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Review

One of the cheapest headlamps I’ve tested, the Black Diamond Ion provides a good amount of light for setting up camp and short night hiking trips. So how did it do?

Why the Black Diamond Ion headlamp?

At just around the £20 mark, it’s relatively cheap and it’s also very light and comfortable to wear. The redlight is useful at campsites while also preserving your night vision and the lock, strobe and different brightness modes are handy too.

How well does it work?

It’s not the brightest lamp on the market by any means, but it’s great for use at camp. It works fine for the price. I used it on the South Downs Way and on my Everest Base Camp Trek and only replaced the batteries twice.

What’s there not to like?

The only pet peeve of the Black Diamond Ion is that it’s not USB rechargeable. So, when you’re on trail and need some light you can’t just stick your power bank in and charge while walking. That said, the batteries last a good amount of time with moderate use and they’re very easy to replace. For a good rechargeable at a small bump in price and weight, go for the Nitecore NU25.

Who’s it for?

This headlamp is for hikers who aren’t going to be doing much hiking at night due to the short beam distance and low brightness. They won’t mind changing the batteries on a rare occasion and are just looking for a cheap and feature-packed solution to a headlamp.

Value for money

At around just £20, this headlamp does the job, but if it were USB rechargeable it would probably be one of the best lamps for its weight.

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