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
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 | $19 List | $19.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $19.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $25 List | $24.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Attractive price, good flood lighting, easy to use | Super easy to use, inexpensive, solid performance, compact, and reliable | Lightweight, small size, excellent flood beam, great price | Light, small, relatively inexpensive, good battery life | Thoughtfully designed for use by young kids, child-proof battery area, not too bright, fun color option |
| Cons | Below average spot beam, below average quality | Good but not great spot beam for trail finding, slightly below average flood beam optics | Too weak a beam for trail finding or distance viewing | Below average lighting | Not a great light for grown-ups or even older kids, poor battery life |
| Bottom Line | Good enough performance, at a good price, but the Tikkina is a better long-term value | For $20, the Tikkina offers impressive performance at a great price, that will meet most people's needs | Offers great close proximity lighting at a budget price | A good quality & lightweight product, but wedged in between the ultralight e+LITE, and the better Tikkina | A reasonably priced light that is our Top Pick for Kids |
| Rating Categories | Energizer Vision HD | Petzl Tikkina | Black Diamond Astro | Black Diamond Ion | Black Diamond Wiz |
| Trail Finding (35%) | |||||
| Close Proximity (20%) | |||||
| Battery Life (15%) | |||||
| Weight (15%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Energizer Vision HD | Petzl Tikkina | Black Diamond Astro | Black Diamond Ion | Black Diamond Wiz |
| Measured Beam Distance | 45 m | 62 m | 38 m | 44 m | 7 m |
| Claimed Distance | 40 m | 55 m | 35 m | 38 m | 20 m |
| Measured High Mode Run-time (ANSI) | 8.7 hrs | 3.5 hrs | 4.8 hrs | 7.4 hrs | 3.3 hrs |
| Claimed High Mode Run-time | 8 hrs | 60 hrs | 20 hrs | 6 hrs | 5 hrs |
| Measured Low Mode Run-time | 74 hrs | 223 hrs | 95 hrs | 115 hrs | 3.3 hrs |
| Claimed Low Mode Run-time | 8 hrs | 220 hrs | 80 hrs | 180 hrs | 120 hrs |
| Measured Weight | 3.1 oz, 89 g | 2.9 oz, 83 g | 3 oz, 86 g | 1.9 oz, 53 g | 2.3 oz, 65 g |
| Battery Type | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 3 AAA | 2 AAA | 2 AAA |
| Water Resistance | water resistant | IPX4 splash proof | IPX4 splash proof | IPX8 waterproof beyond one meter | IPX4 splash proof |
| Manuf Claimed Lumens | 180 lumens | 150 lumens | 150 lumens | 100 lumens | 30 lumens |
| Beam Type | flood/spot | flood | flood, dimmable | flood/spot | flood |
| Red Light | no | no | no | yes | kids multi-color |
| On Switch Lock | no | no | yes | no | no, 2 hr auto-shutoff |
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
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