Black Diamond

Onsight 375 £60

It’s billed as a climbing headtorch, but the Onsight 375 serves the hillwalker almost as well.

The design is simple yet robust, with a rear battery pack linked to a front headlamp via a partly-coiled cable. Power is ‘dual fuel’ via either 3x AAA or a BD1800 rechargeable lithiumion battery (sold separately for £24). Illumination levels vary slightly between the two, but the lithium-ion gives the best output: 400 lumens for 5 hours in max, 200 lumens for 13 hours in medium, and 8 lumens for 110 hours in low. With AAAs, the max output is 375 lumens.

The headlamp has dualbeam configuration, with the main beam providing wide, evenly-dispersed light and the secondary beam adding a narrower, longer-distance light. To toggle between the two, you simply tap the right and left side of the front housing – a clever little feature. You also get IP67 waterproof rating, the best on test, which means the torch is fully submersible.

IF WE’RE BEING FUSSY

If the BD1800 battery was included in the price, it’d be a bargain – but at £84 for the whole package it’s arguably a tad over-priced for only 375 lumens. You might be better served by one of Black Diamond’s simpler and cheaper models. It’s heavier than ideal and you can’t charge the battery in the headtorch

– you have to use a separate charging base (19g).

■ MAX POWER 400 lumens for 5 hours

■ MAX BURN TIME 110 hours at 8 lumens

■ MAX BEAM DISTANCE 110m at 400 lumens

■ BATTERIES 3x AAA, or 1800mAh rechargeable lithiumion for £24

■ WEIGHT 140g (inc batteries) ■ INGRESS PROTECTION RATING IP67 (submersible)

Verdict

A well-designed, waterproof headtorch with nifty features – but it’s a tad over-priced.