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 Black Diamond Icon 3-Watt LED Headlamp (Lime) By: Black Diamond Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 3 More Information carpenter/kayaker  On: 2008-11-20No dark spots good run time a little over priced. Hope your other customer got their water pik that was sent to my address, I spent a little over six dollars to send it back to your address. Awesome headlight  On: 2008-07-08I looked long and hard for a rechargeable headlamp to use for night riding. This light met my expectation and more! The only thing I did not like was the fact that the rechargeable battery kit was sold separately. I would not have minded paying the $90 dollars outright for the whole package. Oh well! Im just happy that I dont have to keep buying batteries. Earth Consciousness! As a longtime Black Diamond owner I'm Disappointed!  On: 2008-02-05I have been using Black Diamond headlamps for some time now, as does my whole family during the long winter month here in the Yukon. We currently own several Moonlight, one Zenix, and Nightray. They all had their flaws, be it the cable, battery box or switch, but generally are our favorite headlamps. As I was really pleased with the Nightray (discontinued now), I ordered the Icon as I wanted and expected a better output for the center LED (3W) and the AA battery option was also a selling point. Pros: Detachable over-head band, smoother working switch, cable appears stronger and reenforced where it enters the light or battery box. Light output is very even, pleasant. Cons: Generally too bulky. Yes I know the AA require more space, but the battery compartment is designed too bulky, five millimeter of empty space along both sides. The battery insert only with difficulty (it appears the bays are too tight for the rechargeable AAs). The lid only closes with lots of fumbling due to the screw being in the way. The screw is too small and difficult to turn without using a tool/coin. (Nightray had much. much better compartment). The cable. While it appears much stronger it is still too stiff for my taste and especially when the lamp is used in arctic temperatures. I fear it will not last much longer than what we see with the other BD lamps. Why not use silicone shielded cable for these lamps? The head. The light output is okay, but nothing to write home about. The 3W center LED, is not brighter than a bargain 1W headlight I own, which is rather strange, but easily understood when looking at the reflector design. While my cheapo 1W has a shorter reflector, it has a light-bundling lens, which the Icon has not. The Icon has a straight conical reflector with a flat lens. So no superior design to bring out the power of the 3W LED. Wasted battery power is the result. Tests clearly show my $10, 1W headlamp shines further/brighter than the 3W Icon. I also liked the side-by-side arrangement of the side-LEDs better with the Nightray. The head feels bulky on this lamp. Conclusion: Average allround light, that has better competitors (other brands, but also their own Zenix beats it in light output according to our testing at a lesser price). I wish they had just re-designed the Nightray with a better center-LED lens/reflector and changed to an AA battery compartment. The Icon is okay when used around the yard/camp, even for trail-running/dogsledding, when there is snow on the ground, but probably not sufficient to replace one of the xenon lights for fast outdoor activities when the night is pitch black. Around the world with this headlamp On: 2008-01-11Ive had one of these headlamps with the rechargeable battery pack since they firs came out and have found it to be everything I hoped for ---Ive used throughout Africa in very demanding conditions , the jungles of Gabon, the deserts of northern Kenya and Mali and to walk my dogs at night around my neighborhood. The bright setting is very very bright, the lower setting is great and the rechargeable battery pack with world wide adapters is the only way to go --Black Diamond is to be commended for not only the overall quality of the product, but for the rechargeable battery which is good for the environment! I have given 5 as gifts --3 to researchers in Kenya icon Headlamp On: 2007-12-26I have had a very different experience with this product than the previous reviewer. I think it is flawless and I have used it numerous times on night hikes and camping trips. I recently used it for a night hike this winter and I was surprised to find that the battery life was still great even in the low temps. I use 2650 mah rechargeable batteries in mine which i would HIGHLY recommend. I normally keep the small leds on the lowest setting during my hikes to preserve at least some of my night sight. The spot is very strong and comes in very handy at night for identifying blazes in the distance. I would recommend this lamp to anyone. Pros and contras for the Icon  On: 2007-07-15Ive been using this lamp for morning cross country skiing during the winter months (they are long in Vermont) and running in the spring since 2006 Christmas. Sometimes I used it for night mountain biking on my local trails, but for this I wouldnt recommend it except if you could ride your trails with closed eyes. Anyways, here are my pros and contras: Pros: For running and cross country skiing it is one of the best lamps Ive ever used. It is well balanced on the head and gives plenty of power that you can adjust easily. I found the SuperBright setting (wide angle) more useful though. Its battery life is just amazing; I never had to change the first set of batteries yet, even if Ive used them every morning from Xmas til May, and occasionally in the summer. It has a power indicator LED, which is a very handy thing. Contras: The power switch is defective. It has to be one of the weak parts of Black Diamonds since this is the second better quality (supposedly) lamp that has the same problem. I have a very powerful (and more expensive) model, the Space Shot, that I can use just like this with only one power setting, because the switch wont switch it anymore. And this, the Icon sometimes turns on by itself scaring me in the middle of the night in my sleeping bag in the woods. Not a good thing. The power indicator LED never goes off anymore, and I cant switch between high beam and wide angle anymore. So the lamp lost its biggest advantage, the easy switching between powers and lightning modes; cant trust it anymore, cant trust in this brand anymore - very bad. Verdict: I wouldnt by it, and since I didnt save the receipt, its three year warranty wont apply. Ill go and get something like this with the same - excellent - features from another brand (sorry to say that). |