IS THE KNOG BILBY RUN 400 HEADTORCH ANY GOOD?

When I first took a look at a Knog headtorch, my doubts might have been similar to yours.

Sitting next to the classic-looking Petzl and Black Diamond head torches, it’s like looking at a Cybertruck for the first time. It’s different.

But once you learn about the Knog Bilby Run 400 and why they’ve done what they have, you start to appreciate the differences.

My biggest doubts about the Bilby headtorch were:

• would it feel weird on my head?
• will the USB input going to break?
• how easy is it to use?

I’ll address these concerns before going on to mention what I love about my new favourite trail running headtorch.

DOES IT FEEL WEIRD ON MY HEAD?

My previous headtorch never bothered me, but with a different kind of head strap I thought maybe they might be trying to be too fancy.

I do wear the Knog Bilby Run 400 with a hat on (backwards) most of the time, and have zero issues with it when it. The same goes without a hat, and no it won’t get tangled in your hair.

The head strap is made out of medical grade silicone and it’s cool how comfortable it feels around the whole head, and it’s easily adjustable. I’ve run up and down some technical terrain and had no issues with it slipping or bouncing.

IS THE USB INPUT GOING TO BREAK?

So far mine hasn’t broken, nor has anyone I know who has a Bilby 400. The unit is waterproof which makes it great. You’d have to be very aggressive to break it!

Note: The charging time is ~4 hours.

IS IT EASY TO USE?

If you go on an adventure before ever trying the head torch, it’s hard to use.

Why? Well there are two buttons and various settings.

I always tell people to spend a few minutes before going out on their first adventure playing with the settings.

Alternatively, read this this pdf guide from Knog, or watch this video:

Once you know how the thing works, the two-button system is easy. But if you’re going out cold turkey in the dark, no Bueno.

In short, just know that there are:

• There are 5 modes (Spot, wide, low, red, reading)
• Each mode has five brightness levels (max, high, medium, low)
• You can activate boost mode
• The light beam can be tilted up and down

I will say you most likely don’t need all the modes so it pays to download Mode Maker and delete the ones you don’t need (you can add them again at a later date).

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WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE KNOG BILBY RUN 400

NO CORD REQUIRED

I love that everything is becoming rechargeable these days…but crikey I’m not great at organising my cords. The Knog Bilby Run 400 plugs straight into your USB port…yay!

THE HEAD STRAP DOESN’T SLIP

I’ve never had any issues with previous head torches slipping, but this one doesn’t either which is great.

…and I think it doesn’t smell?

The band is made of medical grade silicone which is supposed to not smell. Traditional headtorch straps are made of some kind of elastic fabric, which can get smelly…but I can’t say anyone has ever told me wash the strap on their headtorch. Anyway, for someone who has no sense of smell (yeap, it’s true)…knowing this strap isn’t smelling is great!

THERE ARE SO MANY MODES!

This is overwhelming I mentioned above, and the simplicity of the usual headtorches is great. But the ability to be able to tilt the head beam up and down is amazing.

IT’S POCKET FRIENDLY

I like to travel light, and will stuff all the things I can in my pockets. I wasn’t sure how the Bilby would go being stuff in my pocket…but it works a charm when I put it in my Macpac Fast Track shorts.

IT’S EASY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAY IS UP AND DOWN

The biggest issue I had with my Led Lenser 6r torch is I’d often end up wearing the head torch upside down.

The Knog Bily Run 400 avoids that with the two buttons easily noticed on top of the torch. Or you can just feel for the reading light.

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WHO IS THE KNOG BILBY RUN 400 FOR?

• The trail runner who enjoys getting out on trails whenever they can
• Fastpackers who will be out for a few days, potentially arriving in the dark then want to rummage around huts without disturbing others (red light and a reading light are awesome
• Those who love new tech and companies trying something different

WHO IS IT NOT FOR?

If you’re running on the road all the time on well lit streets, you won’t need a torch that has up to 400 lumens and various settings. You can get away with torches that are much simpler and 250 lumens is more than enough.

That said, if you think your headtorch is going to get more use in the future, you can get the torch, turn off a bunch of the settings in ModeMaker to keep it simple for now. If in the future, you want to add them back in you easily can.

KNOG BILBY RUN 400 VS KNOG BILBY 400: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

There’s only one major difference, and that’s with the halo light you can turn on with the Bilby Run 400. This can be done because they use a transparent silicone head band, rather than the block colour or the Bilby 400. This is great for people to see you from behind.

WHERE TO BUY THE KNOG BILBY RUN 400?

If you’ve read this Knog Bilby Run 400 review and decide you want to buy one, the best options are:

• The Knog webste
• Macpac
• Amazon only seem to have the original Bilby?

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If you have any questions about the Knog Bilby Run 400 review, let me know in the comments below or email jub@churnewzealand.com

I do think this is one of the best headtorches for trail runners out there though.