The ultimate compromise. Serious (and frequent) night riders no longer have to choose between inexpensive battery-powered lights and expensive rechargeable systems.
Average Customer Rating:
4.3 out of 5(55 Reviews)
Rating Snapshot
(55 reviews)
5 stars
28
4 stars
20
3 stars
2
2 stars
4
1 star
1
48 of 55 (87%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Review 1 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
hfinger City:
Melbourne
Country:
Australia
Age:
Over 65
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Value for money
Featured Review
Commuter
Date: December 9, 2009Novel design improves beam shape and spread
Pros: Attractive, Durable, Great Value, High Quality, Rugged, good beam shape projection and brightness Cons: not possible to charge spare batteries
"The Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus light employs a novel design where the two LED dies point backwards into a specially shaped reflector. Unlike forward facing dies, where a lot of light is lost to the edges of a rather wide beam, this design captures most of the light and projects it forwards. The beam is fairly narrow with a wide bright spot and good brightness in the annulus surrounding the spot.
The light is blindingly bright and more than adequate for cycling in dark parks and bushland on moonless nights. Its output compares favourably with other lights costing over $A300.
The casing is waterproof and well gasketed for rainy weather, and the one-button switch and mode control is easy to learn. You can have bright or dim output, with steady or flashing modes for each brightness.
(Light manufacturers must consider having a true dip rather than dim because these lights can blind approaching cyclists.)
The batteries must be in the light to charge them and, as this can take up to four hours, is a real drawback if you are making long evening and early morning trips. I would like to see a battery pack that can be charged outside of the light so that you could keep a standby pack on charge.
The battery pack consists of four AA batteries wired together and shrinkwrapped, with a special lead and plug to insert into the light head. It would be better to have a battery carrier into which batteries can be inserted, thus allowing them to be charged in any charger that takes pairs of NiMH batteries.
For Australians, the $126 price (inc. free freight) very favourably compares with c. $255 excluding freight charged by local on-line shops."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
Wilkie City:
Surrey
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
25-34
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Value for money
Featured Review
Commuter
Top 500 Contributor
Date: November 17, 2009Superb Front Light
Pros: Durable, Great Value, High Quality, Rugged, Versatile
"I needed a front light to show me the way home on unlit roads in the dark (we're pitch black on some lanes) without the 3-figure price tag.
The Cateye EL610 does a pretty good of this and wa able to light up the lane in front of me up to about 15-20 metres or so, with enough dispersel and power to not have to focus on a single spot, In fact, it lit up the white centre lines in the road, across to the kerb, then the pavement beyond. It gave me plenty of confidence to keep the speed up and know that I had enough time to spot and avoid the oncoming obstacles.
The light isn't as bright as other lights that it is competing with, but that's such a big deal when you consider that it costs a fraction of the price. When coupled with another LED light for being seen, the two worked togather very well for long and short distances.
Its a pretty heavy unit, but feels very tough. The switch is neatly covered and seems waterproof. Its not in the handiest of positions for switching modes.
Which neatly leads me on to the features, which are plentiful - although I found myself only using the high beam in the end when using it with another flashing light to attract attention of other road users.
To sum up - the light has 90% of the performance of its rivals, but at <50% of the cost, a very good light indeed."
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Review 3 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg3
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
Thereviewer City:
Midlands
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
35-44
Interest:
Runner
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Featured Review
Top 1000 Contributor
Date: November 10, 2009Fantastic light
Pros: Adjustable, Durable, Good Fit, High Quality, Rugged, Versatile Cons: Expensive
"This light is stupendous.
On road I have been using it on flashing mode. I have sensed that cars are seeing me earlier & are giving me more space. You can see the flashes lighting up signs & lamposts many yards down the road.
I have also used it on Birmingham's canal towpaths at night where it is bright enough to use alone (unlike the Cateye EL 510).
It feels very robust & I think it will withstand a few knocks. I haven't had to recharge it yet, & I know that I would have had to recharge by now all the other front lights I have used in the past. This is mainly because the flashing mode uses much less power.
Last winter I used the EL 510. The 610 is in a different league. The price differential is partially offset by the 610 having its own rechargable battery, so you don't have to fork out for additional batteries. If you can find the cash I would very strongly recommend this light."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg4
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
revol33 City:
cardiff
Age:
35-44
Interest:
Road Cyclist
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Quality first
Featured Review
Road Cyclist
Date: November 9, 2009Superb Single Shot Plus
Pros: Durable, Great Value, Rugged
"Early days yet, but...light output is superb. Only used for commuting, but down unlit roads and rough paths; easily enough light to ride at full speed (if you know the route). Child-proof in its operation and the charge run-time is excellent (> 4hrs).
Considered other lights at x3 the price (as reviewed recently in cycling mags!) but at £80 i cannot fault the Single Shot Plus. If youre not doing off road overnight racing, then go for this one.
I did buy the additional clamp from Wiggle as well, based on reviews of the poor quality of the clamp that came with the light; however on inspection both clamps appear to be exactly the same. Id recommend just buying the light and see how you go with the enclosed clamp."
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Review 5 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
StreetRider City:
Australia
Age:
19-24
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Quality first
Featured Review
Commuter
Date: September 17, 2009Cateye EL610 single shot plus review
Pros: Adjustable, Attractive, Durable, Good Fit, Great Value, High Quality, Rugged, Versatile
"Fantastic light. If you are looking for a light that will light up your way in the darkest of conditions, then this is the light your after. I ride many dark roads, and have about as much vision as a car at night due to this light. The light itself is very very sturdy and amazingly bright. Battery life is as stated in specs. I bought this light with a little doubt about its mounting bracket, due to other reviews. So i bought another bracket from wiggle, when i purchased the light, just to be safe. Do exactly that, the latest bracket is slightly different to the one that comes with the light, and its these slight differences that change it completely. Basically they add more rubber, and make it sturdier. Haven't had any slippage on my handle bars at all. I ride on roads, but at speed and on 100psi tires, so small bumps become larger bumps. But still i have had no movement from the light. I recommend majorly!
Great priced light, for what it does! Hate to be the cars that have to see it coming at them, BLINDING!"
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Review 6 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
bertiebeetle City:
Melbourne
Country:
Australia
Age:
35-44
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Value for money
Commuter
Date: March 9, 2010
Pros: Great Value, High Quality, Rugged Cons: Bulky
"I'd looked around for the best bang for your buck light. I needed a light for ride to and from work which is a mix of roads/bike tracks. Needed something that would pump out a good deal of light to deal with the off road stuff, that was not too expensive and i wouldn't need to be buying batteries for all the time. This light seemed to tick all the boxes and I am very happy with it. Easy to use, installation straightforward, the beam output is great. It lasted just over 3 hours on full charge, more than enough for me, for most of the ride though the half beam is more than adequate. Only downside is it size, it is quite bulky, but weight was not a big consideration for me, if it was I go on a diet !"
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Review 7 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg3
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg3
/ 5from
Value:
Avg3
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
Petrolhead
Country:
United Kingdom
Date: March 3, 2010Watch out for the attachment
Pros: Lightweight, bright Cons: Expensive, Poor Fit
"NIce and bright, but you need to check its attachment to the bracket every time you ride. On only its 3rd outing (all on road), mine flew off the bracket, knocked off my detachable front mudguard (which I ran over and broke), and skidded down the road. Only cosmetic damage - but it's certainly dented my confidence in the design. For the price, I'd expect something that stays where it's put."
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Review 8 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg4
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
SHARPS City:
Milton Keynes
Age:
35-44
Interest:
Road Cyclist
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Quality first
Road Cyclist
Date: March 1, 2010A Clear Path
Pros: Adjustable, Durable, High Quality, Rugged Cons: Bulky
"The EL610 has been on my bike for nearly a year as I cycle early mornings around the country roads of Bucks. I get a very good beam and the power seems to last for an age. Unfortunately the fixing bracket broke on the unit after a few months (light went flying down the road but other than a few scratches it still worked perfectly) but with a bit of tape I continued to use it for month. Wiggle, as usual replaced the light no problems and its now back on my bike clearing the way.
Although a little on the heavy side this is a very good light for the price, sturdy, bright and easy to fix."
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Review 9 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg4
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
forestgump City:
Cannock
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
35-44
Interest:
Road Cyclist
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Quality first
Road Cyclist
Date: February 22, 2010Good little light
Pros: Adjustable, Attractive, High Quality, Lightweight
"I purchased this light a couple of months ago to replace my Smart Twin headlights. I was worried that this light would not be as bright, but I had no need to worry, if anything its better. I use my road bike every day for work and this single shot lights up the whole road. The first time I went out it was set pointing too high and cars coming towards me were being dazzaled be it. It's light and has a long battery life. Before I purchased I read the reviews about the poor quality of the bracket. However if you fit it correctley with some tape/padding on the bars, it works just fine. I have alos used this on the mountain bike on a night ride over cannock chase, again it worked great, a friend who was with me on the ride was so impressed that he purchased one the next day. The only down side is that it does not tell you when the battery is low, it just switches off, so you have to ensure you keep it charged."
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Review 10 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg2
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg2
/ 5from
Value:
Avg3
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
jpm5555 City:
Reading
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
25-34
Interest:
Road Cyclist
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Road Cyclist
Date: February 19, 2010Good light, shame about the mounting rails
Cons: Bulky, Poor Quality
"I've had this light since late 2008, and generally, have been satisfied with its lighting performance. I usually use it in flashing mode and it is very bright and is easily visible to motorists and pedestrians alike. However, I feel there are a number of problems/design flaws which make me unable to recommend this product.
Firstly, I had intermittent problems charging the battery. Theoretically you should plug it in for four hours and that should be that. The instructions state that under certain circumstances e.g. when the light hasn't been used for a long time, a 24 hour charge may be required (that charger status light informs you when this is the case). I always had to do this and have never been able to satisfactorily charge it in 4 hours. Once charged, battery life is good.
Secondly, the light is supplied with a handlebar bracket which is tightened with a thumb screw. It is very hard to tighten this sufficently - the light is quite big and heavy, it constantly ends up slipping towards the ground once mounted.
Finally, the light has moulded plastic "rails" on the bottom which are used to mount onto the bracket. These are insufficient to support the heavy light and break over time - presumably not helped by poor quality rood surfaces found in most cities. Once broken, this gives a loose fit for the light on the bracket, and at worst, the light will fall off whilst riding. This is a common problem - google it.
The good news is that it comes with a 2 year warranty. I just got mine refunded due to the mounting rails breaking. Wiggle CS was excellent!"
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Review 11 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
andy49
Date: February 13, 2010Great commuter light
Pros: High Quality, Rugged
"Bought this light to be more visible when commuting, had a few near misses and one accident with previous light set up through drivers not seeing me. I use the light in flashing mode and can see it illuminating a large distance and width down the road, drivers seem to be seeing me a lot earlier. The only down side is that Cateye supply the same bar mount as for their much smaller lights, this light is quite heavy and does rotate the mount on rough roads, for this reason I think it wouldn't be good off road, although the light is bright enough for light off road use."
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Review 12 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
Taimanov
Date: February 1, 2010Taimanov
"All fine so far; it's nice and bright and has good coverage."
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Review 13 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg3
/ 5from
Value:
Avg3
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
Arsesix City:
Connah's Quay
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
45-54
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Date: January 31, 2010
Pros: very bright Cons: Poor Quality, poor bracket
"The light itself is fine but the bracket broke and the light smashed to bits on the road..A replacement was sent but I have secured it on the bracket with tie wraps."
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Review 14 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
richardb20 City:
London
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
45-54
Interest:
Road Cyclist
Level:
Advanced
Gender:
Male
Road Cyclist
Top 1000 Contributor
Date: January 23, 2010A gamma ray for your bike
Pros: Durable, Great Value, High Quality, gamma-ray bright Cons: a bit bigger than my old light
"I could only spend £100 on a new front light, and on papr this looked like this best one - so I bought one.
It's really very good - even in central London it throws enough light to light up street signs 100's of meters away, and in dark country lanes there's enought light to confidently ride at speed.
I've mounted mine underneath my bars, sort of upside down. The mounting has been solid over the first 100 miles of riding.
I've even left it running on high beam to measure how long it lasts - it was still running strong after 5 hours! [much longer than the packaging said]
Cons? Nothing really, it's physically larger than my old light, but so much brighter I don't mind.
Best £100 I've spent for awhile, especially when it's only £70 or £80 on sale.
richard@lbrc.org http://lbrc.org -"
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Review 15 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
oldbutkeen
Date: January 9, 2010A bargain
Pros: Adjustable, Attractive, Great Value
"Gives a good light, and the battery lasts well. The mounting kit is strong and easy to put on and take off. Excellent value"
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Review 16 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg4
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
dcwiggling
Date: January 7, 2010Performs just as the description suggests
Pros: Attractive, High Quality, Rugged Cons: Bulky
"A really good light for commuting. Far better than the EL530 that a colleague of mine has (bright light but narrow beam). The EL610 has a really bright output with a wider spread, making it possible to see on unlit tracks and paths. It is also superb to be seen with, even to the sides due to the little edge lenses that allow light out the sides. In fact this is so bright you have to angle it down to the road rather than straight ahead of you as it will dazzle motorists and pedestrians too much.
Excellent build quality. Reasonably fast charge and I can believe the 4hr battery life.
A really good light to consider if standard battery ones are not quite up to it and 3-figure sum rechargeables are too expensive. Well pleased!"
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Review 17 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
Tombo City:
Falkirk
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
25-34
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Value for money
Commuter
Date: December 27, 2009Good but not Brilliant!
Pros: High Quality, Rugged Cons: Bulky
"I simply dont have the money to be spending hundreds of pounds on a light. This seemed like the best alternative.
I used the Cateye EL320 previously. This was next to useless when travelling at speed on unlit country roads! I was pleased to find the Cateye EL610 to be a big step up in performance. My commute is 60-70% unlit country roads and I find this light does the job adequately. I'd like more light but as I said, on this budget, I doubt you'd get much brighter.
Another plus is the fact there is no faffing about with batteries. recharging is really easy with the internal one.
It is a bit bulky mind you. However, I've had no problems with the bracket so far, i think they have improved this going on previous comments
I'd definitely recommend it if you regularly cycle unlit roads and are on a budget."
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Review 18 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg4
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
lowcarbonfootprint City:
Plymouth
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
25-34
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Quality first
Commuter
Date: December 24, 2009And the light shone round about them
Pros: Durable, High Quality, Rugged
"In September I flogged my 306 to my brother and went green. This has largely involved cycling to and from work during hours of darkness.
The Cateye Single Shot Plus makes the many potholes of Plymouth much easier to spot than my previous lamp and geniunely is a light that helps you see, rather than helps you to be seen. Beam size, focus and brightness are all very good - it's obvious that a lot of thinking has gone into lens design.
The design is rugged and, as a commuter, I'm not worried about weight although the boy racers out there would probably choose a lighter model.
The light has three settings: high, low and flashing. On the 'low' setting I think the light is actually flashing on and off very fast - this can produce a 'stroboscopic effect' making your front wheel look like it's actually going backwards. Cateye warn that, because of the frequency of the flash, it can interfere with wireless cycle computers on the 'low' and 'flashing' modes. I wouldn't know, mine's wired."
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Review 19 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg4
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg3
/ 5from
Value:
Avg4
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg4
/ 5from
Spuddyboy
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
25-34
Interest:
Road Cyclist
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Budget:
Value for money
Road Cyclist
Date: December 23, 2009
Cons: poor bracket
"The lights great! Powerful enough even on the darkest nights. Only drawback is the rubbish bracket it comes with. Probably the worst bracket ever! I now cable tie mine to my bike to secure it and it works a treat."
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Review 20 for Cateye EL610 Single Shot Plus Front Light
Overall:
Avg5
/ 5from
Quality:
Avg5
/ 5from
Value:
Avg5
/ 5from
Performance:
Avg5
/ 5from
Case1 City:
Hertfordshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Age:
45-54
Interest:
Commuter
Level:
Regular
Gender:
Male
Commuter
Date: December 22, 2009Definitely worth it
Pros: High Quality, Rugged, Versatile
"I'm happy to recommend this light. I cycle to work along unlit roads and a canal towpath. The light works very well on these dark byways, particularly on the high beam. I was considering spending over £200 on a light, but thought this was a bit over the top. I have another Cateye light and I don't really like the handlebar bracket. One has already failed, but Wiggle replaced it quickly and without any fuss at all"
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