Exposure Lights have long been the benchmark for quality construction and serious light output, with the latest round of updates culminating in the Zenith 4 and Six Pack 15.
Pete has spent the darker months making the most of the latest and greatest lights from Exposure, with major updates to charging speed and display, the best just got better.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Six Pack 15 Key features:
- 6000 lumens (Reflex)
- 4240 constant
- OSD++ display
- Power Bank Mode
- USB-C PD charging
- Intelligent Thermal Management
- Optimised Mode Selector
- 408g
- £495.00 RRP
- ExposureLights.com
Six thousand lumens (a 200 lumen increase on the outgoing model) on the bar has seen me through the night stages of The Ex Enduro and many night rides either in the woods or to venture high to catch the stars or the aurora borealis. The AI-driven Reflex 2.0 mode is your hands-free option that uses inclinometers and speedos (not the swimwear) to provide the best power for your current situation.
Beyond this, the manual modes offer a peak 4240 lumens which is nothing to sniff at, with the lower mode still offering useable light for almost half a day, according to the new OSD++ display. This gives you both a colour indicator and a time remaining, making it easy to see what’s left in the tank.
A major improvement, especially for someone who is a scatterbrain at best, is the USB-C charging. Gone is the need to remember the bespoke charger, any USB-C cable will do. Get a fast charger and you can get the Six Pack ready in record time. Having forgotten to charge mine overnight, I got mine to most of the way to full on the drive to a ride, whereas previously I would have had to bail. You can also send the juice in the opposite direction and use the light as a power bank.
For shorter laps around the woods, Reflex 2.0 is the one. Not only do you get the full 6000 lumens on the downs, but you don’t have to touch anything. Just focus on the ride. Again, it’s easy to bump it into manual on the off-chance that you’ve been descending for three hours, but it’s rare that it’s come to this.
Exposure have upped their game as well, a previous lights came with a short, light-specific cable for non-mains charging. Now the Six Pack comes with a modular fast wall charger and removeable cable. The charger also takes USB-A cables (the ones you can’t ever get plugged in right way up first time) too.
Only once have I had the mount spin round on me, and this was in a flap to get going after a long week of shooting for a video project. From day one, and since, this is the only time it has happened. Anyone concerned should just wrap a single loop of electricians tape around the bar before tightening the clamp over it.
Zenith 4 Key features:
- 2360 lumens
- Tap Technology
- USB-C PD charging
- Intelligent Thermal Management
- Optimised Mode Selector
- 150g
- £280.00 RRP
- ExposureLights.com
The ideal compatriot to the Six Pack is the Zenith. Much smaller and lighter, it’s designed to be attached to a helmet, giving useable illumination for wherever your head happens to be facing. Everyone has a friend that will talk to you whilst pointing theirs straight through your corneas and to the back of your skull, right?
Another quality light that sees a similar jump in output from 2200 to 2360 lumens the same USB-C upgrade, but without the screen or power bank capabilities, the Zenith would need to bulk up considerably to sport these features. At 150g it’s easy to forget that it’s on your helmet, and the mount, whilst dividing opinion, can fit anywhere on the helmet. The idea that it has to sit top and centre is old hat. Simply get it attached and angle the mount, and therefore the light, to brighten the trail ahead.
Being a much smaller light, the output is less than half of the Six Pack but then it’s almost a third of the weight. The bonus is that charging with a fast charger is pretty wild. Tap technology makes it far less of a faff changing between modes. When combined with the Reflex 2.0 tech of the big bar mount light, the only thing you need to do is give it a bump with your hand at the top or bottom of the trail to change the output.
Both lights feature that solid construction you’d expect, with the rather nice CNC finish being durable and hard to weather. These lights both look brand new despite some serious use, and will likely remain that way for many years. Exposure are the antithesis to the phrase ‘buy cheap, buy twice’.
They’ll lighten your wallet, but instead of failing after a few years, outside of their warranty too, these will likely go the distance and can usually be fixed by the wizards on the South Downs, allowing you to get another decade from them. Think of the Six Pack as costing you £49.50 a year, not £495.
You can check out the Exposure Six Pack and Zenith on their website here.
