Silva Free 1200 XS headlamp review: a customizable modular design and a pleasing natural glow

Meet the reviewer

Claire Maxted

Claire is one of our leading trail running experts. The co-founder and former editor of Trail Running magazine now runs her own YouTube channel and loves nothing more than hitting the trails. She’s tested countless trail running shoes in her time and knows a good pair when she sees one.

Silva Free 1200 XS headlamp: first impressions

This modular headlamp design of the Silva Free 1200 XS  is a very interesting new concept for Silva. Both the lamp and the battery can be unclipped from the headband, so that you can mount them instead on a helmet or on your bike frame. The headband is also compatible with other bigger batteries and brighter lights in the Silva Free range; just clip in the combination you want; there are three lights and four batteries that can be bought individually.

There’s also the option use a 40cm or 130cm extension cable for the battery, if you don’t want the battery weighing down the headband. The extension cable is a slim, flat ribbon of material that links into the rear of the headband so there’s no external plastic cable going directly  to the lamp. 

It’s a sleek design and everything clicks into place simply and easily.

The huge on/off button is unmissable even with thick hiking gloves on, but what stands out over all the other headlamps we’re testing this winter is the Intelligent Light. 

It’s more golden (like sunlight) than bright white which allows you to see more color and more clearly; and it combines a flood and spotlight to give you excellent light in the center of the trail which then feathers out either side. There’s no sharp cut-off line of light/dark around your peripheral vision that can bob up and down vexingly and make you feel sick after hour upon hour of ultra running. 

The 1,200 lumen setting is great for navigating and/or technical terrain; 500 lumens is plenty for regular trail running; and 80 lumens is good for roads, very easy trails or emergency use. The runtimes are comparable with similarly specced top-end headlamps and the easily accessible on/off button for the red and red flashing LED at the rear of the headband is a super nice touch.

Silva Free 1200 XS headlamp: on the trails

We took the Silva Free 1200 XS for a spin on a night run with two other headlamps, the Moonlight BAD 800 and Petzl Swift RL 1100 and this is where we really noticed and appreciated the Silva's Intelligent Lighting and sleek design. 

On changing to the Moonlight BAD 800 we really noticed the sharp cut-off between light and dark bobbing around in our peripheral vision compared to the more feathered edges of the Silva Free 1200 XS. The Moonlight extension cable also isn’t as neat around the head and the 1m length was cumbersome with a running pack (though a useful length for carrying in a jacket pocket). 

Although the Petzl Swift RL boasts a 1,100 lumen max, this is only possible in Reactive Lighting mode, so you don’t quite know when you’re going to get it (in standard mode max is 700 lumens). Also the light it kicked out was a harsher blue/white, which wasn’t as easy to see with (especially in the reflecting rain) as the soft, golden sunlight of the Silva. 

We’re now seriously thinking of using the Silva 1200 with a larger battery for the ARC of Attrition 50-miler this January which will have a good 6-7 hours of darkness over tricky terrain with navigation while tired. 

Downsides – the headband is a bit more complicated to adjust on-the-fly with a triple loop system going on and the 40cm cable seems slightly too short to dangle down into certain running packs – 50cm-60cm would be a better option, with the 130cm useful for popping into a jacket pocket.

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