Black Diamond  Deploy 325 Headlamp

As a busy working woman I'm most often getting out on the trail near my home for a walk, hike or run in the early morning before sunrise or in the evenings at nightfall. That means during spring/fall/winter it's generally either dark when I start or dark by the end. Having a reliable headlight is absolutely critical. I also do a lot of long hikes, overnight backpacking trips and camping, so my light source needs to be versatile. I have been using a PETZL Tikka for the past 2 years, so that was my personal comparison getting the Black Diamond Deploy 325.. 1. Unboxing - Black Diamond Deploy is so very light and streamlined! I love the Foam Green color. It is understated, but easy to find in the dark or inside a backpack. [The entire face and band is also reflective] The product feels streamlined and durable. No worries withstanding bad weather. I love that it is rechargeable, and it holds its charge well. It arrived new with 50% battery life. After fully charging out of the box, I've used it about 5 hours in one week and it still doesn't need to be recharged [obviously this would vary depending on many factors] It comes with a 6 inch USB-C to USB-C cord. This baffles me a bit. I can see that little cord easily getting lost or misplaced. To be honest, I've never used it. Any number of other cords with a USB-C will work. I prefer using my powerbank with its cord to recharge it, like I would on a multi-day hike. There are 3 blue lights on the bottom of the Deploy 325 to indicate how much charge it has. Instruction booklet leaves much to be desired. It is all pictographs. I had to play with the buttons quite a bit to learn how to get to each setting. And, to be honest, I am still not clear on all the patterns involved to control the settings. There is a learning curve! My first few times on trail, I invariably ended up stuck in "strobe mode" which was embarrasing and a tad frustrating. [The strobe feature is powerful, though!] I do like that there is a dimming option [holding down the large button will dim the beam, and then holding the botton again will increase the light. This came in handy when other trail users were walking toward me so I could prevent blinding them! [not always reciprocal]. Pros: lightweight. Weighs 1.2 oz on my kitchen scale [in comparison, my petzl is 3.0 oz] Rechargeable, huge bonus [I've been dealing with batteries] Weather "resistant" [I mean, you can't go swimming in it but for all intents and purposes I feel confident it would withstand some serious wet weather. The charge port has a secure silicone cover. The light is awesome and all-encompasing! I clocked a minimum distance of 200 feet, and noticed sometimes the light was reaching up to 300 feet, especially when there were any reflective surfaces or signage up in the distance. What really makes the BD Deploy stand out is how even and equal the light is distributed within a broad area. For example, The light extended fully across an 8 foot wide trail and lit at least another 4-5 feet on either side of the trail, [16+ foot wide radius]. Then, it lit upwards about 16 feet high within the 200 foot arch, because I could clearly see all of the top branches in the big trees moving forward. Having such a wide range of vision gave me a lot of confidence that I would see any dangerous low hanging branches or tripping hazzards. And, it effectively alerts any wild critters with plenty of advance notice that I'm headed their way. It would be extremely difficult for any thing or any person to hide and catch you by surprise with this light. The Peripheral vision is great. That said, there are a couple of limitations with the BD Deploy 325 to be aware. 1. The Black Diamond Deploy is not "brimmed cap friendly" when worn on your cap, the brim creates a large dark shadow in front of you, and depending on if you're going up/downhill in tricky terrain that large dark shadow around your feet can become treacherous. I quickly learned in order to have the full and proper range of light, I must wear the Black Diamond Deploy in the middle of my forehead, with the band around my hair, without any cap. This isn't a huge issue until bad weather hits. If it starts raining, I need my brim cap on to support the rain jacket hood... so, where will I wear the light without a dangerous shadow? Under the cap on my forehead seems an awkward and uncomfortable solution. I havent tested this IRL yet, but it seems problematic. My PETZL has a 3 way angle feature that allows me to wear the light on the top of my brimmed cap without creating a large shadow, since there is an ability to manually adjust the angle of the light. I'd really like to see Black Diamond find a way for us to angle the light to accommodate a brimmed cap. 2. The Black Diamond Deploy 325 does not have a red light. This is a sticky point for me. I appreciate that there is a "dim" feature, and that could be an alternative, but if you hold the button down a couple seconds too long it will quickly increase the light again. So, you'd need to practice to get it to the dimmest setting. In a camping environment as an early riser, any white light can easily disrupt someone else's sleep. I feel a red light is essential. The Black Diamond Deploy seems specifically geared for evening trail running & night walking, and not necessarily as a multi-purpose headlight for all outdoor activities. Overall, I think the Black Diamond Deploy 325 is a very solid product. I would recommend it for running dark trails, and navigating dark sidewalks. It is well constructed, lightweight, fully rechargeable with long lasting power, and provides excellent broad lighting for safety and confidence. I am very impressed, and will enjoy using it regularly. If Black Diamond creates a way to angle the light for cap wearers, and adds a red light feature then the Deploy would be fully perfect for me! I received a free product in exchange for my honest review.

I bought this because I like small simple headlamps. There are two things I don’t like about it. One, you can’t adjust the angle of the light and I feel like it needs to be lower. Two, and probably the worst thing about this light is the battery indicator lights shine down on your face when you turn it off. It is seriously awful. I’ll be returning this light unfortunately.