Discount Black Diamond ReVolt Headlamp

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List Price: $59.95
Sale Price: $51.23
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

To clear up a couple of points that the product description did not make clear: This LED lamp ships with both NiMH rechargeable batteries, and a set of alkaline batteries. Recharging is done with a micro-USB port on the side of the lamp, using a standard USB-to-micro-USB cable (included), plugged into your pre-existing USB power source (not included).

After living with this lamp for a week or two, I see it as a very well designed object, something I am glad to use. Creative people worked effectively to make this happen. For example, the controls via a single button require learning just a few simple rules of thumb and then become highly intuitive (after reading the little manual, and studying the pictograms). The continuously variable brightness control (hold down the button until you get the light level you want) is ingenious. Control can be operated with neoprene gloves on.

Nice touches of the design: The control button operates without clicking, so you can operate this without waking people up. Red Mode (dim, for preserving night vision) is entered without cycling through the bright modes. The charging process gives feedback about when the batteries are charged, and when they are fully conditioned. The charger drops back to occasional trickle charge once fully charged, so you won't damage your batteries by leaving the lamp plugged in at all times even if you go months without using it.

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I was really excited about this product as an off grid solution with my solar power system. Unfortunately though I learned the hard way that the fancy recharging capability in the headlamp ONLY works with black diamond brand AAA NIMH batteries. If you are using any other NIMH rechargeables they will not charge via the usb cable in the headlamp, you will need a separate charger to recharge them.

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I bought this headlamp as a result of it receiving a Best of 2013 award from Backpacker magazine.

Pros:

* The single LED spotlight mode is the best I've used in any small flashlight for reaching down the trail. You could hike a well groomed trail at night with this headlamp.

* The red LED feature is very helpful in preserving night vision when getting up at night.

* The two flood LEDs do a better than average job of lighting up close work in camp, but I have other headlamps that are marginally better in this area. (My criteria for this feature is a soft, general area illumination without a center "hotspot".)

* The dimmer feature is very good with the flood LED's, such as reading in bed, in order to reduce glare and conserve battery power. I do not see a purpose for this feature in the other two modes (spot and red LED).

* It's great to be able to charge the rechargable batteries from a laptop USB port.

* The ability to use either rechargable or single use batteries is a significant plus, allowing the light to be used in both overnight and expedition treks.

Cons:

* The one-button-for-all-functions design is poor. The button has to be poked, mashed, and held down in a specific order to access the various modes and functions. Since it's not obvious what type of poking initiates which mode, there's an unnecessary amount of trial and error involved each time in just getting the right light to turn on. Better is single function buttons for each feature. Subtract one star.

* The elastic head strap lacks an over-the-top strap. The weight of the light tends to make it slide down during periods of high activity. Make the strap removable for those that choose not to use it.

Overall, it's a great light and I recommend it as a great all purpose light to take, if you're only taking one on the trail. It would be perfect if the button issue was corrected.

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Perfect headlamp for me. I'm a mechanic and this headlamp does a great job with lighting on various jobs. The ability to adjust the brightness settings has been the most beneficial.

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I usually use the wide-angle mode, especially while cooking or walking around camp in the dark, because it gives me better peripheral vision than the spot mode. The spot mode is wonderfully-bright for seeing in the distance, but, like most headlamps, the light drops off too much for near work.

I also really appreciate the ability to change the brightness, either so I don't blind people when looking at them (really good in wide-angle mode) as well as to save the battery life.

I've never run the provided rechargeable batteries out on a weekend's camping, but I really appreciate that I can recharge them, either from the same battery backup I carry for my iPhone or from my BioLite stove. I actually bought this headlamp to use with the BioLite stove, but I'm very glad I did for the brightness and flexibility of lights.

The size adjustment strap is easily adjusted

Con: I wish this came with a carrying pouch, like the Petzl (and many other) headlamps do.

Minor Gripes:

* It did take me some practice to figure out the button sequences, but now it's (almost) second-nature.

* I wish the lamp would remember the dimmer settings when you switch modes, as it comes on full-bright.

Overall, I highly recommend this headlamp.