Exposure Boost 3 + Boost-R ReAKT 3 Review: Clever, Compact Day-Running Lights
Exposure Boost 3 + Boost-R ReAKT 3 Light Set
Price: £150 / $165
Available Here
Best For: Year-round commuting and daytime visibility on the road
Output: Front 600 lumens (flash) / 400 lumens (constant); rear 200 lumens (flash) / 75 lumens (constant)
Runtime: Up to 70 hours in flash mode (both lights)
Weight: 45g (rear)
Features: ReAKT brake-sensing, Peloton auto-dimming, DayBright pulse, USB-C PD charging, OMS mode selector
Reasons to Buy:
Clever ReAKT and Peloton tech
Punchy output and huge flash runtimes
Fast, universal USB-C charging
Properly made, and British to boot
Reasons to avoid
A premium price for a commuter set
Plenty of us now run lights in broad daylight, well beyond the dark winter months, and Exposure has been building day-running sets longer than most. This is the third generation of its Boost duo, pairing the Boost 3 up front with the Boost-R ReAKT 3 at the rear. The new versions are brighter and run longer between charges. They've also moved to USB-C at last. Both are small enough that you forget they're on the bike, and a good deal cleverer than they look.
Output and Visibility
The headline numbers are healthy. The Boost 3 front now kicks out up to 600 lumens in flash mode and 400 in constant, while the Boost-R ReAKT 3 rear manages 200 lumens flashing and 75 constant. These are visibility lights rather than see-in-the-dark trail beams, and that's exactly the point. Exposure's precision lens and its DayBright pulse pattern are tuned to make you conspicuous in daylight, with the brand claiming you're visible from over a kilometre away even in bright sun. In use they're eye-catching without dazzling the people around you, and the DayBright flash is the kind of pattern that actually gets drivers to lift their eyes.
ReAKT and Peloton: The Clever Bit
What lifts this set above the pack is the tech baked into the rear. ReAKT is Exposure's brake-sensing system: slow down and the light fires off a brighter braking flare to warn those behind, just like a car brake light. It also adapts its output to ambient light, ramping up in bright sun and easing off as the gloom draws in. Then there's Peloton mode, which dims the rear when it detects you're sitting in a group, so you're not blinding the rider on your wheel for an entire ride. Both work quietly in the background, and you don't need to touch a button or an app to get the benefit.
Battery, Charging and Everyday Use
Runtimes are excellent, with both lights managing up to 70 hours in flash mode thanks to larger batteries this time around, so topping up is a weekly chore at most rather than a nightly one. The move to USB-C Power Delivery is overdue and very welcome. Exposure reckon it's up to 66% faster to charge than before, and it means no more hunting for a proprietary cable. The rear tips the scales at a featherweight 45g. In the box you get both lights, seatpost and handlebar mounts, two USB-C cables and a quick-start guide, so there's nothing else to buy.
Getting to Grips With the Modes
One thing to flag is that changing modes is more of a faff than it should be. Flicking between constant and flashing is simple enough, a single press of the button. Cycling through the brightness levels is where it gets fiddly, relying on presses of different lengths that take some learning, and it took us a while, plus a few looks at the manual, before it clicked. The saving grace is that you really only need to set the lights up how you like them once, after which they fire up in your chosen mode every time. Still, it's worth sitting down with them and the quick-start guide for ten minutes at home before your first ride, rather than squinting at the buttons at the roadside in the cold.
Exposure Boost 3 + Boost-R ReAKT 3 Review: Verdict
At £150 the Boost set isn't the cheapest way to make yourself seen, and if all you want is a basic blinky there are far cheaper options. But you're paying for useful intelligence. The brake-sensing ReAKT and the group-friendly Peloton dimming do things a cheap light simply can't, and the DayBright flash keeps you visible in flat midday light where lesser lights wash out. Add in the long runtimes and fast USB-C charging, plus Exposure's habit of building things properly in the UK, and it's a light set we'd happily run all year.