At the time of writing the long dark nights are starting to slowly fade away, but where we live in the Lake District, headtorches are essential and finding a good one is priceless. Over the years we’ve tried numerous headtorches from the lower in value to over a hundred pounds. I’m very happy to say that Black Diamond have solved one of my biggest bugbears – The light bouncing when I’m running almost sending me into a trance which is caused by all of the weight being at the front.
You can tell that the Sprinter 500 was created specifically for runners, because they’ve addressed that issue and redistributed the weight by putting the battery pack on the back – genius!
That’s the first of many awesome features that just make sense. To the rear, red tail-lights with three settings, which gives you a better presence and feeling of safety if you’re having to run on dark roads and lanes.
The dual fuel feature gives you peace of mind on longer runs that you won’t out last the charge as there is a rechargeable BD 1800 lithium-ion battery included with purchase, alongside the option to power the headtorch with x 3 AAA batteries.
500 lumens make it their strongest yet with PowerTap brightness adjustment on the side and a variable dimming feature giving you more control over the brightness, with a really user friendly feature, just hold the power button for a couple of seconds.
It has a super comfy stretchy headband with a detachable middle strap, in a striking ultra-blue colour. Another cool feature is the digital lockout which safeguards accidental use when stuffed back in your pocket. Anybody doing a longer distance event has surely fallen foul of this and gone to get their headtorch back out only to realise it’s been on for the duration of the time you put it away, a smart simple solution like this can really be a game changer.
Finally, if you’re accustomed to running in the UK you’ll also be pleased to know that it has been tested to withstand rain and sleet from any angle. To say that I’m impressed by this awesome product is an understatement.
It’ll be a staple in my kitbag for many years to come, it’s well thought out, simple yet effective features make running in the dark a whole lot easier, safer and more importantly – enjoyable. Afterall, that’s the whole point isn’t it?
Black Diamond Sprinter 500 Headlamp
£75.00
Review by Nathan French, The Running Nomads for Ultrarunner Magazine.