Black Diamond Spot Headlight
- Brand: Black Diamond Equipment
- Flashlight Type: Headlights Pocket Lights
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Very bright and easy to use
Pros
Comfortable, easy to use and very bright.
Cons
None that I can find.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A very comfortable, easy to use and bright headlamp that will guide your way in the dead of night. Highly recommended.
I was looking for a new headlamp that would be a replacement for an old head lamp that used a single incandescent bulb with three LED bulbs. My old head lamp was never really that bright and the incandescent bulb would produce a light with annoying shadows in it. My goal was to find a replacement headlamp that used all LED bulbs, would not produce any shadowing and would have a light that was continuous, bright and clear. Here are my findings:
Features:
The Black Diamond Spot uses a single 1 Watt LED in order to obtain its maximum lighting distance. This single LED has a specially designed lens in order to obtain maximal distance. Underneath this single LED are a set of three LED bulbs what Black Diamond calls are Super Bright used to flood the immediate area with light.
The very large single button on top of the unit makes it easily to find in the dark and use with gloves. Also, this same button is used to vary the output of each of the LEDs. You have a hi, med, low and flashing setting for the single 1 Watt LED and a hi, med, low and flashing setting for the three Super Bright LEDs. Unfortunately, you are not able to have all of the four bulbs on at the same time. The trick to getting these various settings is to not fully depress the button but only part way. If you press the button fully, you will turn off the headlamp.
The Spot head lamp also comes with a very comfortable adjustable head band which wraps around your head. Unlike my old headlamp which also had a strap that went across the top of your head which I didn't like. Also, the Spot has a tilting head so that you can adjust the light to where you want to point it at relative to where you are looking. My only concern is that the mechanism is made of plastic and could wear out over time. At least, it doesn't make any noise when you adjust it.
One last thing, The Spot is also waterproof. So you don't have to baby it when it rains or gets wet. Haven't been able to try that feature as of yet.
Light Quality:
The Spot defaults to the three Super Bright LEDs first on high. I guess Black Diamond figures that you want to start by flooding the immediate area with light first. So starting with that, I noticed that the light from these LEDs have a bluish tint to them but made everything they lit look natural. There are no hot or cold spots to the three LEDs used as a floodlight. On high, there is no problem using them for reading during camping or flooding the tent or campgrounds for that matter.
Turning to the 1 Watt LED, which gives The Spot its name, this single LED is very bright. It can easily reach long distances into the night with clarity. This LED like the other three does not have a hot or cold spot but one large circular central spot with a dimmer corona around it to help you see your surroundings better. The light from this 1 Watt LED is so impressive that it beat out my Coleman LED flashlight that is rated at 110 lumens! On high, The Spot drowns out the Coleman light. This caught me by surprise thinking that there was something wrong with my Coleman light so I replaced it's batteries with fresh ones and repeated the test. Again, the Coleman was drowned out by The Spot.
Lastly, the hi, med, low settings are quite distinct. The flash setting on using either LEDs are very attention getting for emergencies.
Comfort:
Very comfortable, even with extended use. Unlike my old head lamp, it didn't mess up my hair. Easy to use and adjust.
Durability:
Well built except for the tilting mount which may wear out over time.
Specifications:
Here are the manufacturer's specs for The Spot.
Battery Life and Distance
1 Watt
High - 50 hours, 70m
Med - 150 hours, 60m
Low - 200 hours, 34m
Super Bright
High - 100 hours, 19m
Med - 120 hours, 14m
Low - 200 hours, 10m
60 lumens of maximal output on the 1 Watt LED is the rated spec. There are no specifications for the other settings or Super Bright LEDs.
Weight according to my digital scale is 3.2 oz or 90 gm.
Warranty:
Three years from date of purchase.
Conclusion:
Overall, I have very pleased with the performance of the Black Diamond Spot. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs high-powered lighting in a hands-free situation. Whether you do rock climbing or use it for hobby work, the Black Diamond Spot will more than exceed your expectations.
Features:
The Black Diamond Spot uses a single 1 Watt LED in order to obtain its maximum lighting distance. This single LED has a specially designed lens in order to obtain maximal distance. Underneath this single LED are a set of three LED bulbs what Black Diamond calls are Super Bright used to flood the immediate area with light.
The very large single button on top of the unit makes it easily to find in the dark and use with gloves. Also, this same button is used to vary the output of each of the LEDs. You have a hi, med, low and flashing setting for the single 1 Watt LED and a hi, med, low and flashing setting for the three Super Bright LEDs. Unfortunately, you are not able to have all of the four bulbs on at the same time. The trick to getting these various settings is to not fully depress the button but only part way. If you press the button fully, you will turn off the headlamp.
The Spot head lamp also comes with a very comfortable adjustable head band which wraps around your head. Unlike my old headlamp which also had a strap that went across the top of your head which I didn't like. Also, the Spot has a tilting head so that you can adjust the light to where you want to point it at relative to where you are looking. My only concern is that the mechanism is made of plastic and could wear out over time. At least, it doesn't make any noise when you adjust it.
One last thing, The Spot is also waterproof. So you don't have to baby it when it rains or gets wet. Haven't been able to try that feature as of yet.
Light Quality:
The Spot defaults to the three Super Bright LEDs first on high. I guess Black Diamond figures that you want to start by flooding the immediate area with light first. So starting with that, I noticed that the light from these LEDs have a bluish tint to them but made everything they lit look natural. There are no hot or cold spots to the three LEDs used as a floodlight. On high, there is no problem using them for reading during camping or flooding the tent or campgrounds for that matter.
Turning to the 1 Watt LED, which gives The Spot its name, this single LED is very bright. It can easily reach long distances into the night with clarity. This LED like the other three does not have a hot or cold spot but one large circular central spot with a dimmer corona around it to help you see your surroundings better. The light from this 1 Watt LED is so impressive that it beat out my Coleman LED flashlight that is rated at 110 lumens! On high, The Spot drowns out the Coleman light. This caught me by surprise thinking that there was something wrong with my Coleman light so I replaced it's batteries with fresh ones and repeated the test. Again, the Coleman was drowned out by The Spot.
Lastly, the hi, med, low settings are quite distinct. The flash setting on using either LEDs are very attention getting for emergencies.
Comfort:
Very comfortable, even with extended use. Unlike my old head lamp, it didn't mess up my hair. Easy to use and adjust.
Durability:
Well built except for the tilting mount which may wear out over time.
Specifications:
Here are the manufacturer's specs for The Spot.
Battery Life and Distance
1 Watt
High - 50 hours, 70m
Med - 150 hours, 60m
Low - 200 hours, 34m
Super Bright
High - 100 hours, 19m
Med - 120 hours, 14m
Low - 200 hours, 10m
60 lumens of maximal output on the 1 Watt LED is the rated spec. There are no specifications for the other settings or Super Bright LEDs.
Weight according to my digital scale is 3.2 oz or 90 gm.
Warranty:
Three years from date of purchase.
Conclusion:
Overall, I have very pleased with the performance of the Black Diamond Spot. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs high-powered lighting in a hands-free situation. Whether you do rock climbing or use it for hobby work, the Black Diamond Spot will more than exceed your expectations.
