Sport And Biking Talk: CatEye Volt 400 review

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

CatEye Volt 400 review

2016 Lights Shootout

The CatEye Volt 400 serves as a good flashlight (click to enlarge).

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Mtbr and RoadBikeReview’s 2016 Bike Lights Shootout. See the 2016 Mtbr Headlights Index and the RoadBikeReview Commuter Lights Index.

The Lowdown: CatEye Volt 400

The Cateye Volt 400 will not wow you with its blazing output or diminutive size relative to its brightness. Rather it will impress you with its day-to-day performance and solid design. Price is good to at $ 80 for a light that is bright enough for the needs of most cyclists, specially commuters. Put one of these on the bar and one on the helmet and you’ll get a good, trail-ready system with excellent run-time and flexible beam pattern.

Stat Box


Claimed Lumens: 400 Lumens	Mtbr Lux: 31
Measured Lumens: 379 Lumens	Mounted weight: 128 grams
Lumens per $ : 4.74 Lumens	Category: Headlight
Lumens per gram: 2.96 Lumens	Price: $ 80
Run time on high: 2:00 Hours	Rating: 4 Chilis-out-of-5

Pluses	Minuses
Construction and beam quality are top-notch	It’s not the brightest for size and price
$ 80 puts a reliable, rechargeable light in the hands of many	Could use a brighter center spot or wider halo
3 hour run time is very good
Option for safe field-replaceable batteries

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj7QAt5oC_c

One of the fascinating things about the Cateye Volt 400 is its impressive lineage. One can choose up and down the line to meet a price and brightness level for one’s need. The constant is the quality of Cateye and the line’s honest performance in reference to their claims.

Full Review: CatEye Volt 400

Battery life on high is 3 hours with a powerful 2200 mAh battery. Charging time is 6 hours with a 1 watt USB or longer with a standard phone charger, as the light can detect and take advantage of more powerful USB currents.

The beam is shaped as well, with squared-off edges to track the trail better and use the light more efficiently. The riding video will show that this light is more of a commuter light but use two of them and you’ve got a great trail system.

The CatEye Volt 400 has the same chassis as its more powerful siblings (click to enlarge).

The real possibility here is mixing and matching the Cateye Volt Series for an ideal setup for one’s needs and budget. Put a Volt 800 on the bar and this on the helmet and you’ve got quite a system.