Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp - Graphite

I researched and this was the best all-around recommendation and hard to get here, let alone so cheap, so I got one to try. After I received mine and played with it, we bought 4 more for our parents. Super bright, better than my best torch. Plus boosted mode for short flashes of even stronger light. Has a brilliant range of settings with dimming for every condition. PLUS red light for night walking to see nocturnal mammals and birds. Very comfortable, strap and buckles don't dig in at all. I love the adjustable angle so you can aim at your target area- it goes right from pointing at your feet to up in the treetops. Useful for close jobs like car repairs as well as night walking.I have a bit of trouble with the "tap" feature but it works eventually, think I just ... MoreI researched and this was the best all-around recommendation and hard to get here, let alone so cheap, so I got one to try. After I received mine and played with it, we bought 4 more for our parents. Super bright, better than my best torch. Plus boosted mode for short flashes of even stronger light. Has a brilliant range of settings with dimming for every condition. PLUS red light for night walking to see nocturnal mammals and birds. Very comfortable, strap and buckles don't dig in at all. I love the adjustable angle so you can aim at your target area- it goes right from pointing at your feet to up in the treetops. Useful for close jobs like car repairs as well as night walking.I have a bit of trouble with the "tap" feature but it works eventually, think I just need to find the right way to do it. And DON'T look at someone while the torch is on or they will be temporarily blinded LOL- turn it down or angle it away if you are having a conversation!

I have many headlamps, including the Spot 300, Spot 200, two vintage Petzl Tikkas, a bunch of cheap Duracell headlamps from Costco, and an incandescent Petzl headlamp that’s 35 years old. I use them around the house, on camping trips, and my volunteer mission trips to Third World countries where there is no electricity.The Spot 400 is the best of the bunch, a significant improvement on its predecessors—which were already very good. The wire cutter has an excellent comparative review of headlamps. But, most notably, the two button design makes it much easier to rotate through modes, and turn the headlamp on and off. The headlamp also has a smaller profile and is less bulky on the forehead than the 300 and 200.The power tap feature turns both white LEDs on at full ... MoreI have many headlamps, including the Spot 300, Spot 200, two vintage Petzl Tikkas, a bunch of cheap Duracell headlamps from Costco, and an incandescent Petzl headlamp that’s 35 years old. I use them around the house, on camping trips, and my volunteer mission trips to Third World countries where there is no electricity.The Spot 400 is the best of the bunch, a significant improvement on its predecessors—which were already very good. The wire cutter has an excellent comparative review of headlamps. But, most notably, the two button design makes it much easier to rotate through modes, and turn the headlamp on and off. The headlamp also has a smaller profile and is less bulky on the forehead than the 300 and 200.The power tap feature turns both white LEDs on at full maximum, it’s useful from time to time but I find I turn it on by accident a lot. The ability to dim all three LEDs is great, and the headlamp remembers your last setting, although learning how to do this might take a bit of practice. It’s the same as on the Spot 200 and 300.Black Diamond advertises dual fuel, you can get the optional BD 1500 lithium battery pack, I have not used or seen one but, when I need extra performance I buy Energizer Ultimate lithium AAA batteries. They last forever and are significantly lighter than standard alkaline AAA‘s. Great when you’re traveling in a country where electricity is not to be taken for granted

I lost my old ReVolt, the best headlamp I ever owned. this looked like the best replacement when combined with the BD 1500 Li-ion battery. Net-net: I still wish I'd never lost my ReVolt, but I'll (probably) keep this.Pros:Good list of features, including choice of spot/area lighting, red light, and returning to the last setting if turned back on. Fully dim-able to a really low level.The instructions are easy to follow, but with all the features, you're likely to not remember how to do everything at first.At the regular "max" setting, the brightness is extraordinary; I've never owned a light this powerful. It's just short of "stadium lighting"; I exaggerate only a little. I disagree with the reviewer who thought the red light was too dim; it wasn't super ... MoreI lost my old ReVolt, the best headlamp I ever owned. this looked like the best replacement when combined with the BD 1500 Li-ion battery. Net-net: I still wish I'd never lost my ReVolt, but I'll (probably) keep this.Pros:Good list of features, including choice of spot/area lighting, red light, and returning to the last setting if turned back on. Fully dim-able to a really low level.The instructions are easy to follow, but with all the features, you're likely to not remember how to do everything at first.At the regular "max" setting, the brightness is extraordinary; I've never owned a light this powerful. It's just short of "stadium lighting"; I exaggerate only a little. I disagree with the reviewer who thought the red light was too dim; it wasn't super bright, but seemed to do the job for me.It seems solid, and well built.Using either the BD 1500 or AAA batteries, the battery life is impressive. I went a week of car-camping, keeping it on medium or low (which is all you need) the whole time, and it's still at 80%. The BD 1500 has much longer full-level life, but substantially lower "reserve" time than the AAA's - defined by BD as additional time it provides "usable light" at a low level.Generally easy to use, with a couple of exceptions noted below.Cons:The "power tap" feature is WAY too sensitive; I activated it just by reaching up to turn the light off - annoying to say the least. Pulling a Buff over my head did the same thing. I finally started using only my left hand to operate the buttons, and that seemed to stop the problem, but still, you have to be cautious and it can activate without warning.If you hold the on button down just a tiny bit too long, and it turns on the the "max" level, no matter what it was at last time.The blue LEDs on the side of the unit that show battery level are far too bright. They come on for a moment whenever you turn the light off - which negates all the advantage of using the red light in, for instance, a tent or below a hat with a brim. A few long seconds of that blue light, and my eyes were already having to readjust to the dark. I put a couple of layers of duct tape over them, but could still light up a tent with blue.As others have mentioned, the light dug into my forehead painfully after a bit. I loosened the strap and added a bit of padding and that seems to have solved it.Overall, a good solid unit with some really annoying oddities and problems.