The new Gloworm XSV 3400 (the acronym stands for “excessive”) pumps out a blinding 3400 lumens with a beam pattern designed to keep your eyes on the trail. The new 3400 actually throws light about the same distance as their XS 1700, but beam pattern is twice as wide, casting an almost 90° “V” of light in front of you. They say this helps light up the areas to your sides, so you don’t have to try to see “around” turns as much.
The 3-LED unit weighs in at just 120g, and the actual size is small enough to go on your helmet. Retail is $320 USD and that includes their 4-cell 6800mA battery, giving you a whopping 90 minute run time on full blast. They manage that by using really large LEDs, which they say are more efficient than trying to create the same amount of light from a smaller bulbs. Basically, they can under power it, which means it’s drawing less power, and it’s better for the longevity of the diode. Then they rely on the optics to get the beam pattern they want.
Buttons, cables & other improvements
The wireless remote is about a year old, but what’s cool is that you can pair it with multiple lights and control them all in sync. Or set one button to control one of your lights, then the other for another light, to give you wireless independent control of two units.
Across the line, they’ve updated their cables to be more durable, and they now use a GoPro style mounting system that can bolt to the bottom of the light…or use their side mount to attach it to their handlebar clamp.
The Alpha brings quality to a new low (price)
The new Gloworm Alpha is a lower cost option at $139 for 1200 lumens with a 2-cell battery with no fuel gauge. They wanted to make something that competed on price with the cheap Chinese knockoff lights, but actually offered a quality product. So, they used a cast alloy head rather the CNC’d shell used on the higher end lights, and it uses a less durable black finish. But it’s quicker and easier to make, hence the price point, and it won’t work with their wireless remote. But the electronics inside and LED quality are all on par with their higher end models.
