Re: headlamps

The Icon is a good lamp, very similar to the BD Spot I have with a couple of exceptions. The 3 watt spotlight LED is the same as the Spot, while the Icon has 4 flood LEDs vs the 3 that the Spot has. Second difference is that the Spot takes AAA batteries, while the Icon takes either AAs or a rechargeable NiMH pack. The result of that is that the Spot is much much lighter than the Icon. The Icon's battery pack sits on the back of your head. At 6.6 ounces, this could get tiring if you were out for a long run or on a long night-time hike. Considering the very long life that I seem to be getting out of the Spot's AAA batteries (well over 100 hours for the first and second - still going - set of batteries), I would choose the Spot. I have a couple of headlamps that are similar to the Icon, and I have found the battery pack on the back of the head annoying.