Black Diamond Astro Review
Compare prices at 3 resellers Pros: Lightweight, small size, excellent flood beam, great price
Cons: Too weak a beam for trail finding or distance viewing
Manufacturer: Black Diamond
Our Verdict
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Black Diamond Astro | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||
Price | $19.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $89.00 at Amazon | $50 List | $28.00 at Backcountry | $28.74 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Lightweight, small size, excellent flood beam, great price | Bright wide beam, good battery life, durable design, rechargeable | Excellent trail finding and close proximity beam, waterproof, above average battery life | Excellent spot light capability, wide evenly lit flood beam, above average in most ways | Excellent brightness and beam control, often available online at discount |
Cons | Too weak a beam for trail finding or distance viewing | Expensive, 18650 Li-ion battery is not included, heavier than average | More expensive, heavier than average, claimed battery life is very misleading | Below average battery life, claimed battery life is wildly misleading, single button hard to use, lame waterproofing | Average battery life, heavier and bulkier than most |
Bottom Line | Our favorite budget light if your needs are limited to close proximity work | A stunningly bright light that offers impressive battery life. If you can afford it, it won't disappoint | You can't go wrong with the Storm, high performance, quality optics, and durable design | Offering excellent optics, a bright wide beam, and strong performance for the price, the Spot is one of our favorites | We used to love the Coast, but competing lights have stepped up, while the HL7 is unchanged |
Rating Categories | Black Diamond Astro | Zebralight H600w Mk IV | Black Diamond Storm | Black Diamond Spot | Coast HL7 |
Trail Finding (35%) | |||||
Close Proximity (20%) | |||||
Battery Life (15%) | |||||
Weight (15%) | |||||
Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
Specs | Black Diamond Astro | Zebralight H600w... | Black Diamond Storm | Black Diamond Spot | Coast HL7 |
Measured Beam Distance | 38 m | 121 m | 91 m | 94 m | 112 m |
Claimed Distance | 35 m | Not specified | 85 m | 80 m | 119 m |
Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI) | 4.8 hrs | 3.1 hrs | 5 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 3.1 hrs |
Claimed High Mode Run-time | 20 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 40 hrs | 30 hrs | 1.5 hrs |
Measured Low Mode Run-time | 95 hrs | 232 hrs | 42 hrs | 9.7 hrs | 25 hrs |
Claimed Low Mode Run-time | 80 hrs | 203 hrs | 120 hrs | 175 hrs | 70 hrs |
Measured Weight | 3 oz, 86 g | 4.5 oz, 127 g | 4 oz, 112 g | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 4.5 oz, 127 g |
Battery Type | 3 AAA | 18650 rechargeable Li-ion | 4 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA |
Water Resistance | IPX4 splash proof | IPX8 waterproof to 2 meters, 30 minutes | IP67 waterproof to one meter and dustproof | Splash proof (dubious IPX8 claim) | water resistant |
Manuf Claimed Lumens | 150 lumens | 1400 lumens | 350 lumens | 300 lumens | 285 lumens |
Beam Type | flood, dimmable | flood | flood/spot | flood/spot | flood/spot |
Red Light | no | no | yes, red/green/blue night-vision modes | yes | no |
On Switch Lock | yes | yes (tailcap lockout) | yes | yes | no |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Astro is a high-quality headlamp that is reasonably priced, compact and simple-to-use, yet offers performance for close proximity work that is better than you might expect.
Performance Comparison
Trail Finding
This is not the best trail finding headlamp - it just doesn't have that much umph — and only gets a 3 of 10 score. This is the main advantage of the Best Buy winning Petzl Tikkina (5 of 10 score) as demonstrated by the side-by-side photos below.
However, the Tikkina works OK at distance, certainly passable, where the Astro is not a headlamp we recommended for serious nighttime hikes or any situation where a long-distance beam thow is required.
Close Proximity
Close proximity is the Astro's strongest feature. Not only did it score well with an 7 of 10, it scored better than some headlamps that cost 3 times as much. It casts a nicely diffused, wide, evenly lit beam.
Battery Life
The battery life is above average, scoring 6 of 10. It lasted 4.8 hours in high mode, which is only OK for a beam with under-par brightness like the Astro. But, low-mode output lasted 95 hours, an impressive amount (although far outdistanced by the Tikkina's >200 hours).
The Astro uses (3) AAA batteries, which are easy to replace.
Weight
At 3 ounces the Astro is light and small, typical of the lower cost lights. It is not nearly as lightweight as the Petzl e+LITE (1 ounce, 27 grams) but it also costs less, is easier to use, and offers better overall performance.
Ease of Use
The Astro is quite easy to use for basic functionality with a single button that has a nice tactile feedback. It has a nice feature of remembering its last brightness setting, so if you turn it off, it turns back on at the previous level of brightness. It also offers the ability to lock the on switch, which is neat, but we found it a bit tricky to access without referring to the manual since a long button press operates both the dimming feature and the on-switch lock.
The Astro's large single button is easy to use with gloves on.
Best Applications
This could be the ideal headlamp for you for around home and camp. It casts a soft, even light which not only makes it easy to find things, you won't be blinding your fellow campers. If your main use will be close-proximity, the Astro is an excellent choice that will serve you well. It is not the headlamp you want for following a difficult and confusing trail at night or going cross-country.
Value
The Astron is an excellent value at $20 list, and often available for less online. It was a contender for our Best Buy award. But, the Petzl Tikkina beat it out as our Best Buy winner because at the same price it offers a stronger beam, that shines nearly twice as far, and much better battery life.
Conclusion
While this is not quite the Best Buy winner, we recommend the Astro without hesitation for those who are primarily looking for excellent close proximity flood lighting at a reasonable price. It is just so compact, easy-to-use, and exceptional at close proximity applications.
— RJ Spurrier