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Reviewer's
Impressions:
For their first LED headlamp, Energizer did a lot of things
right. They used lenses to increase the throw of the white
LEDs, they included a red LED to preserve night vision, and
they kept the batteries close to the head, allowing for adjustment
of the light source without changing the balance of the light.
Fit and finish are OK. Pretty typical of a mass produced
household light. A little marring and blemishes, dust, and
seam misalignments are found throughout. None of these have
any dramatic effect on operation of the light.
Quality / Durability / Construction are all fair. I would
not beat this thing against a brick wall if I needed it to
keep working. Strictly a light-duty use light.
Output is very good for 2 white LEDs. The optics are first
rate for projecting the LED light forward to a usable spot.
The beamshot above does show that the LEDs are not pointed
directly at the center of the lenses, resulting in a fading
effect from top to bottom of the beam. In practical use, the
fading is not as dramatic as shown above, but the picture
had to be enhanced before publishing due to its lack of clarity
(chalk that one up to user error with the camera...). The
tiny wires that drive the LED internally can be seen in the
projected beam, toward the bottom, but this is a minor inconvenience.
Water resistance is essentially nonexistent. Keep the headlamp
out of the weather if you want it to keep working.
Important things to note: My wife tried it on and immediately
remarked on its comfort. For a simple 2-point headlamp it
is very lightweight and comfortable to use. She also remarked
that I looked like one of the Borg from Star Trek when I was
wearing it with the red LED on...
Plus we should note that you can place it backside-down on
a flat surface and tilt the lighting elements up, effectively
making it a little directional worklight with a base. The
rubber forehead pad makes a very effective non-slip surface
for the light to rest on. The head swivels about 135 degrees
from its resting postion, so it can be pointed in almost
any direction without difficulty.
Battery life is listed as 50 hours, so if you are looking
for an inexpensive power outage headlamp for all of your family
members, this one is worth a look.
Improvements: It really needs waterproofing. It also needs
a battery compartment lid / latch that is easier to open.
I'm giving it 2½ Stars for comfort, use of optics
to enhance the white LED output, and its night vision preserving
ability with the red LED. A lot would be needed, though, for
the rating to go up, including waterproofing, fixing the battery
compartment lid, and aligning the LEDs properly at the factory.
(Rating updated April 2003 to reflect ongoing testing
and update to rating system.)
+ + + Pluses: Long battery life, Bright
for a 2 LED headlamp, Lightweight, Comfortable
- - - Minuses: Not water resistant, Not
very impact resistant, Difficult battery change
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