Exposure diablo Vs Zenith - any users?

Just recently bought a Zenith from the outlet store for £160. I like it.

Better beam and more useable power than the Magicshine Ray2600, and same battery life on full.  I have also just got a 3.7Ah support cell but not tried it yet.

Didn't see the point in the Diablo, where a similar-price version in the outlet is slightly less powerful with a smaller battery.

Still using a MS RN3000 on the bars, but the "cheap" Maxx-D they have might be an itch that needs scratching.

Diablo and Zenith are both very floody lights and tend to compensate for less powerful, equally floody bar lights.  If you have a powerful bar light like a Maxx-D, the Diablo will be mostly flooded out by the Maxx-D and a more pointy light like a Joystick or Axis is better.

I don’t have a Zenith, but do have the previous Equinox.  Whilst it is more powerful, it really needs the support cell to be anywhere near useful and that means the weight on the lid is almost 2x that of the Diablo and 3x that of the joystick.  Without the support cell, you just run it on lower power all the time, so what’s the point?

I moved up from a Diablo to a Zenith, mostly because I went from a Maxx-D to a Six Pack on the bars and the Diablo was getting drowned out.

No discernible difference in weight, noticeably brighter and burn times are about the same. Tend to run the Zenith on two settings, as low as possible for lanes, double track and climbs and full power for downhill. More than enough for a good few hours ride.

I'd be buying the Diablo for sync function (bar remote). As far as I can see, they don't do this with the Zenith

If you aren't fixed on Exposure the Four 4th Scorch is brighter and cheaper - use it with my Gloworm XS and it's spot on as a helmet lamp.

https://www.four4th.co.uk/collections/lights/products/scorch-qr

but do have the previous Equinox. Whilst it is more powerful, it really needs the support cell to be anywhere near useful and that means the weight on the lid is almost 2x that of the Diablo and 3x that of the joystick. Without the support cell, you just run it on lower power all the time, so what’s the point?

Agreed. I've got an Equinox and agree it is a bit pointless. It came with a single support cell which doesn't add any worthwhile heft. In the end I got Smudge to build a 4 cell support which does give it reasonable run time. I stupidly only got a 40 cm cable on it so generally have to run it on the bars.

 

I have the Diablo with a Toro on my bar, they work well together.

The Diablo is great for my regular night rides of about 1.5hrs, but as I get toward and past 2hrs it does tend to run out of juice. Even regularly switching to lower output for climbs.

It's a few years old now, but something to check about the current model if you like long night rides.

I agree with Daffy here. I have a maxxd on the bars and I also own both a joystick and a diablo.

The joystick is much better on the helmet due to the narrow spotty beam complimenting the floody maxxd. It's also lighter and has longer burn times in higher powered settings compared to the diablo.

Mine are several generations old now though, so things may have changed.

If you aren’t fixed on Exposure the Four 4th Scorch is brighter and cheaper

I bought one cheap a few years ago at the Birmingham bike show, pre-covid so probably 4 years ago now. Whilst it is beight I find it has two issues.

1. It's not very spotty, so not the best for a helmet light.

2. To change the power/brightness you need to touch the lense, so doesn't work great with gloves.

I tend to use mine on the bars nowadays on short rides where I just leave it on full power and it works well as it's quite floody.

Edit: I now run a joystick as a helmet light and really like it as it's got good penetration.

The joystick is swallowed up by the moon beam so thinking of swapping for a zenith or diablo

I'm not sure being involved in an internecine lumen war between your bar and helmet light gets you very far. The point of the helmet light isn't so much to be visible within/enhance the main light pool if it's bright enough already, but to give you illumination in scenarios where you're looking in a different direction to your bars - switchbacks and axe murderers to the side of the trail are the classic instances - and to give better depth perception on rough terrain. The Joystick's narrow spot beam is ideal for this. I have a Joystick and a Diablo and mostly use the Joystick up top for this reason, the Diablo is heavier and gives a broader beam that's not really that much more useful ime and ideally needs a support cell for sensible burn times. All imho. I guess it depends on why you're uprading, if you want remote control and cunning features then buy on that basis maybe.

Why are some of you using bar and helmet lights on climbs? I only tend to use my helmet light for when I'm going faster, so descending and faster single-track.

If I'm climbing narrow, twisty trails in the woods then the helmet light works really well for "looking around corners".

Why are some of you using bar and helmet lights on climbs? I only tend to use my helmet light for when I’m going faster, so descending and faster single-track.

Because we will still be looking around in areas not necessarily covered by the bar light. Will generally have both on a lower setting for climbs though

And axe murderers don't just lurk on the descents, do they?

And axe murderers don’t just lurk on the descents, do they?

Worst place for them, faster moving target a nightmare. Often lurking on nadgery, wooded singletrack and steep climbs - anywhere you're likely to slow down basically. People need to think about this stuff a little harder...

Worst place for them, faster moving target a nightmare. Often lurking on nadgery, wooded singletrack and steep climbs – anywhere you’re likely to slow down basically. People need to think about this stuff a little harder…

Had a puncture a few years ago on a solo night ride on a very dark, wooded, singletrack climb. Not sure how many times I died fixing it

Had a puncture a few years ago on a solo night ride on a very dark, wooded, singletrack climb. Not sure how many times I died fixing it

This happens A LOT.

I'm on the lookout for a new helmet light. My Mk8 Joystick isn't lasting any longer.

I have a new Toro for the bar light. The Zenith looks like a beast of a helmet light, maybe the Axis is a nice in between.

I'm a big fan of the Axis light and It's my go to for MTBing  It's spotty, powerful, not too heavy and less likely to get caught on branches than a Diablo.

Just to be clear - I'm speaking from experience here, I have the latest Axis (9) , Joystick (16), Diablo (13) and my older joystick (15), Diablo (12), a couple of Sirius lights (8/9?) and the Equinox.    I use the Axis as a helmet light with either the Maxx-D or with a Diablo on the bars, the joystick as a helmet light for mixed gravel along with a Strada SB Aktiv and the Sirius for road helmet or backup lights.  I don't use the Equinox unless something else is out of power.

Axis and Maxx-D is a good combination, but the Axis is also ok on its own for non-tech. It's not too pointy and not too floody either.

Exposure used to have photos on their website of what different light combinations looked like together, really useful but for some reason they removed it.

I've got a current Diablo on the lid and a prehistoric Toro on the bars. It's a good balance for me and never feel out of my depth on fast singletrack and enjoy the occasional jump line. Gets completely drowned out by my mates with 8000lm Magi Shines or the 6-Pack that ride behind me.

Just don't bother with the remote option on the Diablo. It might be bad luck on my part but it causes me no end of stress and my mates no end of pleasure when it drops out of sync mid ride. Arrived with a flat battery back in March which took quite a few emails with Exposure to diagnose. It's either gone flat again now or it just doesn't like me.

Has anyone had older lamps reconditioned by Exposure and did this work out well, e,g, a really old Joystick?

Recently bought a Maxx D Mk13 (2500lm/400lm on reflex setting) and yes, the joystick doesn't pierce through the Maxx D beam, but I can still tell it's there and tell it's doing a job. Was thinking when I bought the Maxx D that I'd probably upgrade the lid to a Diablo, but now don't feel the need. A mate has just bought a Diablo and is moaning about battery life every ride - the Joystick lasts a 2-2.5hr ride

I run a Diablo on my lid with a piggyback cell. My bar light is a Hope R8+, the Diablo does add just enough to the party.