Worlds brightest tiara

Packing a massive 6,000 Lumens (claimed) from ten CREE LEDs into a heavily heat-sinked arc, Trail LED’s Halo model is one of the most unique – and possibly bonkers – lights we’ve come across in quite some time. CNC machined, hard anodised, and assembled in Texas, the Halo is the answer when the question is how can I pack as much light as possible into a low-profile package? The form factor is a natural extension of the company’s 3,000 lumen DS and 1,800 lumen XXX’s form factors- and it’d hard not to admire the way that maximum output and cooling area come together in a lightweight design that sits lower than most lower-powered lights.

Trail LED’s mounting system is straightforward: translucent bands loop through helmet vents and attach to notches on their lights’ cooling fins. Angle adjustment comes by adjusting the location of the light’s position on the helmet. A sturdy looking switch and connector round out the package. Interestingly, Trail LED claims that their wide range of light source locations creates what they “like to call MPSD (multi-point shadow definition), rendering unparalleled depth perception.” It’s a neat idea and should reduce the sharp-edged shadows that can result from single-point sources.

With batteries that charge just as fast as they drain (in this case, 2 hours at full tilt), the Halo can in effect be run continuously with only a single spare. Not that run time should be a concern: at 4,000 lumens, the Halo is said to run for four hours; at 600 lumens the battery should be good for thirty-eight hours. Despite all this power and uniqueness, the $1,200 (£735) sticker is – if not reasonable – certainly lower than might be expected.

Insane? Maybe. Overkill? Probably. Awesome? Yup.

trailled.com