One Light To Rule Them All
The HEADSPIN Convertible Light System completely changes how you think about flashlights, or lighting in general. Most people assume you need to buy a unique light for every application because that’s they way it’s always been. You usually buy a light for your mountain bike, one for spelunking on a camping trip, one for your car, etc. What if a company made a kit where you could use your same fancy light everywhere without going broke? You can see where this is going. This entire review is based on a product called The Kit, which retails for $169.99 and comes with everything you need to get going.
How is it possible?
The real investment is in the light itself, which is sold separately for $79.99. This compact, luminous little monster can put out up to 400 lumens for an hour and a half on a single charge. Yes it’s rechargeable. In fact, “The Kit” (a $170 package you should start with) comes with an AC wall mount charger and Micro-USB cable, giving you two options to juice up. If 400 lumens is too bright, cycling through the four brightness levels can drop it down all the way to 10 LM and last for up to 40 hours.
In addition to the brightness levels, the 4 buttons can be used to adjust the illumination mode which can either be spotlight or flood. You can even set the light to strobe. One use for the strobe is during a vehicle breakdown at night. The HEADSPIN light is magnetic, which allows you to stick it on the rear of your vehicle and call out attention. This can increase safety for both you and drivers on the road who may not have seen your vehicle otherwise.
Yeah, it can do that
“The Kit“, which comes with an orange protective case full goodies, also includes various mounts. You can mount the same light to the included traditional flashlight handle which is also weighted to preserve a natural feel. If you have a utility vehicle or bike, you can use the included bar mount as well. If you need even more flexibility, there is a head mount option with a stretchable strap. As you can see, you have a lot of options. Simply unsnap/untwist from each mount (SPINDOCK) to remove the light and attach to the next. If you need multiple lights or multiple mounts (multiple bikes for example), all of the pieces can be purchased separately here. The SPINDOCK attachment method takes a little getting used to, especially when I first used it. It clicks into place smoothly, but I was a bit scared to unlock the light from the mount. The first time you do it makes the loudest snap/click sound, but it smooths out after that and you get used to it. I eventually stopped thinking about it and none of the mounts have given me any trouble with a decent amount of use.
Performance and Results
This kit is more convenient than you’d expect. After owning a kit I feel the need to purchase a second one (or two) because I see so much value in it. Having a kit in your car for emergencies sounds great. Mounting it to my mountain bike for evening rides showed me just how bad my old mountain bike headlight was. This light is extremely robust and well made, surviving drops up to 6 feet without issues, while also having an IP66 rating to resist some bad weather. I found that the battery easily matched the ratings on the box, which gave me a lot of confidence for multiple night time rides without having to recharge it each night. 400 lumens is extremely bright, so I never had to crank it up to that level, which further extended my battery life.
This light takes a jack of all trades approach. It may not be the brightest light for $170, nor is it the smallest, but it is the most convenient. Having a high quality light that you can move from one use to the next saves you from having to purchase multiple high end lights. That’s where the sweet spot is. That’s where HEADSPIN knocked it out of the park, and I can’t recommend it enough.
