Energizer Vision HD Review
Good enough performance, at a good price, but the Tikkina is a better long-term value
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Price: $19 List | $10.79 at Amazon
Pros: Attractive price, good flood lighting, easy to use
Cons: Below average spot beam, below average quality
Manufacturer: Energizer
Cons: Below average spot beam, below average quality
Manufacturer: Energizer
By RJ Spurrier ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ May 28, 2018
Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more
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Our Verdict
The Energizer Vision HD is a low-cost light that provides good close proximity beam quality and reasonable overall performance. The Petzl Tikkina, offers a better value in the long-run with better performance on multiple counts, and overall better construction quality.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Energizer Vision HD | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $10.79 at Amazon | $89.00 at Amazon | $50 List | $26.00 at Backcountry | $28.74 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Attractive price, good flood lighting, easy to use | Bright wide beam, good battery life, durable design, rechargeable | Excellent trail finding and close proximity beam, waterproof, above average battery life | Excellent spot light capability, wide evenly lit flood beam, above average in most ways | Excellent brightness and beam control, often available online at discount |
| Cons | Below average spot beam, below average quality | Expensive, 18650 Li-ion battery is not included, heavier than average | More expensive, heavier than average, claimed battery life is very misleading | Below average battery life, claimed battery life is wildly misleading, single button hard to use, lame waterproofing | Average battery life, heavier and bulkier than most |
| Bottom Line | A good light, but not great, sold at an attractive price, but the Tikkina is a better value | A stunningly bright light that offers impressive battery life. If you can afford it, it won't disappoint | You can't go wrong with the Storm, high performance, quality optics, and durable design | Offering excellent optics, a bright wide beam, and strong performance for the price, the Spot is one of our favorites | We used to love the Coast, but competing lights have stepped up, while the HL7 is unchanged |
| Rating Categories | Energizer Vision HD | Zebralight H600w Mk IV | Black Diamond Storm | Black Diamond Spot | Coast HL7 |
| Trail Finding (35%) | |||||
| Close Proximity (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Energizer Vision HD | Zebralight H600w... | Black Diamond Storm | Black Diamond Spot | Coast HL7 |
| Measured Beam Distance | 45 m | 121 m | 91 m | 94 m | 112 m |
| Claimed Distance | 40 m | Not specified | 85 m | 80 m | 119 m |
| Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI) | 8.7 hrs | 3.1 hrs | 5 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 3.1 hrs |
| Claimed High Mode Run-time | 8 hrs | 2.9 hrs | 40 hrs | 30 hrs | 1.5 hrs |
| Measured Low Mode Run-time | 74 hrs | 232 hrs | 42 hrs | 9.7 hrs | 25 hrs |
| Claimed Low Mode Run-time | 8 hrs | 203 hrs | 120 hrs | 175 hrs | 70 hrs |
| Measured Weight | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 4.5 oz, 127 g | 4 oz, 112 g | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 4.5 oz, 127 g |
| Battery Type | 3 AAA | 18650 rechargeable Li-ion | 4 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA |
| Water Resistance | water resistant | IPX8 waterproof to 2 meters, 30 minutes | IP67 waterproof to one meter and dustproof | Splash proof (dubious IPX8 claim) | water resistant |
| Manuf Claimed Lumens | 180 lumens | 1400 lumens | 350 lumens | 300 lumens | 285 lumens |
| Beam Type | flood/spot | flood | flood/spot | flood/spot | flood/spot |
| Red Light | no | no | yes, red/green/blue night-vision modes | yes | no |
| On Switch Lock | no | yes (tailcap lockout) | yes | yes | no |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
In a competitive field, this product, which almost seems like an afterthought from a huge battery manufacturer, actually has some attributes to offer potential customers.
Performance Comparison
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Trail Finding
The trail finding score for this headlamp is well below average at 3 of 10.
Beam Distance Photos
Energizer Vision HD
Petzl Tikkina
Close Proximity
The Energizer's close proximity score falls right in the middle of the pack because it casts an even beam; it's just not very wide. If close proximity is very important to you, check out the Black Diamond Gizmo ($20), which scored very high in this metric and has a long battery life.
Battery Life
The battery life score is surprisingly good. It has an ANSI measured high mode run time of 8.7 hours and a pretty good 74 hours in low-mode. These are solid run-time numbers, but the low-mode run-time pales when compared to the similarly priced Petzl Tikkina which delivered an amazing 223 hours in low mode.
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Weight
At 3.1 ounces or 89 grams, this is lamp is toward the lighter end of the spectrum.
Ease of Use
This headlamp earned one of the highest ease-of-use scores. For infrequent headlamp users, it's nice to have a light that is intuitive and doesn't require learning the various features. It is also manageable even with gloves.
It must be pointed out that this light is by far the most troublesome when it comes to inadvertently turning on. Almost more often than not, we'd find it turned on in our pack. The switch has no lock mode and the large button seems more vulnerable than most to bumping and jostling.
Photo: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
If you're on a budget, this is a very functional headlamp that is offered at an attractive $19 list price. We think the $20 list Petzl Tikkina offers a better value though, both in the near term due to stronger performance, and in the long-run due to better quality and durability.
— RJ Spurrier