Short Description:

The Supernova headlamp is made by Black Diamond and is available for purchase from e-Headlamps.com.

Like several of the new headlamps from Black Diamond, this headlamp utilizes both LEDs and an incandescent bulb in one bezel. LEDs are best utilized for close-up work such as camp chores, while the incandescent bulb can be focused to a tighter beam for walking trails and spotting objects at a distance. The bulbs are all powered by a digital regulator circuit that allows the user to select 3 levels of brightness from the two LEDs and 3 levels of brightness from the incandescent bulb. The regulator circuit provides constant brightness of the bulbs throughout the life of the batteries.

The entire headlamp is held on the head using a three point elastic support system with the battery box placed at the back of the head and the bezel up front. A cable runs over the user's head to connect the two. The switch is located underneath the bezel and allows for selection of the LED or incandescent bulb by clicking in series. The bezel is tilt adjustable for close work. The battery box has a rubber cover which rests against the head of the user and creates a somewhat water-resistant seal. The bezel is sealed with rubber grommets and O-rings.

Included in the package are the 4AA batteries needed to power the lamp as well as a 6V battery that will run the LEDs for about 6 hours if the 4AA batteries go completely flat..

Detailed Information:

The Black Diamond Supernova is a high-end headlamp and its digital regulator puts it "over the top" when compared to most other headlamps.

The body of the headlamp is divided into two main parts: the bezel and the battery box. The bezel is made of translucent red plastic with a rubber focusing ring surrounding the lens. On the top right side the cable connecting the bezel to the battery box exits the bezel through a rubber grommet and wraps over the user's head, connected to the strap by two clips. The grommet prevents wear on the cable and also provides a water-resistant seal. The bezel is attached to a plastic forehead plate by a large slotted bolt which will accept a small coin or screwdriver for adjusting the tension of the tilting action. The bezel can be tilted 90 degrees from straight out to straight down. On the back of the plate is a rubber disk which serves as a cushion. The strap runs between the cushion and the head of the user.

Inside the bezel you will find the LEDs and the incandescent bulb. The reflector is textured to prevent the appearance of artifacts such as dark splotches in the beam when the light is focused. Inside there is also a digital regulator which controls the flow of electricity to the bulbs, allowing for constant brightness from the headlamp throughout the life span of the batteries and the ability to dim both the bulb and the LEDs.

The switch is underneath the bezel and is quite comfortable to operate with the thumb when grasping the bezel.

Operating the switch can be a touch tricky to figure out at first, but it's easy to learn. First click turns the LEDs on, second click is off, third click turns the incandescent bulb on, and the fourth click turns it off again. However, when either of the lamps are on, the switch can be depressed 1/2 way to access the other 2 brightness settings for the lamps. The cycles are as follows:

Click: LEDs on HIGH
1/2 press: LEDs on LOW
1/2 press: LEDs on MEDIUM
(repeats for LEDs intensity)
Click: OFF
Click: Bulb on HIGH
1/2 press: Bulb on LOW
1/2 press: Bulb on MEDIUM
(repeats for Bulb intensity)
Click: OFF
(repeat from top)

Runtime and range vary depending upon which setting is used.

The two LEDs give a 10 meter range and 500 hours advertised runtime. Runtime is not given for the various LED settings. The regulation circuit causes the LEDs to flicker slightly when in use. This may be noticeable to people sensitive to high frequency flicker or when moving quickly.

The regulator circuit also has a "ramp up" feature that causes the incandescent bulb to come on dim and brighten rapidly, protecting it from the voltage spike that often reduces the life of incandescent bulbs.

To change the incandescent bulb, you simply unscrew the bezel to expose the lamp. To focus the bulb, twist the rubber focus ring to achieve the desired beam. The LEDs never need to be changed. The headlamp comes with a spare bulb in the battery compartment.

The straps are elastic and are fully adjustable. The strap attachment points on the bezel are slotted but the attachment points on the battery box are not slotted, so the straps cannot be easily removed for cleaning or replacement.

The battery box in the back is formed from two pieces - a hard plastic outer section which holds the batteries and spare bulb, and a rubber cover which seals the battery compartment and has 6 protrusions that press against the user's head to provide stability. To open the battery box it is necessary to loosen the straps. One then simply peels the inner rubber cover off of the outer plastic box and flips it out of the way. After changing the batteries, fit the rubber cover back onto the plastic box and press on it all the way around its edge to ensure a tight seal. The headlamp will accept lithium AA 1.5 volt batteries for better cold weather performance.

In addition to the primary AA batteries, the battery box also contains an emergency backup 6V silver oxide battery. When the AA batteries finally die to the point where they won't operate the incandescent bulb, the headlamp flashes at you in warning and will only allow the LEDs to turn on. If the batteries die completely (or are not inserted) the LEDs will operate on the 6V backup battery for about 6 hours. The LEDs will not be regulated, are not dimable, and their brightness will diminish over time.

The light takes 4AA batteries and one 6V silver oxide battery, all of which are included.

What I Liked:

The digital regulator is an excellent addition. It puts this headlamp near the top for all of the headlamps I've reviewed. I liked the fact that the headlamp is water resistant, has both LED and incandescent in one light, and has multiple brightness levels that can be selected with the regulator circuit. The backup LED battery is just icing on the cake. The straps are quite comfortable. The switch on the bottom of the bezel is very easy to operate. Adjusting the tension on the tilt mechanism is very easy.

What I Didn't Like:

Changing the batteries is easy, but you need to loosen the straps to open the battery box - this can throw the straps out of adjustment a bit and they need to be readjusted a little to make the headlamp comfortable again. Getting the rubber battery cover back into place is a little difficult and I found I had to stretch the cover a bit to get it to snap into place.

Other Things I Noticed:

The headlamp is a little back-heavy with the 5 batteries in the box, but it's not uncomfortable. The focus mechanism for the incandescent bulb has very little range, but I don't think you'll need to do a lot of focusing since you have the LEDs for close up work anyway. I would prefer if you could turn the LEDs and incandescent on separately so that you didn't have to cycle through one setting to get to the other, but this is a minor inconvenience.

Conclusion:

This is, for the most part, a very good headlamp. If you can get over the little bit of difficulty you may have with replacing the battery box cover, everything else about the headlamp is great.

Quick Facts Table: