Black Diamond  Recon X Avalanche Beacon

The velcro closure on the harness is terrible. With the way it's stitched, it requires an unreasonable amount of force to open, and after doing one avalanche safety course I'm already seeing the velcro start to degrade because of it. It seems ridiculous that BD/Pieps designed a worse harness for the Recon X when they could just sell it with the same harness that the Guide gets. One other point vs the Guide - why does the Recon X get half the battery life despite having fewer features and the same batteries? As for the actual beacon, I like it. Very easy to use, and accurate. The lock for the slider switch IS a bit finicky like some review sites have said, and it could definitely be better, but IMO it's not a big deal.

This is for my family backcountry use, and my 16 yr old understood it with zero explanation. Amazing range (I regularly pick up targets at 55-60 meters, easy functionality for multiple burial markings, and the check feature spillover from the Guide version is fantastic. If I could give 4.9 stars I would, because I’m not a fan of the coiled telephone-cord-like retention device. I’m being hyper critical, but it’s thicker and feels a tiny odd under a jacket & pack, and if it gets spun up and reversed like telephone coil cords (look it up youngsters) I may just cut/replace it with a bungee like my ~2019 BD Guide. beacon. Simply put, simple, powerful, highly effective. Thanks BD. We all know the recent years’ drama, and this beacon crushes all naysayers.

I'm super happy with the Recon X. The sliding search-send-off system has a much smoother feel than my old Recon Pro and locks into place easily. The new harness feels dialed in further than years past, with all the details seemingly put in place from user feedback as it fits, is comfortable and is more streamlined than the previous harness. Functionally the beacon does everything I want it to, intuitively while inspiring confidence.

Good range and minimal lag. The user interface is simple and intuitive. I've tested it with multiple burials and the signal suppression is excellent, even with multiple brands of beacon involved. Very good performance for the price. My only gripe is that I wish it had a lanyard that wasn't sewn into the harness. I prefer to carry my beacon in a chest pocket, and I had to make my own lanyard for this.

Turn key life saving device that doesn’t break the bank. Batteries are pre installed and firmware was up to date. Range seemed to be as advertised and performed immediately upon pre testing and again in the field with a lot of surrounding interference. I wish there was a quick connect/disconnect system from the harness but nothing that can’t be modified.

Definitely recommend this beacon! I have found it to be very accurate and reliable. Only lost a star because I recently took an AIARE course and this was the last of all the beacons in the group to pick up a signal (around 28m) during multiple searches. Still, once it connects it is very accurate.

I’m a NSP Div. Dir for Avalanche. Great beacon if looking for a BCA alternative. Trim, great harness, good components, nice feature to check other patroller beacons as they go out the door for Avy work - without moving off of your ‘send’ mode. I bought multiple units for training education.

I bought two of these beacons and both of them have a range of 30 meters... Ive tested them twice. If im doing something wrong, its not apparent to me, and ive had many beacons over 10+ years. Also, i hate the velcro on the harness. It is very user unfriendly.

Was previously using a BCA beacon. This one is super easy to use and things like the flagging function and direction/distance are high quality. I do think the slider is a little sticky and I wish it showed battery % rather than x/4 bars.

Best beacon value on the market. Excellent range, fast processor and intuitive to use. I have tested most of the beacons currently available and though there are other more sophisticated models available this is my top recommendation.