TEST: The Lupine Wilma delivers a whopping 3600 lm on the trail – but at €545 it also has its price. You can find out how the helmet lamp will perform in action here.
Test of the Lupine Wilma - all information & data on the helmet lamp at a glance
Made in Germany - Lupine is for qualitative helmet lamps known from Germany. Accordingly, the Lupine Wilma comes into the house clean and of high quality. The lamp body is made of aluminum, the remaining components are made of plastic. Four LEDs with specially shaped lenses bring the luminous flux of 3600 lm to the trail. That's quite a lot, but the battery remains surprisingly compact with a runtime of 1:45 hours at full power. The entire system is very flexible: up to four individual light levels can be programmed. The configuration options are even more versatile with the app. This makes the Lupine Wilma the right helmet lamp for uncompromising bike enthusiasts who want a lot of light and have the necessary change. On the other hand, the Wilma can be a sustainable investment for many years, because Lupine keeps spare parts available for years and also offers a repair service. In some cases it is even possible to replace LEDs with new, more powerful models.
data sheet
| luminosity | 3600 lm |
| light modes | 10 (3600lm, 2700lm, 2300lm, 1800lm, 1350lm, 1000lm, 750lm, 450lm, 225lm, 45lm) |
| Lighting time | 1:45 hrs, 2 hrs, 2:30 hrs, 3:20 hrs, 4:45 hrs, 6:45 hrs, 9:30 hrs, 16 hrs, 31 hrs, 150 hrs |
| Charging time | 3: 40 pm |
| charging connector | Charger 1,9A |
| Mounting options & adapters | Helmet |
| performance battery | 6900 mAh |
| battery | 149,00 € |
| Remote Control | Ja |
| Weight lamp & bracket | 140 g |
| Weight battery & bracket | 248 g |
| Cable length lamp | 24 cm |
| Battery cable length | 13 cm |
| Cable length extension | 120 cm |
| StVZO approval | No |
| Color temperature | 6000 K |
| Price | 545,00 € |
What's in the box
The Lupine Wilma comes neatly packed in a black cardboard box with the following scope of delivery:
- Lupine Wilma helmet lamp
- Battery 6900 mAh
- extension cable
- Bluetooth remote control
- Charger 1,9A
- Allen key and torx for tilt adjustment and battery replacement of the remote control
- Straps for attaching the battery
- Manual
Accessories & Extension
Lupine's helmet lamp system is extremely extensive. That is why we are only presenting some of the accessories here as an example. For example, an additional helmet mount for the front click system costs €10. A suitable adapter for the GoPro system is available for €15 and various headbands are available from €36. As an alternative to the included charger, there is a practical USB adapter for €23. Lupine offers a replacement battery for €149. In addition, alternative batteries with different capacities are also available. This makes the Lupine Wilma system extremely versatile and one of the most comprehensive of all. All accessories and various spare parts can be easily obtained from Lupine's in-house online shop. This makes Lupine a prime example of how good supply of spare parts and accessories can work.
Test: The Lupine Wilma in trail use
assembly and fastening
The helmet mount of the Lupine Wilma turns out to be one of the most compact in our test field. Because of this, it can easily remain on the helmet without being annoying. The helmet holder has a rubber pad on the underside and is attached to the helmet with a Velcro strap. However, blindly attaching the lamp head overhead requires some practice and is even more difficult with gloves. The battery goes into the backpack with the included extension cable, but can also be attached to the bike frame or helmet using the included Velcro straps. In our opinion, the latter makes little sense because of the weight of almost 250 g. When attaching it to the frame, sensible cable routing is difficult.
Service
The operation of the Lupine Wilma is quite simple and intuitive: You can switch between the different brightness levels using a well-separated button with a rubber cover. This also works very well with gloves. It can also be operated from the handlebars using the Bluetooth remote control. Due to its small size, the latter fits well between the brake and the handle and is therefore very easy to reach. Here, too, a button is used to switch between the brightness levels. The remote control is attached with a rubber strap and can therefore be removed in seconds without leaving any residue.
Incidentally, the various brightness levels can be configured very individually: The button can be used to program up to four different light modes. However, without a user manual, you are at a loss, at least initially, and the process itself also requires a few attempts before it works smoothly. Programming via the in-house app is much more convenient. Once connected, you can quickly and easily save new settings for the different light levels.
On the battery itself, you can use the button to display the charge level at any time. A longer press turns on all blue LEDs of the battery status indicator. As a small emergency light, this can come in handy here and there. The Wilma comes with a wealth of functions and configuration options that many users will be happy about. On the other hand, if you like it simple, you may find the helmet lamp overengeneered.
battery & runtime
An enormous battery capacity of 6900 mAh is reached in 3:40 hours with the included charger. The running time achieved by the Lupine Wilma depends entirely on the programmed light levels: With full power and 3600 lm it is 1:45 h. With the lowest possible luminosity of 45 lm, however, the runtime is 150 hours. Even with half the power, i.e. 1800 lm, you can achieve a burn time of 3:20 hours. So Lupine gets a lot out of the battery and the runtimes are sufficient even for extended tours without having to make any major compromises in terms of brightness.
Weight & Trail Use
Weighing around 140 g, the lamp head is hardly noticeable while driving. It doesn't bother you in any way and the battery with around 250 g isn't really noticeable in the backpack either. In this respect, the Wilma is very unobtrusive. On the other hand, the enormous brightness with which our test trails shine is very noticeable. Even at high speeds, you can perceive the ground comparatively well. With the Wilma we were able to jump a small road gap and kicker with 6 - 7 m airtime without hesitation. At no time would more light have been needed. Operation and handling on the trail are also unobtrusive and uncomplicated. In other words: Lupine delivers a great product.
The light field of the lupine Wilma
The light field turns out to be pretty good, especially on trail descents. For our taste, the lenses of the Lupine Wilma should spread slightly further, especially at high speeds. This is also noticeable when cranking comfortably on the forest track: A tunnel vision arises here at weak light levels, a wider spread would be more pleasant here. Nevertheless, the whining is at a high level, because the stronger the light level, the less the effect. And the battery capacity of the Wilma allows this without hesitation. However, the 45 lm of the lowest level proved to be too dark for us and is very hard on the eyes. The situation is different with the next higher level with 225 lm: This is sufficient for uphills on forest paths and protects the battery charge with a running time of 31 hours. Our programming of the light levels was 3600 lm, 1400 lm and two low levels with 225 lm and 45 lm most of the time during the test drives.
The direct comparison between maximum and minimum performance pushes our camera technology to its limits: the difference in brightness is so great that the camera displays the lowest brightness level as very dark. The 45 lm of this level are actually brighter, but in our opinion too dark for permanent use on the bike.
The light levels in direct comparison
Lupine on the web
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Fair Ride seal for Lupine
At this point, we would like to commend the supply of spare parts and the repair service: Lupine offers the opportunity to give the products a longer life for years to come. In some cases, there is even the option of upgrading lamps with newer LED modules. Therefore, Lupine lamps are not short-lived disposable products, but can serve their owner faithfully for many years. Lupine also pays attention to sustainability in company policy, for example with its own power generation. We think that's a good thing - that's why Lupine receives our Fair Ride seal for resource-saving spare parts supply and repair service.
