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Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > MAXXEON Cyclops > Test Report by Alyssa KimberMaxxeon Cyclops Light
Test Series by Alyssa Kimber Tester Information Name: Alyssa Kimber Age: 25 Gender: Female Height: 5' 10" (1.8 m) Weight: 130 Pounds (59 kg) Email address: alyssakimber at hotmail dot com City, Province, Country: Fernie, British Columbia, Canada Backpacking Background: I started backpacking last year after moving from the prairies to the Kootenay region of British Columbia. I’m relatively new to backpacking but I have significant outdoors experience having enjoyed camping and day hiking for many years. My trip length is generally one to three nights and ranges from prairie hikes to mountainous terrain. I am a 3-season hiker at present but I plan on extending my trips into the winter season as I pick up more gear. My pack weight varies depending on the trip, but I tend to sacrifice weight savings for comfort. Initial Report
August 7, 2018 Product Information & Specifications Manufacturer: Maxxeon Inc. Year of manufacture: 2018 Manufacturer web site: https://www.maxxeon.com/ Manufacturer's specifications: LED Brightness: High = 420 lumens, Low = 160 lumens Power, Color: 3.8 W, Cool White Switch: On/Off push button switch also controls 2 brightness levels Beam Ratio: The diameter to distance ratio is 2:1, meaning beam diameter is about 8 ft (2.4 m) wide when the light is 4 ft (1.2 m) from an object. Batteries included: 3.7V 1800 mAh LiPo (Li-ion Polymer) rechargeable battery Run time per charge: High > 2 hours, Low > 5 hours Recharge time: 3 hours Charge indicator: Red/green LED Length: 3.5 in (9 cm) Width: 2.5 in (6 cm) Height: 1 in (2.5 cm) Weight: 7 oz (200 g) Ingress Protection: IP65 = dust tight and protection from water jets and rain Drop test = 6 ft (2 m) Includes USB to micro USB cable Actual Measurements: Length, including stand: 4.25 in (11 cm) Width, including stand: 2.75 in (7 cm) Height: 1 in (2.5 cm) Weight: 6.7 oz (190 g) Tested Colour: Black/Red MSRP from web site: $31.14 USD The Maxxeon Cyclops light is described as a handheld rechargeable work light. The light has a rugged ABS plastic housing, polycarbonate lens and nylon handle. The handle rotates 360 degrees with 12 indented positions. It can be used a stand or the built in magnet can be fastened to ferrous metal surfaces. The actual light "bulb" consists of 9 LEDs arranged in a square pattern with a wide angle lens that creates a round floodlight beam with no rings, shadows or hot spots. The light has 3 settings (off, high and low) which can be cycled through using a rubber covered push button on top of the housing. A rubber cover on the back of the light hides a Micro USB charge port and a red/green charge indicator light. A USB to Micro USB charge cord is included with the light.   Trying It Out The Cyclops light came with a partial charge so I could try out the light right away. It is extremely bright and I could not look at it directly. The adjustable stand is robust and requires a significant push to move it between each detented position. The magnetic handle is also very strong and requires a significant pull to remove it from a metal surface. I tried the light out inside a dark room and it extended to the far wall (at least 15 m) on the low setting. Initial Impressions My initial impression was that the light is pretty heavy and large. These characteristics make it less appealing to me for a backpacking use. I don't see the applicability of the magnetic handle to a backpacking use either, but I can see how it would be great in a work situation. I do like the robustness of the light as I'm confident it could handle any tumbling, dust, or rain the trail can throw at it. The light is very bright which likely contributes to it's low run times (5 hours on low and 2 hours on high). I see this as being troublesome in the case where I would be relying on the light for several nights without the ability to recharge it. However, for one or two nights I could certainly make the charge last. Summary The Maxxeon Cyclops light is a robust handheld light that throws a bright, round beam in accordance with two settings (high or low). The housing can clearly handle tough situations and it is rated as dust proof and water resistant. The light can be hand held, used in a stand position with 12 different position settings, or magnetized to a nearby metal surface. The light is rechargeable and can be recharged using an included Micro USB to USB cord. The battery is rated to last 5 hours on the low setting and 2 hours on the high setting. The light feels heavy and chunky when considering a backpacking use but would be tough enough to handle almost any trail situation. Field Report
October 7, 2018
Field Report Test Locations and Conditions During the field test period I have used the light on two backpacking trips and one overnight car camping trip. All my trips were located in the East Kootenays, British Columbia. My trips were in mountainous terrain with vegetation typical of subalpine forest and alpine conditions. Elevations ranged from 3300 ft (1000 m) to 8000 ft (2400 m). Location of Trip #1: Top of the World Provincial Park, British Columbia Length: 2 days, 1 night Distance: 28 km (17 mi) Elevation Gain: 1300 m (4300 ft) Pack Weight: 30 lbs (13.6 kg) Day Pack Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg) Weather: Partly Cloudy Precipitation: None Temperature: 10 to 29 C (50 to 84 F) Location of Trip #2: First Peak near Jaffray, British Columbia Length: 1 day, 1 night Distance: negligible - car camping Weather: Partly Cloudy, thundershowers in evening Precipitation: about 2 mm (0.1 in) Temperature: 15 to 31 C (59 to 88 F) Location of Trip #3: Ralph Lake, Height of the Rockies Provincial Park, British Columbia Length: 3 days, 2 nights Distance: 22 km (14 mi) Elevation Gain: 1350 m (4400 ft) Pack Weight: 35 lbs (16 kg) Day Pack Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg) Weather: Overcast and rainy Precipitation: about 5 mm (2 in) plus scuff of snow Temperature: about -5 to 18 C (23 to 64 F) Performance in the Field I've used the light in several different applications. At Top of the World and First Peak I used the light primarily for reading in the tent, as the days were still long and a light was not required around camp until late in the evening. The Maxxeon Light is too bright for a reading light. I had to be very careful to aim it only at my book and not at my sleeping companions. When I am alone in my tent it doesn't really matter where I shine the light and hence I have no problems with the brightness. I also had problems using it as a reading light because I found it difficult to make it stand up on an uneven surface (the base of my tent). One slight movement and I would knock it over and have to reposition it. When sharing my tent with others, there was no room to set it up on the floor of my tent so I had to hold it awkwardly on top of my sleeping bag. It was a struggle and I was wishing I had a headlamp instead. I was at Ralph Lake later in the season so the days were shorter and I used the light around camp in the evening, while cooking, cleaning up and getting ready for bed. The light worked really well for this application as it could light up most of our campsite at once. Compared to the headlamp we also had with us, it was way brighter and therefore more useful. Unfortunately I hadn't charged the light fully and it only lasted one night. I was sorely missing it on the second night when I was forced to use my phone flashlight. I also used the light on our way to Ralph Lake when we got a flat tire. We couldn't see the undercarriage of the truck well and we used the light to help us remove the spare tire. The magnetic handle was handy in this application as it magnetized to the undercarriage of the truck. The light is heavy and bulky and not something I would normally choose to take backpacking with me. I do appreciate the brightness but I would likely choose a bright headlamp over this hand held light. I find the low setting is more than bright enough for a backpacking application and I have yet to find a use for the high setting. The light works well to light up a campsite and so I think it would be excellent for car camping. Long Term Report
December 2, 2018
Long Term Report Test Locations and Conditions I've used the light on multiple occasions around the house and while doing work on my truck. I used the light as a reading light in the evenings while sitting outside in the hot tub, as a light source during a power outage, and while changing spark plugs under the hood of my truck. Performance in the Field I think the Cyclops lends itself well to use around the house. The light is easy to grab and carry around the house and requires no external power source so it's very portable. I used the light as a backup light source during a power outage in my home. The light can illuminate quite a large area compared to my flashlight which illuminates only what I point it at. The Cyclops can be placed in the corner of the room and illuminate the entire area. The stand was useful in keeping my hands free while attempting to make breakfast in the power outage. I also used the light on several occasions while reading in my outdoor hot tub in the evening. I used the stand to steady the light on the corner of my hot tub and used its directional capabilities to point the light downward so as to make use of indirect lighting. The indirect lighting was a must for me as the light is to bright for comfortable reading even on the low setting. Lastly, I used the Cyclops to illuminate my truck engine while changing spark plugs. I held the handle to direct the light where I needed it and also utilized the magnetic handle to shine the light from above while keeping my hands free. The bright light worked really well in this application to illuminate all the nooks and crannies of the engine. I plan to keep the light as a work light for future use on my truck or around the house. I have only charged the Cyclops twice during this four month test which leads me to believe the battery lasts at least as long as the manufacturer specifies, although I did not specifically keep track of the hours used. I appreciate the red/green indicator light which lights up when the light is charging. However, I would like to see a light indicator that would indicate partial charges and not just 100% (green) or less than 100% (red). Summary Pros 1. Rechargeable battery 2. Durable 3. Very bright 4. Magnetic handle has proved useful 5. Portable Cons 1. Heavy and large considering a backpacking use 2. Short battery life 3. Hard to use as a reading light because it's so bright 4. Not hands-free in most cases 5. Indicator light only indicates full charge (green) or not a full charge (red) Thank you Maxxeon and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this product. This concludes my report of the test. Read more reviews of MAXXEON Inc. gear Read more gear reviews by Alyssa Kimber Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > MAXXEON Cyclops > Test Report by Alyssa Kimber | ||||