The BioLite HeadLamp 425, for our cash, is likely one of the greatest headlamps you should buy. In case you’ve seen our greatest headlamps for astrophotography and low mild scenes shopping for information beforehand, you will have seen the BioLite 330 on the listing. Effectively, the BioLite HeadLamp 425 is its youthful sibling, launched on the finish of September 2022.
BioLite really had a whole refresh of their award-winning rechargeable headlamps, with three new fashions in the marketplace: the HeadLamp 325, the HeadLamp 425 and the HeadLamp 800 PRO.
Key specs
LED Coloration: White and Pink
Brightness (Lumens): 425 Lumens
Runtime: 60hrs at min lumens/4hrs at max lumens
Weight: 2.75oz/78g
Waterproof Ranking: IPX4
Battery Sort: 1000 mAh Li-on rechargeable battery
As stargazers, the HeadLamp 425 piqued our curiosity above the opposite fashions because of the purple flood mild, the glove-friendly energy button, and the ‘run ceaselessly’ battery. We’ll talk about these and different enhancements later.
Along with the above astro-friendly parts and enhancements over the prior BioLite fashions (which we cherished), the brand new variations supply elevated beam distance, higher run time and improved temperature use ranking.
We additionally suppose it is vital to spotlight BioLite’s mission to empower folks and shield the planet by means of renewable power. It is a daring mission to offer 20 million folks with entry to wash power and keep away from 3 million tons of CO2 emissions by 2025. However it appears that evidently by buying a BioLite product, you are serving to with that mission.
BioLite HeadLamp 425 overview
BioLite 440: Design
- Built-in rear purple flood and strobe
- Glove-friendly button
- Weight sits behind your head
Plenty of thought has gone into the design of this headlamp, with some notable modifications from present fashions, to some tiny modifications however with huge benefits.
As with the opposite BioLite HeadLamps the battery pack sits behind your head which suggests that’s the place the burden sits. The profile in your brow is a mere 10mm so it does not really feel huge or cumbersome. Whereas primarily a design characteristic for runners, it provides consolation for any wearer. What’s extra, BioLite has cleverly built-in a rear purple flood and strobe into the again of the scarf, maximizing the performance. Though the principle entrance lamp has a purple mode, astrophotographers might favor to solely use the rear one by spinning it spherical to the entrance of the top, so there may be completely no threat of turning on the white, night time vision-ruining LED lamp.
In case you weren’t wanting particularly for it, you most likely would not discover that the facility/mode button has been improved from earlier variations to make it extra glove pleasant. Certainly one of our least favourite issues concerning the BioLite 330 was the tiny energy button which was partly obscured by the casing. Whereas the brand new button does not look massively totally different, the additional profile that protrudes previous the casing is definitely very useful to be used with gloves or chilly fingers, one thing we stargazers usually expertise.
Because the battery sits behind the scarf, the facility is fed to it by way of a spiral cable. It’s totally neat, however as somebody with lengthy curly hair, it did get tangled just a few occasions. That is solely a niggle although, and we’re solely (pardon the pun), splitting hairs.
The one different draw back we will consider with the battery (and built-in mild) being on the again, is that you simply could not lie down — say when studying a ebook — however that does not hassle us as skywatchers.
It will be advantageous if this headlamp was totally waterproof, just like the Knog Bilby we reviewed, though with a ranking of IPX4, it is protected against splashing water from any course so it will likely be wonderful in a rain bathe.
You should purchase the BioLite in three totally different shade designs, Ocean Teal (featured on this overview), Midnight Grey or Ember Yellow.
BioLite 330: Efficiency
- 60 hours on a single cost (on low)
- Very comfy
- Coated by a one-year guarantee
Now we have already mentioned the battery sitting behind your head, relatively than weighing down your brow. However for extra consolation, the BioLite HeadLamp 425 makes use of a ‘no bounce’ moisture-wicking headband, retaining sweat off your face and retaining the band brisker for longer. It may be washed with delicate cleaning soap when mandatory.
Although we aren’t utilizing this headlamp for working functions on this overview — runners are the target market for this design — we now have been on many brisk walks at nighttime. On every event, the headlamp feels safe on our head and it actually is straightforward to neglect you’ve got it on.
When used as a regular white LED headlamp, the beam distance on full energy is a powerful 85 meters, or 15 when on low energy. Full energy burn time is 4 hours, and a whopping 60 hours on low energy. There are seven lighting modes in complete: White Spot, White Strobe, Pink Flood, Pink Strobe, Spot+Flood, Rear Pink Flood and Rear Pink Strobe.
The bulb on the entrance of the scarf tilts to 4 totally different positions, so it may be manually adjusted to swimsuit what you want it for, whether or not that be seeing far into the gap straight forward or on a decrease energy wanting down, making changes to a tripod, for instance.
Must you encounter any issues along with your BioLite HeadLamp 425, you might be coated by the one-year guarantee; ensure you register after buy (it takes lower than a minute).
BioLite 330: Performance
- USB-C rechargeable
- LED Battery indicator
- ‘Run Endlessly’ charging
There may be multiple method of guaranteeing you are not caught out and left at nighttime. The primary is the LED Battery indicator. It activates for seven seconds while you flip the headlamp on (or while you flip the rear purple flood) and once more while you flip it off, which serves as a pleasant reminder to plug it in after use, if mandatory. The opposite method is ‘reserve mode’, which alerts you (by flashing) when the battery is working low and gives an hour of backup mild.
One other neat characteristic is ‘pass-through charging,’ which suggests you’ll be able to plug it into an exterior energy supply whereas in use. We’re particularly happy to see that BioLite has moved away from micro-USB charging to the extra common USB-C. Hurrah, no want for a number of energy cables to cost up totally different gadgets! It takes roughly two hours to recharge from empty to completely charged.
As we have come to anticipate from headlamps, having reviewed lots of them, there’s a ‘lock’ perform, so you do not unintentionally flip it on and waste energy in transit. Maintain the facility button down for eight seconds. Then the identical to unlock it.
The temperature ranking, for these excessive climate stargazers, can be glad to listen to that it’s rated -20C to 60C (-4F to 140F). There is no want to fret about it being too chilly or scorching to perform.
Must you purchase the BioLite HeadLamp 425?
Merely, in case you’re on the lookout for an excellent all-rounder headlamp with helpful astro-friendly options, you need to severely contemplate the BioLite HeadLamp 425. It’s glorious worth for cash and we will not consider a strategy to make it any extra purposeful, particularly at its very cheap value level.
It’s comfy and sensible and provides astronomers and skywatchers a handy technique of being hands-free whereas observing the night time sky or in between taking astrophotographs.
If the BioLite HeadLamp 425 isn’t for you
We have examined and reviewed a number of headlamps, and with the fashions that sit at an analogous value level, it is primarily down to private choice as to which one you select.
The BioLite HeadLamp 425 can simply be in comparison with the Petzl ACTIK CORE 450 which we reviewed by way of lumen output, single press operation, handbook tilt and an LED battery indicator, but it surely has the benefit of the rear purple flood and strobe.
After our Knog Bilby 400 overview we discovered one other agency favourite and is a unique-looking, totally waterproof different. It’s extremely customizable, and the lamp itself may be faraway from the silicone casing and plugged straight right into a USB energy supply, negating the necessity for cables.
Try our greatest headlamps to see different headlamp suggestions from us, which we now have chosen particularly for skywatchers.
