Black Diamond Flare & Spot 400-R

[@surfearth1]

I bought the spot 400 “dual fuel” model thinking I was purchasing a lamp with a rechargeable battery built-in. However, it does not come with an internal battery pack nor a removable rechargeable battery pack. You have to purchase a $30 battery pack separately. With the battery pack you ou have to plug the power cord into the battery itself and not the lamp housing. Which means you cannot use it while charging like the “R” version. However, it does allow you to use alkaline batteries as well. So, having options is great. You could buy an additional battery pack as well if so inclined so you could charge one while using the other. The ideal light for me would be the storm with 500 lumen, a dual fuel system BUT instead of charging by only plugging into the battery you ALSO have the option to plug and charge directly into the headlamp so you could not only use and charge lamp but also charge a spare battery while OUT of the housing as well. I like the idea of the swappable battery because I assume the battery will fail before the light… also having the blue light to track blood trails is ideal for hunters.

[@GREYWOLFbackcountry]

Yeah, the blue light feature for hunters is really good. That said, I honestly believe Black Diamond should consider a hunter specific model where they can provide features and benefits specific to that demographic. Maybe it’ll be similar to backpacking, but I suspect it won’t be. Re: the dual fuel, that 100% crossed my mind. I suppose if we’re making wish-lists, I’d like the internal battery to be serviceable somehow, but I also wonder if Black Diamond might be willing to offer some sort of warranty if the battery fails or looses capacity sooner than anticipated. Thanks fully I’ve never had to explore Black Diamond’s warranty department before, but I’ve spoken with their service department before and everyone always seems legit.

[@stromi9032]

Thanks I was looking for 400 or 400r and ur video told me to get 400 because I wanna to have the battery backup :-)

[@GREYWOLFbackcountry]

Hey, please accept my apology for the ridiculously delayed reply! I’ve honestly been putting more effort into the other GREYWOLF channels lately and I had a big project for the ‘Bike’ channel which had to be cancelled due to wildfires where I was going to post some content here. Such is life. Anyway, I’m glad the video helped. Happy trails! :)

[@jameslopena3973]

Hi, is it possible to power on to red light in the BD Spot-R without cycling through white light? I know it remembers last mode during power on but can you go directly to red light? On the Storm-R it can be done by holding mode button from powered off state

[@GREYWOLFbackcountry]

Hey, I have no idea but I didn’t get any alerts for your comment and someone else’s. I’m sure you’ve already found your answer but on the off chance you haven’t, so the best of my recollection - yes. In fact, I recall it being a lot easier on the Spot 400-R than the previous generation as there are now two buttons on the top.

[@Joemakatozi1776]

For the life of me I cannot remove the back battery cover of the Flare

[@GREYWOLFbackcountry]

Oh man! I keep the Flare buried in my mini first aid kit, so it’s not immediately accessible, but my first thought is perhaps yours was over tightened from the factory. I remember playing around with mine during filming and did not experience any difficulty. If your retailer is good, perhaps consider exchanging it or contacting Black Diamond Customer Service for after sales support.