Magicshine’s Monteer series of bike lights are well known for their powerful output and affordability. The new Monteer 12000 takes it to the next level with an almost unbelievable 12,000 lumen output. Not only is this one of the brightest lights Magicshine has produced to date, but it also incorporates an aspherical lens into the central LED for a sharp beam cutoff. The dual beam setup means you can run the light with only the sharp beam cutoff to avoid blinding oncoming traffic and then turn it up off road with an additional 4 spot LEDs to light up the trail. Despite the high output, Magicshine retails the light for only $549.99 and includes a wireless remote and their flagship 10Ah MJ-6398 wired battery pack. As with Magicshine’s other new lights, the Monteer 12000 output modes can also be customized using the Magicshine app.
The Magicshine Monteer 12000 combines an impressive 12000 lumen output with a dual beam design with a sharp beam cutoff.
| Rating | 9.7 / 10 |
| Retail Price | $549.99 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 275 (light + cable), 59 (handlebar bracket), 28 (helmet mount), 912 (battery), 15 (remote) |
| Likes | + On of the brightest lights we’ve reviewed + Sharp beam cutoff and excellent dual beam optics + Strong and adjustable metal dual arm mount |
| Dislikes | – Keyed battery cable can be difficult to align – Heavy and bulky wired battery pack – Magicshine app has a confusing user interface |
| Where to Buy (US) | Magicshine 15% OFF coupon code: “TheSweetCyclists” |
UNBOXING
The Magicshine Monteer 12000 comes in a large black cardboard box with crisp orange graphics printed onto it. Inside the box you should expect to find:
- Monteer 12000 headlight w/ 24″ cable
- 10Ah MJ-6398 battery pack (7″ x 2.25″ x 2.5″) w/ Velcro straps
- Wireless remote w/ Velcro strap
- Extension cable (36.5″ long)
- USB-C to USB-C charging cable
- Metal dual-arm handlebar bracket + rubber spacers
- Allen key
- Plastic helmet mount w/ fabric straps
- Warranty card
- Instruction manual
The packaging itself is well designed with a laser cut foam holder to keep the light and remote securely in place. Although we still miss the fabric Magicshine light bags from the past, the cardboard box is great for traveling and storing the light.
MOUNTING
With the larger size and weight of this light, Magicshine has utilized a two arm metal bracket to attach the light to a handlebar. This more robust design ensures the light remains stable on the bike regardless of the terrain and attaches to the light with two side bolts. It’s similar to the Lupine SL Mono but features a clever thumb screw on one side so that you can adjust the light angle without a tool. Given the beam cutoff design it’s nice to have the ability to tune the angle on the fly. Attaching the two arm bracket onto a handlebar is a bit challenging if you have cables as it has to slide underneath them. Once it’s installed you can easily remove the light from the bracket and leave the bracket on the bike for quicker installation or removal.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Monteer 12000 takes Magicshine’s traditional 5 LED Monteer design and adds an aspherical lens into the central LED. Not only does this give the light a unique look, but it also means you won’t be blinding oncoming traffic. This is a wired headlight setup that keeps the headlight lightweight by moving the battery to a separate battery pack. Surrounding the main floodlight are four spot lights with different beam angles. All the spotlights are illuminated in unison to provide additional lighting when you are riding off road. The headlight also has an all metal construction with heat fins built directly into it to dissipate heat. With this much power the headlight can get quite hot so you’ll need some airflow to run at high output levels. There is also a power button and four LED indicator on it which lets you quickly check the battery status.
To achieve the 12000 lumen output, the Monteer 12000 is powered by a gigantic wired MJ-6398 battery. This is Magicshine’s flagship battery and features 14.4V and 10,000 mAh capacity for long runtimes. It is a big self contained design that weighs over 2 lbs and attaches to your bike using two velcro straps. Rubber pads on the bottom prevent the battery pack from scratching your bike frame. There is also a battery check button on the side with a four LED indicator next to it which lets you quickly check the status rather than guessing. Magicshine has also simplified the interface on the battery compared to other Monteer lights with two connections: one for USB-C and other one is the headlight cable with flexible rubber covers.
The Monteer 12000 uses a directional yellow triangular cable design which means you have to match up the groove when you are connecting the cables. We wish Magicshine had added some coloring or external markers as it’s a bit of trial and error to get the orientation of the cables correct. The headlight can be controlled using the single power button on the rear of the headlight or the remote. With the headlight button you can do a long hold to turn the light on or off, and a single press to cycle through modes. A double press with the light on toggles between the flood mode which illuminates just the center beam-cutoff LED or the spot mode which lights up everything. Within each of those modes you have four constant modes: eco, low, medium and high.
Magicshine has also added two flash modes which are only accessible via the remote or if you reprogram the light using the app. The two button remote has the same double press feature, but also lets you double press the square button to access the flash modes. As with other Magicshine lights, the flash modes are very powerful at 3000 lumen so you’ll want to use them sparingly. This multi-level menu is similar to the Magicshine EVO 1700 and Allty 1500S lights and ensures you don’t have to cycle through flash modes to adjust the intensity. It’s also worth pointing out that the Monteer 12000 is quite a bit bigger than the Monteer 8000S as the beam cutoff lens design requires more space.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Magicshine has programmed the Monteer 12000 with a dual beam setup and four constant modes within each. The low beam mode only illuminates the center aspherical lens which features the beam cutoff. Within this mode the output ranges from 300 lumen and 85 hours in eco all the way to 2500 lumen and 10 hour runtime. That is one of the key advantages of high powered lights, even the maximum low beam mode can outlast most lights on the market. To achieve the full output of the light you have to access the high beam mode which activates an additional four spot LEDs. Output ranges from 1000 lumen and 37 hour runtime in eco mode to the full 12000 lumen output and 2.5 hour runtime. Again the long runtimes even in the max output mode are a testament to just how large the battery pack is on the light.
In the low beam mode, the Monteer 12000 creates a sharp beam cutoff with a trapezoidal beam shape. It’s the same beam shape as StVZO lights with a crisp beam shape that focuses all the light on the ground. The beam is nearly two lanes wide so even at higher speeds you can ride comfortably with just the medium or high low beam modes. For riding off road, the high beam mode adds an additional four spot LEDs which creates a wide and uniform illumination pattern. It’s bright even in eco and lights up everything around you and above you. Thanks to the dual beam design, the Monteer 12000 allows you to ride on roads safety and comfortably, then switch to high mode and light up mountain bike trails. The full 12000 lumen mode literally turns the night into day and is something that has to be seen in person to appreciate as the photos and videos do not do it justice.
MAGICSHINE APP
One of the other features of the Magicshine Monteer 12000 is the ability to use the Magicshine app, similar to 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 Monteer 12000 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 illumination modes in any order you prefer. This means you can re-arrange the light modes to go from high to low or add flash modes between other modes. The app also allows you to create custom low or high beam modes which preserves the dual level menu which is a nice touch. To revert back to the factory defaults you need to delete all the user created “levels” which should restore the default modes. With how simple the default constant modes settings are and the separated flash modes, we don’t see much purpose for using the app and would suggest sticking with the factory defaults. We would also like to point out that Magicshine has been improving the app as the translations and design have been refined in the last few weeks alone.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Magicshine Monteer 12000 to be a impressively bright and well designed light. Not only does the light have an absurd 12,000 lumen output but it also features an aspherical lens with a sharp beam cutoff. It’s a feature usually found on European lights only and ensures you don’t blind oncoming traffic. Magicshine has also added dual modes, a low beam mode with a sharp beam cutoff and a high beam mode with uniform illumination pattern. That means you can ride with the Monteer 12000 on the road, and then turn up the power to light up trails. We were impressed with the beam optics and high quality metal lens body and cable design. The main downsides of the light is the heavy battery pack, non-intuitive Magicshine app and the fact that the battery cable is keyed to a specific orientation. That said, if you’re looking for the ultimate bike light with incredible power and runtimes the Magicshine Monteer 12000 is the new top-dog in the bike light market.
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.