TESTED: Trail LED XXX light

Boutique Lighting

Based out of Dallas in Texas, Trail LED is a relatively new name to the lighting scene. Grady Pace is the man behind the company, and he personally builds every single light. While many emerging brands have recently entered the market at the cheaper end of the spectrum, Pace has introduced his range at the upper end, with lighting products that highlight his craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. The housings are machined from billet aluminum by Industry Nine, and the light head comes with a lifetime warranty.

Pocket Rocket

The XXX is the newest and smallest light from Trail LED, though its design is based on a similar platform to the enormous (and very unique) 10-LED Halo model. The difference with the XXX is that Trail LED has shrunk the package down to just three LEDs. However, the latest version of CREE’s XPL emitters ensure it still puts out a serious punch.

The head unit weighs just 60 grams according to our digital scales, and it requires either 1 or 2 of the supplied O-rings to attach to your helmet. The shape of your helmet and the location of its vents will determine whether this is a painless or a head-butting experience. Because there is no tilt adjustment, I found I had to position the XXX further back on the helmet than usual.

Once you have found the right spot though, the XXX head unit stays secure and is extremely low profile at just 35mm tall. I never once clipped an overhanging tree branch. Included sticky foam pads help to dampen any contact between the light and the helmet shell. It’s worth noting that Trail LED will be offering a GoPro-style mount in the future.

Panasonic supplies the Li-Ion battery, and it makes use of a thick rubber skin to help protect the cells from the elements. A thick 1.1m long cable connects the battery to the back of the head unit, where a neat press-fit plug twists and locks into place, making accidental removal impossible.

XXX Rated

For such a compact head unit, the XXX punches out a very strong and usable beam pattern. Compared to other spot-beam helmet lights, it has a broader beam pattern to help illuminate your peripheral vision when bombing down fast double track. This makes it entirely usable as a solo light.

There is a slight hot spot in the middle of the beam, and without a lens diffuser, the light drops off quickly at the outer edges. That said, the XXX delivers a warmer colour temperature than some other LED lights, and it delivers consistent output throughout its run time.

Initially I struggled to get the claimed run time, but after several charge/discharge cycles, the battery cells balanced and from then on I got over 3-hours at full noise. Running the XXX on Medium (900 Lumens) will get you 6-hours of run time, and Low (200 Lumens) will eek out 27-hours from the battery.

One of the best aspects of the XXX light is the charger. From full depletion, the battery takes no more than 2 hours to charge, which is incredibly fast. This opens up the XXX to 12/24-hour racing, where most team riders could get away without having to purchase an additional battery.

I also tested the XXX on the handlebars. The simplistic stem mount is super easy to install, and while I’m normally sceptical of O-ring mounting, the thick bands that Trail LED use appear to be super strong.

That said, for its given weight, power output, and beam pattern, the XXX’s strengths are definitely on the helmet. You can certainly get more powerful lights, but nothing comes close to the XXX’s diminutive size. If Trail LED can offer a more adjustable helmet mount, they’ll be onto a sure-fire winner with the XXX.

RRP: $449

From: www.fullbeam.com.au

Hits

• Compact and lightweight head unit
• Impressive run time
• Fast charging

Misses

• Difficult to achieve the right beam angle on some helmets