Our decide
The Spot 400 is an easy-to-use, bright-enough headlamp that gives long-lasting battery life and dependable efficiency, 12 months after 12 months.
Whether or not you’re automobile tenting or digging by way of a closet, the Black Diamond Spot 400 gives precisely what you want: a vibrant beam, easy-to-navigate buttons, and long-lasting battery life. The Spot has been on the prime of our listing since 2012 as a result of it’s dependable and vibrant sufficient to mild the way in which in most conditions, indoors or open air.
The Spot 400’s two prime buttons are intuitive to make use of; you’ll must experiment with clicking by way of the varied modes, however the studying curve is pretty fast. It has a purple mild (for night time use), a “proximity” floodlight (for a wider subject of view), and strobe choices (for throwing an emergency sign). The Spot 400 weighs 3 ounces, has a lock mode, and is weather-resistant.
Though headlamps with brighter, higher-quality beams exist, none provide the identical mixture of brightness, simplicity, and reliability at such a low worth. As of 2023, it’s also possible to purchase an add-on rechargeable battery for the Spot. (If you wish to save somewhat cash, the discontinued Spot 350 continues to be a superb headlamp, if you will discover it.)
Funds decide
As vibrant as our prime decide for half the worth, this headlamp weighs even much less. But it surely’s not fairly as snug to put on and lacks some helpful options.
Costing solely $20, the Black Diamond Astro matched the brightness of our prime decide in our exams, regardless of its decrease lumen depend. It additionally weighs half as a lot. We received 10 hours out of the battery on excessive, the identical as our prime decide, and the settings are easier. However the headband feels cheaper than the Spot’s, and there’s no battery mild indicator (most of our different picks have them) or purple mild. Nonetheless, this can be a strong headlamp for working round the home. The Astro is appropriate with the identical add-on rechargeable battery because the Spot.
Additionally nice
Weighing simply over an oz, this snug, adjustable, ultralight headlamp works nice for working or different high-movement adventures. It’s not as vibrant as our prime decide, although, and has more-limited battery life.
After years of testing working headlamps that had been subpar, we had been stoked to seek out the rechargeable Petzl Bindi Headlamp. Its headband—bungee cords as a substitute of the everyday thick strap—is adjustable with one hand but stays regular in your head. The Bindi’s mild is much less highly effective than that of the Spot (simply 200 lumens), but it surely’s greater than sufficient for runs at midnight. You’ll additionally have to recharge the headlamp usually (a color-coded system indicators you when to plug it in); it lasted for 5 hours throughout our exams, half the time of the Spot and Astro. That mentioned, the Bindi’s feather weight (it’s our lightest decide), low-profile head strap, and simply directed beam make it good for runs. The one severe flaw: no rear mild. (In case you want one for security causes, take a look at the Black Diamond Sprinter.)
Additionally nice
Rainbow lights make this youngsters headlamp enjoyable to play with throughout tenting journeys or yard adventures.
The Black Diamond Wiz shines in all the colours of the rainbow, which actually offered us on the headlamp. In contrast with the opposite youngsters fashions we examined (all of which supplied solely purple and white lights), this headlamp is each the proper worth and extra enjoyable to make use of. It additionally turns off on the two-hour mark, in case your child forgets. The management mechanism on the Wiz is a bit sophisticated, however our child testers didn’t thoughts clicking by way of the rainbow colours as they figured it out. Though the Wiz has solely 30 lumens, that must be adequate for most youngsters (plus, they gained’t be capable to blind one another—otherwise you—with the sunshine).