Review – Nathan Zephyr Fire 100

We’ve all seen running torches and we’ve probably all thought they were a ‘bit rubbish really’. Why would a runner carry a torch when you could have some other sort of light on your body?

Well we were both wrong and here’s why.

The Zephyr Fire 100 has got an alarm. Dog in the way? Alarm! Person in the way? Alarm! Random blind deer (they can’t see well)? Alarm! Cyclist? (Get your own back…alarm!). The alarm is not too loud to be that annoying but does the ‘here-I-am’ job.

Positives: It has an alarm! It has a good front light and there is a rear red light which, I’ve taken out of the photo for some stupid reason. There’s an adjustable strap to stop you dropping it or needing to hold on tight to it. It’s rechargeable by a USB cable and is IPX4 waterproof.

Negatives: The alarm cannot be made super-loud! Minimal side visibility.

Comments: I love the alarm. The beam distance is marketed as a very impressive 67m but that’s probably a bit generous from my experience last night. Still it does light up the path for a considerable distance to help you see potholes and other obstacles. There are 3x light strengths with the brightest lasting 5 hours and in dim mode it will last 15 hours. The manufacturer recommends two sources of light and this product covers that in one product. Did I mention the alarm? It’s marketed as an ‘Emergency Siren’ but it is NOT as loud as a personal ‘mugger’ alarm, it would not be loud enough for that purpose. Actually, I have one of those. I could take that running instead 🙂

This Nathan product is one of a series that I am going to review – they are GREAT XMAS stocking fillers (links below). I thought I was the runner that had everything. Nathan have just enlightened me!

Prices: UK £36.81 , US $36.76 .

Disclaimer: I was sent this as a freebie and I intend to keep and use it. This site focusses more on higher-end sport gadgets – I either buy or loan those from the supplier.

Detailed Review: N/A