Test: The Australians from Knog presented their new PWR lamp series to the public at the Eurobike. The headlights, which are officially sold as helmet lamps due to the lack of StVZO approval, are available in a wide variety of designs and are more than "just a bicycle lamp". All variants have a rechargeable battery built into the aluminum housing, which not only powers the lamp itself, but also, thanks to the USB port, can also power cell phones, navigation systems or other devices. Bike lamp and power bank in one. We tested the Knog PWR Road.
In addition, three of the five Knog PWR lamps are modular. Lamp head and power bank are two separate and independent units that can be interchanged as desired. For example, you can combine the large battery with the smallest headlight if the luminosity is sufficient and a long battery life is high on the list of specifications. The three modular Knog PWR lights are named Road, Trail and Mountain, which already roughly outlines the respective areas of application.
Product news: Eurobike 2017: Knog pwr - more than just another bike lamp
Market / Eurobike 2017: The big highlight at the Knog stand at Eurobike 2017 was the new PWR series - a modular design of lamp heads and batteries allows them to be used as headlights, power banks or other outdoor accessories. The Australians from Knog have become well known in this country for their small, bright and at the same time stylish bicycle lamps. In addition, the […]
Knog PWR Road: High-quality workmanship and compact dimensions
The PWR Road we tested is the smallest and lightest lamp in the new Knog series. With 600 lumens, the light output is still more than decent and the 3.350mAh battery should have enough juice for longer journeys - even if you have to make compromises when using it as a power bank due to the rather low capacity. After all: According to Knog, the battery should be able to supply the lamp head with full luminosity for more than two hours. Or alternatively: charge the lamp for an hour and the smartphone from 0 to 50%.
With a length of 10,5 cm and a weight of 127 g, it is roughly in the middle of comparable products. Due to the round shape and the handy diameter (3cm), the smallest Knog PWR looks and feels more like a flashlight than a bicycle lamp - which is by no means a disadvantage. The workmanship is excellent: the housing is made of black, robust aluminium, which is cool to hold and looks impressive. Four red LEDs on the side indicate the charge level of the battery or power bank. The lamp head is simply attached and snaps firmly into place. It is also made of aluminum. The lamp can be switched on and off by turning the head. You can also switch back and forth between the six light modes.
The high-quality impression of the Knog PWR Road lamp, which costs almost €100, is underlined by the extensive scope of delivery. In addition to the power bank and lamp head itself, the stylish packaging contains the brackets for the helmet and handlebars, a USB and a micro-USB cable and even two Allen keys for installing the brackets.
Knog PWR Road: Air-up mounts
As mentioned at the beginning: Unfortunately, the Knog PWR lights do not have StVZO approval and are therefore not permitted as sole lighting on the bike in road traffic. Officially, they are therefore sold in this country as helmet lamps, which can optionally be attached to the bike itself as additional lighting thanks to the brackets supplied. The helmet mount is cleverly designed and is quite easy to attach to one of the helmet's air vents using the Allen key provided. We have tried this with several different helmets and almost never had any problems. However, if a helmet does not have a central ventilation opening, you have to be satisfied with a slightly offset position.
The handlebar mount is made of robust plastic and can be mounted quickly, firmly and easily with a lever. The clamp fits 31,8mm handlebars, a spacer for smaller diameters is included in the scope of delivery. As well as the mounts can be attached to the helmet or handlebars, it is just as fiddly to attach the lamp to the mount itself. The power bank has a groove into which the counterpart of the mount is inserted. In this groove there are two indentations in which a small pin snaps into place on the bracket. The pin is blocked by a small turning wheel and the lamp sits firmly on the holder.
The system is well thought out, but unfortunately not perfectly executed. On the one hand, the groove is quite small - especially in the dark it is sometimes difficult to put the lamp on correctly and I found myself again and again being annoyed and having to help with my smartphone and its lamp to get the lamp onto the holder. The pin snaps into one of the two positions by itself thanks to a spring, but unfortunately gives hardly any noticeable feedback: That means you never really know whether the lamp is now firmly seated on the holder. If you lock the pin outside of the two intended positions, the lamp says goodbye at the first shock.
Knog PWR Road: Very good handling, running time and light output
Okay, so the assembly isn't exactly the best solution, but what's more important is the performance of the lamp afterwards - and it's very good. Operation is simple: no too small, spongy buttons or knobs, just turn the lamp head and the asphalt in front of the bike is filled with light. This also works great with gloves and cold fingers. The light output is excellent and the light field itself is also convincing. The road is thus illuminated with a wide and homogeneous cone of light. The small recesses on the side of the lamp head are nice, with which one should also be easily recognized from the side in traffic.
At full power, the light output is easily sufficient for sparsely lit, paved paths. If you are traveling in town, you can also select a lower dimming level, in which the PWR Road still throws 250 lumens onto the street. You are still seen very well and the battery life is significantly longer. Speaking of battery life: In the highest light level, the manufacturer's specification of 2.3 hours is exceeded in our test - the light only finally goes out after 2:47 hours. In dimmed mode, it lasts 5:52 - these are very good values and are also sufficient for longer journeys in the dark. It's also nice that the lamp remembers the last selected light mode when you switch it off and on again.
The Knog PWR Road also reliably fulfills its function as a power bank, even if the small battery when full - depending on the smartphone - is only sufficient for a little more than a full charge. We think it's a pity that the USB charging socket only appears when you pull off the lamp head. So you can't use the Knog PWR Road as a lamp and power bank at the same time; the smaller, non-modular Knog PWR variants have this option.
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