Black Diamond Spot Headlamp

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

Pros:
• A bright high lumen spot beam for distance and a wide low lumen flood beam for general task lighting.
• A red beam option that remembers the last setting when you power off and back on.
• Adjustable brightness levels for spot and flood beams.
• No-tool access to the battery compartment. Easy to get to, but not waterproof.
• The switch is lockable to prevent accidental button presses. Simply hold the switch for 6 seconds to enable or disable.

Cons:
• Non-regulated output.
• Some concerns with battery life.

Details:
I've had the Black Diamond Spot for about 9 months. I bought it mostly because of the wide range in lighting levels. Red lamp mode was also a feature I really wanted, and at the time there didn't seem to be many headlamps that included it. There are dedicated LEDs for red lamp mode and the headlamp remembers red or white mode when you power down. I've seen other headlamps that default to white mode when turned on. If I have to flip through normal white mode to get to red, then what is the point?

The fact that both the flood and spot modes are dimmable means you can dial this light into almost any brightness level you are looking for. Dimming is accomplished by holding the switch when the light is already on. When the lamp reaches the minimum brightness level, it quickly flashes for positive feedback. The brightness can be increased using the same procedure. Note that the headlamp does not remember the dimming settings once you turn it off. Opinions seem to vary on whether this is good or bad. I don't mind it because I don't have to question which brightness level I'm at every time I turn the lamp on. On the other hand, some may argue that they rarely use the brightest setting and would prefer the lamp default to the level they've found comfortable.

The lamp is not regulated, which means it will appear dimmer as the battery life diminishes. It is noticeable, but unless you really need maximum lumens all the time, I don't think this is a huge problem. There is also a battery indicator on the side of the lamp. It indicates when the batteries have >50% life, 25-50%, and less than 25%. I don't have any hard data, but my experience has been that the last 25% seems to go quickly. I always carry extra batteries, so this is not a huge concern for me. Battery life is listed as 50-250 hours depending on which mode you're in.

I haven't done definitive distance testing with this headlamp. The published beam distance is 70m in maximum spot mode, but I feel it is effective even beyond this range. I'm not an expert on how manufacturers test beam distances. Suffice it to say, I think the distance is plenty adequate. If it doesn't exceed most other headlamps, it is definitely comparable. The low flood beams illuminate a nice size area that is great for general task work.

Finally, I think this headlamp is very comfortable overall. The weight is very reasonable and the headband is easy to adjust. I haven't had any problems with the headband loosening and it remains comfortable even after wearing it for a while. The lamp housing is adjustable to 5 different positions, from horizontal to down towards your feet. The single switch is easy to operate with thin gloves, but it may be a little difficult with bulkier gloves.

Overall, I think this headlamp has a lot of great features for the price. I think there are some better headlamps out there, but they come with a cost premium. In this price range, the Spot was the best headlamp I found.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

The light output is great for the price. Compare to the Petzl Myo XP which has 140 lumens, but costs more than twice as much. However the battery life on the highest output mode, which is what I need for trail running, is most certainly NOWHERE near 50 hours. You get about 5 hours of the high output light before it starts fading visibly, and at that point I might as well have some mediocre, 20-35-lumen headlamp.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I had the previous version of the Spot and loved it. When I lost that headlamp, I was excited to see that they added a red light function to the Spot, since I'm a bush pilot in Alaska and am always looking for quality red light products for night flying. Unfortunately, I have been very disappointed with the new Spot. The battery on my old one seemed to last MUCH longer than on this one. I have so far replaced the batteries twice after using the headlamp for probably less than 5 cumulative hours each time. Once the batteries get low, it's worthless...I can't see anything at all with the red LED's and am forced to used the bright Spot setting which does away with any night vision I may have had. I went out x-c skiing last night with my wife who still has the old version of the Spot...her headlamp has been sitting in a drawer unused for 6 months at least, mine just had new batteries put in it 4 weeks ago with limited use since then, and her headlamp WAY outperformed mine. After 2 hours of skiing, her lamp was still brightly lighting the path and mine was barely visible at all. In short, disappointing. Previous spot was much better.

Pros: Bright with new batteries, Red LED function is well designed and I like that you don't have to go through the white setting to get to the red, good construction and comfortable.

Cons: Extremely poor battery life, negates the pros by far

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I'll save you the full story and just say that I bought this headlamp after a hike where I hadn't planned for it to run into the night, did in fact run into the night. We all had cheepie handheld hardware store flashlights and we made it out fine, but it was a less than ideal situation. Anyway, I liked that this light was one of the brightest that REI offers without really adding any weight. And that it was comfortable and didn't feel like it was going to slide off my head. The light is great for it's intended purpose, but boy did I underestimate how much I'd use it. The (slightly dimmer) wide beam is great for night walks, hikes, navigating a dark backyard or property, etc as it illuminates everything in your path without completely ruining your night vision or providing hot spots. The light pattern on the wide beam is simply perfect. The spot lamp (full 90 lumens) is great for inspecting something in the distance or up close. I wouldn't hike with it as it doesn't light up the sides of the path much, but it's great for lighting up one particular area as if it were day time. I also recently discovered that the flood setting is excellent for checking dogs for ticks and fox tails. The red lamp is great for reading maps or field guides at night without disturbing your night vision and it seems focused specifically for that rather than lighting up the trail. If you choose to simply navigate by moonlight it also serves to make yourself more visible to others. Both the red light and wide beam mode can be made to flash in an emergency, and the spot beam and wide beam can be dimmed if you like. There is also a "lockout" mode than can be used to prevent the lamp from turning on in your pack and draining the batteries.

Overall, for it's intended purposes I really couldn't ask for anything more.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I bought the Spot because it was a good price and also fairly compact and it has 75 bright lumens. The new one has 90 lumens so it's even better. I use this light for everyday uses as well as outdoor activities. I use it to read, to work on my car, to check the mail... you name it. With fresh batteries it lights up the night. I have found that the batteries will croak on you when you least expect it though. ALWAYS bring extra batteries on your trips but not too many because batteries are very heavy. I would say I typically get 15-20 hours of light out of it before I need new batteries. Not bad just be prepared. It has a little light on the side that turns orange when they are going out. After the orange light comes on, it gets really dim and doesn't have much light left.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I bought this to use on a 100 Mile Trail Race. I need it to last at full power for at least 6 hours before replacing the batteries. The headlamp was unable to make it 4 hours before the lamp output was too low to be useful. I had to carry a flashight to get me though after the light went dim. This product has a good use for lower power usage and short time periods of max power.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I bought this for my wife because she likes to read when we go camping but doesn't like how white light from a headlamp gives her a headache. The red light makes this life worth buying and works great. The white light, however, eats battery life especially on the high powered spot light. I doesn't last the amount of hours that is advertised even with high quality batteries. Other than that the spot light is nice and bright and the regular light is great for cooking and doing stuff around the camp. Just pack extra batteries for your extra batteries if your going to use the spot light alot. I am giving it 2 stars because the battery life is not even close to what is advertised. Once that is straightened out then it would be a 4 or 5 star light.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I have returned my second Black Diamond Spot headlamp. Both units failed in the same manner; the red LEDs dimmed to the point of being useless. [No, it was not from weak batteries.] For some, this may not be an issue but as my primary usage is with red light, it is a deal breaker for me. Other than the red beam failures, the headlamp functioned OK.

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

Out of the box, the Black Diamond Spot is on the complex side when it comes to UI, but luckily far from "Rocket Science" ! Read the manual/instructions and you'll find its impressive capabilities with a few clicks ! They're lightweight, super bright, capable and reliable ! For me, that makes them one of the best Wilderness Light out in the market ! Blasting out whopping 90 Lumens with just 3 AAA battery and great burn time, the 1.9oz Spot is one of my all-time favorites not to mention his awesome big brother, The Storm and together with other hard-hitters like the Princeton Tec Apex and the SureFire Saint !
The Spot uses lens-based optic to produce high-intensity beam (a jaw-drooping thrower with just 90 Lumens ?!) This super bright Spot with it's incredible beam-shaping optic produces a tight far-throwing beam that can tear trough darkness like a red hot knife through butta (butter)! A pocket rocket ! This is a plus especially when you're in activities eg. Caving, Night Trekking, Night Cycling etc. !
If you're one of those guys who prefer flood over spot/thrower! People who prefer to keep their eyes comfortable while doing camp-duties and close-up work and not being blinded by the intense light ! No offence intended , flood is as cool as spot/throw ! Luckily we're in business cause the Black Diamond Spot is still in the game ! Being able to effortlessly switch from the primary beam (spot/thrower) to the secondary beam (flood) ! The Spot has flood beam called Proximity L.E.D.s and there are 2 of them and they make diffuser required headlamp or flashlight look like a push over (no offence) ! This functionality enables the Spot to excel in camp lighting duties, especially tent illumination (hang from the gear loop on top and Bamp ! A tent light) ! Doable !
Remember the day when you wake up in the midnight and you need to do your "business" ! You reach for your flashlight or headlamp, put your hand to cover the light or be blinded by it ! Those were the days, now days peoples use red light to preserve their night vision ! Red light does not stimulate the iris as much as white lights do, causing far lesser pain when a blast of red light shine into your eyes ! The Spot has 2 of them , providing sufficient red light to get your task done !
The Black Diamond Spot is well known by many outdoor enthusiast for it's sophistication ! This lightweight headlamp is packed with innovative and more important practical modes ! One of the most innovative feature is the "Infinite-variable mode!" Uhh...what is that ? Infinitely variable mode is the ability to change the output of the light to a desired level on brightness ! This mode enables the user to change the output of the light to suit the task he/she is doing or to conserve battery life ! This mode is available in both the primary beam (spot/throw) and the secondary beam (flood), not available for the Night-Vision mode ! With either the lights on, simply change the output by pressing down and hold the button ! You'll see the light gradually lowers in output ! When it reaches the minimum or maximum out, the light will blink twice and toggle between increasing or decreasing the output !
And there is the Strobe mode ! The light in this mode uhh...strobes or blink, a rare-by-nature event which is very eye-catching and useful for signaling (a useful mode that might safe your life!!) However there is a little bummer, this mode is exclusive and only for the secondary beam (flood) and Night-Vision (red light) only ! Not a deal-breaker cause the secondary beam can be seen for up to a solid 700 yards !
Have you ever found yourself an accidentally switched on flashlight or headlamp in your pack and later on found out that you're running low on light juice ! The Spot headlamp feature a Lock-Out mode that will protect your light from being accidentally switch on ! Simply hold the switch for roughly 6 seconds and a blue light at the side of the headlamp will turn on ! Turning on the light is impossible when your headlamp is in Lock-Out mode, all you'll see is a blinking blue light ! To turn your headlamp on simply press the switch for another 6 seconds and your headlamp is out of Lock-Out mode !
There is also a built in battery-gauge/battery-power-meter to show the juice left in your headlamp ! A great guide to when to change your batteries and prevent unexpected event like the headlamp can no longer work due to dead batteries ! Totally uncool, just check and change, simple !
Speaking of batteries, what does this headlamp runs on ? Button cells ? No , the Spot runs on 3 easily available AAA batteries ! Button cells are just too hard to find and they aren't cheap ! As for CR123A , they are way too expensive even though they are extremely lightweight and weather resistant (low discharge rate at low temp.) ! The Spot use Alkaline batteries and still provide solid performance, impressive ! But if you're bringing the Spot to a colder place around the low 20 degree range, Ultimate Lithium AAA from Energizer can handle it no problem ! Lithium variant AAA will outperform alkaline anytime anywhere, hands down ! Even though its expensive, Lithium has many advantages over alkaline ! Providing more power (it holds up stronger than alkiline and even NiMH can't beat it in high-drain devices), more weather resistant (holds more power in cold conditions), last longer and my favorite pros, your Spot headlamp goes into "turbo mode" when you use Lithium ! It will shine much brighter, blinding, awesome !
With it's firepower (performance and capabilities) and still remaining lightweight, this can be the perfect headlamp ! Sadly, it isn't ! Truth be told it just isn't perfect !
First and foremost it isn't waterproof ! Some fanboys says it is waterproof, totally fake and untrue (please excuse my language, I am sorry but this is the truth) ! It is rated water resistant to IPX4 which is resistant to water splashes from all directions but cannot take on a submersion ! Is waterproofness a subject that I should concern ? It depends on the place your going our the environment, how you treat your things (with respect or abuse) and your own preference (advantage in extremely wet condition), it just depends but generally yes ! You should consider ! The disadvantage of this headlamp is critical ! Why ? You're prone to loosing your headlamp if you accidentally drop/dunk your headlamp into the pool/pond ! It could take on heavy rain no problem just don't submerge it !
Another tiny disadvantage is that you can't switch on both Primary and Secondary beam ! Primary beam excels at distance due to the far throwing beam shape and the Secondary is outstanding for close and personal work but insufficient at distance ! Generally speaking, each beam is specific to its own duty which they are great at but not as good as the other ! A Primary and Secondary combo mode is very much appreciated because it provides the best of both worlds and each of them co-operate to outshine their weakness !
The next con is that the modes of the headlamp are limited ! Eg. Strobe mode or blinking mode is limited to the Secondary and Nigh-Vision only ! As useful as the Strobe mode itself, it is meant to get attention (potential rescuers or help), and the headlamp should shoot the beam as far as possible for maximum effect ! However, this mode is not available on the Primary beam, which is the source of spot/throw ! Concern for battery life of the manufacturer ! Maybe, but I think life is more important than battery life and there are chances we have the same thought !
The last disadvantage to take note is the lacking of distress mode, the SOS mode ! This distress signal is vital,even though strobe can do the same job but surely isn't as good as the SOS mode ! People may see you Strobe mode but they're unsure of your message, possible translation may include: "Hey, I'm here !", personal signaling or "Help needed !" ! Too many, but when SOS code is blasted out, it only means one thing : "Help needed urgently !" A great commodity to have when you're in the great out of doors !
Conclusion, the Black Diamond Spot is a proven performer and use by professionals ! There isn't any real reason that this great headlamp can't top your list of favorites or even be one of them ! Even though there are some small disadvantages but none of them are a showstopper, backed up by other modes that will still get get the job done, splendid ! No doubt , the Black Diamond Spot is a high value product from the awesome Black Diamond ! The Spot has proven itself a capable performer carrying heavy firepower from the 90 Lumens Primary to the useful close and personal Secondary both equip with the amazing Infinitely Variable Dimming feature ! These powerhouses can provide serious lighting capabilities in a tiny and lightweight package ! In case you need/want the waterproof capability, longer runtime on the same output, better construction and 10 extra Lumens while remaining in this small and lightweight package ! Do consider the Spot's bigger brother, the Black Diamond Storm, which cost $49.90 an additional $10 from the Spot(as for 2011/2012 since the Spot increase in output from 75 to 90 Lumens) ! Still a great value product !
The Black Diamond Spot earns my title as "Awesome Wilderness Light" ! Hehe :)!
Thomas !
Take care and stay safe !

Comments about Black Diamond Spot Headlamp:

I love these headlamps and have used them for years, however, without fail within a year of buying it the ratcheting of the headlamp up and down completely fails and just hangs limp. This was a problem when I was living in a village in Africa for two years with the Peace Corps and didn't have away to control the light when I was biking at night. But like I said, I still love these headlamps.