Black Diamond 375 Lumens Head Lamp – follow up

A while back I wrote about buying a new 375 Lumen Black Diamond head lamp. During the Tread Nightly race, I got a chance to put it through a full field test.

Am I satisfied with the results? Well, yes and no. Does this light put out some serious light? Yes, it does. Does it burn through batteries like a Hummer burns gasoline? Totally, so.

Before the race, I put in fresh batteries. I checked to ensure that the light worked, and then I turned it off until race time. Just before the start, I tuned it on and turned it up to full brightness. For the next 2 hours and 11 minutes, I made my way through the woods and back to the finish. Some 2 hours and say 15 minutes after turning it on, the lamp dimmed down and within 30 seconds later went out. I felt a sinking feeling as it happened, but I was so glad that I had finished.

I find the older 300 lumen modal on full brightness gives me hours more of light. When running at night, having a light that has some staying power is a must. I just don’t trust this new modal for anything more than a short run.

If anyone is planning on upgrading, plan on keeping a large pack of triple A batteries handy. It takes 4 at time.

Kicking the up the trail dust,

The Cool Down Runner