Nuke Proof – Reactor Eco headlamp

Well, it’s time for the light tests, we’ve got a few this winter and first up is the rather snazzy Reactor Eco, Nuke Proof’s attempt to impress at the lower end of the performance market.

I say lower end because it’s reasonably priced at £199.99 so straight away, with their reputation already firmly cemented in various other cycle part and accessory areas, it looks like a great deal from a trusted company that already delivers well liked stuff……..or is it?

I was a bit taken aback at the size of the packaging. Perhaps I’m just one of this rare breed that is happy to get something in a cardboard box as long as it works when I want it to work, but some folk will love the presentation aluminium cake tin.

It’s a case of packaging overkill? I’m sure its meant to look all industrial and modern, but the fact is, it looks a bit cheap. Being made from a soft alloy which means, when you eventually get your hands on it, it’s dented and banged up so that any cred that it might have had is truly gone. In my opinion, it’s not really necessary and as a mode of protection for your lights, it’s not that practical either. Other lights on the market do come in a lovely, zip up impact proof soft case that holds everything just right and it’s usually bespoke too, this just smacks of “get a cool tin and slap our name on it”; personally (as you might have guessed) I’m not a fan of it.

After unpacking however, I was quite impressed, the lamp itself is a robust, well built item and seems to offer everything you need. Complete with a fast charger, a battery that is the size of twenty Marlboro and various other bits and bobs, what’s not to like? Well there’s a few wee things actually…

It may seem initially that I’m going to blow this light out of the water, but I think the points I found annoying would bother just about anyone who is serious about spending their hard earned on stuff like this (a very fast growing majority of bikers these days  Road and off-road) but there are a few shortcomings and I can’t help thinking that a few quid less, maybe, on the packaging might have gone a long way to fixing some of them.

The most disappointing thing, (and possibly the only real shortfall of this package) is without a doubt the handlebar mounting bracket. It feels a very cheap and looks a little like an afterthought that has been cobbled together at the last moment. Harsh? Well I guess you’ll have to take my word for it right now but there is no denying the lesser quality of this part.

It starts at the bottom with a plastic 31.8 bracket, supplied with a 25.4 spacer for  retro heads and roadies, you screw it up with a thumb-wheel, much the same as any other system, but from then on it’s downhill. The headlamp slots in much like a Cateye light and fastens with a little plastic tab to clip it in place and release it. This is all secured by a little screw that attaches it to the bracket itself.

Linear movement of this light is about 10 degrees left and right, you adjust it by simply forcing it over some plastic ridges that hold it in place, it feels cheap but I guess it works for now, though over a length of time it feels like it will wear down? The upside here is that it is not moulded to the unit itself, but screwed on, so i guess you could swap out the bracket for something else?

Up and down movement together with the fixings are held with a thumb-wheel which I can’t get to tighten properly and even after you get the pliers on it, after a few potholes, kerbs and bumps, it started to come loose and point at the floor, this in particular is a real issue with this bracket, in part because the lamp is also quite heavy.

Even you if you set your angles and direction up when you are stationary, then tighten everything up, you’re still going to get a little annoyed, mainly because the industrially built headlamp has its operating button on top of the unit and needs a very firm press to operate, so every time you cycle through the many functions, you can’t help but push the light down and down and down so you end up with it pointing at the floor.

Anyhow, I digress, there are actually some excellent things about this light too, notably the price point and claimed power. Nuke Proof claim that this little monster is good for 900….yes, 900 lumens; which is a very bold statement considering that’s only 20 short of the claimed luminosity of the Lupine Wilma 10 (rrp £550) a light which is staunchly favoured by the endurance boys. I don’t have a light meter that is capable of measuring this, so I guess we will have to take their word for it. It’s Seoul P7 emitter up front, which uses some clever tech to combine 4 high power LED’s into one performance component. There has been babble on forums that this component cant possibly handle the claimed power, now I’m no electronic engineer but I cant look directly at it for a good distance!

Nuke Proof tell us that this component runs brighter for longer with a smaller battery drain and I have to say, so far it seems to be the case as I burnt it on full power expecting the 2 hrs and after 135 minutes I started to notice the difference, after that I turned it on to the power saving mode and it ran for just over an hour again. I thought I’d charge it for the claimed 6 hours and try again, guess what, more or less almost exactly the same result! Whether this is any good to you or not is a question for the individual, but it does exactly what it says on the tin with regards to run time and charging claims.

From a day to day perspective, I cant see you braking the unit itself, its heavily made, well made and has a good feel of quality about it. Not everyone will like the styling and perhaps wonder why the lamp itself had to be so big compared to the lupines of this world, but that is what £350 of a difference in price gets you, personaly I can live with it.

Operation is simple, there are six modes, High, mid and low along with 3 flashing modes, once a second, 3 times a second and 5 times a second or thereabouts. All quite easily accessible through cycling the single illuminated button on top of the unit that glows blue when static and red when flashing.
Now the button feels good and needs a firm push to get things moving, problems with the bracket moving not withstanding I do like the feel of the switch, however you mounted this light on your helmet these combined problems may cause you bit of stress.

The battery is another good point, it’s light, compact and  mounts with a fold-back Velcro strap, which has more than enough length to frame or stem mount the unit securely. The battery also has a concave profile on one  side to allow mounting against a tubular profile and also has a thin rubber pad to stop you scratching your pride and joy. As I said before, charging is a breeze and the accessory kit contains European plug adaptors and two lengths or connecting cables, should you mount your battery closer of further from the main unit.

On the subject of cables, they are one of the best fitting connectors I’ve used, I actually thought they were poor at first, then realised that you have to give them a firm push into place and CLICK! In they go and they ain’t coming out.

I started my journey with this light very disappointed with a rather big gripe about what is quite a tiny part of this package and then realised as I kept looking (and writing) that I actually think this light is a cracking little unit. I mean it’s cheap, right? It’s bright, it has features and modes for all types of riding and it has all the normal gubbins in the tin that you would expect.

I’m mainly using it for commuting during these dark mornings and nights, but the odd offroad excursion is very likely so I’ll update as I see fit, but I don’t think I’ll see any inherent problems with this light to be honest, as it is well built and functional for the most part.

Good points: Cheap, cheap, cheap! I’d probably buy two of these for night racing or instead of a £500 boutique light to be honest. The lamp will probably turn out to be indestructible and it is VERY bright. The commuter and power saving feature really work and the burn time is excellent.

Bad points: That bracket, man it’s cheap looking, cheap feeling and I think I’m going to replace it with something better as soon as I can and did I mention the packaging…….man, that packaging!

Also worth remembering there is an “extreme” version for an extra £50 with a helmet mount, more powerful battery and swapable lens profiles to cater for different beam patterns.

Once again, thanks to Dales Cycles for the shiny gear!