I like this bold little light: it’s comfortable to wear and has a nice bright beam. It also has some usability issues.
Lightweight & Comfortable
I’ll start with my likes. The Biolite 200 Headlamp is ultra lightweight, rechargeable with an included micro USB cord, and easily adjustable for a custom fit. The front section of the headband is wider than the rest of the band and encapsulates the light housing. The result of this design: the light is more comfortable to wear for longer periods of time than some of my other headlamps. The wide band sits flat around my forehead and the weight of the light is distributed along the band rather than just at the center of the band. It helps that the light housing is incredibly lightweight. The back of the headband has a reflective strip for added visability.
The housing position is fairly easy to adjust (with three different settings for placement) so I can direct the light where I need it. The housing is a little clacky, but so far has been more durable than it looks or feels. My doubts were assuaged by how comfortable the ultra lightweight housing is.
The headband is also designed to wick moisture, which I found quite handy since I heat up very fast when I’m active, and can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
Powerful Beam
I use the Biolite 200 Headlamp for night walks/hikes and for night swims. (The 200 refers to 200 lumens.) In all cases, I need a strong, solid beam of light. I feel like the Biolite delivers that. In “White Spot” mode it casts a beam in front of me when walking that illuminates my path. Up close, I can see everything in my swim bag for fast identification when I’m transitioning out of my wetsuit and into dry clothing.
The Biolite 200 Headlamp also has three other modes: Red Flood, Red Strobe, and White Strobe. The light is quite bright in all modes, although the Red Flood light is much weaker beam than the White Spot mode. I most often used the White Strobe mode, but sometimes wear the light backwards on my head in one of the red mods so that approaching cards see me (I live in a neighborhood with no sidewalks, so being visible at night is essential). I also wear it for night fishing when I need hands-free light to change jigs.
Fully charged, Biolite claims that the light lasts from three hours to forty hours, depending on which settings are used. It holds power pretty well because I’ve been using it for a few months, and have only charged it once, maybe twice. To be honest, I don’t really pay attention to charging it even though I have the option of using the power button to determine how much power is left in the light. The headlamp lives in a basket by my front door, so I grab it when I go out.
Cognitive Overload
Now, a few user issues…
I’m used to grabbing gear out of its packaging and using it on the spot. I can almost always figure it out. Not with the Biolite 200. Even after reading the instructions I had a hard time getting the light to do what I wanted to do: turn it on to the white beam for a night walk. After reading the instructions, I was able to understand how to turn the light off and on (hold the button down for eight seconds). Great.
Next, I tried to select the primary mode: a white beam (called White Spot). I couldn’t do it. The button is very small, and I found that I had to hit it just right on the top of the button. Too small of a target for my fingers. Frustrated, I watched Biolite’s short instructional video on YouTube. It’s quite helpful but still too much cognitive load to have everything controlled by a single, small button.
Another concern: the Biolite 200 departs from what I consider standard design patterns for a light: start with low white beam, click up to high white beam, then continue clicking for red modes or use a dial or separate button to use red modes. The Biolite starts with a red mode, then alternates red/white twice, totaling four modes. I found that very confusing because I just wanted to turn it on and use the primary white beam.
The Biolite 200 has four modes. One click is Red Flood, two clicks is White Spot, three clicks is Red Strobe, and four clicks is White Strobe. Five clicks shuts off the light. I have an incredibly hard time clicking through the modes and having the correct mode show up to match my clicks. Maybe other people have an easier time with this.
Versatile and Sustainable
In spite of its usability challenges, I love this headlamp (and it has become my one I reach for first) because it is so comfortable to wear, it’s extremely lightweight, and I like the funky style of a retro low tech housing neatly tucked into a modern, tech fabric headband.
I also love that I never have to buy batteries again. They’re expensive and terrible for the environment. Whether I’m out for an evening adventure, a day trip, or on vacation, I can easily charge the Biolite 200 via my laptop or even a pocket charger.
Available in blue, red, and black. (See our review of Biolite 750 Headlamp.)
Bottom Line
A lightweight headlamp that throws a big beam of light. Perfect for after-dark activities.
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