Revised BD spot headlamp.

Quick note, I was using last years spot, and it clocked in at 3oz w/ batteries, using a modified lighter head strap. So this new version is a fare amount lighter even in its stock form. My previous spot broke after getting wet, so I'm happy about this IPX 8 thing. The red light seems brighter on this one as well. So far I'm impressed. Testing battery life now. I love BD headlamps..but I don't trust the specs at all…

"Package claims 50 hour life at 200 LM… We'll see." Indeed. Run your cursor along the blue line for the BD SPOT. That should give you an idea about beam distance over time. It is unregulated circuitry. http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Best-Headlamp/Beam-Test?beamA=51861&v=3&beamB=51871

Guess it's exclusive to REI…weird. http://www.rei.com/product/890322/black-diamond-spot-15-headlamp Usually I'd consider that a bad sign…but so far I'm loving this thing. For what it's worth the batteries on my old spot would last a week without any noticeable dimming. (Used average 3-4 hours per night, mostly omni directional light setting). Very surprised this isn't regulated. Perhaps the steady output from lithiums keeps it steady enough? Anywho…the new spot has been on in my bedroom for 5 hours now…no noticeable dimming…Going forward I'll repeat this every night for 4 hours until the batteries die to simulate my use case. Damn thing almost seems too bright. My eye actually hurt for several minutes after looking directly at it. I never said I was smart.

Man….. 200 vs 130 lumens, lighter, water resistant, and easier button function (my main pet peeve for my current SPOT). I'm definitely interested and I'll be watching to see your results! Thanks for posting.

Anywho…the new spot has been on in my bedroom for 5 hours now…no noticeable dimming…Going forward I'll repeat this every night for 4 hours until the batteries die to simulate my use case. In order for this to occur there must be some increase in efficiency of the LEDs themselves or in the control circuitry. Our eyes (especially younger ones) adapt very quickly and are not a good indicator of light output. Where is Eric Chan when you really need him? :^)

so sowwy … im busy getting into senseless intrawebz arguments … a lithium battery has a flatter curve than an alkaline and it has more juice than NiMH … you can see this below in this chart from energizer ;)

Damn u guys are smart. Bummer news, my non-scientific tests yielded poor results. After ~9 hours of use, the light was very very dim. Ran 5 hours on Fri, 4 hours on Sat. Brand new lithiums, and only used the area light setting. My old spot lasted for a whole week no prob. Perhaps I'm overestimating my use case. Never actually timed how long I use it every night. I suppose I should run a side by side test to really gauge if this will work for me. Bummer these tests are burning expensive batteries.

Well, those "sunny", optimistic numbers they give you are for maximum output when the batteries are fresh, and the incredibly long run times they tout are for output at the lowest possible setting. For most of this summer I have been using the Photon Freedom with a hat clip and have found it to be astonishingly adequate for what I do, which never involves night hiking. Used judiciously, those little CR2032s can last quite a while. For fall I will start using the Petzl e+lite and then the Petzl Tikka XP2 (the one with the retractable fresnel thing). I've tried to love the Zebralight H52 as my year-'round go-to, but it just hasn't worked out.

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