Why We Chose The Nathan Neutron Fire RX Head Torch: Lightweight, low-profile and compact, packing plenty of punch for its size
It’s important to be able to see and be seen when out running at night. And whether you’re heading out on your regular post-work 5k or upping your evening training mileage ahead of an upcoming race, you’re likely to face additional challenges as the day wanes. Put simply, when pounding pavements or running along dimly-lit backstreets, vehicles and cyclists need to know you’re there.
US running brand Nathan’s Neutron Fire RX running headlamp has been designed with just these scenarios in mind. It has a 360-degree reflective headband and a 160-lumen light output (or up to 200 lumens in ‘sprint’ mode) with five different lighting options, plus an unusual side strobe function that can illuminate in red, green or blue.
Who Is The Nathan Neutron Fire RX Runners’ Headlamp For?
Well, it’s for runners, obviously. The compact, lightweight design has a low-profile light unit and a slimline headband to minimise weight and bulk in use. With a max burn time of 25+ hours, it’s suitable for even the longest late-evening runs but is also a great grab-and-go headlamp for shorter sessions. So that embraces everyone from 5k trundlers to aspiring marathoners. The side strobe function and reflective headband mean that you should stand out in the glare of oncoming vehicle headlights – though, unusually for a road running headlamp, there’s no rear red light to warn cars coming up behind you that you’re there.
With a 160-lumen output on ‘high’ setting and a crisp white light beam, it’ll serve most trail and fell runners well too. If you need even more illumination, you can switch to a 200-lumen ‘sprint’ mode, which gives you a short boost of high intensity white light. If you’re into fastpacking or ultralight backpacking, you might also be attracted by this headlamp’s low weight and small pack size.
Materials
The compact light unit and integrated battery compartment is nice and light, with a low-profile, rectangular design. The body of the lamp is plastic, as is the retaining bracket that attaches it to the elastic strap, but it all feels pretty sturdy. The strap itself provides 360 degrees of silvery reflective print for all-round visibility that shows up well in the glare of streetlamps or car headlights.
