With the new EVO series of bike lights, Magicshine has created powerful bike lights with advanced beam-cutoff lenses. That means you can have a high-output bike light that won’t blind oncoming traffic. The Magicshine EVO 1300 is part of that new series and offers an impressive 1300 lumen output. With its aspherical lens, the EVO 1300 features a single LED setup with a sharp beam cutoff that focuses the light on the ground. The EVO 1300 retails at an affordable $74.99 and includes a wireless remote and Garmin mount on the top of the headlight. Although the light lacks the StVZO certification, it provides the same benefits and a dual beam setup with low and high beam modes. The EVO 1300 also offers a USB-C charging interface and intuitive single button user interface.
The Magicshine EVO 1300 combines a powerful 1300 lumen output with a beam cutoff to light up the road without blinding oncoming traffic.
| Rating | 9.2 / 10 |
| Retail Price | $74.99 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 152 (headlight), 53 (out-front mount), 17 (remote) |
| Likes | + Compact form factor + Sharp beam cutoff and excellent optics + Top Garmin mount is perfect for out-front mounts |
| Dislikes | – Magicshine app is confusing to use – Difficult to see battery status with bottom button setup |
| Where to Buy (US) | Magicshine 15% OFF coupon code: “TheSweetCyclists” |
UNBOXING
We received an early look at the Magicshine EVO 1300 so we didn’t receive it with the retail packaging. If we had to make a guess we would assume the headlight comes in a black cardboard box with Magicshine branding and a glossy illustration of the headlight. Inside the box you should expect to find:
- EVO 1300 headlight
- Wireless remote + velcro strap
- USB-C charging cable
- Plastic dual-sided out-front mount w/ rubber pad
- Allen key
- Garmin to GoPro adapter
- Instruction manual
We were happy to see that Magicshine includes an out-front mount with the light which allows you to use the light right out of the box.
MOUNTING
Magicshine has specifically designed the EVO 1300 to be mounted underneath out-front mounts. Instead of the Garmin mount being located on the bottom of the light, Magicshine has molded it into the top of the light. This solves the common problem with beam cutoff lights which are directional, like the Magicshine Allty lights, which typically aren’t designed to be mounted on the underside of an out-front mount. Using the provided Garmin to GoPro adapter the EVO 1300 can quickly be attached to the included out-front mount or any third-party GoPro mount. The included dual-sided out-front mount is a plastic Magicshine branded design that works well and feels rigid. You can also use the EVO 1300 with nearly any third-party setup as the light itself is fairly compact and shouldn’t interfere with handlebars or cabling.
FIT & FINISH
The Magicshine EVO 1300 uses the familiar rounded rectangle profile we’ve seen with the Magicshine Ray and RN series of lights. It uses a similar one piece aluminum housing for lightweight and heat dissipation. There is basic branding with Magicshine printed on the top and EVO 1300 graphics along the side. Inside the light you have two integrated 18650 Li-ion batteries that can be charged via the rear USB-C port. Unlike the Magicshine Allty 1500S, the batteries are integrated and cannot be removed or replaced.
What makes the EVO 1300 unique from most lights on the market is the aspherical lens design. The light uses a curved lens with an optimized shape that is designed to focus the light on the ground. It’s impressive to see this style lens at this price point as it’s typically only seen in more expensive lights like Lupine or other European brands. If you stare straight into the lens and rotate the light you can see how the lens distorts the LEDs behind it to focus the light downward. The curved lens design also requires additional space which is why the EVO 1300 is larger than the equivalent Magicshine RN 1500 light. Magicshine has also incorporated a raised lens which ensures you are visible from side angles.
The RN 1300 uses a new two button interface with the buttons on the bottom side of the light. It’s a nice angled rubber design with a backlight which serves as a three-level battery status indicator. It’s either green (21-100%), red (11-20%) or flashing red (under 11%) which gives you a rough estimate of the battery state. Unfortunately, with the light attached to a mount you can’t see the buttons which means you’ll have to remove the light or peak underneath it to see the illumination colors. While we would have preferred a side button for better visibility, the two buttons have a satisfying click and have enough space between them to easily differentiate between them by touch.
Holding either button turns the light on while a single press on the bottom button cycles through the intensities. A single press on the upper button activates the full 1300 lumen high beam mode. There is also a lock out mode which can be enabled or disabled by holding either button for 3 seconds with the light off. This is a convenient mode for traveling with the light as it won’t accidentally turn on. As with many of Magicshine’s newer lights, there is also a two button remote control. This is the same remote that is available on the Monteer light and allows you to control the light from any location. Note, the flash modes can only be accessed using the wireless remote.
The main “circle” button on the remote has the same user interface as the main power button with a single press to cycle through modes and a double press to switch between low and high beam. A single press on the second square button takes you directly to the full 1300 lumen output which is convenient when you need extra output. What’s interesting is that a double press on the square button also activates the two available flash modes. It’s a feature we suspect most owners won’t realize exists and is something we almost missed ourselves until we read the manual carefully.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Magicshine has programmed four constant output modes into the EVO 1300 in the factory default configuration. There is low, medium and high power mode for both the low beam and a full output high beam configuration. In the low beam configuration you can choose from: low (100 lm / 24 hr runtime), medium (300 lm / 6 hr) and high (650 lm / 4 hr). The high beam mode has a taller beam and provides the full 1300 lumen output with 2 hour runtime. It’s easy to visually see the difference between the beam modes as the high beam extends the beam vertically like a car’s high beam to light up the road. The low beam mode is more appropriate for crowded bike trails as the high beam mode creates glare.
We found the medium modes were good for urban riding while the high low beam mode is great for riding on dark trails. In either the low or high beam modes the EVO 1300 has a nice wide trapezoidal beam. Although it’s not as large or bright as the Magicshine EVO 1700 or Outbound Light Detour it has great optics and illumination. The EVO 1300 is a great choice for commuting or road cycling as the runtimes in the lower modes are quite generous. Note, there are also two flash modes integrated into the light: day flash (1300 lm / 9hr) and night flash (300-1300 lm / 4.5 hr). With the beam cutoff design, the flash modes don’t have as much long distance visibility as traditional lights which is why we generally stuck to the constant modes.
MAGICSHINE APP
One of the other features of the Magicshine EVO 1300 is the ability to use the Magicshine app, the same app used for the Allty 1500S and other Magicshine lights, to re-order and customize the output modes. Unfortunately, the Magicshine app has very poor ratings on both the Google and iOS app stores despite having been around for a few years. A combination of strange english translations and user interface makes using the Magicshine app cumbersome and confusing. There are four side menu options: my devices, profile, version upgrade and contact us. Within devices you can connect the EVO 1300 and some other Magicshine lights. The profile option lets you set up different named profiles with user customizable output modes (i.e. “levels”).
You can adjust the brightness from 0-100% and select between constant, SOS, slow flash and day flash to fully customize the appearance for both the low and high beam modes. Although it’s a cool feature we’re not sure it’s worth using with the EVO 1300 as there is only one LED. For a multi-LED light like the Monteer 8000S the customization modes could be more useful. Instead, we’d recommend just sticking with the default factory modes and avoiding the confusing app until Magicshine refines it. Note, you can customize both the low and high beam modes independently and retain the double press dual level menu. Also, to revert back to the factory defaults you need to delete all the user created “levels” which should restore the default five modes. It’s also worth noting that Magicshine has been steadily refining the app so expect the user interface to improve over time.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Magicshine EVO 1300 to be a sleek and well designed light. With its aspherical lens design the EVO 1300 offers a sharp beam cutoff that prevents glare and lets you ride in crowded areas without blinding oncoming traffic. While the light lacks an StVZO certification, you get all the same benefits along with flash modes accessible via the wireless remote or the Magicshine app. The light also features a top Garmin mount which means the EVO 1300 is specifically designed to fits onto the bottom of out-front mounts for a minimalist setup. The main downsides of the light is the fact that the buttons are bottom mounted and not visible when mounted on the bike as well as the confusing Magicshine app. That said, if you’re looking for an affordable yet bright light with a beam cutoff the EVO 1300 has a lot to offer.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Magicshine. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.