Energizer Vision HD+ Focus Headlight Review
I have been searching for a decent headtorch (the word headlight, for me, conjures up the main front lights on a car) for quite some time now. I have bought a few cheap ones from China, always with the anticipation that they will meet my needs but they always fail to do so. Most are of a very poor build quality with the on/off switch being the worst culprit - sometimes it will work and most times only sporadically which, when wading in the dark over shallow reefs, the need for 'instant' light is very important.
My personal needs in a headtorch are quite basic: I need a 'red' light so I can change lures without having that momentary blindness when switching of a normal 'white' light. Red light is easy on the eyes and will not spook close-in jittery fish; and, if you are fishing a 'secret' mark, will not alert others to your location (for some anglers their 'mark' is a well guarded secret).
One of the main problems with headtorches is that the on/off button has to be pressed several times to cycle through the various option to get to the type of light that you desire - and which angler needs that very annoying 'flashing' mode?
After doing some serious research on the Internet I came across a headtorch that met my needs entirely without breaking the bank. I must admit that I was very surprised to find one. Actually it was even better than I thought it could be. I'm referring to the Energizer Vision HD+ Focus Headlight.
Energizer Vision HD+ Focus Headlight
There are a couple of things I really appreciate about this headtorch. One being that the 'red light' is the first to activate when the on/off button is pressed. I always switch off my headtorch when fishing so as not to spook any fish that might be nearby and when I want to change lures it is great that with the first press of the on/off button I have the 'red light' that I need - no cycling through 3 or 4 light options and especially that very annoying flashing mode!
The other thing I like is that there is a 3 or 4 second timer built into the on/off switch. First press, red light, next press (withing the 3 or 4 seconds of the timer) gives 'high beam white light', next quick press give 'low beam white light'. Wait more than the 3 or 4 seconds and the next press switches the light off - just brilliant!
Actually the headtorch has 2 buttons. The right one is the main on/off switch whereas the left button, when held down will slowly and smoothly, cycle through various levels of brightness and numbers of lamps lit. When the button is released it will remember the setting and when the button is pressed again it will remember the last state giving you the level of light that you 'programmed' previously. Energizer call this 'Focus'. I'm not entirely sure about that, as to my untrained eye, I didn't see any difference in focus only in the amount of light the torch was giving out - which for me is just what I need as I can press the left button when I need that preset amount of light without having to cycle through the different modes to get to the light setting that I will need for specific circumstances.
Here are the specifications as listed on their website:
PRODUCT SPECS
- 3 white LEDs
- 2 red LEDs
- Spot & Area light modes
- Digital Focus
- Dimming
- Next push off
- Adjustable elastic headband
- Pivoting head
- Shatter proof lens
- Weatherproof
- Survives a 1 meter drop
- Designed to last 15 years
- 3 x AAA Alkaline batteries included
- New and improved vs. previous range, Up to 4X brighter vs. ordinary LED's
What impressed me was the certification of its ability to survive a fall; that it is water resistant and it has been designed to last - unlike the cheap ones from China found on eBay. I also like the fact that it is not a mobile spot lamp which lights up the entire area for miles around. With a stated 250 Lumens it is plenty powerful enough for my fishing needs.
Now that I have given it loads of praise it is time to address a little design flaw.
I reckon that the shape of my forehead is average in that it does not have any slope but fairly flat and perpendicular. The problem I had with this Energizer Headlamp was that it's normal position points the beam on a near parallel trajectory with the ground with the next click setting pointing the beam about 2 meters ahead, which for my needs was too close to be useful whilst walking over an open clear area. I needed the beam to point about 5 meters ahead, with a good spread of light to allow me to walk at a good pace. The closer beam angle (the first click stop) is fine for traversing rough ground and rocks where you need to walk slower and more methodically and is also just right for changing lures (with the 'red' light). So I had to modify the torch a little to achieve my desired needs for walking over open ground.
Headtorch Modification
You can see in the above photo that I have installed 2 small [yellow] rubber grommets which limit the resting point of the torch's standard (closed) position (there are 4 click stops to give a variety of beam positions).
I simply determined the best place for the grommets to sit and drilled 2 small holes which allowed me to insert the grommets in place. I then trimmed the length of the grommet's spikes to a length that gave me the desired angle giving the beam a distance of about 5 meters at it's standard position.
Source of Rubber Grommets
In the photo above you can see where I managed to source the grommets. It is a diaphragm made for escape masks. I simply cut off 2 of the spikes and trimmed them to shape. They fit nicely on the torch and I don't even feel them whilst wearing it.
It is a bit of a shame that Energizer didn't make the click stops finer in their adjustments. Never mind though as I now have a headtorch, or should I say headlight that meets all of my needs.
Tight lines!
