Black Diamond Cosmo Review
A good light, but caught in a no-mans land between better lights and cheaper lights
Price: $30 List
Pros: Lightweight, small size, excellent flood lighting
Cons: Below average spot beam, disappointing low-mode battery life
Manufacturer: Black Diamond
Cons: Below average spot beam, disappointing low-mode battery life
Manufacturer: Black Diamond
By Jediah Porter and RJ Spurrier ⋅ May 28, 2018
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Our Verdict
While this is a good headlamp, we implore you to spend another $10 and get something like the Black Diamond Spot which has much better beam brightness and quality combined with a very respectable battery life. The Cosmo is a middle of the road kind of light. It offers average performance and average battery life at an average price. If you are on a budget, look to the Petzl Tikkina which scored slightly better for a fraction of the price.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Black Diamond Cosmo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $30 List | $29.93 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $29 List $19.95 at Amazon | $19.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $14.89 at REI Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Lightweight, small size, excellent flood lighting | Excellent spot light capability, wide evenly lit flood beam, above average in most ways | Good performance for the price, 94 meter beam throw, easy to use | Super easy to use, inexpensive, solid performance, compact, and reliable | Lightweight, small size, excellent flood beam, great price |
| Cons | Below average spot beam, disappointing low-mode battery life | Below average battery life, claimed battery life is wildly misleading, single button hard to use, lame waterproofing | Average in most ways | Good but not great spot beam for trail finding, slightly below average flood beam optics | Too weak a beam for trail finding or distance viewing |
| Bottom Line | A good light, but caught in a no-mans land between better lights and cheaper lights | A quality, durable, and bright light that hits the sweet spot for most people's needs, despite dubious marketing claims | The Yalumi is a good light, at a good price, that provides basic functionality | For $20, the Tikkina offers impressive performance at a great price, that will meet most people's needs | Offers great close proximity lighting at a budget price |
| Rating Categories | Black Diamond Cosmo | Black Diamond Spot | Yalumi LED 140-Lumen | Petzl Tikkina | Black Diamond Astro |
| Trail Finding (35%) | |||||
| Close Proximity (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Black Diamond Cosmo | Black Diamond Spot | Yalumi LED 140-Lumen | Petzl Tikkina | Black Diamond Astro |
| Measured Beam Distance | 66 m | 94 m | 94 m | 62 m | 38 m |
| Claimed Distance | 65 m | 80 m | 90 m | 55 m | 35 m |
| Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI) | 3.9 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 4.3 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 4.8 hrs |
| Claimed High Mode Run-time | 45 hrs | 30 hrs | Not specified | 60 hrs | 20 hrs |
| Measured Low Mode Run-time | 39 hrs | 9.7 hrs | 47 hrs | 223 hrs | 95 hrs |
| Claimed Low Mode Run-time | 180 hrs | 175 hrs | 100 hrs | 220 hrs | 80 hrs |
| Measured Weight | 3 oz, 86 g | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 2.7 oz, 77 g | 2.9 oz, 83 g | 3 oz, 86 g |
| Battery Type | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA |
| Water Resistance | IPX8 waterproof beyond one meter | Splash proof (dubious IPX8 claim) | IPX4 splash proof | IPX4 splash proof | IPX4 splash proof |
| Manuf Claimed Lumens | 200 lumens | 300 lumens | 140 lumens | 150 lumens | 150 lumens |
| Beam Type | flood/spot, dimmable | flood/spot | flood/spot | flood | flood, dimmable |
| Red Light | yes | yes | yes | no | no |
| On Switch Lock | yes | yes | no | no | yes |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Cosmo is a solid headlamp with good performance overall, and excellent flood lighting for close proximity use. At $30 list, it falls into a tough price range where a little more money gets you a much higher performance headlamp, like the Spot, and products like the Tikkina offer better overall performance for 33% lower price.
Performance Comparison
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Trail Finding
A score of 4 for trail finding is disappointing for a $30 headlamp, and most similarly priced competitors offer significantly better performance.
Beam Distance Photos
Black Diamond Cosmo
Black Diamond Spot
In comparing the Cosmo (above left) and Black Diamond Spot (right), two products from the same manufacturer and priced just $10 apart, it is remarkable that they can vary so much. The Spot casts a much superior distance beam.
Close Proximity
The strongest performance from the Cosmo is when used around camp, or in the tent, for close proximity work. The flood beam is one of the very best of all headlamps we tested, wide, evenly lit, and dimmable from nice soft lighting for use in the tent, and brighter for use in the camp kitchen. It is worth noting that the Black Diamond Astro offers a flood beam that is nearly as good, at a price 33% lower.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Battery Life
Battery life is where the Cosmo edges slightly ahead of the Spot.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Weight
At 3.0 ounces or 86 grams, this is a compact but not ultralight headlamp. It is about the same weight as the Spot. For comparison, the featherweight champion Petzl e+LITE is less than a third the weight at 27 g.
Conclusion
This is a solid light but tough to justify buying. At $30 list it is wedged between competitors that either score much better for another $6-10 or offer the same or better performance for lower cost. The BD Spot, for example, performs significantly better for only $10 more. It has a nearly identical form factor and mass with a much better beam. On the low-end, the Petzl Tikkina offers better all-around performance at 33% lower cost.
— Jediah Porter and RJ Spurrier
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