Energizer Vision HD Review

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

Trail Finding

The trail finding score for this headlamp is well below average at 3 of 10.

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.

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.

Conclusion

If you're on a budget, this is a very functional headlamp that is offered at an attractive $18 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.