I've got two Fenix HL55 headtorches (not the more recent usb chargeable ones), one gets used on the hill and one that I have used for caving for several years. The central spot is used when you need those 160 lumens, such as hiking at night, trying to find that belay point, or like I did, exploring abandoned gold mines in Death Valley National Park. Living in the Lake District means my gear often has to deal with inclement weather when I’m out and about, and the SPOT 400-R was subject to some typical Cumbrian conditions on more than one occasion. Operation is via two buttons, and while it should be relatively intuitive I do think there are rather too many modes and permutations for hassle-free use out in the cold and dark. I don't think I've ever managed to break a micro USB input, and as I have plenty of old micro USB cables, and nothing that yet takes the new style, it's not presently an issue for me if this input is looking dated.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. Overall, this is a headlamp that has worked well for multiple uses ranging from lighting the pages of a book to illuminating a hiking trail at night. I hope you found my blog useful or entertaining, any donations given go towards more adventures and therefore more blogs and equipment reviews! The ability to lock the headlamp from turning on — accomplished by holding the power button for several seconds — is a great plus.The fact that it has a very bright lamp I can dim to any setting, and then have full bright with a touch, is a very helpful function.

We use marketing, analytical and functional cookies as well as similar technologies to give you the best experience. The main beam is so bright but you can turn it down so you don't kill the batteries since it does take four (comes with 4 though). The only drawbacks I've found are it being 4 AAAs, which is nitpicking, and having slightly too soft proximity lighting. The Black Diamond Storm 400 is engineered for epics in all conditions, featuring a robust waterproof/dustproof housing and 400 lumens of bright light.Where it gets tricky is accessing advanced features, and it has a lot of advanced features, which are all controlled from the same one button UI. On low power, its output drops to 4 lumens, casting a beam out to three meters (10 feet) and a burn time of 200 hours.

Its brightness memory means that you can turn the light off at a chosen brightness without it reverting back to the default when you switch it back on, and PowerTap function means you can alternate between full strength and dimmed light by tapping the side of the torch, though it is very easy to do this by accident! For a technical user who expects all-around performance and features out of their headlamp but still values a small size and compact package. All three sets of lamps are dimmable, simply by holding down the single button located on top of the lamp.Finally there are two single power red LEDs that are the third and final light that can be cycled to by pressing the on/off switch.