Field Report:
Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp

Product Information Manufacturer: Black Diamond Manufacturer Website: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/ Product Tested: Cosmo Headlamp Year of Manufacture: 2006 Included: Headlamp, headband, 3 AAA batteries Number of LEDs: 4 Batteries Used: 3 AAA Number of Settings: 4 (high, medium, and low beam, plus strobe) Burn Time: 75, 120, and 150 hours for listed settings Illumination Distance: 59, 39, and 26 ft (18, 12, 8 m) for listed settings Weight: Manufacturer specified weight is 1.6 oz (44 g) without batteries, 2.8 oz (80 g) with batteries; measured weight is 1.65 oz (47 g) without batteries, 2.91 oz (82 g) with batteries (scale accurate to 0.01 oz/0.1 g) Warranty: 3 years MSRP: $29.95 US

The Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp (Photo from Black Diamond website)

Product Description
From the Black Diamond website: “Tiny but packed with features, the Cosmo’s compact and lightweight design with four SuperBright LEDs provides bright, close-range lighting—stuff it in your pack, glove box or first aid kit for go-anywhere use.”

Features:
*  Low profile & super compact with tiltable head
*  3 brightness settings & strobe illumination
*  SuperBright LEDs provide good proximity lighting

Field Report
Test Period—Mid-May 2006 to mid-September 2006.

Test Location—Southern Colorado Mountains.

Testing Conditions—The testing environments consisted of forests and high elevation alpine country. Eextreme conditions included: snow showers, strong winds, rain storms, heavy rain, intense sun, low temperatures, and high elevations with strong UV and intense thunderstorms. Terrains included forest trails, off-trail bushwhacking, scrambling, and walking in rain and snow. Elevations ranged from 6,000 to 13,500 ft (1829 to 4115 m) and temperatures  ranged from 20 to 85 F (-7 to 29 C).

How The Headlamp Was Used —The Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp was tested doing the following activities: 1) camp activities while backpacking, 2) backpacking at night, 4) reading in my tent, 6) cooking after dark, and 7) working at home on projects in poorly-lit situations. So far the Cosmo has been used on five backpacking trips, one car camping trip, two night hikes, and one at-home project.

Data—On each trip I recorded the following data: 1) temperatures, 2) estimated wind speed, 3) estimated humidity, 4) altitude, 5) precipitation (including what form), 6) trail (or no trail) conditions, 7) how the Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp was used, and 8) how well it performed in its various modes. These data were used to help evaluate the Cosmo headlamp's performance.

Factors Evaluated
Following are the specific factors on which I will be evaluating the Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp. In this Field Report, I have supplied information based on two months of use. I will update the information in my Long Term Report.

Materials, Quality, And Construction—The headlamp case is made of molded plastic that appears to be a high-impact type that does not easily break. The headband is made of a soft, absorbent, stretchy fabric. Overall, the headlamp appears to be constructed of high quality durable materials.

Fit—Right out of its packaging, the headband fit my head perfectly. There appears to be plenty of adjustment in the headband to fit over heavy headwear. I found it easy to adjust the headband from one situation to another. It fits and works well over a billed hat, which helps to direct the beam away from my eyes.

Comfort—The headlamp is comfortable to wear on my head for longer periods. I wore it comfortably with a stretch hat, ball cap, and no hat.

Usability—The headlamp has four settings - high, medium, and low beam, plus strobe. A full depression of a large button on the top of the headlamp clicks to give the high beam. The medium, low, and probe (flashing light) settings are accessed by a half depression of the same button (no click). I had no problem finding the button and operating it by feel, even with gloves on.

I mainly used the Cosmo on its high setting, and occasionally switched to the medium setting while reading inside a tent. I never used the low setting or strobe.

Performance—The Cosmo really “shines” for close-up activities like cooking in camp, reading/writing/organizing in a tent, or working on a project in a location with poor lighting. It really lit up the area right in front of me, making it feel like daylight. When I used it for hiking on a rough trail at night, it barely put out enough light to adequately see the trail ahead of me. A more powerful headlamp would be better for that purpose.

I still need to test the Cosmo is cold and wet weather to see how it does under those conditions.

Durability—I have used the Cosmo headlamp, mostly on the high beam, for about 10 hours so far. That’s no where close to the estimated 75 hours that it is claimed to burn on one set of batteries. So far it had performed flawlessly.

SUMMARY TO DATE
The Black Diamond Cosmo is a high quality general-purpose headlamp. It is exceptional bright and useful for close-up work like camp chores, but it doesn’t quite put out enough light for trail hiking at night. It is very comfortable to wear and adjusts easily. I still need to test it in rainy and cold weather.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank Black Diamond and the BackpackGearTest Group for selecting me to participate in this test.

Will Rietveld