Mammut X-Shot Headlamp Review
April 15, 2015
84 The Good
- Tough, compact construction
- Good helmet compatibility
- User friendly with gloves
- The lamp housing rotates up past 90 degrees
- Can be mounted on a tripod for area lighting
The Bad
- Need to remove from head to see battery indicator
- Lacks a cable extension option
- No red light in the front for maintaining night vision
The Mammut X-Shot works stood up to rugged use well and provided ample lighting (200 lumens) for distant applications. The ability to reduce light output while still being bright enough to be useful allowed me to stretch out the battery life. The X-Shot works well for any outdoor activity that doesn’t require excessive lighting, yet is light enough for backpacking, and does provide quite a lot of light when needed.
The all-purpose Mammut X-Shot offers 5 lighting levels plus an emergency flash mode, two red light modes on the rear battery pack, and a 20 second boost mode when you need a quick burst of brighter light. The built-in lock switch requires a double push to turn the lamp on, which took some getting used to, but it prevented the headlamp from being turned on accidentally in a pack. The headlamp’s battery indicator lets you know how much power is left by thirds. The X-Shot weighs 5.3 ounces, which is relatively lightweight in this category.
Intuitiveness
Except for needing to push the button twice to turn it on, the Mammut X-Shot operated very intuitively. The battery case opens easily, headband adjusts with light effort, and lighting mode selection proved very straightforward.
Glove friendly
All of the above mentioned operations could be done with gloves on, although the button on the lamp is a little smaller than some of the other’s in this category.
Battery interchangeability
This headlamp uses 3 AAA batteries. A Li-Ion option, with an external and USB charger, would greatly improve its functionality in this area.
Helmet adaptability
The Mammut X-Shot is relatively lightweight and well balanced, and the longer strap allows stretch over helmets. It does not have a top strap but is light enough to not need it. The female threaded tripod screw is unique to this headlamp, giving it an adaptability advantage in this category.
Comfort
The lightweight, ergonomic design featuring a form-fit forehead area and occipital region helped make the X-Shot very comfortable. The front-to-back proportioning helped boost the comfort score.
Value
For the price this is a very competitively valuable headlamp. 5 lighting modes, rear lighting, adaptability options, and being lightweight all contributed to this rating.
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