# Vholdr or GOpro Helmet Hero



## starSIXEDit (May 3, 2007)

Alright, so I am trying to narrow down my search for a great helmet camera. I am down to the Twenty20 Vholdr and the GoPro Helmet Hero. The Vholdr is almost twice the price and is currently out of stock everywhere while my local REI has the GoPro in stock. It is not a big deal as to when I get this camera since right now there is not much mountain biking to be done with all the snow. If anyone can give me some feedback it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Ryan


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## Mr.Dirt (Jan 13, 2007)

In terms of quality I think they are both the same thing. The VHoldR is twice the price and is a bit smaller. But the weight of GoPro is insignificant. Also GoPro has a variety of adaptors and is waterproof to 100ft. I would go for the GoPro.


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## Bonkler (May 11, 2004)

*Reliability Issues with the GoPro*

I've been testing both on a very clinical basis and have put them both thru their paces - And both have their merits and detractors.

The Go Pro, while a decent camera with waterproof case isn't one that works very well in tight corridors - i.e. tight singletrack - I've hooked it on several passing trees while ripping down trails around where I live, and granted it survived, it's another thing to consider - whereabouts do you plan on mounting your cam? Also, it has less overall recording time than the VholdR (50 min. vs. 90) and doesn't come with a rechargeable battery.

The VholdR however only had a stock mounting option that recently has been buffeted by their other mounts - Roll bar, handlebar, goggle mounts and a couple others that are easily rigged to fit just about wherever you want. I've had great success with the VholdR in wet riding conditions and find that it's about as obtrusive as wearing a Nite Rider HID on your head or some other comperable head lamp.

The video quality is about the same for both, but again, you'll fuss less with the VholdR while on the trail, which may be worth the extra $$$

Nevertheless, I do have a few VholdR's for sale, PM me if you're still interested.


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## Mr.Dirt (Jan 13, 2007)

I gonna use the camera either on my helmet (Specialized Deviant) or the handlebars. I ride singletracks but mostly I do Megaavalanche rides so usually is open wide downhill sections in Cyprus where I will be for the whole summer riding.

What I concern though is the price. I am currently a university student and the VHoldR here in the UK is £300GBP whereas the GoPro Hero is £107 including a 2GB SD card.
So I could buy 3 GoPro in the price of a VHoldR. 

Apart from that I wanted a camera which can records underwater and as far as I am aware the GoPro goes down to 100ft. I would be a shame not to have a camera capable of recording underwater since I will spend a lot of time snorkeling in the beautiful sea of Cyprus over the summer.

I notice that the quality is more or less the same with both cameras. Also the only benefit I found in VHoldR is that is smaller and this is better. But still many people I know used the GoPro and they say that its weight is immaterial. 

So If someone like me wants a camera at a good price do you think that GoPro Hero is appropriate?

Thank you in advance for your opinion! :thumbsup:


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## xjtwo (Apr 29, 2005)

Bonkler said:


> Nevertheless, I do have a few VholdR's for sale, PM me if you're still interested.


Still have these for sale? PM sent, let me know as I'm in the market for one...........

-J


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## LowLow (Sep 18, 2007)

I have a VholdR and have had to return it and get a new one 2 times because of QC problems. I just shot some footage recently with it and it froze, etc., so I'll be returning it for good this time. 

Also, nothing other than the stock mount is actually available yet, and the stock mount does not work on most vented helmets. 

Check out the forum on their website and you can see a host of issues that the product has. 

I don't know much about the GoPro, but do know that it has a lower resolution than the VholdR...i.e., 512 x 384 vs. 640 x 480.


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## xjtwo (Apr 29, 2005)

Cool, thanks for the update, I was looking at getting one myself but from everything I've read think I'll hold out. Plus its not compatible with macs...........


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## toytech64 (Mar 19, 2004)

*Batteries replaceable*

On the Helemet Hero

Do you know if it has replacable batteries like AAA batteries, or do you have to charge the whole unit??

How is the sound quality??

Thanks


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## moto309 (Oct 24, 2007)

A little delayed, but I just got a VholdR, and I really like mine. From what I've read, it seems like the quality control issues have really improved; keep in mind that the product was just launched in December. I have no problems with mine, and I really like how easy it is to use. just my 2cents.


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## blackprophet19 (Apr 18, 2008)

go pro cam is awsome....really good quality sound and vids....also very strong....it has many diff. options for mounting


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## LowLow (Sep 18, 2007)

I owned the VholdR and currently own the GoPro. I recently returned my VholdR because, after two exchanges, I was unable to get it to work properly. Perhaps these issues have been resolved.

The positives that I noticed for VholdR compared to the GoPro is:

It shoots a bit better in low light, 
It's more compact, 
It looks sleeker (the GoPro is pretty goofy looking on a vented helmet), 
It has a rechargeable battery, 
It's easier to direct the angle you're shooting at since it has the laser beams, and
It's marginally easier to use (when it's working).

On the negative side for the VholdR:

Quality control was horrible in my experience,
The battery is specific to the camera,
It's not water-proof, though it's water-resistant,
The stock mount is (in my opinion) simply *horrible *in design and functionality,
The other mounts are not yet available and cost extra,
It's more finicky, 
It costs too much, and
The wind noise when you're going over 15mph is terrible and you can't shut off the microphone.

On the positive side for the GoPro:

It's cheap,
It's waterproof,
It comes with several mounts, all of which actually work,
Though it doesn't come with rechargeable batteries, it uses AAA batteries, which are easier and cheaper than the VholdR battery (and you can buy rechargeable batteries cheaper than the VholdR batteries),
You can play it on the TV really easily (though the quality is not great when it's blown up),
You can take pictures, including a picture every five seconds, 
The interface is a bit more functional (i.e., you can erase videos, etc.),
It's more durable (e.g., you don't have to worry as much about breaking the lens or the cover for the lens),
You can buy a wide-angle lens for it (coming soon), and
It has 2 settings for noise, low and high, so you don't get nearly as much wind noise as the VholdR.

The GoPro does have less memory than the VholdR but you can easily remedy that by bringing along another SD card.

Given everything, I definitely think the GoPro is a better value than the VholdR, especially since there is very little difference in picture quality. I've also tested the VIO POV and that is much higher quality than either the VholdR or the GoPro, but also much more expensive. If they could figure out a way to make VIO POV have an image stabilization feature, it would be nearly perfect.

Of course, none of these works as well as an actual camcorder, but I don't have the time, money or energy to deal with that.


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## GuruAtma (May 17, 2004)

Thanks for the good comparison. I've used other helmet cams (like the Oregon Scientific one), and I find that none of them come close to a regular camcorder in quality. Having built-in image stabilization is a huge benefit.


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## JKOBD (Jul 6, 2007)

I own both the VHOLDR camera as well as the GOPRO camera and I will say that with the exception of the wind noise on the Vholdr camera, I like it better than the Gopro. It is so simple to setup, aim, power on, record, etc. I ride with gloves and I do not have any problems turning it on/off. The Gopro is definately more difficult to setup...mainly from an aiming standpoint and it goes thru so many batteries it is stupid. I have ridden in the rain with both cameras and neither one gave me any issues. The Vholdr does better in the woods/indoor videos than the Gopro. The Vholdr only has one mount option currently and I think it works well. You need to be correct in your placement of the mount, but you can remove it and reattach it if need be. I have reused mine twice on two different vented helmets.

Here are some videos I shot with the Vholdr recenctly. I recommend clicking on the watch in high quality link below the number of views :


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## snowdrifter (Aug 2, 2006)

I had a gopro, vid quality was poo, audio was poo, and it consumed lithium batteries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.


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## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

I have the VholdR. Mounting is a bit of a hassle but if you have a skater type helmet or a full face the stock mount works good. I have had a few vids lock up but you can restart them past the point where they lock and they work. Wind noise is a problem that is easily solved by a peice of foam and electrical tape. Charging via USB takes a long time and if the battery is not charged your computer will not recognize it. I am happy with the video quality and the wide angle lens. Keep in mind there is a firmware upgrade that is supposed to address the locking issue.


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## downhillr (Sep 3, 2008)

I had one of the first vholdrs and had to return it for quality issues. The next one was better but ended up returning it later when things quit functioning. I spent time working with Twenty20customer service and other forum users and the seller but it just wasn't worth the hassle... this was supposed to be fun. I think, as some of their latest forum users' comments indicate, this unit was put on the market way before enough testing or QC was done and the public is their guinea pig/test lab. Twenty20 customer service tries but is understaffed and overwhelmed.

By the way, I ended up with a POV1... more expensvie for sure but man, that's what they should be like in the first place... I'd wait, save the pennies and go for it if you really want the easiest, high quality, no issue video unit.


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## downhillr (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey man, as far as the ride: very cool trail, as best I can tell looks like it flows (what happened to you guys on "Line3", lol?), where abouts is that anyways?

As for the video: I used the High Quality playback setting but this is the same typical vholdr quality I always got: blurry, fuzzy detail, washed out colors, jitters. If you ever try a POV1 you'll never go back.

Either way though it's always a blast to have the recording, we've got 5 guys who ride and someday we'll all be glad we kept some history some Northstar, Downieville and such.


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## LowLow (Sep 18, 2007)

I'm surprised you guys think the stock mount works good. Once I finally had it mounted using the stock mount (on my full face helmet because I couldn't get it to mount on 3 different XC helmets I have), after readjusting the angle of the camera a few times, the velcro that holds the inner circle to the mount was loose, the camera would fall off at random times, and the footage would be even shakier. 

I'm also surprised that foam and electrical tape did the trick for you for wind noise. There are a bunch of comments on the vholdr forums where people have tried the same thing with no success.

I'm not saying the GoPro is great by any means, but the design of it has been much more functional for me. It does tend to suck up batteries, but they last for about an hour and if you buy a bunch of rechargeable ones, you can just bring them along with you for the ride. 

Again, neither is high quality IMO.


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## fredstyle (Sep 4, 2008)

I currently have both, the go pro worked as advertised out of the box... the vholdr did the same thing, until you play them back. The go pro sound isn't as good due to the shock cover but the video PLAYED. Two of my co workers have vholdr's as well (total of three) all freeze and "machine gun" during playback, but with slightly better quality. Bottom line wait if you can a few months when the tech catches up there'll be too many choices.

Style
.


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## jomissa (Apr 18, 2004)

i just got the gopro. liking it BUT....

1. lithium batteries are expensive. which rechargable ones do you all use? I cant afford to keep buying batteries!

2. low light filiming not great but pretty good.

3. i was on a SUPER rocky trail and started getting som crackle on the recordings. i think it may have been the extreme rockiness and how much the camera was getting shaken around. riding full rigid may have contributed to the shaking. (it did of course).

Question: 

I see some filiming done on an angle that looks like the camera is mounted to the top tube on some peoples shots? The shot has the front fork in it but no pedaling action is noticable in the frames. Id like to see some peoples mounting setups with the corresponding videos to compare. helmet is a no brainer.

Who mounts on 
-handlebar
-fork?
-frame somewhere?
-under saddle?


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

snowdrifter said:


> I had a gopro, vid quality was poo, audio was poo, and it consumed lithium batteries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.


Same. It sucked arse. AVOID.


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## a_burnside (Dec 18, 2008)

Go Pro has many mounting options, like on my snowboard
Video quality is great, and i'm looking forward to some sweet vid's in the near future:thumbsup:


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## beagledadi (Jul 18, 2004)

*GoPro Wide....*

.... I love mine, I wish I had 5 of them! :thumbsup:

Matt





10-19-08 Cowboy Trails Ride from Matt Rozar on Vimeo.


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## jomissa (Apr 18, 2004)

im looking for mounts on the bike. ive seen some shots that i cant figure out how they are mounted like from under the saddle or on the fork. the mounts dont WRAP around things and there are no zip ties.

if anyone from the gopro team is reading these a zip tie kind of mount so it can go around round objects would be a cool idea. also- i broke 2 snap tabs on the mounting piece already. they seem kinda brittle. maybe using a less rigid plastic would be a good idea.


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## Iridethedirt (Jan 20, 2008)

downhillr said:


> Hey man, as far as the ride: very cool trail, as best I can tell looks like it flows (what happened to you guys on "Line3", lol?), where abouts is that anyways?
> 
> As for the video: I used the High Quality playback setting but this is the same typical vholdr quality I always got: blurry, fuzzy detail, washed out colors, jitters. If you ever try a POV1 you'll never go back.
> 
> Either way though it's always a blast to have the recording, we've got 5 guys who ride and someday we'll all be glad we kept some history some Northstar, Downieville and such.


I dont think its a fair comparison at all to say that the POV1 is better than the go-pro... thats like comparing a sport compact car to a ferrari. the go pro is under 200 dollars with LOTS of mounting options, waterproof, etc... the POV1 has a lot higher quality video, but about 3+ times the price tag... if you're looking to make little movies of your adventures for yourself, or to share with friends, the go-pro is totally capable of this. if you want to make higher quality movies then yea, something like the POV or a full on camcorder is going to be what you'd need. just different catagories in my opinion.

-kevin.


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## MaxxCutts8 (Nov 7, 2008)

I've gotta say that I much perfer the Vholdr Cam to the GoPro. It's got a variety of mounts (including a handlebar mount for jomissa's post above). And to agree with an earlier posters comments, the GoPro is sort of awkward to mount on a helmet. The VholdR is so small and self-contained that I find that I forget it's there while riding. I recently took it to Park City on a snowboarding trip and found it held up and worked just as well as it did on my summer biking trips. I believe the VholdR is just the better option, IMHO.


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## jomissa (Apr 18, 2004)

my go pro trauma continues....

the issues i have are about the hardware. The qiuck release clips are both broken (rigid plastic) and I dont get it. I have bike gear for years and NEVER break these unless its extreme circumstances. the plastic does not do well in sub 30 tems and its generally rigid as compared to say ....camelback hardware which has a different density.

last sunday the entire mounting apparatus sheared right off the case with a nicely placed hit on a low hanging branck. my buddy had it on and i saw the whole thing and he was not going too fast. just hit it squarely and BAM! its on the ground.

so i reordered a bunch of stuff. saving grace is that its cheap and the vids are fine for what i want them for (until i get up the gumption to buy a 600 camera like vholdr).

we shall see....im still a fan but fading...slowly...


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## MaxxCutts8 (Nov 7, 2008)

I've got some footage im in the middle of editing Im gonna throw up with my VholdR...def my choice over the GoPro...I just like the quality...stay tuned


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## jomissa (Apr 18, 2004)

You can watch the whole thing but at 4:35 or so into the footage is where the mishap happened. I asked the guys at go pro to throw in an extra rick release piece to replace the 2 that have now broken when i ordered a bar mount and they did not. bummer.





[URL=http://vimeo.com/2942733]Disaster Strikes at Belmont from josh haims on Vimeo.[/URL]


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## jrthoughts (Feb 24, 2009)

*3rd party side by side test*

Here is a side by side of all the major players. Looks like the GoPro eats up the batteries. The VHold got poor reviews overall. Neither of them one the overall though The XC had better battery life and lasts records 8x longer.

http://helmetcamreview.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/review-number-two2/

And for the the lazier of us here it is in you tube format....

http://www.youtube.com/user/helmetcamreview


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## anthonyi (Nov 26, 2008)

beagledadi said:


> .... I love mine, I wish I had 5 of them! :thumbsup:
> 
> Matt


Awesome video. Now I know I bought the wrong camera. You couldn't do this with my Tachyon .


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## shawndoggy (Jan 13, 2004)

anthonyi said:


> Awesome video. Now I know I bought the wrong camera. You couldn't do this with my Tachyon .


Love my GoPro Wide too... can't wait for my handlebar mount to arrive so I can get some bike film!


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## firedawg225 (Jun 29, 2008)

Wait one. VholdR is releasing a HD camera soon. i have a deposit on one righ now. i've never used the GoPro but my vholdr is nice. I've had no problems and lasts long enough to fill a 2Gb card about little over 1 hour of video. just thought i'd let you know.


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## }SkOrPn--7 (Aug 15, 2008)

You might just want too look into one of these

http://www.fc2cam.com/


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## SCUBAPRO (Jun 29, 2004)

beagledadi said:


> .... I love mine, I wish I had 5 of them! :thumbsup:
> Matt
> .


That's mounted on your handlebars?


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## dvanderb (Oct 21, 2008)

I have been liking my gopro hero wide. Been using eneloop AAAs.. did a test last night and got a 1:40hr video out of it before I stopped it(figured the 4gb card would be filled). For those worried about using larger cards and recording over the 2gb limit.. you can use VirtualDub to direct stream copy the video/audio to a new AVI file(maybe takes 30mins of processing for a 4gb video).. and that will fix the corrupt video. 

The mounting options are what really make it nice for me. I used the handlebar mount(which is almost too small for this) to mount it upside-down under the stem so it is basically hanging in front of my fork/over my front tire. It is a pretty nice perspective. This is just my 2cents.. haven't had it chew up batteries while it wasn't recording or any of that.


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## anthonyi (Nov 26, 2008)

dvanderb said:


> I have been liking my gopro hero wide.


...Ditto


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