Light The Path Ahead with the Incredible Value for Money CleanSkin Unite 1000
With the nights starting to draw in, we’ve arrived at that time of year again when we start to think about those magical night rides. I don’t know about you, but there’s something magical about riding at night. Maybe it’s the stillness and slightly spooky nature of being out in a dark forest or that feeling of riding in a gang of equally excited riding buddies lighting up the trail in what feels like that bike chase scene in the E.T movie. Oh come on, the ’80s was my childhood.
Night riding certainly focuses your attention on the trail ahead, it gives you a different lens to view the trails and what you’re focusing on. I think it’s definitely a type of riding we should all have a go at. I know once you do, you’ll just want more and more of it. One thing is for sure, if you think you know your local trails, then try them at night. They’ll become new, all over again.
OK, so now that we all agree we need to go night riding at some point in our life, the next question is; what light to choose? Because there are a lot to choose from.
What do we need from a light?
It needs to be lightweight so it can sit on your helmet as well as your bars. And when it is on your helmet, it’s not so heavy that you have to start a special neck workout at the gym just to support it.
It absolutely needs to be simple to use, with basic functionality, different brightness levels and a little blinking light to let you know when it’s running out of juice. Battery life also needs to be good, especially during colder weather when the battery can drain a lot quicker than the warmer months.
But most important of all, it needs to light up those trails. It should have a nice beam pattern and light tone that is powerful enough to light up the trails far ahead so you don’t get any nasty last-minute surprises as you hurtle along the trails all giddy with excitement.
So we were over the moon to have the opportunity to work with Cleanskin and have a play with one of the two light products they have on the market right now. The light we are reviewing is the UNITE 1000, which we feel, and we hope you do too, is an excellent quality light at a price point that won’t hurt your wallet.
Don’t be fooled by Cleanskin’s simple and minimalistic packaging. Like all good things in life, it’s what’s inside that counts.
photo: ©Richard McGibbon
Who Is Cleanskin?
Cleanskin is a newcomer to the MTB world and offers a small but growing range of products that focus entirely on the product and leave all the vacuous, glossy marketing gimmicks to the larger brands to waste their dollars on. Cleanskin doesn’t pass on the dollars to us in the gise of uber-cool, fancy packaging (we really like this type of low-fi packaging and wish we could see more of it in this industry) and thus can shave off the price tag on their products. Win, win!
That said, the products on the Cleanskin range that we have had a play with so far, are of excellent quality and have been designed and manufactured, we think, at the same level as a lot of top-end brands.
UNITE 1000 Features
The UNITE 1000 is a high powered, all-in-one USB chargeable LED light that can emit up to a whopping 1000 lumens suited for a wide range of mountain biker demographics. The UNITE 1000 can be mounted on the bars or on a helmet and there’s no need to go out and buy any additional mounts because the UNITE 1000 comes with the universal helmet mount, GoPro and handlebar mount all included in the box.
The Cleanskin UNITE 1000 comes with a bundle of mounting options for your bars and helmet.
photo: ©Richard McGibbon
The UNITE 1000 is a tiny super-power all of its own and a ‘must-have’ in your light arsenal.
photo: ©Richard McGibbon
The 1000 lumens spills out from a toughened glass lens and can continue for up to 2 hours at max brightness, which is Cleanskin’s “Turbo” mode. The UNITE 1000 comes with a 18650 2600mAh rechargeable Li-on battery which charges to full power in 3.5 hours with supplied micro USB cable and features a handy 3 level battery life indicator light on the body.
If you forget to fully charge the light and are already in the car heading to the trailhead, don’t sweat it, you can plug into any USB port and charge on the go. The unit even has overcharge and over-discharge protection to protect the battery from damage and reduced battery life.
- Turbo – 1000 lumens – Up to 2 hours
- High – 400 lumens – Up to 3.5 hours
- Mid – 180 lumens – Up to 8.5 hours
- Low – 50 lumens – Up to 32 Hours
- Strobe at 1000 lumens
- Flashing at 180 lumens
The main body is made of a robust aircraft-grade 7075 anodised aluminium which gives the UNITE its high-quality looks. The UNITE is also water-resistant to IPX6 rating and has an impact-resistant rating up to 1.5m.
Lights can sometimes heat up to an incredible temperature making them dangerous to handle, but the alloy casing on the UNITE 1000 stays cool whilst riding, which means it’s safer to handle at the end of a long night ride.
The UNITE 1000 is a super-light and compact light, made from Aircraft-grade 7075 aluminium and weighing only 134g (with battery).
photo: ©Richard McGibbon
On The Trails
We used the UNITE 1000 on the bar and on the helmet, and both worked incredibly well. It’s a type of light you can swap around and not really notice much difference in terms of head vs bar positioning and trail illumination. But saying that, we tended to favour it on the head due to its precise trail targeting beam and spread, plus, at only 134g in total weight, it didn’t cause any issues with weight/balance on the helmet.
The UNITE 1000 speaks volumes with its main feature, and that is the light it emits. It delivers a whopping 1000 lumens with a large and symmetrical floodlight that illuminates the trails. The light pattern has a good mix of spot and beam, covering a lot of ground in one light.
Throughout our night riding tests, the UNITE 1000 remained at a constant level of brightness due to the digitally regulated output which results in a reliable and confidence-inspiring beam. Operating the light is a breeze with a super-simple single button system to turn on/off or switch between modes.
Bonus: Due to the shape of the UNITE 1000, it also doubles up as a standard torch the can be carried in your hand and used around the home, garage or wherever you use torches.
The tiny UNITE 1000 delivers a whopping 1000 lumens with a large and symmetrical floodlight, giving you a confidence-inspiring night ride experience.
Specifications
- Materials: Body: Aircraft-grade 7075 aluminium / Lens: Toughened glass.
- Weight: 89g body / 134g body and installed battery
- Length: 111mm
- Height: 29mm high
- Diameter: 26mm
- Mount Type: Handlebar, helmet or GoPro mountable out of the box
- Impact-resistant up to 1.5m
- Waterproof Rating: Water-resistant IPX6
Battery Information
- Charging Method and Time: USB Chargeable in 3.5 hours with a supplied micro USB cable.
- LED Type: 1x CREE XP-L LED 50,000-hour lifespan with 180-degree side warning light.
- Battery Type: 18650 2600mAh rechargeable Li-on battery.
- Internal battery with a 3 level battery life indicator.
- Internal battery is 65 x 18 x 18mm – at only 45g
- Modes, Output and Runtime:
- 6 modes:
- Turbo – 1000 lumens – Up to 2 hours
- High – 400 lumens – Up to 3.5 hours
- Mid – 180 lumens – Up to 8.5 hours
- Low – 50 lumens – Up to 32 Hours
- Strobe at 1000 lumens
- Flashing at 180 lumens
What’s in The Box?
- 1x 1000 Lumen All-In-One Headlight
- 1x 18650 2600mAh rechargeable Li-on battery
- 1x GoPro Mount
- 1x Helmet Mount
- 1x Handlebar Mount
- 1x Micro USB Charging Cable
- 1x Wrist Strap
- 1x Instruction Manual
Conclusions
The Cleanskin UNITE 1000 LED light, is an impressive all-in-one package with plenty of power and battery life to keep you out in the dark for hours of riding. The simple functions, quality materials, USB charger and different mounting systems all included in the box, is a bang for buck package that you’d be crazy to ignore.
Price / Where to Buy?
Cleanskin Unite 1000 LED light: RRP $89.95
Available to buy at MTB Direct or any of the stockists listed on the Cleanskin Website.
