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Nathan Nebula Fire

Nathan Nebula Fire

As a first year Running Free athlete I was fortunate enough to win a Nathan product in the yearly lottery.

Looking through all the Nathan products that are offered at Running Free it was hard to choose (so many choices) I already own three hydration vests and a headlamp.

I borrowed a teammates Nathan Zephyr Fire300 to see if I would like it. I didn’t like the feel of running with something in my hand, plus I recently bought two powerful handheld flash lights.

I decided you can never have enough headlamps (especially for the crazy 100 mile races) so I chose the blue Nathan Nebula Fire headlamp.

I tried a few short runs to check out the features and first thoughts. Here is a list of the features:

-Rechargeable headlamp designed for runners
-192 lumens with 5 lighting modes
-Run-Right Light™ combination of Spotlight & Floodlight
-RunWave™ technology to adjust settings touch-free
-Auto-Strobe™ communicates runner’s presence to drivers

Charging was a breeze with the included cable. Plug into computer or electrical wall socket (adapter not included)

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USB Charging cable

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USB Charging port

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing I noticed it was not very comfortable. My other headlamp (Petzl Tikka R+) has some extra padding and absorbent material. The Nathan Nebula Fire has nothing, just the plain strap.

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I started my run and changed the different settings. Low=16 lumens (22hrs), bright enough for running in town on the sidewalk so others will be able to see you. Med=80 lumens (7 hrs), this is the setting I would use on most trail runs. High=160 lumens (2hrs 30 min), this setting would be useful for a shorter distance run on technical trail. High=192 lumens (3 mins to heat and battery considerations), I would use this setting to impress my friends 🙂 Kills the battery to quickly and shortens the life of the led bulb.

I tried the runwave technology but I could’t figure out if it was working. When I waved my hand in front of the sensor, there was a brief moment of no light because my hand blocked the led. I never knew what setting I was on. Fortunately you can change the runwave option and manually switch between setting.

First impression – Nice bright headlamp with lots of features and very light weight, weighing only 3.1 oz

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The big test was pacing a friend on her Fatdog 120 race in Manning Park BC. I started pacing at 1:00 and set my Nathan Nebula Fire to the medium setting (80 lumens, 7 hours) I figured this would be bright enough and last long enough for sunrise. The brightness was perfect, I was able to see ahead and peripheral without any problems. However 4 hours into pacing the headlamp’s battery was done! Luckily I brought my Petzl Tikka R+ and a handheld flash light for back up. (Always be prepared for the worst)

Pros:

Light weight

Bright strong light

5 lumen settings

 

Cons:

Can’t change battery when dead

Not comfortable on forehead (need a hat or buff)

Personally don’t like the runwave setting

Expensive $100!!

 

Final though:

Good light from a great company, however I think it is on the expensive side. I love my Petzl Tikka R+ and it’s $20 cheaper and you can buy spare battery packs and has similar features as the Nathan Nebula Fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

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