The Magicshine RN 3000 is an all-in-one entrance gentle that boasts a excessive 3,000-lumen output and a eager price ticket. On paper, that’s sufficient to attract consideration to itself.
There are deserves to these top-line specs, and the flexibility to make use of the RN 3000 as an influence financial institution will probably be a helpful characteristic for some.
Nevertheless, there are too many shortcomings for it to compete with the most effective bike lights.
Magicshine RN 3000 particulars and specs
Ranging from the highest, the Magicshine RN 3000 boasts a powerful 3,000-lumen output from its two-LED array.
The unit has 16 modes to select from. These are organized in 4 features, with 4 energy outputs for every operate.
In follow, the sunshine switches on by way of a single press of the facility button. A double press then switches the operate, with additional single presses biking via the facility outputs throughout the operate.
From the angle of somebody positioned behind the RN 3000, with the sunshine pointing forwards:
- Perform 1 lights up the left LED in a centered highlight beam
- Perform 2 makes use of the fitting LED, which is lensed to supply a wider, much less centered beam
- Perform 3 engages each LEDs to successfully double the lumen output (2 x 1,500 lumens on the strongest output setting) and combines the 2 beam profiles to floodlight the street forward
- Perform 4 is the sunshine’s flash operate, making each LEDs flash
Every LED can produce as much as 1,500 lumens on probably the most highly effective setting. The lower-powered settings are available in at 750, 375 and 150 lumens.
Except for the completely different lensing of every LED, the highest of the outer lens options horizontal strafes, that are stated to scale back glare to oncoming visitors.
The ability button on high is rubberised, depresses with a constructive click on and lights up inexperienced or pink to point remaining battery ranges. Crimson exhibits with 20 per cent battery remaining, with the indicator flashing pink to indicate 10 per cent left.
There’s additionally a lock operate to cease unintended activation of the sunshine. That is activated by holding down the facility button for 5 seconds.
The physique of the RN 3000 is fabricated from aluminium, with a USB-C cost port hidden behind a rubber cowl.
The ten,000mAh battery is claimed to supply anyplace as much as 62 hours of burn time – assuming you utilize one of many single-LED features on the bottom 150-lumen energy setting.
The very best energy settings are stated to supply 4 hours 40 minutes of life for the only LED features. The double-LED settings final for a claimed 2hr 10m on the full-bore 3,000-lumen output.
Magicshine doesn’t provide predicted burn instances for the flash operate.
The battery may also be used as an influence financial institution. Magicshine gives a USB-C to USB-A cable within the field.
The sunshine attaches to the bar by way of a bracket with a Garmin-style quarter-twist mount. The bracket is a four-piece affair (extra on this under), with 4 straps supplied to cowl off handlebars of differing profiles.
The bracket fastens utilizing a bolt and a 3mm Allen key.
All in, the sunshine and bracket system weighs in at 299g (utilizing the second-longest strap).
Magicshine RN 3000 efficiency
Beam high quality
The RN 3000 produces a powerful quantity of sunshine.
From the angle of the rider, once you interact the total beam operate and dial up the facility to the max, there’s a critical quantity of sunshine that lands on just about every part in entrance of you.
The beam is clear with no excessively vivid or dim spots. Many of the gentle is concentrated on a centralised space.
The sunshine bleeds off steadily and there’s no harsh step-change from the place the centered space of the beam ends. It reaches effectively to the periphery of an unlit street (or gravel path), and affords good illumination additional down the street.
Nevertheless, the main target could possibly be higher thought out to maximise the potential of that output. I discovered the RN 3000 illuminated not solely the street and the periphery, but additionally the cover of timber above with virtually equal energy.
Though this may give just a little extra forewarning of low-hanging branches in sure situations, I’d see these anyway with much less gentle bleed upwards.
Person interface
The upward gentle bleed can even have an effect on oncoming visitors.
Regardless that I pointed the sunshine downwards, I used to be headlight-flashed on a couple of events by oncoming drivers.
It’s straightforward to press the facility button as soon as, which instantly dims the sunshine to the bottom setting.
Nevertheless, you at all times must cycle via the facility outputs to get again as much as the very best output – you possibly can’t simply flick again to full energy once more.
This takes treasured time with a hand off the bar, and a few essential seconds with out the sunshine you may want on an unlit street using at velocity.
Compounding the problem, urgent the button too quick meant the RN 3000 mistook my repeated single presses as a double press, and adjusted the operate.
In case you’re utilizing the dual-LED operate, it goes to the flash operate (which is completely unsuitable for unlit street using), and also you then must cycle across the features with repeated double clicks to get again to the dual-LED operate once more.
It’s a sub-optimal expertise, at greatest.
Utilizing the second-tier 1,500-lumen output (and even one of many single-LED features) may partially clear up the issue by decreasing the obtrusive gentle, however the mode-switching situation stays.
Solely right here, it’s worse, as a result of in case you single press the button to be thoughtful to oncoming visitors, it cycles as much as the three,000-lumen output earlier than then dropping all the way down to the bottom output you want.
The pure response, then, is to press the button rapidly to skip previous the three,000-lumen output as quick as you possibly can. Nevertheless, this brings the danger of the sunshine decoding a double press, which then cycles you thru to the flash mode once more – after which, the method of getting again to the dual-LED operate begins once more.
Sadly, this cyclical type of performance dominates the expertise of utilizing the sunshine on the street, no matter how effectively the beam may gentle up the trail forward.
In case you may confidently flip the sunshine to the setting you need and depart it alone – say, on an empty gravel monitor – it will be much less of a difficulty. However I discovered I wanted to make use of a 750-lumen setting or decrease to confidently choose a mode with out feeling the necessity to dim the beam with visitors round.
The only-LED features provide differing beams – yet one more centered with an extended attain, and one much less centered however with a wider bleed to the periphery.
Every is helpful, and I used to be glad to make use of them in isolation, however you continue to must cope with the mode choice system – 1,500 lumens continues to be greater than sufficient to harass an oncoming street consumer.
Bracket and becoming
I discovered the bracket and match system safe, however there are niggles right here too. Set up feels extra sophisticated than it must be.
In a world the place a number of manufacturers merely use a single rubber strap to connect the bracket to the bars, the RN 3000 makes use of a totally removable strap, with a semi-loose alloy nodule that serves as a sort of clasp to carry the band to the highest part of the bracket.
You then take the separate bolt to lock the meeting collectively, screwing via the recess within the alloy nodule.
In follow, it’s needlessly sophisticated. I dropped the alloy nodule on multiple event throughout meeting as a result of it wouldn’t keep quick to the bracket whereas I fiddled round for the screw.
There’s just one alloy nodule, so it’s essential to swap it between the opposite size bands. Though I nonetheless have mine, it is going to be simply misplaced by falling out of the strap. It ought to ideally be captive inside.
As soon as on and fixed, you connect the sunshine physique to the bracket utilizing the Garmin-style mount system. It’s safe sufficient, and is markedly tighter to suit than a Garmin bike pc could be to its personal mount, for instance.
That is good – the close to 300g weight of the sunshine wants assist.
It is advisable to orientate the RN 3000 at 90 levels earlier than twisting it on. This implies it could actually scrape towards a stem throughout becoming, which is annoying – until you mount it additional away from the centreline of the bars.
I attempted to get round this by mounting the sunshine already connected to the bracket, however this makes the fastening screw fairly troublesome (though not unimaginable) to entry.
Plus, the mounting system doesn’t enable for any left-right adjustability, so you possibly can’t fairly shine the sunshine centrally when mounted off-centre.
You’ll be able to tilt it up or down throughout preliminary becoming, after all. Nevertheless, as soon as fixed tight sufficient in order to not transfer or shake excessively on a experience, you don’t actually wish to be utilizing brute drive to regulate it downwards to attempt to compensate for glare.
General, the construct high quality of the sunshine is sweet. The alloy physique permits warmth to dissipate effectively – the RN 3000 doesn’t must energy itself all the way down to preserve its temperature regulated.
Though there are too many unfastened components to the bracket, every of these components is effectively made too.
Development and burn instances
The rubber cost cap seals effectively, with the sunshine glad to be ridden in any form of rideable moist situations. I noticed no ingress on the one notably soggy experience I used it on, additionally subjecting it to a five-minute deluge underneath a working bathe head.
On my take a look at unit, the attachment level for the rubber seal had come out on receipt, and I discovered it unimaginable to pry again on. I’d hope that is an remoted expertise, as a result of it’s an actual ache to lose cost covers.
Though a secondary use case, the flexibility to make use of the battery’s capability as a charger is perhaps a useful characteristic for these on bikepacking journeys with a number of peripherals.
I discovered burn instances to be near Magicshine’s claims on my take a look at RN 3000, inside purpose. Left shining on the full 3,000 setting on a full battery, I noticed a powerful 2hr 25m burn time – however I did be aware a really gradual dimming of the beam all through the take a look at.
Though nonetheless very, very vivid, as soon as the facility button battery indicator flicked over to pink (signalling lower than 20% battery remaining), the LEDs have been not producing the total 3,000-lumen output.
Consequently, battery drainage price will fall accordingly too. Ultimately, the sunshine merely fades out, with the ultimate flashing pink battery indicator virtually a useless warning when the sunshine is dimming so quickly.
Regardless of the plain flaws right here, a nod should go to the value of the sunshine. It’s spectacular to see 3,000 lumens packed right into a unit costing solely £130. You’ll be able to spend greater than this on far lesser-powered lights, and much more in case you look to lights with this quantity of energy or extra.
In case you are likely to experience in a state of affairs the place you possibly can simply depart it on one of many greater settings, seldom needing to play with the facility output, there’s sufficient efficiency right here to make you look twice.
The difficulty is, regardless of its spectacular spec record for the cash, the Magicshine RN 3,000’s utility of these specs in the true world, plus different niggles, means most individuals’s cash will most likely be higher spent elsewhere.
Magicshine RN 3000 backside line
The Magicshine RN 3000 involves the desk with compelling specs, with an equally compelling price ticket. It additionally packs in good construct high quality, USB-C charging and energy financial institution functionality.
Sadly, the cyclical operate and energy mode choice system leaves a lot to be desired, and dominates the expertise of utilizing the sunshine (until you’ll by no means must play with the modes, which is uncommon).
Organising the bracket may also show a chore because of its over-complication, and using a Garmin-style mount for the sunshine physique appears to be a misstep too.
All in, until the positives I’ve outlined are the one issues that matter to you, there are a lot of higher entrance lights out there immediately.