You might surmise that IPX8 is more waterproof than IPX7.
You’ll see headlamps labeled with IP code ratings such as IPX7 and IPX8. IP Ratings are Misleadingīe weary of IP ratings. Saltwater is particularly tough on electronics with batteries inside so keeping the water out is doubly important if you’re a saltwater sailor. The first feature sailors look for in a headlamp is waterproof-ness.
The more reliably you activate and deactivate red only mode without accidentally activating another color the more suitable the headlamp is for night sailing use. If you can’t activate red, night vision preserving, light without cycling through other colors the headlamp is not suitable for night sailing use. So here are some criteria you can use for your own headlamp evaluation if you think the Spot or the Storm aren’t for you: Red Light without Cycling Through Other Colors This was hardly an exhaustive evaluation of the headlamps on the market.
Having the brighter red light makes me a more capable sailor at night, not on deck and below, so I’m sticking with the Storm for now. Not just a little brighter, the Storm’s red light is functionally brighter than the Spot jobs I’m able to see just fine using the Storm’s red mode (including some sail trimming) are jobs I need to turn the white mode on when I’m using the Spot. It’s smaller and cheaper than the Storm with all the features I need.īut the Storm remains the winner because the red light on the Storm is brighter than the red on the Spot.
It doesn’t have the green or blue lights which means the controls are simpler. I wanted the Black Diamond Spot ( affiliate link), the nearly identical little brother to the Black Diamond Storm, to come out on top. Perhaps something to do with why my headlamps don’t last… The Black Diamond Spot I wish it had a second button dedicated to the red LED so it was impossible to accidentally wind up in the wrong mode if you’re pressing the right button! My other gripe is that even carefully controlling the storm will eventually result in you losing your carefully preserved night vision to it’s bright white, blue or green lights. They fail with very little warning these days I always carry a backup headlamp. The electrical components become unreliable and ultimately fail for my usage which is regular use on spray covered decks. I’ll be on my 3rd in 5 years (first bought January 2015). Mine is more than 2 years old and is on the fritz and I’ll be ordering another for next season.Ģ year old gear being on the fritz is my first gripe with the Storm: durability in the saltwater environment. The current model is waterproof, can be used in night vision saving red mode without cycling through white, is impressively bright in red and white mode as well as having a good battery life. I’ve used the Black Diamond Storm ( affiliate link) as my primary headlamp since shortly after it was released. If you’re not there yet, I want to encourage you to get into sailing after dark because there is no better place to watch the sunset than from a sailboat underway! This article tells you which headlamp you should buy and why it’s the best choice for sailing on the market. When a sailor progress to sailing through the night a headlamp becomes essential gear.