[Slugman]

I used to love my BD Storm. The light was bright, adjustable, white and even. It takes four AAA batteries, not three, for more power and easier recharging. But then, after 1.5 years of pretty heavy use (backpacking, plus walking the dog at night), it malfunctioned. It didn't die, it still worked, but it wouldn't go into regulated mode. So the light was only about 2/3 the brightness it should have had, plus the adjustability was gone. The red LED that warns of a battery so low the light was about to die came on even with brand new batteries. But BD gives a three year warranty, pretty good for this type of product, and I bought it at REI, so I returned it. I got the new one home (it has a grey body) and it didn't work at all. I figured it came with a bad battery, and that was it. No big deal, I don't use alkaline batteries in this light anyway, NiMH are much better the way they operate and the way the light is made. But then I notice the light is yellow in the middle and blue around the edges. I mean the center spot light, not the dimmer edge light. It is really, really yellow, completely unacceptable. Who can read a book at night with a yellow spot surrounded by blue? So I went back to REI again and checked out their sample light (which has an orange body) and it was fine. So I figure the one I got was defective. I don't like the orange case, so I wanted another grey one. I opened it up to try it before driving home again, and it was also yellow surrounded by blue. I had a little chat with the employees, we opened several at the repair desk, and all the ones with a grey case were defective. We tried one with an orange case, and it was good. Still a slight yellow cast, but not the bright yellow dot of the bad ones. Then I noticed you can see the yellow in the LED just by looking at it when it isn't on. All the ones with grey cases had yellow LED's. The ones with orange cases had much less visible yellow in the LED. This could be seen even with the light still in the packaging. So now I am back at home again after a total of three hours spent driving to and from the store, finding parking a mile away (Lynnwood REI), screwing around with the lights, and then repeating the whole process. I am now the proud owner of an orange BD Storm that is otherwise OK. But I no longer have confidence in the light or in BD's quality control. If you are going to buy one of these lights, be sure to get it someplace with a good and easy return policy. Also open it up and try it out. At least at the Lynnwood REI, avoid any with a grey case. I thought about getting a completely different light, but they all have various deficiencies that made me reject them. Some use three batteries instead of four, some shine light right down into my eyes, some aren't very bright or very adjustable, and some are obviously so cheaply made they won't last. So after all that, I stayed with what I had. So maybe I do still recommend the light, but with major caveats.

[huron]

This one takes 2AA batteries and is BRIGHT when you need it.

[Slugman]

That looks good. Two AA is better than three of anything.

[tigermn]

Yea whoever decided to design things that take 3 batteries of any kind should be strung up and flogged....

[Slugman]

Shall I hold them while you kick them, or do want to hold them while I kick them?

[Damian]

Sluggo is that the headlamp you were using to fully illuminate sea stacks, ships at sea and distant planets last year? I'm surprised that thing only uses 4 AA's and not a small reactor.

[ranger rock]

It's a shame that they quit making the BD "nightray" it's very solid. I've used mine for nighthiking many times.

[Slugman]

[Schroder]

I was given a gray Storm for Christmas. So far it looks okay - no yellow cast that I can see. It says "Spot Storm" on the packaging. A new model? [edit] It is the Storm I have. Instructions are for both models.

[SlingShot]

After listening to your 15 minute "infomercial"and numerous boasts since April, I now own 2. Both are orange and work great with no issues. I also gave one as a gift, I hope there is no issues with that one. This is a great headlamp! Maybe not the best for everyone, but its still in a small elite group. A couple of design changes and this headlamp could easily be the standard! I see REI has the Black-Diamond ReVolt Headlamp. Very Simular design and features of the Storm. It does drop to 3 batteries, but gains usb charging and adds 10 Lumens to max at 110. I don't see this headlamp listed on the BD website, is REI the guinea pig? Are they waiting for a review from Slugman before they commit the website space?

[DIYSteve]

Slug, sounds like you got a couple lights with a bad circuit board. Maybe BD had a bad batch and REI got a bunch of gray ones from the bad batch. That happens. A few years ago I had two Princeton lights that had a voltage leak, and it turned out to be a batch with bad circuit boards. (That experience soured me to Princeton lights, although that doesn't mean Princeton doesn't make good stuff.) Re your original Storm that went bad after 1-1/2 seasons, did the circuit board get wet? Regulated (and some modern unregulated) headlamps have electronic circuits and need to be kept dry. That's the price one pays for regulated lamps.

[Slugman]

Hmm, maybe it got wet. I take the dog for a one hour walk every night from 9 to 10 pm, rain or shine. So it's possible. It closes pretty tight, but I do have to change the batteries about once per week, so the battery cover has been opened a whole bunch of times. I saw that Revolt, almost got one. I didn't like the three battery thing, but since it recharges them without removal using USB, it is probably the way to go. It is not regulated, but as Big Steve points out, that can be an advantage. Yeah, I figured those grey case units at the Lynnwood REI were just a bad batch. But it is very noticeable, so checking the light should make you OK.

[GrnXnham]

[Dane]

[touron]

Are you sure it was a Black Diamond Storm? They do not offer orange and gray, only mango and dark shadow. Hmmm...here is an internet review, but they do not mention the light color.