Black Diamond Spot Headlamp - Initial Report

08-Nov-05

Personal biographical information:

• Name:  Josh Cormier
• Age: 25
• Gender: Male
• Height: 5’ 11” (1.80 m)
• Weight: 175 lb (79 kg)
• Email address:  swifteagle1 at hotmail dot com
• City: Los Gatos, California

 

Backpacking background:

 

I joined the Boy Scouts when I was 11 and have been camping and backpacking ever since. I like to do challenging trips ranging from week long to weekend in mountainous areas. I would classify my gear as mid weight although now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least once a year in the Sierra Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping trips with the Scouts.

Field information:

I camp with the Boy Scouts up to 11 times a year in differing locations. Each of these campouts consists of two nights of camping in various places. We camp rain or shine, so this should give me a good all around testing of the Black Diamond Spot. The great testing weather we normally encounter is moist air, fog, cold nights, and occasionally rain. The places we usually camp include redwood forests, grassy meadows, and ocean front campsites. The usual temperatures found here can range from 35 – 90 deg F (1.67 - 32.22 C).

The other area I camp is in the much-loved Sierra Nevada Mountains, elevation 3,000 – 10,000 ft (914 – 3,048 m). The climate here varies from hour to hour, expect fog, rain, hail, snow, wind, and warm sunny days. The terrain is mountainous with many trees and lots of granite.

The temperatures found here can range from 20 deg (-6.66 C) in the winter to 95 deg F (35.0 C) in the summer.

My main method of hiking is mid weight leaning toward the light side. I like to use tents and all the necessary gear, but I get the lightest stuff I can. Having a flashlight that is lightweight, durable, and dependable is very important to me. I usually carry one headlamp and one small LED backup. Recently I have discovered the joy of night hiking, this is where a good headlamp with a strong beam is a must. Another important feature I consider important in a flashlight is the ability to use it to read. I like to read in my tent at night and have used some flashlights that are so bright I can hardly see the words on the page.

 

 

Product Information:

 

- Item Description: Black Diamond Spot Headlamp 

- Listed Weight without batteries: 1.8 oz (50 g)

- Listed Weight with batteries: 3.0 oz (85 g)

- Measured Weight with batteries:  3.09 oz (87.5 g)

- Color: Titanium

- Illumination Distance: 40 m (HyperBright 1-watt LED) 15 m (LED)
- Burn Time: 120 H (HyperBright on low setting) 150 H (LED on low setting)
- IPX Waterproof Standard: 4
- Bulb Type: 1 HyperBright 1-watt LED 3 SuperBright LED’s
- Battery Power: 3 AAA included
- Constant Illumination?: No
- Electronics for Brightness Settings? Yes

- Manufacture’s web site: http://www.bdel.com

- Year of Manufacture: 2005

- MSRP: US $42.95

- Item Received: 31-Oct-05

- Initial Condition: The product arrived in new condition

- Item Completeness: The item was well packaged and included all required pieces and 3 AAA batteries

 

First impressions:

 

I received the Black Diamond Spot Headlamp in new condition, it was packaged in a very cool looking grey package covered in formfitting plastic. On the packaging were the product description, battery life and modes of operation.  The package has a nice perforated area on the back with a pull tab to allow the consumer to easily open the package, unfortunately it does not open easily. I pulled the tab and it started to open then started ripping sideways, in the end I used scissors to open the package. The headlamp was packaged with 3 Duracell AAA batteries making the headlamp ready to use as soon as it was purchased. Putting the batteries in was easy. I didn’t even have to look at the instructions. I chose the titanium colored headlamp, when I received it the headlamp looked exactly as it did in the picture on the website.

 

I tried out the headlamp the night I received it, using it illuminate under my hood so I could check the oil in my car. I used the 3 LED’s at the second brightness setting, which was more than enough to see what I was doing. I also tried the 1 Watt HyperBright LED shining it up into trees and across my yard. I was impressed, for a LED headlamp it shone like a good 2 AA flashlight. When I finished with the light for the night I took it off my head. Underneath where the headlamp had been was a reversed indent in my head in the shape of the Black Diamond logo. I think they could have put some padding there or at least made it smooth. I don’t want to walk around camp with the Black Diamond logo indented into my forehead for all to see.

 

There are a few things on the headlight I want to watch for wear on. First is the friction area that allows the headlamp to adjust up or down and holds it in the position I place it. I’m afraid this area may be the first area to fail, however I will not pass judgment until I finish the final test. The second thing I want to watch is the plastic on the back of the light that holds the band to the light. This plastic seems pretty flexible for holding all the weight of the lamp and could breakdown over time. As before I will not pass judgment, until I finish the final test and allow the item to speak for itself.

 

After some more use in the car reading maps and other applications I found a few things that could be better on the headlamp. Having both lights controlled by the same switch is a bad idea, I can never remember which light is going to come on when I hit the switch. This leads to flashing the 1 watt hyper bright LED in my or someone else’s eyes. It’s kind of dangerous to turn the headlamp on in the car to read the map because it can blind the driver if the bright light comes on. I think a better idea would be to have 2 switches, 1 for the hyper bright and one for the 3 LED's. The other thing I thought of is having the light turn on in the dimmest mode and the user can brighten it as needed. I find myself using the dimmer modes for the 3 LED’s almost all the time.

 

My test plan:

I plan on testing the gear based on several different objectives. First and most importantly is dependability, does the gear work when it counts. Secondly is efficiency, does the gear do its job well. Lastly would be ease of use, is the gear easy to put together and easy to use.

Many times a hiker has a small flashlight for close range use, but must bring a larger light if they want any range. Bringing two lights on any trip is a waste of space and weight.  This head lamp boasts of its hyper bright LED technology. If it works as well as they describe, it could be the “All in one flashlight”, accordingly I will be testing for its effectiveness as a bright flashlight.

Dependability:

Does the headlamp headband stay tight?

Does the headlamp headband stay in place?

Does the switch work consistently?

Does the hinge keep the light held in the current position even when walking?

Do the LED’s keep working after some rough use or accidental dropping?

Does the lamp stay firmly connected to the headband?

Is the headlamp waterproof or water resistant?

Are there any connectors or closures that are liable to break?

Does the headband maintain its elasticity after constant use?

 

Efficiency:

Does the headlamp really illuminate to 141ft (42.98 m), using the HyperBright LED?

Is the illumination to weight ratio efficient?

Do the batteries last a long time and how long?

Is the light good enough for reading?

Is the light good enough for walking around in the dark?

 

Ease of Use:

Does the headband have to be so tight that it gives me a headache?

Is the headlamp heavy on my head?

Is the headlamp comfortable?

 

HyperBright Brightness:

Can I use it to look for varmints in trees?

Does it provide enough light and distance for night hiking comfortably?