If you want to upgrade the head strap on your Quest 3 or your Quest 3S, then there are two styles to choose from. Elite, or Halo, style head straps. So which one is right for you? With each having their pro’s and con’s, and Kiwi Design offering both, it’s time to find out! Plus, both head straps come with a battery to give you hours of extra gameplay too.
Elite Style Head Straps
Kiwi Design K4 Boost Quest 3 Battery Head Strap
* Get 5% off with code ‘MYTECHGEAR’
The K4 Boost is the latest in a long line of head straps released by Kiwi Design. There are some notable upgrades over previous generations. The back of the head strap now features an integrated adjustment dial. This makes the back of the head strap flush. That’s great if you use your headset lying down, or sitting back in a chair.
They’ve also integrated the battery cable into the strap so that it doesn’t flap around as much as previous versions. The consequence of this is that the cable is now running through the head strap arms and so the arms aren’t as flexible as they used to be. It doesn’t affect the wearing comfort, but it’s worth noting.
The rear back pad has plenty of padding, as does the top strap which is also nice and wide so that it can distribute the weight of the headset across your head better. Both are covered in a PU leather and can therefore be wiped down and easily kept clean.
The head strap is very comfortable to wear. I’ve been using Kiwi Design head straps for years, and this is no exception.
To aid in that comfort even further, the battery on the back helps to act as a counterweight to the weight of the headset on the front. So whilst this head strap is heavier, it actually makes the headset feel lighter when you’re wearing it.
In general clamshell, or elite style, head straps, have a tighter fit than their halo style counterparts. This is due to the headset essentially being ratcheted onto your face. So if you’re playing lots of action and fast moving games, or you like that tighter fit, then this style of head strap is going to suit you better. It does put more pressure on your face though.
Integrated into the back of this head strap is a 6,400 mAh battery. This delivers power at a rate of 18w to your Quest 3 or Quest 3S and provides an extra 2-3 hours of gameplay.
An extra feature that this head strap has is that it allows pass-through charging. Using a 45w charger it will supply half the power to recharge the battery, and the other half to recharge the headset. So you’re essentially getting double charging at the same time. So you now don’t have to keep taking the USB-C cable in and out of the headset every time you want to charge it. This also helps protect the USB-C port on the headset as well.
So with more power and comfort, the K4 Boost is definitely worth a look. It’s available for $70 from Amazon, or direct from Kiwi Design themselves.
Halo Style Head Straps
Kiwi Design H4 Boost Quest 3 Battery Head Strap
* Get 5% off with code ‘MYTECHGEAR’
The H4 Boost is Kiwi Designs new Halo head strap. There is plenty of padding on both the forehead bar and the front, and the rear back pad. The PU leather also ensures that it’s a head strap that is easy to keep clean.
Kiwi Design have done something unique with the forehead bar. Rather than have a solid bar across the top, they have created a hollowed out design which is also flexible so that it can not only adapt to a range of different head shapes, but it also keeps you cooler.
There is a top strap as well, but it’s not padded. It’s not really an issue though as the top strap really serves no purpose if you set the head strap up properly as the forehead bar is taking the weight of the headset. So, I just removed the top strap entirely.
The back of the head strap is nice and flush as the adjustment dial is integrated into the back bar. This is good if you want to lie down, or lie back, with this head strap on. The dial is also easy to adjust and the head strap will suit a large range of headsizes.
There is also another adjustment knob on the forehead bar which adjusts the distance between the forehead bar and the facial interface of the headset. This is especially useful for different styles of facial interfaces and also helps to keep the head strap more rigidly in place too.
You can also slide the headset up and down the arms of this head strap to place the headset either further or closer to your face. This is useful is you want a more secure, or relaxed, fit.
The battery in here is the same 6,400mAh battery as came with the K4 Boost, and so all the pro’s and con’s already mentioned above also apply to this head strap,
Halo style head straps are great for people who don’t want the pressure of a headset clamped to their face and prefer the ‘helmet’ type feel that a halo style head strap provides where the pressure is on your head rather than on your face.
I liked the innovative design of the forehead bar on the H4 Boost and the battery provided enough power for some extra game-time. It is available from Amazon, or direct from Kiwi, for $80. Although there are often sales so be sure to watch out for those.
