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I own the black diamond storm, that uses 4 AAA batteries and gives 100 lumens. I mainly use the light for cycling at night in addition to gearing up for night dives.
The Icon 200 lumens is brighter in every mode, including the red night vision mode. However, as noted in other reviews, the center spot is not as focused and gives a wider area of cover. For cycling this works actually great as more of the road is covered. In heavy mist and rain it can cause a bit of light to be reflected back and the light not to be able to penetrate far, however, for normal every day use it is perfect. With the wider beam it makes it also easier to find gear when looking around as i find my vision tends to get focused when using a narrow beam light.
At first i thought the unit would be uncomfortable with the larger batteries, but it is actually more comfortable than the smaller unit that carries the lighting unit and the batteries in one housing. The only thing about the light that worries me is the simple catch that closes and holds the lid on the battery compartment, i have my doubts as to how long it will hold, as it does not seem robust, but i may be wrong there.
All in all a very good light and very powerful, but does take up some space to carry. The black diamond storm is a very powerful light that can easily slip into a pants pocket or clove box for when needed.
Review update.
I normally cycle at night alone, but did a ride with a friend the other night that had forgotten her light at home. The Icon had a large enough beam to light up the road easily for both of us cycling next to each other, without me needing to turn my head in her direction. Highly recommended for cycling and walking.
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I first would like to say I've never owned a Black Diamond headlight before and will not argue model superiority. Initially I was between this model and the Princeton Tec Apex Re-Chargeable. However, first I need to address the other reviewer's statement on here about the light not shining at your feet. Seriously, you must be wearing the light directly on top of your head. I can easily get the light to hit about 3 feet away from me w/o looking down. You clearly are not wearing the lamp correctly or maybe you just want the light to tilt straight down, either waythe light goes where you need it to. Nuff said...I also won't go into lamp details because if you're reading this, you're probably smart enough to also read the specs listed on here and on the BD website for yourself, also, it's a user review! Although I will re-state what others have said that this is one extremely bright headlight. As in, my girlfriend got really pissed when I showed her how bright 200 lumens can be inside our living roomduring a sunny afternoon. Second, after reading the instructions for about 5 minutes, it's quite simple and easy to operate with just one hand. I had no problems going from white to red and then to strobe mode. Both the side white LED's and the red LED's will strobe in there brightest setting. One thing I want to clarify is that while it does turn back on to the color you left it in, it WILL change to the opposite white bulb/bulbs you were not previously using. So if you turn it off after using the two side "proximity" LED's, the next time it will turn on to the single super bright "distance" LED. From there it only takes another click to bring it to the other mode. I love the lock out feature that's incorporated into the battery life indicator bulb. It makes it easy see the battery status or if it's locked out. I will say the battery compartment seems well made and the watertight seal looks like quality materials. Moving on, I will say the light housing plastic appears to be a little bit "shoddy". It isn't the most refined case I've ever seen and there were several tiny nicks in the plastic resin housing. I'm hoping that it will stand up to my abuse and so far it has. With that being said, I have not tested the IPX7 waterproof rating yet and I'll just let nature prove that one for me.
Anyway, in regards to the negative aspects I've found on this light, one main detail is that you don't really have the option to remove and clip the battery compartment to a strap or pocket, thus removing the bulk of the weight from your head. I'm betting the next model will have that feature(also a rechargeable pack wink wink). I was hoping I could rig this one to suit my needs but I would have to cut the buckle apart, and I wasn't ready to do that. I knew all this coming in so no stars off for that. Second negative, give us a storage case BD! With all that crap packaging you use you could easily throw it in a soft or hard case and skip all the plastic and paper. I eventually found an old camera case at Goodwill to throw it in, so now it's somewhat protected in my bag.
I digress. Overall this light is super bright and strong. It has comparatively amazing battery life, the straps are very comfortable and it's very lightweight when compared to industrial strength lamps with similar features considering all those batteries resting on your dome. I went with the Icon in the end because I needed the red capability but I recommend checking it out at REI also. Overall I'm very pleased with the Icon but I will update if anything changes. Thanks for reading.
P.S.If you're reading this BD, make the battery compartment detachable and give us a way to recharge it. After all, the batteries/compartment will become the biggest aspect to the owner down the road.
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I bought this because I evidently lost or loaned my old h/light. That was quite old but it did the job. I also have a Petzel ultralight h/light, but for general use it just is not adequate.I read a bunch of reviews and features on various h/lamps and came to the conclusion that this would be the one. I stayed away from rechargeable units because It is difficult, and time consuming, to recharge in the field. I also did not want to have to purchase a specialized battery for a spare.
This fit the bill. It is bright, but able to be dimmed in all the modes. I like that feature. It is very comfortable. I was concerned about that due to its weight but that is not a concern. It should fit just about anybody's head or helmet. I will use it in the rain and snow, so "waterproof" was important. I turned it on and ran it under a faucet for 60 secs with not failure. Reviewers have mentioned that the vertical adjustability is lacking. I'm 74" tall, with the light comfortably positioned on my head and the lighting unit cocked all the way forward, the center of the spot is ~6" in front of my size 12's. Plenty of light.
I like it. You should buy it.
Ciao
Honest reviews on Black Diamond Icon Headlamp
I have used several headlamps for professional use. This Black Diamond light blows the doors off the competition's lights. All three modes have a dimming feature enabling blinding white light down to the faintest red light for tactical operations.I am recommending this light to any LE professional or other person needing an extreme quality headlamp.
