sprocket Posted July 1, 2011 Posted July 1, 2011 REI has these on sale/closeout for $30. Wondering what anyone thinks of these. Are they adequate for glacier climbs? Looking for a few pieces of gear right now and am on a budget. I have an old PT Aurora which is less than great IMO and a heavy Petzl Arctic which is super bright but requires a heavy flat Lithium battery. Thanks. Quote
ScaredSilly Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 I have a storm and a spot. Both are great lights. Much better than the mfg offerings. Quote
Dave A. Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 I've got three of the Spots. I like them. I'd recommend them to anybody. Quote
johndavidjr Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 LED headlights are becoming a cheap commodity product. Black Diamond's policy on repairing headlights is "F*ck You!!!" which illustrates my point, analogous to my notion that the Wenzel puptent is reasonable and desirable deal. You can't even PAY Black Diamond to fix their own G*d d*mned headlamps. Lesson here: DO buy your BD (& other) lamps from REI. If you want, REI at least, will cover it. If you buy from usual nickle-&-dime boutique, you will be out of luck. PrincetonTec seems to have had BEST designs by far over time..(dunno bout their service nor current models)..though BD always looked good..Petzl third on my list. They are at least fairly close in quality. PrincetonTec is only one that that didn't acutally for me f**k up, but I used this item the least of three brands. Actually over the years, I sort of liked an REI branded item that was fairly light, as well as something made in 1970s, for the US Forest Service with four BIG D Cell batteries. Man that was bright and nice... Weighed way more than a pound... and god know what it cost per hour..... or what the hell I tossed into landfills over the years. My next headlight will probably be purchased from horrible Home Depot at a giant discount from "name brands." If it doesn't work, I will intelligently toss it in the trash, without waste of my time. As to whether headlamp in question would work on a glacier, I'd read instructions on this, but my guess would be that yes, it will work on a glacier. Quote
stevetimetravlr Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 for the money, the BD Spot is the best headlight you can get. Compact, lightweight, has dimming options for both lights, and when you turn that spot on, WOOHOO, you can see to climb! They rock! Quote
Buckaroo Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 and a heavy Petzl Arctic which is super bright but requires a heavy flat Lithium battery. Headlamps have come a long way in 15 years. Quote
johndavidjr Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Long way coming to Wal-Mart.... "Fast & Light" backpacking tents like Wenzel, have been there, improving over long period. Dirt Cheap LED headlamps from mass merchandize stores are now pretty good and near dirt cheap over A SHORT PERIOD. In a couple of years the big little brands like Black Diamond etc.....and crap brands will completely converge....YOU CAN BUY THIS CRAP AT YOUR LOCAL SUPERMARKET. Quote
Buckaroo Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 Most of Black Diamond's stuff including Camalots are made in China Quote
Buckaroo Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 REI has these on sale/closeout for $30. Wondering what anyone thinks of these. Made in China, probably cost BD $3.00 Quote
johndavidjr Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 More like $6.50 Which is why Black Diamond is going to go heavy into the tee shirt market and why Mountain Hardwear already has a line of ladies' dresses...... The real money is in "softgoods" leveraged with brand equity...(think North Face here). Quote
sprocket Posted July 5, 2011 Author Posted July 5, 2011 Thanks for all the input. Ordered one, should have it this week. We'll see how it works. Quote
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