Product Comparison: Cygolite Expilion 800 vs Cygolite Expilion 850

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Cygolite Expilion 800 USB Bicycle Headlight

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Cygolite Expilion 850 USB Light with Helmet Mount

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General Specifications

Brand

Cygolite

Model

Expilion 800

Expilion 850

Origin

USA

About the Product

The one piece design that started it all is brighter than ever with up to 800 lumens of class leading brightness.

The one piece design that started it all is brighter than ever with 850 lumens of class leading brightness. Featuring a powerful Cree XM-L2 LED and custom Enhanced Cycling Optics™, the Expilion 850 easily lights up any road or mountain. The refined fusion of aluminum alloy and durable plastic ensures a powerful lighting system in a compact design.

Key Specs

Maximum Light Output

800 Lumens

850 Lumens

Lighting Modes

Medium, High, Low, Boost, SteadyPulse, Day Flash, Walking, SOS

High, Medium, Low, Boost, SteadyPulse, Day Flash, Walking, SOS

Visibility

480 ft.

Maximum Light Output

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Cygolite Expilion 800 USB Bicycle Headlight

Pointing the center if the light 30 or so feet in front of the bike lights the road very well in that general area.
I used it mainly on the steady pulse mode. Seems to be the same brightness as the medium setting but with a partial flash thrown in.
On every setting, even low, and from off axis angles of 45 degrees or more, (well outside of the light's "hot spot") it was extremely visible.
Even on the low-beam setting, it was really bright - and when I turned it to the high setting, it was unbelievably bright !
Even during the day it can compete with the sun enough to be useful and helpful to see inside of tight spaces and lift shadows from spaces you want to see in.

Cygolite Expilion 850 USB Light with Helmet Mount

I put my Expilion 850 to the test on a 24-hour / 500km ride across England. It passed with top marks. It's not so hard nowadays to find bike lights that are super bright, and that work well for your winter commute.
This light on Medium is brighter than most cars headlights on the road! Awesome deal!
This light is more than bright enough for the average commuter; probably bright enough for any commuter even with extreme commutes.
BRIGHT. Love it. Roommate rode behind me one night with the 500. I was just using a wally world aaa battery headlight.
This light is amazingly bright. If that's what you only care about, you can stop reading here. I rode in total darkness (at night in the woods) and I did not need to use the brightest setting to perfectly see the path ahead.

Size & Weight

Height

1.5 in.

Width

1.5 in.

Depth

4 in.

Weight

4.94 oz.

4.9 oz.

Features

Control Type

Button

Mount Type

Handlebar / Helmet

Low Battery Indicator

Yes

Accessories Included

USB charger, USB cable, Helmet mount, Locktite™ tool-free handlebar mount

USB wall charger, Mini USB charging cable, Locktite™ tool-free handlebar mount, Helmet mount

Water Resistant

Yes

Extras

Cree XM-L LED, Custom TIR cycling optics, Regulated power circuitry, Quick-release Li-ion battery stick

Enhanced Cycling Optics™, Cree XM-L2 LED

What customers say about "Features"

Cygolite Expilion 800 USB Bicycle Headlight

It was easy to attach to the bike handles and it is simple to operate.
Also the light was not hard mounting and unmounting. It seems solid.
The clamp was very good - no issues with tightening the clamp on the top of the bar. No loosened clamps either.
The mount allows you to simply and quickly remove it from the bike if you want to take a walk with it.
The features that sold me on this were the replaceable battery stick and 10-15 minute "battery low" blinking function of the power button.

Cygolite Expilion 850 USB Light with Helmet Mount

Light can be unclipped from mount; this means you can aim it correctly and then just unclip the light part off the bike when you lock up somewhere. Many similar lights do not unclip and require you to remount and aim with each removal.
Very bright light and the hi/low flashing visibility mode is great. In addition, the included helmet mount is easily adapted to work with a GoPro-style mount.
The build quality is great, the charge time is reasonable, the mounting bracket is very secure and easy to use (including the quick release). I have only mounted on handlebars so far and haven't tried the helmet kit.
I use the handlebar mount which is easy enough to use. A helmet mount with velcro strap was included as well as a wall charger.
The mount works well and didn't move even on some rough areas of the road. Highly recommend this light.

Power

Battery Type

Rechargeable Li-ion battery stick

USB rechargeable battery

Maximum Battery Runtime

38 hour(s)

Battery Charge Time

5 hour(s)

Maximum Battery Runtime
Battery Charge Time

What customers say about "Power"

Cygolite Expilion 800 USB Bicycle Headlight

Battery life is great on the second from highest setting. You really don't need the highest setting unless you are on a very desolate and treacherous trail.
I probably only recharged it once every 4 rides. This is a quality light and it's priced fairly.
The replaceable battery stick allows you to charge two batteries and carry a spare.
The battery lasts about 1 week at this rate. Charging is easy, but takes a while (about 4 hours) for a full charge.
My battery life is still great on the one I purchased last year lasting well over 3 hours of riding time.

Cygolite Expilion 850 USB Light with Helmet Mount

Switching the batteries is super-easy in the dark. The batteries take quite a long while to charge, and they can only charge when they're inside the body of the lamp, so it's not really feasible to recharge one battery while using another.
850 is definitely brighter and removable battery seems to be a plus. Haven't gotten a second battery to try that function out yet.
I know the battery is good since it still powers my Expilion 800 no problem. I have been a major fan of cygolites and remain very pleased with my Expilion 800, my hotrods and hotshots.
Also the fact that the battery is contained in the light itself is a big selling point. I didn't like that on other brands it required a battery back and lengths of wire.
One Con that's acceptable enough, it runs on a rechargeable battery pack which limits you from being able to pop in a fresh set of batteries on the fly.

Warranty / Certifications

Certifications

Manufacturer warranty

1 year(s)

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download