(This is Part 3 of our 4-Part Series on Firefly Mini. Click here to read Part 1, Part 2, or Part 4.)

At Lumos, our journey to create innovative products doesn’t stop at the design table. With the Firefly Mini, we’ve not only focused on creating a design that is sleek, low-profile, and smart. We've also invested a ton of effort into rigorous testing to ensure that it performs flawlessly in real-world conditions.

In our third installment of the Firefly Mini series, we’re excited to take you behind the scenes of our testing phase, showing you how we put the product through the ringer so that it performs the way it needs to our on your ride and run. 

How We Test Our Designs

We broadly test our products in two ways:

1. Engineering/lab tests – where we test really specific things but at an extreme.
2. Real-world tests – both by ourselves (alpha tests), and with real people from the Lumos community who volunteer for the task (beta tests).

Engineering Tests

What does this mean? What does it look like?

Yes, EXACTLY like that.

The standards and expectations for a product today are incredibly high. The basic expectation for things is that they should just work.

A ton of work and testing has to go into making sure that expectation is met. Here are a couple of examples.

Example #1: Pressing the VersaClip mount 100,000 times

Testing revealed that our VersaClip mount could fail if pressed too hard or too many times.

A clear weak point.

The solution?

We beefed up that section to improve the design, and to make sure that we had really solved the problem, put it onto this machine to press 100,000 times!

Warning: Loud clicking sounds

We had to leave it running over the weekend to finish the test!

Example #2: Vibration testing the magnetic mounting

For those of you who backed our first Firefly campaign, you might remember that strength of the magnetic mounting was an issue and concern.

We're not going to make the same mistake again. To be sure, we've done extensive ride testing on our own, AND we bought a vibration machine and did this:

S-O-L-I-D!

Firefly Mini didn't drop a single time in our tests. 

Example #3: Battery Life Testing

Battery life for a light is really important for everyone. So we put extra time testing this to make sure we tested for this.

In this time-lapse video (WARNING: FLASHING LIGHTS) you can see us testing over a half-dozen Firefly Mini lights for battery life using the different flashing modes in both front white and back red light modes:

• Full solid mode (no flashing) - 3 hours 6 mins
• High vis fast flashing - 8 hours 24 mins
• Eco mode slow flashing - 13 hours 21 mins

L-R: High vis fast flash, Full solid, Eco-mode slow flash

And this is just from our standard modes that Firefly comes pre-installed with.

With the Lumos app, you can define your own flashing patterns and see how long they last!

Example #4: Real world/Beta testing

Testing things in the lab and even ourselves is one thing. But what happens when you put it out into the real world? That is exactly why here at Lumos we run beta testing with REAL users.

We made a bunch of prototypes of Mini and handed them to 16 really amazing and awesome beta testers who over the course of just 1 week clocked in over 185 hours of real world testing, giving us really solid feedback and insights.

We asked them to share their experience with the prototypes with the Lumos community, and this is what they had to say!

What impressed me off the bat was the brightness of these little lights. They're great for daytime cycling and with their tiny size can be mounted anywhere. Battery longevity was also a nice surprise with it getting almost 9 hours of continuous flash at the brightest setting. Ease of use and seamless integration with other Lumos products makes for a great total solution to awareness lighting needs. - Rex

Rex

I love that the Lumos Mini can easily move from a mount on the bike to being clipped to my shirt or bag when I hop off the bike, making it useful for the ride and whatever follows.  It has so many mounting options that I can mix and match with my existing light kits and really customize my lighting to my liking. - Kira

Kira

The small lights are super versatile and bright! They’re easy to use for running and walking in addition to biking. - Rustam

The Firefly Mini is awesome very bright and has lots of mounting options. The size is perfect. Really don’t need any bigger. If located properly for visual due to brightness it’s perfect - Dave

Dave

The latest greatest bike lights in a smaller form factor. You can pretty much mount them anywhere and use while walking or working too using the clip. Visibility is key, and Lumos does a great job with the Firefly Minis!!! - Mike

Excellent product. I 100% recommend this. With the clip on it works great for your dogs me during my walkies at night. This is a multi-functional light, not just a bike light. Great for camping, biking, dogs me, hiking etc - Edward

Edward 😉

These real-world experiences highlight the versatility and reliability of the Firefly Mini, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. We also put the Firefly Mini through rigorous environmental tests, such as waterproofing (IPX6), impact resistance, and thermal stress.

Firefly Mini passing with flying (infrared) colors!

We even conduct advanced electrical testing to ensure the highest levels of safety and performance. From UV exposure and vibration resistance to button durability and corrosion testing, every detail is scrutinized to guarantee that the Firefly Mini excels in any condition you throw at it.

Looking Ahead - Launching Soon!

We’re thrilled with the excitement that is building around Firefly Mini.

So much work has gone into making this product a reality, and we can't wait to take it out into the world!

The launch is just around the corner, but to ensure you don’t miss a thing—like exclusive details and a special discount—sign up below, even if you’re already on our mailing list.

For our loyal blog readers, we’re cooking up something special just for you. Next week, we’ll reveal everything you’ve been waiting for—pricing, availability, and some surprising new ways to use the Firefly Mini beyond what you might expect. Until then, we want to hear your thoughts: Where do you see yourself using the Firefly Mini outside of running or biking?

See you next week!

Eu-wen & The Lumos Team