ariya,” Nissan’s larger electric SUV. Although the spy photos show only a glimpse, they reveal a sportier, streamlined shape.

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Save $699 on Rad Power e-bikes with free gear from $1,099, 24-hour EcoFlow 50% off flash sale, Heybike Ranger S bundle $1,099, more

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January 16, 2025

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Save 9 on Rad Power e-bikes with free gear from ,099, 24-hour EcoFlow 50% off flash sale, Heybike Ranger S bundle ,099, more

Today’s Green deals are bringing you three flash sales with some big savings – two on e-bikes, one on power stations. Leading the group is Rad Power’s flash sale with two end dates (January 20 and January 29), price cuts, free accessory offers, and free extra battery opportunities across many models, like the RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike at $1,299 and coming with an extra battery for double the travel distance, among others. We then have a 24-hour flash sale from EcoFlow that is taking up to 50% off three of the brand’s most popular power stations, starting with the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station with a free waterproof bag at $499. At the rear is Heybike’s Ranger S Folding e-bike with $208 in free gear at $1,099 through the weekend. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s $1,500 in savings on Jackery’s flagship solar generator bundle, the deals on Aiper’s robotic pool cleaners, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Hop on Rad Power’s RadRunner 2 ‘jack-of-all-trades’ e-bike at $1,299 and get a free extra battery (Save $649)

Rad Power has launched a flash sale through January 20 (with some deals continuing past to January 29) with up to $699 in savings across a solid selection of e-bikes – complete with free extra battery offers too. One such offer getting the doubled mileage in Rad Power’s flash sale is the popular RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike at $1,299 shipped. Regularly priced at $1,499 after the summer’s tariffs hit, we saw it go as low as $1,199 in pre-summer sales, with July being the last time we saw its lowest rate before getting its price upped by $100. Today’s deal returns costs to the second-lowest price overall and the lowest price tracked since summer saving you a total of $649 in all.

Rad Power has named the RadRunner 2 Utility e-bike as its “jack-of-all-trades” model, ready to assist you through just about anything – errands, commutes, joyrides, and more. You’ll enjoy a 50-mile travel range (doubled to 100 miles with the extra battery) at up to its 20 MPH top speed thanks to the combination of its 672Wh battery and 750W brushless-geared hub motor. There are four levels of PAS here, with a simplified control panel to adjust settings as you want/need them. Stocked features include a rear-mounted cargo rack that offers a 120-pound payload, puncture-resistant fat tires, a standard LED headlight, and an integrated taillight with both brake light and flash mode capabilities.

Rad Power flash sale e-bike deals (ending January 20)

  • RadExpand 5 Folding e-bike: $1,099 (Reg. $1,599)
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles
  • RadRunner 3 Plus Utility e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
    • comes with free extra battery
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles (90+ with extra battery)
    • add both to cart for automatic discount

Extended Rad Power flash sale e-bike deals (ending January 29)

  • RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
    • 20 MPH for up to 45+ miles
  • RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike: $1,899
    • 20 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount
  • Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount
  • Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $2,199
    • 28 MPH for up to 65+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount
  • RadWagon 5 Cargo e-bike: $2,399
    • 28 MPH for up to 60+ miles
    • comes with any accessory under $200
    • add both to cart for automatic discount

***Note: With the following battery pack discounts – be sure to check compatibility with your existing model before ordering. Discounts will be automatically applied in the cart.

Rad Power flash sale e-bike accessory deals (ending January 29)

EcoFlow DELTA power stations

EcoFlow 24-hour flash sale takes up to 50% off three sizes of LiFePO4 power stations with free gear starting from $499

As part of its ongoing New Year sale, EcoFlow has launched a 24-hour flash sale that is dropping three of its power stations (some coming with free gear) to some of the lowest rates we have seen recently. Starting from the smallest and working up, the first offer is on the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station that comes with a waterproof bag at $499 shipped. Normally priced for $999 at full, we’ve only seen it go lower twice before – once to $489 during October’s Prime Day and the other taking things to $399 for short-lived Cyber Monday savings. Today, you’re not only getting $500 off the going rate, but you’ll be doing so $50 under the rate we saw during Black Friday sales while also getting the free waterproof bag for added protection.

A great travel companion for trips out of the home, the DELTA 2 provides you with 1,024Wh of LiFePO4 capacity that expands up to 3,000Wh by adding an extra battery (bundle option for $999 here). It pumps out power at up to 1,800W speeds, surging to 2,200W, through its 15 port options. The station’s battery can be brought back to 80% in 50 minutes via a wall outlet, while a full charge will take a little longer at 80 minutes. You can also take advantage of up to 500W of solar charging capabilities to refill the battery in three to six hours – or you can invest in the brand’s alternator charger to charge up as you drive.

The second of these short-term deals is the DELTA Pro Portable Power Station that gets a free transfer switch (letting you back up your circuit breaker with the station) for $2,099 shipped, with the station alone normally priced at $3,699. You’re getting plenty more here starting at a 3,600Wh LiFePO4 capacity (which expands to 25kWh with additional equipment) that provides 3,600W of output (surging to 7,200W) through 14 ports. A wall outlet tops its battery off in 1.8 hours, with its full 1,600W of solar input giving you a recharge in 2.8 hours.

Lastly, there’s the full home backup option in the DELTA Pro Ultra Portable Power Station for $4,699 shipped, down from $6,098, which comes at the second-lowest price we’ve seen direct from the brand. It starts at an even higher 6,100Wh LiFePO4 capacity with a 7,200W output, but that can easily be bolstered up to 90kWh capacity and a 21.6kW output with multiples of its full setups connected together. Outside of its 5.6kW to 16.8kW solar input range, a wall outlet will juice up the battery in two hours, with EV piles, and generators also an option.

And be sure to also check out EcoFlow’s full phase 2 of New Year savings across its lineup while it lasts – these deals will officially be ending at the end of January 19.

Heybike Ranger S e-bike

Heybike’s Ranger S Folding e-bike with $208 in free gear falls to $1,099 in weekend flash sale

Heybike is having a flash sale opportunity through January 19 on its popular Ranger S Folding e-bike at $1,099 shipped while also coming with free baskets worth $208. Normally this e-bike and the bundle would run you $1,707 ($1,499 for the e-bike alone) all together, but this combined 36% markdown is saving you $608 off that rate while things last. We have seen it go lower, primarily during Black Friday sales and random flash sales earlier in the year when it would fall to $999, as well as a one-day $899 low on November 29, which we haven’t seen again since. Regardless, this is still a solid chunk of savings – plus the included baskets ups the utility of this reliable commuter.

The Ranger S Folding e-bike cruises into view as one of the most popular and best-selling models from under Heybike’s flag, and it’s not hard to see why at such a low price compared to other big names on the market. You can choose between the standard 750W (1,400W peak) or the upgraded 1,000W (1,800W peak) rear hub motors, which will really come down to how much speed and incline-tackling power you need for your area. Keep in mind that the 1,000W model comes with a higher $1,299 price tag ($400 off). Both models come with a 692Wh battery and five pedal assistance levels – with a cadence sensor for the 750W model and a superior torque sensor for the 1,000W model. You’ll be cruising around town for up to 55 miles on these models at 28 MPH top speeds for the 750W motor and a faster 32 MPH top speed for the 1,000W motor.

It even comes with an improved 4A charger that comes in twice as strong as the average e-bike chargers we usually see, cutting down charging times to just four hours to get a full battery. There are plenty of solid features here too, like the folding step-thru frame, the 20-inch fat tires that come with fenders over top each, an LED headlight, a LED taillight with brake lighting that’s been integrated into the rear cargo rack, a hydraulic front suspension fork, hydraulic disc brakes, and a smart LCD display, among others.

The other model that often keeps side by side in popularity with the Ranger S is the brand’s Mars 2.0 Folding Fat Tire e-bike that is also still benefitting from its New Year discounts at $999 with free baskets too. You can check out the full lineup of offers while they last on the landing page here.

Best New Year EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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