Product Review: Foxelli Mx200 Headlamp

Foxelli MX200 Headlamp

I recently took a sunset hike that led me five miles deep into the woods as the night began to fall. The woods get dark in a hurry and I was happy to have my Foxelli MX200 Headlamp. This small, compact, and rechargeable headlamp gave me enough light to make it through the night hike and I wanted to share my thoughts on it.

Disclaimer: Foxelli sent me a few of their headlamps to review with the understanding that I would give an honest review. I have added a couple of the Foxelli headlamps to my Amazon Storefront and purchases made through that storefront could lead to me receiving a small commission. I have not received any direct compensation for this review and my opinions about the product are my own.

Specs for the Foxelli MX200 Headlamp

According to the Foxelli website the MX200 Headlamp is a “High-Tech, USB rechargeable headlamp that was specially designed for professional sport enthusiasts as well as everyday users to help in any complex environment.”

I found the small size and weight and seperate options of light colors to be pluses but before I get into a more in-depth review, here are the technical specs of the headlamp from Foxelli.

Spec Sheet*
Cost:	$27.97
Product Colors	Black, White, Pink, Blue, Green Khaki, Yellow, Spotted, Forest
Light Options	White, Red, Strobe, SOS
Tilt	Up to 45 degrees
Lumen	180
Battery	Rechargeable 1200 MAH lasts up to 40 hours
Weight	2.4 ounces
Waterproofing	IPX5 Rating – Rated against splash or spray from any angle

What I liked

There was a lot to like about the Foxelli MX200 Headlamp. It is a very small and compact headlamp that provides a good amount of illumination. The band is also flexible and comfortable and allows for an adjustable tilt. The options of both white and red light is also a very nice feature.

Size

The headlamp is very compact for the amount of light that it produces. At 2.4 ounces you can barely tell that it is in your pack when not in use and on your head it is nice and light. The main body of the lamp is 2.25 inches wide, 1.5 inches tall, and 1 inch deep so the light doesn’t take up much space either. I have found the band wraps up nicely for storage but still has enough stretch to fit on my fairly large 22.5 inch head with plenty of room to spare.

Comfort

That brings me directly to the comfort of the band. I found the Foxelli band easy to manipulate and quickly size to my head. I wore this headlamp directly from the box and I waited a bit too long to put it on so it was already starting to get dark. Even as it was getting dark it was easy to fit. The band has enough flexibility to be comfortable but is also tight enough to keep the lamp exactly where it needs to be. I forgot I was wearing the band after a few minutes. It was that comfortable.

Light quality

There are different settings on the headlamp that were available. In white light there was a High, Low, and Strobe. The strobe works fine but I didn’t use it on my hike. I stuck with mostly the high and low settings. Foxelli rates their high at 180 lumens which provides light for 25 meters and their low 50 lumens which provides light for 10 meters.

I found both of the high and low levels to work really well. I used the low setting most of the time because I wasn’t 100% sure on battery life but did alternate between the high and low a bit. Both beams were solid and directional. I found that the effective light throw was about 8-10 feet on the low beam and maybe up to 15-20 on the high beam. Now by effective light throw I would say that I could see details at those distances. Also, I wasn’t in a lab but in a forest setting with trees and bushes and a trail cutting through. So that caused the light quality to be diminished by the shadows of what I was looking at.

That being said I could pick out branches and rocks on the trail from 8-10 feet in front of me with a good amount of confidence. Could I see shapes further? Yes. If I got in a clearing the light would go down the hill a ways. I also got some good eye shine off a deer from about 40 feet away. While I couldn’t see the body of the deer clearly until I got a little closer I definitely saw those spooky eyes.

This won’t be like the high beam on a ships bow in the the ocean but it is an effective light for seeing and identifying your surroundings in the woods.

Battery Life

Foxelli says that the MX200 Headlamp will fully charge in four hours. It says that a fully charged battery will last 40 hours. But the 40 hours is only if you use the 15 lumen red light. For the high power white light you can expect 5 hours of use and at low power 10 hours.

I was a bit concerned as this was my first rechargeable headlamp experience of the battery lasting. I did not even get a flicker of dimming in the 2-2.5 hours that I hiked in the dark with it. The light stayed fully powered and as bright as advertised.

Now some things to consider with any type of battery is that extreme cold will diminish battery time. It only got down into the upper 50’s on the night of my test hike. I wasn’t able to test if cold had an effect.

I did find that the lamp did charge quickly and easily.

What I didn’t Like

Well I lose my blogger card if I don’t find something that I didn’t like about an item I am reviewing so here it goes. A couple of things that I didn’t like about the Foxelli MX200 headlamp were: Not knowing how much charge was available and the function to switch to red light mode.

I would love to have some sort of led indicator on battery life. If I am about to do a hike and I’m only at 25% battery that would be good to know. I honestly have no idea where they could put such an indicator and keep the lamp small though. Maybe a hold down and test button that lights up LED lights? I haven’t seen this on any other headlamps that I have tried either.

To switch the Foxelli MX200 into Red Light mode you have to hold down the main light button for 1.5 seconds. Once you have switched to red light mode then depressing the button alternates between red and SOS. You then need to hold it down again for 1.5 seconds to get back to white light mode. Not the end of the world but something I found a little clunky when first turning on the light. I know this is different in some other models that Foxelli has.

Neither issue is that big of a deal and are more of a feature request than a functional problem.

Quick Video Review

After my first hike with the Foxelli MX200 I made this quick video recap of how it went.

Wrap up of Foxelli Mx200 Headlamp

I thought that the Foxelli MX200 Headlamp was a great little headlamp. It gave me a lot of good light in the area’s that I needed to see. I also liked the adjustable pitch of the lamp. I was hiking in hilly terrain and it was important to be able to adjust the angle to make sure it was hitting the ground in front of me. The light was strong and did not dim in a 5 mile hike and was as strong when I started as when I finished.

I also liked having the two options of light intensity. While passing a couple of people who were out it was like turning down the bright lights in a car when someone is coming towards you. I didn’t really use the red light at all. It was dim and with the unpredictable terrain I felt I needed more light to stay safe.

Overall I really liked this light. From performance to comfort and ease of use it is a very effective headlamp. It also is light weight so I think runners, bikers, and other athletes will enjoy that it isn’t going to weigh you down during your workout. Finally being rechargeable means I never have to go searching for batteries or hope that they don’t get lost in the pack somewhere. Overall I think this would be a good purchase for those looking to expand into some outdoor night activities.

More from the Fatman

If you like this review, you can see other products I have reviewed on my Product Review Page. If you have any items you would like me to review or any comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!