Product Webpage: https://www.kiwidesign.com/en-it/products/comfort-head-strap-compatible-with-quest-2
INTRO
This is the third of a series of articles concerning a few VR accessories by Kiwi Design. In the first article I reviewed the VR Stand; in the second article I reviewed the Controller Grip Covers for Quest 2. In the next article I’m going to review the Silent VR Cables: Retractable Ceiling Cable Management System for any wired HMD. You have to wait a little longer for the last article, maybe months, because I have to test the cable management system with the headsets (Vive Pro 2) purchased for the laboratory of my institute, which have yet to be delivered.
Mr. Ryan Dong contacted me via email and kindly invited me to review a few products by Kiwi Design; he wrote: “we believe that genuine reviews from your platform can greatly assist players in gaining a better understanding of our products”.
I’m doing this for no money, I’ll just keep the products. This isn’t a new kind of business for my platform; I’m doing this just because I was kindly invited to do it. I’m happy to help the good VR companies to grow. They granted me total indipendence and freedom of thinking and writing. I’m doing it because of my nerdish passion for VR; I’m having a lot of fun to analyze and test the products! Thanks Ryan!
The products arrived from Hong Kong to my house in Italy in just 9 days and in excellent condition. They have offices in North America and Europe, I think customers are not going to receive products from Hong Kong, that’s just my package.
UNBOXING
Give a look at the unboxing of the Replaceable Headstrap.
The white piece seems a bit plasticky and cheap at first glance; however after a few weeks I can say it’s very resistant and lightweight at the same time. That’s good because comfort is also a matter of weight, you want your headstrap to be very lightweight. The black head pad is very soft, you can clean the surface easily, it doesn’t suffocate your head, it doesn’t make you sweat, it lets your hair and headskin breathe. The velcro is very good quality. I appreciate the microfiber cloth, very useful for keeping your headset clean, lenses included.
ASSEMBLY
Instructions are very easy and clear, they come in six different languages: English, Italian, Francais, Espanol, German, Chinese. Tbh, you need no instructions, assembly is very easy and intuitive. I only had one small doubt at the beginning: how do I remove the original soft strap of the Quest 2? That’s not in the instructions, it would be good to have. I was afraid to damage the original strap or the plastic interface. However after one minute, it was assembled and ready to use.
TEST
I tested the headstrap for a couple of weeks. However one day would have been enough! Indeed this is the easiest review I ever wrote! Let me explain!
When you decide to buy the Quest 2 you must be aware that you have to spend more money to replace the original soft strap. To have the original soft strap is like having no strap! It is truly incredible that a VR headset is sold with such an uncomfortable and useless strap! Comfort is the ABC of VR experience, you should not sell such uncomfortable device! I reviewed the Quest 2 here; if you are not willing to read it, let me sum up: Quest 2 is the most uncomfortable headset I’ve ever tried. My fronthead and nose know it very well…. I tried a lot of headsets: PSVR1, PSVR2, HP Reverb G2, Valve Index, Oculus Rift CV1, Oculus Rift S, Quest 2, Vive Pro 2, Quest Pro, Pico 4. The comfort level of the Quest 2 is several steps lower than other headsets (yes, even Pico 4 is more comfortable).
So, it’s very easy to review the Replaceable Headstrap by Kiwi Design: the difference is enormous, as night and day, it is a must have accessory. You cannot do without! My fronthead and nose would like to thank Kiwi Design for the gift! Ok, I’m joking, but I’m also serious and honest. It’s so satisfying to accomodate the head in the soft pad and turn the back screw to have the stability and comfort I had never experienced before on Quest 2, just on other headsets. The screw mechanism is smooth as butter, even better than the similar mechanism on PSVR2. The top strap is very large, the weight is well distributed, velcro is high quality. I have nothing to complain about the product, it does what it’s meant to do: to make your VR experience comfortable.
You might be wondering: there are other similar products for Quest 2 that are better or more convenient? Well, I don’t know, I never tried similar products; all the headsets I tried were comfortable straight out of the box, I never needed to buy a replaceable headstrap. And this is the first headstrap I mounted on Quest 2, because Quest 2 is not my daily driver, tbh it collects dust on my shelf!
Despite the good quality of the replaceable headstrap, this is not the product I would suggest to Quest 2 users! What? Maybe you’re thinking I’m crazy. I can imagine the Kiwi Design’s reaction while reading these words! 🙂 Let me explain! The replaceable headstrap solve a few issues of the original Quest 2 but not all the issues. You need also the on-ear headphones. The original audio solution of Quest 2, the audio slits, is very ugly and cheap, worst VR audio system ever, it’s like listening to vintage radio device!! You need also an extra battery, the original battery drains in 2-3 hours. So I suggest the Comfort Battery Audio Head Strap. Even the original gasket and cover of the Quest 2 are extremely uncomfortable and suffer from high light leakage. If you want your Quest 2 to be really comfortable and have a bigger FoV, you need to buy also the replaceable gasket and cover on the Kiwi Design website. You cannot do without all these accessories. Having just the replaceable headstrap is not enough. A suggestion to Kiwi Design: why not a complete solution with Comfort Battery Audio Strap and replaceable gasket and cover in the same box?
PRICE
The Replaceable Headstrap is sold at 39 euro on the Kiwi website. I suggest it only if you are short of money. Otherwise the Comfort Battery Audio Strap is a better choice; at “only” 116 euro you have the extra battery, the comfort headstrap and the on-ear headphones. Now you need just the replaceable gasket and cover at 34 euro. The total is 150 euro. So, headset at 350 euro + accessories at 150 euro = 500 euro. That’s what you need for a decent experience with your Quest 2. What’s about Kiwi’s competitors? BOBOVR comes with a comfort headstrap + extra battery at 70 euro and on-ear headphones at 50 euro =120 euro, 5 euro more than the Comfort Battery Audio Strap. The official Elite Strap from Meta is sold at 140 euro but it has no headphones! I can say nothing about the quality of competitors; however I can confirm what I already wrote in the previous articles: Kiwi Design is a very reliable company with great customers care, their products have the best quality for the VR enthusiasts, you cannot be wrong.
CONCLUSIONS
I have nothing to add. Quest 2 users cannot do without replacing the soft strap, the original gasket and cover and adding the extra battery and the on-ear headphones. Kiwi Design offer one of the best compact solution with the Comfort Battery Audio Strap; you need just to add the replaceable gasket and cover to have a decent experience with your HMD. No doubts about quality of products, reliability of the company and customer care. You cannot be wrong with Kiwi Design.
RATINGS
Company Reliability (selling, shipping, customers care, commitment for VR): 10/10
Quality/Price Ratio (weighted for Quest 2 users, in relation to the price of the HMD): 8.5/10 (the truth is that Meta should not sell HMD with such low comfort and cheap strap)
Absolute Quality: 9/10
Overall Design: 9.5/10
Assembly: 9.5/10 (smooth as butter)
Overall look and feeling: 8.5/10 (good materials, especially the head pad, but the white plastic seems cheap at first glance; in the end you understand that it’s a matter of weigth, the materials have to be lightweight)
Functionality: 8.5/10 (you cannot do without if you are a Quest 2 users, it’s unthinkable to play with the original soft strap! However it doesn’t solve all the Quest 2 issues; I suggest the more complete and compact Comfort Battery Audio Strap + replaceable gasket and cover)
Box Content: 9/10 (the microfiber cloth is very appreciated)
Video Games Art 