BLACK DIAMOND STORM £50
With more power and features than last year, is this the best option for hillwalkers... or can you have too much of a good thing?
This popular IT'S GOOD headtorch has new features for 2019, with power rising from 350 to 375 lumens and a massive quoted burn time of 75 hours. It’s also rated waterproof to IP67, which means it can be submerged to 1m for up to 30 minutes, so Black Diamond is right to brag that the Storm is engineered for epics.
The white LED light is fully adjustable for brightness from 8 lumens right up to 375, so you can choose exactly how much light you want, and the long burn time means you shouldn’t have to worry about running out of juice. If you value red, blue and green light, then you have those on board too.
The unique PowerTap feature means you can tap the casing for a short boost at full power, which is useful on complex ground, while the lock function ensures the Storm can’t get turned on accidentally, which is superb and one of the many features that set this headtorch apart.
For something as HOWEVER simple as a headtorch the Storm isn’t quick to get to know, and I struggled to work out how to use it during our outing on Fleetwith Pike. Even after a few more days of use I still get lost within its functions. Operation is complex, with three different buttons, and I found the power tap boost kicked in when I grabbed the casing to adjust the tilt angle.
For normal hillwalking, 375 lumens seemed excessive, as only 100 lumens is really needed to safely navigate at night, and the main beam is so bright and distant on full power that it cut out all of my peripheral vision.
You don’t get the option to recharge the batteries directly, so you either need to take spare alkalines or get an additional recharging kit for the batteries. As it takes 4x AAAs rather than the 3x used on other torches it has a longer burn time, but this also adds extra weight and bulk.
Great light output and VERDICT burn time for hillwalkers and camping, but you need to consider if the extra features are worth the time spent working out how to use them.