This just in from the go-big-or-go-home-in-the-dark school of lighting: Black Diamond's new newer and improved improved-er Icon headlamp, sporting 200 320 lumens of good news on your forehead. Like a bright shiny unicorn, but black, and without all the phallic baggage.
The four AA batteries (included) insert quickly with a single twist of an oversize bail, and with them the Icon tips the scales at a modest 8.1oz. It feels even lighter on your head thanks to perfect weight distribution, with none of that annoying sliding-off-your-head feeling. The helmet compatible adjustable straps and coiled power cord resize quickly, and the battery pack is surprisingly comfortable against bare skin thanks to a nifty vented rubberized pad. The lamp housing adjusts vertically and is sticky enough to stay true while walking.
Pay attention now, because the big, sausage-finger-friendly button on top is smarter than your average honor student: push once and you get the monster QuadPower LED, throwing 320 lumens out to about 100 meters and good for 75 hours. Push off and on again for the two SinglePower LEDs, 4 lumens for 14 meters for 175 hours. If that doesn't get you through your epic, you're probably calling for rescue, so triple-tap to get the SinglePower LEDs to strobe. Need to go tactical? No problemo, hold for 3 seconds to get to the night-vision-saving red LEDs, and you can strobe them puppies too. Wanna get all custom? Hold the button down to dim either white mode.
But wait, that's not all! Hold the button down 6 seconds to lock the lamp to prevent premature discharge. That's still not all: it's crazy smart! A small green-orange-red color lamp on the bottom front tells you how much battery life you have left. Brilliant light, brilliant design. Did we mention it's IPX-7 waterproof? That's one meter submersion for 30 minutes, but you knew that. We never used the first generation Icon so but we're big fans of second, and now the third. Biking, climbing, whatever, if you're in the market for a superbright lamp with features out the wazoo, and at a great price to boot, you're looking for the Icon.