A headlamp made for runners, featuring the Trail Runner 2 the Swedish manufacturer Silva

Specifications and features:

* Headband width 30 mm
* 3 batteries / AAA size batteries as a power supply
* Lamp (front) and battery compartment (rear) are spatially separated
* Two brightness levels: maximum 1.12 W, 0.25 W minimum
* Luminous flux 140 lumens (max)
* Weight with 3 batteries Eneloop 124 g
* Battery life max. Brightness approx 2:45
* Burn time min. Brightness approx 13:20
* Price: approximately 69, - EUR in stores

The advantages:

+ Cheap weight distribution
+ Waterproof (IPX6)
+ Good illumination in the near and far fields simultaneously by two lit LEDs
+ Good build quality
+ Headband removable to wash it in the machine
+ Headband is slipping by silicone strips

Disadvantage:

- Rechargeable batteries and charger are required for frequent use

Light and batteries

If you already have AAA rechargeable batteries and a charger in the house, the disadvantage is not so significant. Disposable batteries are permanently in any case the worst and most expensive choice for a headlamp that you want to use for jogging.

Batteries can be charged fully before the race, so you go experienced no unpleasant surprises such as by dead batteries. The Eneloops used have worked well for years. They have a low self-discharge and can be quickly loaded with 500 mA. When charger you should choose one with delta-peak detection and individual cell charging, z. B. the BC 900 or the successor to BC 1000. The battery life and the reliability of so much more.

The special feature of the Trail Runner 2 is the light distribution. Both the distance and the near range are equally well illuminates. The manufacturer calls this feature Intelligent Light. This is achieved by two simultaneously lit LEDs:

A closely Focused high-power LED for the long range.
A semi-high-power LED, whose light is widely scattered for close range.

The lamp body has cooling fins on the rear side, because LEDs generate waste heat which should be removed in order not to endanger the life of the expensive LEDs.

Headband

The headband is indeed only a detail of the lamp, but also important. With 30 mm, it is comparatively wide. There is very conveniently located and not suppressed. The seated on the headlamp is lightweight and does not wobble when running. The battery box weighs more and in the first run I had at the beginning of the feeling that he would wobble, but after 3 minutes, it occurred to me at least is no longer, so low it was.

Interior has the tape at the center a circumferential silicone bead that causes an extreme high friction on the skin. The headband can not slip handy.

All fixtures through which the headband runs, have a slot, so that the electrical parts are completely removable to wash the headband at intervals once.

Antiglare

In a particularly detailed assessment Amazon and also in a forum post has been described that the lamp would slightly dazzled.

I have tested this in a night run through pitch-dark roads. In addition I have first installed a strip of scotch tape as glare protection on the underside of the lamp housing.

The first half of my running distance I was with antiglare go. After that I just pulled off the strip to get a direct comparison.

The anti-glare displays, in fact effect. You hardly that one carries a lamp on his forehead. So the Amazon reviewer was right, suggesting a weak construction output? I could not believe it, especially as the lamp but otherwise leaves a so thoughtful impression.

Removing the tape brought enlightenment in the true sense of the word. First of all, you have to admit that one always has a little feel without antiglare that over your head seems the bright moon. And yes, the nose and eyebrows appear much brighter than before. But even the way directly before the feet is markedly more illuminated. The slightly greater brightness immediately before the eyes of the pupils draw together. As with the narrowed diaphragm of a camera which leads to an increased visual acuity at least subjectively. It seems that the designer has done his homework after all. In the future, I will use the headlamp rather just without shade band.

Processing

The level of quality is expected to be high. The lamp meets this requirement. All parts fit together well. At the plastic parts hardly burrs are discovering. The inclination of the radiator can be adjusted very sensitively continuously. All in all, creates confidence in a reliable and permanent functioning technical device.

Conclusion

If you want to train during the winter months from time to time in the dark, requires a well-functioning headlamp. With Silva Trail Runner 2, the manufacturer provides a lamp that has been optimized for this purpose. In the test, it turned out to be absolutely practicable. An investment that will pay off quickly for ambitious runners.