BioLite’s Headlamp 200 is a new addition to the BioLite lineup this year. And it’s a welcome arrival, as we’ve maintained that a good headlamp is an essential piece of gear. We like products that are good for camping, but also preparedness. And the Headlamp 200 is definitely one of them. It’s designed to be ultra-lightweight and comfortable to wear, freeing your hands for important tasks. After testing, I have to say that this headlamp does exactly that. Cliché© sayings like, “This headlamp disappears on your head” tend to annoy me, but that, in fact, sums it up for this one.
If you‘ve never owned a headlamp before, I‘d encourage you to check them out. Headlamps make so many activities so easy compared to using flashlights. Whether you are out in the woods at night, searching for gear in a dark basement, or checking out things that go bump in the night, a headlamp has lots of advantages.
Operation and Charging
The Headlamp 200 has a rechargeable battery located upfront with the light. Charging is done through a micro USB port on the side of the housing. A charging cable is provided with the headlamp and you can use any USB charging device (PC, battery bank, wall outlet) to get the job done.
To keep the weight and size down, the battery is not big. At full power, 200 lumens, Biolite says you‘ll get 3 hours of run time. During testing, the light ran for over 3 hours on the high setting. On low, 5 lumens, the headlamp is supposed to run for 40 hours and I‘m taking their word on that.
All the features of the light are controlled with a single button on the top of the headlamp. Biolite did a great job here and obviously put a lot of thought into this area. The Headlamp 200 arrives in locked mode so you‘ll need to press and hold the power button for 8 seconds to unlock it. While locked, the headlamp will only blink and turn off when the power button is pressed. Press and hold for 8 seconds to lock again.
You can cycle through all lighting modes: white spot, red flood, blinking white, and blinking red, by repeatedly pressing the power button. The light is dimmable by pressing and holding the power button. The Headlamp 200 even tells you how much battery charge is left with a blinking status light. When you turn the light off, watch for the headlamp to blink. Two green blinks mean you have more than 50 percent charge remaining. Two red blinks shows there is less than 50 percent and 4 red blinks means you are nearly out. Biolite put together an excellent instruction video that you can watch by clicking HERE.
Comfort
The Biolite Headlamp is extremely comfortable. It only weighs 1.75 ounces and it sits really close to the forehead. I don‘t feel any bouncing at all when moving my head around and the headlamp stays in place great. The light tilts downward and clicks into 3 positions to put light right where you need it.
The headband is soft, thin, and lightweight. Sliding adjusters on the rear make it easy to fit to your head. The adjusters seem to slide a bit easy, but I had no problems with keeping the headband tight and comfortable. The headlamp never slid out of place, probably because it is so light.
Light Outptut
The Biolite Headlamp 200 provides enough light but isn‘t the brightest headlamp out there. With 200 lumens, you can see far enough to take a night run and there is more than enough light for camp chores, changing a tire in the dark, or up-close chores. The red flood lamp puts out enough light once your eyes are adjusted to the dark and it won‘t ruin your or your friend‘s nighttime vision.
Price and Final Thoughts
The BioLite Headlamp 200 sells for $44.95 on the BioLite website and it comes in four colors. If small size, light weight, and comfort are what you need, this could definitely be the headlamp for you. If you need long runtimes, then you might need another headlamp or plan on carrying a battery pack for recharging if that works for you. I‘ll likely use this headlamp for backpacking, and I carry gear for re-charging, so I really like this one. Check out the Headlamp 200 and all Biolite‘s offerings at BioLiteEnergy.com.
The BioLite Headlamp 200 was provided by BioLite for testing and review. Many thanks to them for sending out this excellent headlamp.