Black Diamond Distance LT1100 Headlamp Evaluation

Backside line

The Black Diamond LT1100 is a high-output headlamp constructed for actions that demand sturdy, centered lighting—assume night time mountaineering, ski touring, bike commuting, or fast-paced path runs after darkish.

Its 1100-lumen max output is spectacular and throws a decent beam far down the path, making it one of many brightest choices in our lineup. Its 1100-lumen max output is spectacular and throws a decent beam far down the path, making it one of many brightest choices in our lineup. It’s not essentially the most compact or inexpensive possibility, however for customers who want intense brightness, the LT1100 is an attention-grabbing possibility. 

We discovered the LT1100 to be surprisingly snug for such a robust headlamp, although we wouldn’t go as far as to say you overlook it’s there. It’s a bit bulkier than smaller fashions, however the well-balanced design and tender headband assist distribute the burden effectively sufficient for prolonged put on.

It’s additionally filled with helpful options and delivers strong battery life contemplating its brightness. That mentioned, it does take its time recharging—as much as 4 hours in our expertise—so that you’ll wish to plan forward should you’re heading out for back-to-back adventures.

How We Examined

We examined the Black Diamond LT1100 over a number of months in winter and spring, logging miles within the mountains of Colorado and alongside Florida’s Gulf Coast. This gave us the prospect to see the way it dealt with a variety of temps, humidity ranges, and terrain – from chilly, dry mountain trails to heat, muggy seashore runs.

Illumination & Mild High quality

The Black Diamond Distance LT1100 is the brightest headlamp in our lineup – each on paper and in real-world use. Its primary LED places out a max of 1100 lumens by way of PowerTap mode, which supplies you a 10-second burst of full brightness earlier than reverting to your earlier setting. It’s particularly helpful for fast glances down the path, checking path markers, or scanning your environment in open terrain. It’s critically shiny – virtually shockingly so the primary time you employ it.

Beam high quality is great, which we’d anticipate at this value level. The multifaceted optical lens blends spot and flood lighting, so that you get each vary and peripheral protection. That steadiness is de facto useful while you’re attempting to keep away from tunnel imaginative and prescient, particularly on technical trails or uneven footing. We appreciated this most on rocky terrain after darkish, the place it gave us loads of discover to navigate obstacles without having to continually regulate our purpose or tempo.

Whereas it’s clearly constructed for high-output duties, the LT1100 nonetheless gives strong low- and mid-brightness choices. These dimmer modes labored effectively for mountaineering, camp chores, and preserving battery life. The colour rendering is on par with most premium headlamps, although at full brightness, the beam can really feel a bit of harsh for close-range duties. Nonetheless, the vary of lighting modes – together with crimson, inexperienced, and blue LEDs for night time imaginative and prescient, stealth, or monitoring – makes this a flexible device for every thing from night time hikes to early-morning hunts.

Burn Time

In our testing, the LT1100 lived as much as Black Diamond’s marketed runtimes pretty effectively. On the very best setting (1100 lumens), we obtained simply over 4 hours of strong efficiency earlier than the sunshine noticeably dimmed, which tracks with the listed 4.25-hour runtime. That’s first rate for a headlamp this shiny, but it surely’s one thing to bear in mind should you’re heading out for longer night time missions or ultramarathons with out time to recharge.

On medium and low settings, the battery life improves considerably. Medium mode (which we used essentially the most) persistently lasted round 12 to 14 hours in our testing—sufficient for full in a single day efforts or multi-day use should you’re being conservative together with your brightness. Low mode is the place the LT1100 actually stretches issues out, with an marketed max runtime of 120 hours. Whereas we didn’t push it that far, we did apply it to low for a number of nights in a row without having a recharge.

You’ll get a gradual dimming because the battery drains, reasonably than a sudden shutdown, which helps keep away from surprises. That mentioned, whereas it’s not essentially the most environment friendly headlamp we’ve examined, the burn time feels cheap given how a lot brightness you’re getting. For the output, it holds its personal.

Weight

At 3.8 ounces, the Black Diamond Distance LT1100 is certainly on the heavier facet in comparison with different headlamps we examined, however that’s comprehensible contemplating how highly effective it’s. We felt its weight on path runs via the Colorado foothills and lengthy hikes alongside sandy trails in Florida, but it surely wasn’t a significant concern. The huge headband helps unfold the burden fairly evenly, making it manageable for many adventures.

One factor we observed is that as a result of all the burden is up entrance, there’s a slight ahead tilt and a little bit of bounce when operating or tackling rougher terrain. In case you’re counting each ounce for ultralight adventures, this most likely isn’t your superb choose. But when brightness and additional options are your prime priorities, the additional little bit of weight is a good trade-off.

General, the LT1100’s strong construct and intense brightness make it price the additional ounces, particularly for night time runners and hikers who worth efficiency over saving each final gram.

Consolation

For such a robust headlamp, the Black Diamond LT1100 is extra snug than we anticipated, but it surely’s undoubtedly bulkier than lighter fashions. We examined it on every thing from early-morning seashore runs on Florida’s Gulf Coast to late-night hikes in Colorado’s mountains. And whereas we by no means forgot it was there, the huge, adjustable headband helped hold issues feeling comparatively safe. The front-heavy design does have its drawbacks, although. All the weight sits on the entrance gentle unit, and whereas the scarf distributes it pretty effectively, we nonetheless observed some bounce and slight entrance flop, particularly throughout longer runs or on uneven terrain.

Breathability can be one thing to think about. On hotter, extra humid nights, we discovered ourselves adjusting the match sometimes to forestall warmth buildup. It’s not essentially the most ventilated headlamp on the market, but it surely’s manageable for many actions. General, the LT1100 wouldn’t be our prime choose for ultralight backpacking or long-distance path operating—however for conditions the place brightness and stability take precedence, it strikes a good steadiness between consolation and efficiency.

Ease of Use

In case you’ve used different Black Diamond headlamps earlier than, the Distance LT1100 will really feel fairly acquainted – it makes use of the identical two-button interface discovered on lots of their fashions.

There are two buttons on prime: a bigger energy button and a smaller mode button. To activate the sunshine, press the facility button; to cycle via the lighting modes, press the mode button. Once you attain the crimson gentle setting, you may change between crimson, blue, and inexperienced LEDs by holding down the mode button for about three seconds. To dim the sunshine on any setting, simply maintain down the facility button.

There’s additionally a PowerTap characteristic on the facet of the unit: faucet it as soon as and the headlamp briefly boosts to max brightness for 10 seconds earlier than reverting to your earlier setting. There are different options too – like an SOS blink mode and a journey lock – however most people will possible simply use the fundamentals.

Charging is straightforward by way of USB-C, however swapping out the battery is a little more concerned than anticipated. Nonetheless, neither of these points is a dealbreaker.

Options

The Black Diamond Distance LT1100 comes filled with considerate options geared toward high-output actions like path operating, quick mountaineering, or night time navigation—however with a bit of extra complexity than your common headlamp.

One of the crucial helpful options is the PowerTap™ perform, which helps you to briefly increase the beam to a blazing 1100 lumens with only a fast faucet—nice for scanning forward with out locking into max brightness. After 10 seconds, it mechanically drops again all the way down to preserve battery.

The pivoting gentle unit additionally helps with purpose and luxury, letting you regulate the beam angle with out messing with the strap. And whereas the sunshine is front-heavy, Black Diamond’s design retains the battery flush with the top, serving to scale back bounce greater than we anticipated.

You additionally get a multi-color LED (crimson, inexperienced, and blue), every designed with a selected use in thoughts. The crimson gentle helps protect night time imaginative and prescient in the dead of night, superb for map studying or shifting round camp with out blinding your companions. The inexperienced gentle is beneficial for remaining much less noticeable to wildlife whereas searching, and the blue gentle can help with monitoring recreation blood.

When you get the dangle of the interface, switching between these modes is fairly easy. The LT1100 additionally carries an IP67 waterproof ranking, so it holds up effectively in dangerous climate. Charging is dealt with by way of USB-C, and the detachable battery could be swapped out within the area should you carry a spare.

Ought to You Purchase the Black Diamond Distance LT1100?

The Black Diamond Distance LT1100 is greatest suited for individuals who prioritize excessive brightness and efficiency over weight and minimalism. In case you’re doing lengthy path runs, quick hikes earlier than dawn, or want sturdy illumination for any exercise, this headlamp delivers critical output in a well-balanced bundle. It’s extra snug than anticipated for its dimension, and options just like the PowerTap increase and RGB shade modes give it versatility for a variety of nighttime actions.

That mentioned, the LT1100 isn’t for everybody. In case you primarily want a light-weight headlamp for informal tenting or on a regular basis use, this one will possible really feel like overkill. And whereas the battery life is strong for the brightness it gives, it’s not essentially the most environment friendly. 

Nonetheless, for runners, hikers, and adventurers who demand a robust beam and don’t thoughts a little bit of bulk and a excessive price ticket, the LT1100 gives good worth and reliable efficiency.

What Different Headlamps Ought to You Contemplate?

In case you’re trying on the Black Diamond Distance LT1100 however aren’t completely bought, listed below are a number of different headlamps that provide comparable efficiency with barely completely different strengths. Every is price a glance relying in your particular wants. For a full breakdown of the perfect choices on the market, don’t miss our full headlamp gear information.

Ledlenser HF6R Signature Evaluation: In case you like the concept of excessive brightness however need one thing cheaper, the HF6R Signature is a powerful different. It has wonderful beam customization, spectacular throw distance, and strong battery life in a rock-solid bundle. Nevertheless, it’s heavier and simply as cumbersome because the LT1100.

Fenix HM50R V2.0 Evaluation: The Fenix HM50R V2.0 is a light-weight powerhouse that packs as much as 700 lumens in a sturdy aluminum physique. It’s not fairly as shiny because the LT1100, but it surely’s much more compact and higher suited to backpacking or minimalist path use. USB-C charging and a detachable 16340 battery make it versatile and dependable.

BioLite Sprint 450 Evaluation: For runners or hikers who need a lighter, extra minimalist headlamp, the Sprint 450 is a superb match. It weighs lower than 3 ounces, has a balanced entrance/rear design, and nonetheless gives strong brightness for many actions. Whereas it may possibly’t match the LT1100’s depth, it’s a extra snug possibility for long-duration put on.