BioLite Headlamp 425
Summary
The BioLite headlamp 425 is definitely a good option if you are looking for a mid range solid headlamp, with enough features for most outdoor adventures. It excels in comfort and battery life.
Pros
- Long battery life, big adventures
- Very comfortable
- Bright light
- Rear light for extra visibility
- Extended burn time with powerbank
- Versatile light modes
Cons
- Not completely waterproof
- Impracticle switching light modes
- Not for riding technical terrain with high speed
In this review, we will be evaluating the BioLite Headlamp 425, a popular headlamp option for outdoor enthusiasts.
For outdoor activities, a headlamp is essential gear. It’s hands-free (compared to a normal flash light), leaving your hands free for other tasks, and provides adjustable illumination for a range of activities. With a headlamp, you can navigate, stay safe, and make the most of your outdoor experience.
Whether you’re camping, hiking, fishing, or exploring, a headlamp can provide you with the illumination you need to navigate your surroundings safely and effectively. It’s also a great way to free up your hands for other tasks, whether you’re cooking dinner, setting up camp, or simply exploring the great outdoors.
We have thoroughly tested the new BioLite Headlamp 425 both in the lab and in the field.
Our review of the BioLite Headlamp 425 covers several key factors, including:
- Brightness
- Beam distance
- Battery life
- Weight and comfort
- Water resistance
- Light modes
- Durability
- Price
By providing an objective evaluation of these various aspects, we aim to help our readers decide if this headlamp is the right fit for their needs and preferences.
What it promises on the package: BioLite Headlamp 425
The BioLite 425 headlamp is one of the newest headlamp models from BioLite. It is part of a series of headlamps that includes the BioLite 325 and BioLite 800 Pro. The BioLite 425 is considered the middle model in the series and is designed specifically for outdoor adventures. It’s the successor of the BioLite headlamp 330 but with improved features such as increased battery life, increased brightness and a larger power button to operate the headlamp more easy.
Brightness
The BioLite headlamp 425 offers a maximum output of 425 lumens. That is when both the flood lens and the spot lens will shine together on maximum brightness.
A flood lens for a headlamp produces a wide, even beam of light that illuminates a broad area nearby. This is useful for tasks that require a lot of light spread out over a large area, such as reading or cooking.
A spot lens for a headlamp produces a narrow, focused beam of light that illuminates a small, specific area. This is useful for tasks that require a lot of light concentrated in one area, such as hiking on a trail or performing a task that requires close attention to detail.
The flood lens on maximum capacity is good for 125 lumens compared to 300 lumens for the spot lens.
On the lowest brightness the BioLite headlamp 425 will produce 5 lumens.
This means that the brightness of each spot and/or flood mode is dimmable to a brightness that is appropriate for your activity.
Beam distance
BioLite claims that the spot lens on maximum brightness should be able to reach 93 yards / 85 meters. This is almost the length of a football field.
The flood lens should bring light to the darkness up until 16 yards / 15 meters.
Battery life
The front unit with the spot and flood lenses is powered by a 1000 mAh Lithium-ion battery that is placed at the back of the headlamp. This back unit also contains a rear red light for extra visibility from behind.
The battery is rechargeable through USB-C.
On maximum brightness BioLite says that the headlamp 425 should last up till 4 hours. On the lowest brightness the battery life extends up to 60 hours. So every brightness that you will choose between the minimum and maximum brightness will give you burn time between 4 and 60 hours.
| Brightness | 5 lm | 425 lm |
| Burn time | 60 hr | 4 hr |
In addition you will still have 1 hour of reserve left with a brightness of 5 lumens.
If you need more burn time for bigger adventures, the BioLite headlamp 425 is equipped with Pass-Thru Charging. This allows you to connect an external powerbank to the battery unit of the headlamp while still using it for your activities.
Weight and comfort
When BioLite designed these headlamps they wanted to upgrade the concept of a headlamp. Get rid of the user’s pains and increase the gains. BioLite claims that their headlamps are the most comfortable on the market.
We took everything wrong with a headlamp – and fixed it. HeadLamp 425 delivers a nearly weightless feel, easy tilting, versatile light modes, and easy rechargeability.
BioLite
The BioLite headlamp 425 weighs 78 grams or 2,75 oz. It has an award winning 3D slim fit construction with moisture wicking capacities. Thanks to this design the headlamp should almost be unnoticeable for the one who is wearing it without slipping or bouncing.
Water resistance
The BioLite 425 has a waterproof rating IPX4.
The IPX4 rating means that the headlamp is water-resistant and can withstand splashes of water from any direction without being damaged.
This level of waterproofness ensures that the headlamp can be used safely in rain or humid conditions, making it ideal for activities like camping, hiking, fishing, or running.
It also means that the headlamp can withstand accidental spills or splashes without being damaged, giving you peace of mind and ensuring that the headlamp remains operational even in less-than-ideal conditions.
Light modes
You can select 5 different light modes on the BioLite headlamp 425:
- White spot (see further for instance trail when running)
- White flood (see close by but wide for instance when camping)
- Spot & flood (both far and wide for instance when biking)
- Red flood (reading or cooking at the campsite for instance)
- White Strobe (visibility from the front)
And in addition 2 light modes for the rear light
- Rear red strobe (visibility from the back)
- Rear red flood (visibility from the back saving battery)
Depending on the kind of activity and duration, you can select the appropriate light mode and further adjust the brightness within each mode.
You can also tilt the front leds in four different angles, depending on your kind of activity.
Durability
BioLite gives 1 year of warranty on its headlamps. In addition, given their HolyFit Guarantee you can use one of their headlamps for 30 days and if you don’t like it you can send it back and get a full refund.
Price
The BioLite Headlamp 425 is sold for 59.95,-
What it delivers: BioLite Headlamp 425 REVIEW
Our lab tests
Battery life test
We conducted a battery life test on the BioLite Headlamp 425 by leaving it on until it reached reserve mode and recorded the duration, and the results were quite impressive.
As mentioned earlier, according to BioLite the headlamp 425 should give you 4 hours burn time on max brightness (425 lm) and one hour of reserve with brightness of 5 lm.
During our battery lab test we recorded 4 hours 4 minutes and 30 seconds of burn time on maximum brightness. That’s almost +2% more burn time than promised by BioLite.
This test was done indoors under room temperature. Ofcourse, when you are on an outdoor adventure chances are high that you will also use it in much lower temperatures.
Therefore, we repeated the test but this time we placed the BioLite Headlamp 425 in… the fridge! This time we recorded a burn time that was a bit below the 4 hours but still we expected a much larger difference (only -5% compared to first test) in cold temperatures.
| BioLite | GPX Adventures Lab test (21°C / 70°F) | GPX Adventures Lab test (3°C / 37°F) | |
| Burn time (425 lm) | 4 hours | 4 hours 4 min | 3 hours 51 min |
| Burn time reserve mode (5 lm) | 1 hour | 2 hours 10 min | 2 hours 3 min |
| Charge time (full) | 1 hour 45 min |
Reserve mode
What was even more surprising was the burn time once the reserve mode was switched on. After burning on maximum brightness for 4 hours and 4 minutes, the headlamp switched to reserve mode automatically.
Before it does it will notify you that the battery is almost empty by flashing a few times. It started warning us 20 minutes beforehand, and repeated flashing a few times every 5 minutes until reserve mode finally was switched on.
The burn time in reserve mode that we recorded during our lab test was 2 hours and 10 minutes. That is +117% more than what the package says!
The battery life well exceeded our expectations and passed the test with ease. Even on maximum brightness the BioLite 425 will give you more than 4 hours of burn time which will already cover you on most of you outdoor adventures.
Pass-Tru charging
Thanks to the Pass-Tru Charging feature you can even expand burn time massively which will make it possible to take on the longest adventures such as adventure races for instance. Just simply connect a powerbank through the USB-C cable with the battery of the 425 headlamp and you are ready for extra hours of light.
However, we must mention that we noticed a reduction of brightness during our test. This means that the headlamp, even though it’s on max brightness mode, will not be shining 425 lumens during those 4 hours. We’ve checked this with BioLite and this was what they had to say:
Yes, the change in brightness you are noticing is a discharge curve, an industry-standard firmware experience designed to reduce brightness gradually as the eyes adjust and conserve battery life over time.
BioLite
So a lot of headlamps on the market are designed this way to extend the battery life and because your eyes adapt to the darkness. This means that the 425 headlamp will not be suitable for certain specific activities such as: night-hiking through a boulder field, backcountry skiing, mountain biking technical terrain with high speed,…
For those kind of activities BioLite made the headlamp 800 Pro. The BioLite headlamp 800 Pro has an extra feature called constant mode, which allows the user to stay on maximum brightness all the time without automatically dimming.
As we understand the concept of auto-regulated dimming, we still felt that the 425 rather dimmed quite fast. If you switch back to max brightness often, the battery life is drastically reduced. So keep in mind that it all depends on how you are planning to use it and what you want to use it for.
Score battery life:
Weight and Comfort test
The BioLite headlamp 425 weighs 81 gram or 2,85 oz according to our test. That is slightly more than what the package says (78 grams or 2,75 oz) but is probably due to deviation between scales.
Nevertheless, with only around 80 grams / 2,80 oz, this is a very light headlamp which enhances wearing comfort.
BioLite claims that their headlamps are so comfortable, you’ll forget you are wearing them. That is a pretty bold statement!
If there is any situation were you will make yourself feel comfortable, it is when you’re watching TV on the couch. Therefore, for our lab test we wore it for a couple of hours while watching TV on the couch. Curious if we would forget we were wearing it!
At the end of the evening we did not forget we were wearing the headlamp 425 BUT… it came close!
The 3D SlimFit construction really delivers in terms of comfort. It fits perfectly around the head without pressure points or too much tension around the head.
The combination of the 3D SlimFit construction, the thin front profile and the perfectly balanced battery on the back give this headlamp the comfort of a sweatband.
This is probably the most distinctive factor where the BioLite headlamp 425 stands out compared to its competitors such as Petzl Actik or Black Diamond Spot 400.
Score comfort:
Water Resistance Test
A headlamp with an IPX-4 waterproof rating is designed to be water-resistant, making it suitable for use in light rain or humid conditions. This level of waterproofness ensures that the headlamp can withstand splashes of water from any direction without being damaged.
However, it’s important to note that a headlamp with an IPX-4 rating is not fully waterproof and should not be submerged in water.
Although most headlamps on the market will have the same waterproof rating, we would expect some more waterproofness from an outdoor sports headlamp. This way you could even use it it the most wet conditions without any risks of damaging the device.
To test the waterproofness we’ve simulated and exposed the headlamp 425 to light rain for 30 minutes to check if it keeps working.
The BioLite headlamp 425 passed our test.
Score waterresistance:
Light modes test
The 425 is packed with different light modes that will cover a lot of outdoor situations. The light can be dimmed in every mode as well.
To switch between modes you need to press the on button on the led unit again with 0,5 seconds intervals after switching the headlamp on.
Although this works, switching between modes can sometimes be a bit impracticle because if you wait too long you will switch your headlamp off. You then need to switch it on again to change to another light mode.
Operating the headlamp with thick gloves can be a challenge as well.
Because there are several light modes it takes a while before you get to now the sequence of light modes.
Score light modes:
Our field tests
Brightness & Beam Distance test
Lumen and lux are terms that describe how bright a light is.
Lumen measures how much light is produced by a light source, no matter where it goes. A high lumen count means a bright light.
Lux measures how much of the light produced by a source actually hits a surface, like a wall or the ground. This measurement takes into account how far the light source is from the surface being lit.
To sum up, lumen tells you how bright the light is overall, while lux tells you how bright it is on a specific area.
In this case the brightness of the headlamp in terms of lumen is 425 lm. BioLite does not communicate about how many lux their headlamps produce.
However, in case of headlamps and flashlights it would be more logical to express brightness in lux because it tells us something about how well the device will be able to illuminate an object at a certain distance.
The results below are from a test on a pitch dark forest trail where we put the headlamp on maximum brightness in several light modes.
Although the 425 performs well, it’s doubtable that the headlamp has a reach of 93 yards / 85 meters.
Score brightness & beam distance:
Outdoor use
We’ve used this headlamp during camping trips, hikes, jogging, trail running and cycling to work.
During these activities we found that the BioLite headlamp 425 always delivered. What stands out most is definitely it’s comfort. The led unit and the battery unit on the back are perfectly balanced by the 3D SlimFit construction of the headband.
It fits perfectly around the head during these outdoor activities without bouncing.
Thanks to the moisture wicking material of the headband, the headlamp did not slip even during intensive activities such as trail running. In addition, the tissue of the 3D SlimFit headband has a very nice and soft touch on the skin.
The leds are very bright and powerful and the several different light modes with adjustable brightness gave us enough options to choose from in order to find the right settings for every activity.
The verdict: BioLite Headlamp 425 reviewed
The BioLite headlamp 425 is definitely a good option if you are looking for a mid range solid headlamp, with enough features for most outdoor adventures. It’s not the brightest headlamp on the market but comparing it with brighter ones would be unfair.
The 425 lumens will be more than sufficient for most outdoor adventures. However, when trails become more technical and the speed goes up, for instance when mountain biking, the 425 runs against its limits. For those kind of activities, the BioLite headlamp 800 Pro is a better option.
The BioLite headlamps are probably indeed the most comfortable on the market right now. Due to their slim design, light weight and award winning construction it feels like wearing a sweatband. This is probably the most distinctive factor where the BioLite headlamp 425 stands out compared to its competitors such as Petzl Actik or Black Diamond Spot 400.
If you have any questions about our BioLite Headlamp 425 review, please post them in a comment below.
