Product Review Follow-up: Gerber Axle 2×3 Headlamp
A while back I did a full review on the Gerber Axle 2×3 headlamp. I decided to try and use it a few more times and on the second try the unit wouldn’t even turn on. I had it in the woods with me and tested it before I hiked in to my stand and it worked just fine. As I was climbing out of my stand I flipped the switch to turn it on and nothing happened. Pitch black and no lamp. I had even put brand new batteries in that morning and put a piece of duct-tape over the switch to keep it from accidentally turning on in my pack. Fortunately for me I am a safety nut, Boy Scout and gadget junkie, so I had packed my high-powered flashlight, too.
When I got back home, I emailed Gerber and asked them if I could return the unit for a new one. They said yes, I would just have to pay for the shipping-to and they would take care of the return shipping. I sent it back and a few weeks later I received a brand-new headlamp. It came fully-equipped with new batteries, too. I was excited to try it our again! I opened it up and put the batteries in and…yes, you guessed it – NOTHING! Absolutely nothing happened!! No bright light, no red light, nothing. So, I took the batteries out and verified I had them in correctly and tried it again. Click. Nothing. I figured the batteries must have been shot, so I replaced them. No juice. No light. Nothing. Needless to say, I was very irritated. I looked inside the battery compartment and saw that the way the unit was built that the center connector was lower than the other two and didn’t seem to be making a connection. Ugh! So I had two options. I could send it back, again, and then have them ship me yet another new unit, or I could toss it, save myself the extra cash and buy a different brand. I opted for the latter. I jumped over to The Sportsman’s Guide and found a Remington Extreme Track headlamp for under $35.00. Not only was it a good buy, but it has some great features!
- Blood trails glow bright (vs. night vision modes where they appear darker)
- Night vision compatibility mode
- Rotating diffuser filter
- Impact and water resistant
- 150-lumen brightness
- Runs up to 25 hours on 4 AA Batteries (which are included).
I got the Remington Extreme in the mail and it is an excellent device. I’ll get a review up on it soon, but for now it is my go-to headlamp. I tested it out in and around my garage and I love it. It’s a bit bulkier than the Gerber, but it works phenomenally well!
I thought all of you should be aware of my findings with the Gerber device. I emailed Gerber back to inform them that I would not be spending more money to ship back another defective unit. Investing my money in a new lamp that I would be happy with and confident it would work well in all situations was worth more than testing their unit out yet again.
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