The Black Diamond Storm Headlamp
I’m old enough to remember when the only headlamps out there were used by miners.
My first high-tech “light-in-the-dark” that I used on a camping trip was a small Maglite that I still own to this day.
Before headlamps became popular, we’d stick these metal objects in our mouth and hold them with our teeth. Needless to say that as soon as headlamps became available, and I was able to afford one, I bought my first headlamp.
A simple headlamp, containing the 3 AAA batteries held on my head with a wrap-around elastic band. I was so proud of my lamp and took such good care of it that I still have it today. I cracked the housing by falling when I shouldn’t have. A few wraps of good ole duct tape holds it all together. It still shines for me today.
I have bought and used many types of headlamps over the years.
“You get what you pay for”, applies to headlamps just as it applies to everything else.
That being said, you don’t need to spend a fortune, to get a good headlamp that will serve you well, without costing you an arm and a leg.
Product Description
The Storm Headlamp is rugged, dustproof, and waterproof.
Providing 350 lumens of light, it has 3 different coloured night-vision modes and 8 lighting modes, in total, to customize your lighting situation. Improved peripheral vision for close-range tasks such as cooking and reading add to its functionality.
Brightness Memory lets you return to your last setting without cycling through all 8 modes. Settings include full-strength-near and far, dimming, strobe, red, green, and blue night-vision.
The very useful lock-mode rounds out this fine little package.
The sealed housing withstands immersion of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, IP67.
Maximum distance on low is 11 meters and 80 meters on high.
Burn time is estimated 160 hours on low setting and 22 hours on the high setting.
Product Details
Product Name: Black Diamond Storm Headlamp
Best Place to Buy: Amazon
Price: $49.95, on sale for $36.93 + shipping. Amazon Prime solves that problem!
Size: 1″x2″x1″
Weight: 3.2 ounces
Batteries: 4 – AAA’s, included
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good
- waterproof
- dustproof
- 350 lumens
- 8 lighting modes
- improved peripheral vision for close-range tasks
- Brightness Memory lets you return to your last setting without cycling through all 8 modes
- 3 night-vision modes, … red, green, and blue
- lock mode, to save your batteries
- a sealed housing protects this headlamp at 1 meter of immersion for 30 minutes
- maximum distance: 11 meters on low, … and 80 meters on high
- burn time: 160 hours on low, … and 22 hours on high
The Bad
- I have owned this headlamp for a few weeks only, and I have had no problems with it so far.
- It performs as stated.
The Ugly
- Do not let this lamp out of your sight!
- It will walk away, and you may not be able to find it again!
My thoughts on this product
Black Diamond has been around since 1989 and is well-respected in the outdoor community. This is a compact, well-designed headlamp that performs as stated. Most of the over 300 reviews on Amazon are positive. It is Amazon’s Choice.
I like my Black Diamond Storm Headlamp. I use it often at home, at work, and in the outdoors. It continues to work for me and even though it is still fairly new, I expect it to shine for me well into the future.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this headlamp or headlamps in general, do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I would be pleased to share my outdoor experiences with you,
We have a headlamp that we have used, especially to take care of our animals at night. (Goats can pick the worst times to give birth, like at midnight in a storm.) But our headlamp is not nearly as good as what you have described here. One problem with ours, besides not having a very strong light, is that it doesn’t stay in place very well. So we end up trying to use flashlights or other little lights. Does the Black Diamond Storm Headlamp fit well and stay in place well? Also, I’m not familiar with different colors — what would be the advantage of different colors for night vision?
Good Day, Danette, and thanks for reading my post.
It is held in place with an adjustable elastic headband. Move the slider around to adjust it until it feels good and snug.
The red, green, and blue lights are used so that when you shut off the light it’s much easier on the eyes. The “spectrum of light”, in Physics, best explains this “light wave science”.
On a goat farm, you probably don’t need night-vision.
Night-vision is mostly used by soldiers who are trying to make their way in the dark and not be detected by other soldiers who are often wearing better night-vision than they are.
This headlamp has a long distance mode and a close-up mode that will be useful for “kid” deliveries.
It is also waterproof.
Paul
Have you tried the night vision modes? If so, how has that affected your night vision once turned off? Did you have a quick recovery of night vision? Does it say where it was manufactured? How about how it fits against the head – any weird bumos or anything that would prevent a comfortable fit for a long time (like overnight)?
Thanks for your questions, KPalmquist.
Yes, I have tried the night-vision modes. I have tried all the modes a few times to confirm that they were working.
I prefer using red as it works best for my eyes.
I used headlamps as tools and don’t spend much of my time clicking one switch after the other. I use mainly close-up and far-away modes. I do use night-vision on occasion, but seldom.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a tool and not a toy. I have retired this year from my day job and I have spent decades in the wilderness, mostly alone, except for a 5-year period with my dog.
I always carry 2 headlamps, with new batteries and a spare set, 3 complete sets in total.
It is held on your head with an adjustable elastic band. The comfort comes from adjusting the headband properly.
I always sleep with my headlamp around my neck, in case I would need it in an emergency. If I was involved in a struggle or other emergency and the lamp was on my head, it would fall off and I’d be left in the dark.
Around my neck, I have a better chance of not losing it. I seldom use the night-vision.
I don’t wake up or get all excited by every noise I hear.
At 350 lumens this is an excellent headlamp for the money. For now, this is one of the two I carry. My other headlamp is a Petzl, better quality, but 3 times more expensive.
It was made in China. Many outdoor products are manufactured in China nowadays.
If this is a concern, take note that China landed a probe on the far-side of the moon, a few short weeks ago.
I hope I have alleviated your concerns.
At the end of the day, it’s a 30 dollar headlamp, not a nuclear reactor.
It just sits on your head and provides 300 lumens of light to compensate for your lack of night-vision.
Thanks again,
Paul
Hi,
Thanks for sharing a good and honest review on the Black Diamond Storm Headlamp.
As I live in the country in Canada, sometimes when I go to work, I leave from work at night and it’s hard to see where I walk to get my car.
As I work in a farm, I don’t need to say, everyone knows as we finish work for the “day” , the employees might face some of the skunk, I’m sure I will get one the Black Diamond Storm headlamp and I will keep it in my lunch box!
I will forward your article to my husband, he will be also interested to read it, I’m sure of it.
Thanks, Alejandra, for reading my review.
A little heavier than 3 ounces, and it fits in the palm of your hand. Easy to stuff in your pocket or purse.
Waterproof and batteries included. Once you start using a headlamp, you’ll never want to be far from it at night.
Useful and practical.
Paul