If you’re looking for a powerful bike headlight but don’t want to carry bulky wired battery packs then the Moon Sport Rigel Power 3600 is a potential solution. With 3600 FL-1 verified lumen output, the $265.99 Rigel Power 3600 is one of the most powerful all-in-one bike lights on the market. To achieve the impressive output, Moon Sport has incorporated a 6-LED design which uses 4 LUMINUS SST-40 and 2 LUMINUS SST-20 LEDs. The Rigel Power 3600 has a dual angle beam that has three distinct output modes optimized for different riding styles: two LED spot mode roads or flat riding, a mixed narrow / wide four LED mode for mountain biking, and the full six LED mode for enduro riding. The Rigel Power 3600 also has a modern USB-C charging port and includes a USB-C wired remote.
Moon Sport even includes an out-front mount which uses a modified quarter turn mount design with a clever pin to lock the headlight in place. The Rigel Power 3600 also features Moon Sport’s signature Variable Lumen System (VLS) which allows the intensity of each mode to be customized as well as motion and ambient light sensors for an intelligent output mode. This allows the Rigel Power 3600 to automatically shut off during bright daylight conditions and then turn back on when needed. It can also enter standby mode if no motion is detected for an extended period of time. Note, the Rigel Power 3600 is the most powerful variation of the Rigel product line which includes 500 lumen commuter variations that Moon Sport currently offers.
With a 6 LED design and impressive 3600 lumen output, the Moon Sport Rigel Power 3600 is a powerful all-in-one bike headlight.
| Retail Price | $265.99 |
| Rating | 8.4/10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 306 (headlight), 46 (out-front mount), 12 (remote) |
| Likes | + USB Type-C + Impressive power from compact size + Multiple output modes for different riding styles |
| Dislikes | – Proprietary quarter turn mount design – Confusing dot grid mode display – Smart mode turns light off during day instead of daytime flash |
| Where to Buy (US) | Moon Sport |
UNBOXING
The Moon Sport Rigel Power comes in a large cardboard box with a sleek black and yellow color scheme. An open center section allows you to interact with the headlight and see design details. Inside you’ll find:
- Rigel Power headlight
- Out-Front RB-50 mount
- USB Type-C charging cable
- Wired USB Type-C remote
- Tether strap
- Instruction manual
Note, Moon Sport doesn’t provide an allen key which is required to install the out-front mount on handlebars. Also we’d highly recommend keeping the instruction manual handy and reviewing it as the Rigel Power 3600 has quite a few features.
MOUNTING
With the integrated battery design of the Rigel Power 3600, it’s not surprising that the headlight is quite heavy at 306 grams. That means instead of simple rubber straps, Moon Sport has utilized a proprietary quarter-turn style mount to securely mount it. It is very similar to Garmin mounts but is thicker with wider tabs which makes it incompatible with Garmin mounts. Unfortunately this means you cannot swap out the Rigel Power 3600 for other lights or accessories with this mount. Luckily Moon Sport does include their out-front RB-50 mount which is plastic stubby right-hand mount. Even though it’s made from plastic, the out-front mount feels secure and doesn’t have any flex.
The out-front mount uses a dual allen bolt design to attach to round handle bars. The headlight attaches to the mount with a simple quarter turn and has a satisfying click. For additional security, Moon Sport has also integrated a clever locking pin on the underside of the out-front mount to prevent the Rigel Power 3600 from rotating while riding on rough terrain. It’s a spring loaded design that needs to be pulled down before the headlight can be removed from the mount. Although we would have preferred a more generic Garmin mount, this modified proprietary design is more robust and better suited for mountain or enduro riding.
FIT & FINISH
With 3600 lumen output, the Rigel Power 3600 is the most powerful all-in-one bike light we’ve reviewed to date. The light uses a simple rounded rectangular design with a 6-LED lens on the front and the integrated Lithium Ion battery behind it. Although the lens itself is basic without any deflectors or complex reflectors, the LEDs use total internal reflector design with four wide beams and two more narrow beams to optimize the overall beam pattern. The lens cover extends around the side of the housing which helps improve the side visibility of the Rigel Power 3600. As with other Moon Sport products such as the U Headlamp, there is a reflective geometric zig-zag pattern that helps with visibility and breaks up the otherwise semi-gloss black headlight. Compared to the similar Magicshine RN3000, the RIgel Power 3600 is only slightly larger in width and length.
On top of the light you’ll find two debossed rubber buttons, one with a power symbol and the other with a beam symbol. Between the buttons is a hidden LED that is illuminated green or blue to indicate if the smart mode is active. While other lights simply stop here, Moon Sport has gone an extra step and added a 3×3 LED grid below it. This so-called matrix display is used to indicate the battery status (all 6 LEDs indicate 100%, while a single flashing LED on bottom right indicates a low battery) or active mode.
While we appreciate that the display can show 6 levels of battery, since most bike lights are limited to only 2 levels, it won’t be obvious to most riders. You’ll need the instruction manual to understand the 6 different patterns that indicate the active mode. The matrix display will show the mode using a special pattern as you change the mode; then revert to displaying the current battery status. We would have preferred a simple LED display such as the one found on the Magicshine Allty 2000 as the matrix display isn’t intuitive to understand.
FEATURES
As with other Moon Sport products like the U Headlamp or Cerberus taillight, the Rigel Power 3600 has some unique features compared to other taillights on the market.
- VARIABLE LUMEN SYSTEM: This is a feature Moon Sport has incorporated into most of their lights and allows you to adjust the output of each mode independently. Once activated, the light ramps up from minimum to maximum power for that mode (note it flashes at each extreme to indicate a max/min has been reached) slowly until you select the desired level. The chosen output value overrides the factory defaults allowing for full customization of every mode except for SOS or Boost. Although it’s a cool feature to see, we imagine most users won’t utilize it as the factory defaults are more than sufficient.
- LOCKOUT MODE: This is often called a “transport mode” that prevents the headlight from accidentally being turned on. The headlight is shipped with lock out mode enabled to avoid the battery from being drained during shipping. It’s a useful feature that’s relatively easy to enable and disable. With the mode active, the headlight buttons flashes anytime a button is pressed instead of turning the light on.
- BOOST MODE: Rather than cycling through all the output modes, Boost Mode allows you to quickly activate the full 3600 lumen 6 LED mode. It’s a very convenient feature if you need to attract attention or need extra illumination quickly. If the popular saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” then Moon Sport should be happy to know the Boost Mode feature can also be found on some newer lights we’ve reviewed like the Magicshine Ray 2600.
- INTELLIGENT MODE: In this mode the ambient light and motion sensors are used to automatically determine the output mode. If the sensor detects bright daytime-like conditions the light is automatically turned off to a standby mode after 30 seconds from any current mode except the SOS flash mode. For road cyclists who are used to daytime visible bike lights, this auto-off during the day behavior is strange. Other lights like the Lupine SL, Light & Motion Vya Pro, Magicshine Ray 2600 use ambient light sensors to switch between a day-flash mode instead of shutting off. The Rigel Power 3600 does quickly turn on again if darker conditions are detected though. Also in the intelligent mode the light will go into standby mode if no motion is detected for an extended period of time.
USABILITY
The Rigel Power uses a two button interface to operate the light and access all the features. Given the amount of features of the light, we highly recommend carefully reviewing the instruction manual to understand how to make full use of the light. Each of the buttons has multiple actions depending on duration of press and the current state of the light. The right button is the “power button” and does the following:
- Short Press: turns light on (light off) / switch between output options for current mode (light on).
- Double Press: switches between constant and flash modes (light on)
- 3 Second Hold: enables or disables intelligent mode (light off)
- 6 Second Hold: enables or disables lockout mode (light off)
- 10 Second Hold: do a full factory reset of output settings (light off)
The second “output button” on the left is primarily used for the VLS feature and setting the LED mode:
- Short Press: switch between LED modes (light on)
- Long Hold: activates the VLS mode and ramps the output from min to max mode slowly, release the button at the desired output (light on)
- Double Press: enables or disables boost mode (light on)
Given the multiple functions per button its easy to see why the Rigel Power isn’t intuitive to use right out of the box. We’d recommend reviewing our summary above or keeping the instruction manual handy to get used to the operation of the light. Although the Rigel Power lacks a display screen, Moon Sport takes advantage of the matrix LED display to confirm the current setting as well as an LED indicator between the buttons. The LEDs illuminate the current mode while switching which works well for mode 1 / 2 / 3 options to identify which setting your at but is more confusing with unique patterns for flash and Boost modes. The wired remote duplicates the two button interface which lets you do all the same actions remotely. The remote itself isn’t long enough for helmet mounting the Rigel Power and instead is better suited for moving the controls to the handlebar drops.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Moon Sport has utilized a dual angle beam design which combines two wide angle beam Luminus SST-20s and four wide angle beam Luminus SST-40s. The Rigel Power can be operated in three main output modes: all LEDs for full brightness, two narrow and two wide LEDs for a mixed beam, and finally only the two narrow beams for a more focused beam. Within each of the output modes are three constant modes and four flash options. From the factory the constant modes are set to be low, medium, and high. The four flash modes are listed as flash1, steady flash, day flash and SOS. Flash1 is a standard on/off while steady flash switches between low and high.
Day flash is an interesting mode that mixes on/off with an alternating brightness to help attract more attention. Finally SOS is an on/off pattern that flashes in the morse code and should be reserved for emergency use. Additionally, there is a boost mode which activates the full 3600 lumen output by using all six LEDs in unison. All told there are twenty-two available output modes for the Rigel Power which is more than what most riders would need. Unlike lights such as the Magicshine MJ-906S which have a similar large number of output modes, the different output modes are easier to tell apart while riding. We found the more focused beam of the narrow output mode to be ideal for road cycling or faster riding while the alternative modes were better suited for more technical dark trails.
Lumen output and runtimes vary depending on which mode and beam combination you choose. From the factory, the lowest constant mode is 1000 lumens with a 4:45 hr:min runtime while the full 3600 lumen boost mode has a 2 hr runtime. Flash modes have runtimes that vary from 68 hrs for steady flash to 140 hrs in SOS mode. With the VLS system, you can also adjust the lumen output and the corresponding runtime for each mode (except for boost or SOS) to truly customize the light. With so many modes from the factory we ended up not using the VLS feature but imagine some riders will find it useful.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Moon Sport Rigel Power 3600 to have impressive output and features. The large all-in-one headlight offers 3600 lumen output without the need for a wired battery pack. We found the 6 LED setup and 22 available runtime modes more than enough for road cycling, commuting or gravel riding. The mixed narrow / wide LED setup lights up the road while the various features such as VLS or Boost are unique features to Moon Sport. The main downsides of the Rigel Power is the complicated user interface, intelligent mode that shuts off light during day and non-intuitive matrix mode display. We’re also a bit disappointed to see the modified proprietary mount that is just different enough from Garmin mounts to be incompatible. That said, the Moon Sport Rigel Power is a bright all-in-one headlight with modern features and a variety of output modes to choose from.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Moon Sport. 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.