Bookman Volume Lights Review

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that there’s just something to a minimal design and a big knob, right? If you’re a fan of the classic Hi-Fi design the Bookman Volume™ light will deliver.

Beyond the looks, is a functional light for all sorts of riding and a few features that make it just a little bit more desirable. We’ve had the chance to test both the Volume™ 800 and 1500 since late August and after a 200 mile bike packing trip over three days of rain, it’s safe to say the Bookman Volume is one of the best lights I’ve ever used and wouldn’t be comparable to previously reviewed lights like the Outbound Detour Light.

For many of you, Bookman might be a new name and we think it’s a name worth remembering. Their story really is unique and we’d encourage you to read about it from them. As a Swedish brand, they have an acute perspective on darkness and the need for adequate lighting. In their efforts to make a difference, they provided 50,000 lights to students in a nation-wide campaign to have adequate lighting for cyclists. Fast forward 15 years and Bookman has a large collection of lights for cycling and running. Their latest accomplishment earned them a design award on the Volume™ light.

The Bookman Volume™ is available in two models. The Award-winning Volume™ 1500 and Volume™ 800. The Volume™ has a smooth rectangular body with a single flush button on top to turn it on and off as well as switch between strobe and constant light. On the front is a 1500 or 800 lumen light with side markers for greater visibility. On the side is a large knob, which bookmen calls the Power Wheel (patent pending), that firmly clicks through 5 different modes, with the most clockwise orientation being locking the top button from accidentally turning on or off. The Volume™ uses a weatherproof USB-C port for charging, and you can charge while in use which is great for those really long night rides.

The Bookman Volume™ 1500 has an aluminum body with a 1500 lumen light and weighs 215g. The battery is a 4000 mAh 21700 Li-Ion battery offering up to 34 hours of constant light or 105 hours of strobe.

The Bookman Volume™ 800 has a plastic body with an 800 lumen light and weighs 130g. The battery is a 3200 mAh 18650 Li-Ion battery offering up to 35 hours of constant light and 120 hours of strobe.

The replaceable battery feature of the Bookman Volume™ has a few key benefits that many may not consider. To start, you can purchase additional batteries for quick and easy battery swapping while out on a ride. Additionally, as the battery loses life overtime, the battery itself can be recycled and the light can be outfitted with a new battery allowing it to serve you for years to come.

There is an IPX5 weather resistance rating, this offers protection from low pressure water. Unless you’re riding at 100mph in the rain, the Volume™ can handle the wet seasons with no concern of water leaking or damaging anything.

Bookman offers a 2 year warranty on the Volume™, which we would be led to feel as though they would be happy to work with you years down the road if anything were to happen. Bookman is in the Visibility game to make things safer for cyclists and has been for over a decade.

The Bookman Volume™ is pretty basic, but basic doesn’t mean it’s lacking features. The singular button on top makes switching from constant to strobe easy even with gloves on. The large dial on the side is just as functional to adjust brightness levels while riding and being able to feel the firm clicks of the switch.

The beam itself shows no bias in either orientation, so mounting it upside down under a Garmin or hanging it from a front basket still offers the same beam spread as it would mounted on top as seen in the photos here.

Earlier I had mentioned the recent testing we put the Volume™ through. Three days, 200 miles, and an unimaginable volume of rain. Using the strobe feature all day long and switching to the high constant beam in the low light and dark hours, the battery still indicated 4 lights. That’s loosely 24 hours of constant use, seemingly having little impact on the overall battery life. Now if using the constant high-powered light mode, three hours might not make it through the night, but packing a few extra 4000 mAh will. This a feature often not permitted on most bike lights.

We found the Garmin mount to be another major benefit. Seeing as that is one of the most universally used mounts, adapting it from bike to bike makes it easier to keep things in the same vein. Between the 800 and the 1500 we found ways to use both. For an EDC light to always have on your bike the 1500 has the most power and the aluminum body feels more durable and rugged to last through the years. The 800 however was much more pleasant for helmet mounting, the plastic body and smaller battery shave 85g which is a notable amount of weight to strap to your helmet.

Overall, the Bookman Volume™ is a sleek light in both design and function. 10 different modes of lighting and side light windows offer premium visibility. Being able to charge while using or replacing the battery with a spare brings a new life and opportunity to using a front light that we’ve become too familiar with not having on most of our other lights.

Price: $107
Lumens: 800
Battery: 3200 mAh 18650 Li-Ion
Material: Plastic
Weight: 130g
Colors: Black, White, Orange
Website: bookmanvisibility.com

Price: $161
Lumens: 1500
Battery: 4000 mAh 21700 Li-Ion
Material: Aluminum
Weight: 215g
Colors: Black
Website: bookmanvisibility.com