Fenix HP25R vs Black Diamond Iota

The Fenix HP25R is a great Headlamp for its $84 asking price.

The Black Diamond Iota, however, while a reasonable product for $24, doesn't stack up against its competitors quite as well. If you're considering Headlamps in the $20 range, you might want to check out some better options.

The Fenix HP25R was loved by reviewers at OutdoorGearLab, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "The Hunt for the Best Headlamps" roundup where it was named its "Best for Brightness", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

As for the Black Diamond Iota - OutdoorGearLab, a source that conducts reliable hands-on testing, has featured it in its The Hunt for the Best Headlamps roundup. However, it didn't make it to any of the top spots.

When we thoroughly analyzed their review scores, we learned that all of the sources that tested both Headlamps, including OutdoorGearLab, preferred the Fenix HP25R over the Black Diamond Iota.

We also took a look at which sources they managed to impress the most. The Fenix HP25R was liked best by OutdoorGearLab, which gave it a score of 9, while the Black Diamond Iota got its highest, 8, score from OutdoorGearLab.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Headlamps on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Headlamps being 6.0 out of 10, whereas the Fenix HP25R and Black Diamond Iota managed averages of 9.0 and 8.0 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Fenix HP25R vs. Black Diamond Iota comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.