Post Published on December 14, 2012.
Last Updated on April 28, 2016 by davemackey.
I purchased a Streamlight 61400 Enduro Headlamp off Amazon in July of 2011. It worked great, until the tab holding the battery compartment closed broke off…then even with tape I could never get the thing to stay on correctly. I’ve just filed a request for a replacement with Streamlight, as they offer a lifetime limited warranty on their headlamps (pretty impressive!), but in the meantime I bought in November 2012 a Vibe Water & Shock Resistant LED Headlamp, which I am currently using.
I figured I’d take a few minutes to share my experience with these two headlamps and to compare and contrast their features. I should note that I’m just using them as reading lights, so they aren’t undergoing any significant amount of stress or being exposed to harsh conditions.
Vibe Water & Shock Resistant Super Bright 9 LED Headlamp (VE-382-SLV)
(Price: $14.79)
- Positives:
- The light is adjustable up/down, rather than being fixed in a single position.
- You can choose from three different levels of brightness.
- It also has a flashing mode in which the light continually flashes on and off – I’m not sure what the practical application of this is?
- Negatives:
- Maybe I just have a big head, but even at its largest this unit still hurts my head after wearing it for a while b/c it isn’t loose enough.
- The strap is constantly falling off its mounts (and I mean constantly!). This is very annoying. Sometimes I’ll fix it and as I put it on my head it will fall off again!
Streamlight 61400 Enduro Impact Resistant Headlamp
(Price: $13.67)
- Positives:
- Light is much brighter than Vibe’s.
- Strap is much more adjustable.
- Negatives:
- Cannot adjust up and down like Vibes.
- The tabs are somewhat flimsy on the battery case and can break (as they did on mine).
Conclusion
In the end, the Streamlight is the better option for me – b/c I can wear it without getting headaches. For those with smaller heads, the Vibe is a nice option, but the issue with the straps is extremely frustrating!
Note: Since then the Streamlight broke down for me and I haven’t found a satisfactory replacement.