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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Black Diamond Spot > Bill Jeffrey > Initial ReportBlack Diamond Spot LED Headlamp - Initial Reportby Bill "AsABat" JeffreyEmail: wjj2001 "at" yahoo "dot" com November 6, 2005 Tester Personal Biographical Information Bill Jeffrey
I have over 30 years backpacking experience, starting with Scouting as a youth. I am currently the High Adventure Leader for a Scout Troop. I try to get out once or twice a month, plus at least one week-long trek each year. My trips are of two types. First, I am hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in sections, and generally use a lightweight approach on these typically solo trips. Other trips with family involve more traditional backpacking equipment. Terrain varies from sea level to 14,000 feet (4,300 m), desert to mountain, and trail to cross country, occasionally including snow travel. This is the first of three reports of the Black Diamond Spot describing the headlamp and my initial impressions. Future reports will describe my experiences with the headlamp over two and then four months. Product Description:
The Spot was shipped in a bubble wrap envelope which contained the retail clam shell package. I was very pleased to see that the package had a perforated tab on the back to make opening it much easier than most plastic packages (although I still managed to mangle the package anyway). Inside were the Spot headlamp, the headband (not attached to the lamp), three AAA Energizer alkaline batteries, and a small folded instruction sheet.
The headlamp has a single housing that contains four LEDs and the batteries, so there are no wires running along the headband between the battery compartment and the lamp. The plastic housing of the headlamp tested is titanium grey in color, with the back of the housing a darker grey. (Pearl white is another option.) This housing is approximately 2-1/4 inches wide, 1½ inches deep, and 1-5/8 inches high (5.7cm x 3.8cm x 4.1 cm). A dark grey plastic bracket mount is attached to the housing by two plastic pins molded onto the bottom of the housing. These pins are approximately 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) in diameter and 3/32 inch (2.4 mm) long. The bracket is removable, although there is no reason to do so, and the pins appear quite durable. The lamp housing can swivel on the bracket from horizontal for seeing the trail up ahead to 90 degrees straight down for closer work. The lamp housing is held in place by detents in the housing and a bump on the bracket that together work as a ratchet. This results in six practical angles of adjustment, which are more than enough to direct light to a work area or out of my fellow hikers' eyes. The headband consists of a single soft elastic, 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, which is slightly padded. The band is easily adjustable by a sliding buckle. The maximum inside circumference of the headband is about 24.5 inches (62 cm) without stretching the elastic and about double that when fully stretched. Although I wear an extra large hat, I still had a couple inches (about 5 cm) of adjustment left without stretching, so there should be plenty of room to fit this over a hat. The headband is mostly grey in color, with red and darker grey design, and "Black Diamond" in off-white prominently visible in two locations. As I do not like to look like a walking billboard, I will turn the headband inside out after testing and have a dark grey headband with a red and lighter grey accents. As mentioned, the Spot ships with the headlamp unattached to the lamp. Attaching the headband is easy. The lamp bracket has a curved split between two flexible plastic tabs. I simply inserted the edge of the elastic through this split. By inserting the elastic from the front side, the headband ends up on the back side of the mount, where it pads the forehead from the lamp housing. Black Diamond says the Spot can be removed from the headband and attached to something else such as a pack strap. I'll give this a try, but suspect I'll be happier just leaving the Spot on my head where it can't get lost and always is pointing the way I'm going.
The 1-watt LED is located in the center of the lamp, with the three smaller LEDs arranged in a shallow curve below the larger LED. The 1-watt LED is located in a reflector behind a fixed focus lens. The lens extends to cover and protect the smaller LEDs. The lens protrudes slightly from the lamp housing; testing will tell if this makes it prone to being scratched. The "Black Diamond" name is printed discretely around the top of the lens. A push button on top of the lamp turns it on and selects the mode and brightness. The "on" setting alternates between the HyperBright and SuperBright LEDs. To switch from the 1-watt to the three smaller LEDs, simply turn the lamp off and then back on again. By pressing the switch just halfway when the lamp is on in either mode, the brightness can be adjusted from high to middle to low to strobe mode. The switch appears to be a large rounded trapezoid-shaped rubber plug, but only by pressing it in the center will it operate; pressing the edges have no effect. The switch must be pressed firmly about 3/32 of an inch (2.4 mm), so it is unlikely to come on accidentally in a pack. I do, however, find I sometimes end up in mid-brightness mode, apparently from clicking it on and then inadvertently making a half click as I release it. The Spot comes with three Energizer AAA alkaline batteries. The battery compartment is located behind the lamp. It is opened by rotating the lamp housing on its swivel past the 90 degree position so a raised bump in the housing pushes the battery door open. The two halves of the housing remain connected by two small straps to avoid loss. The three AAA batteries are inserted side by side with battery position labeled in the case. There is no soft gasket sealing the battery case, although the Spot is rated IPX-4 waterproof, meaning it will still function if subjected to water spray. A single, double-sided sheet 13-1/4 by 8-1/8 inches (34 by 21 cm) in size provides contains instructions in six languages and tiny print which was just a little difficult for me to read. The instructions are clear and comprehensive. Initial Impressions: Wow! Just three ounces (85 g) for a 1-watt LED plus some smaller LEDs to save battery life when high power is not needed. I already love it. Taking the Spot outside, the claimed ranges of quick try out in the yard revealed that the claimed range of 40 meters (131 feet) at full power and 15 meters (49 feet) using the smaller SuperBright LEDs seemed accurate or maybe even a little understated. The 1-watt HyperBright lamp has a focused white beam. The light from the three Superbright LEDs is not as focused, but the beam does appear to be slightly taller vertically, which I like because it provides more light directly in front of me. I did note that if I tilted the lamp below a 45 degree angle while wearing eyeglasses I noticed a bit of bothersome glare on my glasses when using the 3 smaller LEDs. The problem does not occur using the single 1-watt LED, probably because its reflector shields the light from my glasses. My eyes are less tolerant of bright light than most people. With the multiple brightness settings available I can dim the light if doing close work. The headband fits me well, feels comfortable, and, so far, appears to hold the light steady. By sliding the strap so that the adjustment buckle is to the side of my head, I can lie on my back and read using the light without feeling a hard object, like a battery case, pressing against the back of my head. After reading the instructions, I found that changing the batteries is very simple as noted above. A note about the Spot from Black Diamond's website: It sure would be nice if I could learn everything I wanted from one place. Instead, all the page about the Spot tells me is:
Next: The Spot will be used on all my overnight trips during the test period, as well as night hikes, evening geocache runs, and the occasional trip to the back forty. Planned trips include several to the Anza-Borrego Desert, which offers countless arroyos and ridges to explore, many of which rarely feel the feet of a traveler. (On a couple trips I have come across familiar footprints, and realized I had left them in the sand the previous year.) Some of my favorite areas which I will be visiting shortly are the various badlands where numerous washes wind miles into what the unenlightened would call wasteland. Elevation sea level to 5,000 feet (1,500 feet). Temperatures from 32 to 85 degrees F (0 to 30 C), wind very likely, rain possible. Another planned trip is a cross-country climb up one of several large peaks in Southern California. Depending on the peak and route ultimately selected, the elevation gain could be as much as 8,000 feet (2,400 m). Elevation 1,200 to 10,000 feet (300 to 3,000 meters). Temperatures 15 to 70 degrees F (-10 to +20 C) with a possibility of rain and maybe a bit of snow. At least one trip will include the use of snowshoes. My tests will include:
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