Review: Olight H2R Nova (XHP-50, 1x 18650) (Picture Heavy) - Estimated Output, Comparisons, and Beamshots.

Olight H2R Nova

Summary:

Battery: 1x 18650
Switch: Electronic Switch (On top of flashlight)
Modes:

Low, Medium, High

+ Turbo/Moon

++ SOS

Mode Memory: Off-time (2 seconds).
LED Type: XHP-50 (Cool White)
Lens: TIR Optic
Price: $89.95 (Ebay Link, Neutral White Available)
Provided by: Olight Official Store

Function / User Interface:

The Olight H2R Nova functions very similarly to the Olight H1R Nova and similarly to the S1R and S2R.

From off:

A single press turns the flashlight on in the last used mode (Turbo and High are only memorized for 10 minutes, SOS is not memorized).

A long press turns the flashlight on in moonlight mode.

A double press activates Turbo.

A triple press activates SOS.


To enter lockout mode, Press and hold the switch for 2 seconds. Moonlight will first come on within the first second, continue holding for another second and the light will turn off. The light will not function until lockout mode is exited by either unscrewing the tailcap or pressing and holding the switch for about a second and will turn on in moonlight mode. While in lockout mode the light will flash momentarily when the switch is pressed.



While on:

Press and hold to cycle through modes Low, Medium, High.

A single press will turn the flashlight off.

A double press will activate turbo mode.

A triple press activates SOS. A single press to turn off the flashlight. or press and hold to exit into the last used mode.

The last mode used will be memorized when the light is turned off. Turbo and SOS will not be memorized, instead medium mode will be memorized if it is turned off in turbo or high and the last used mode will be memorized if it is turned off in SOS.

The H2R Nova also behaves similarly to the S1R, H1, and H1R in regards to the fast ramping when entering or exiting Turbo mode.

Activating turbo from off will cause a subtle, yet noticeable fast ramp up to the desired brightness. This is a lot less harsh on the eyes than instantly blasting out 2300 lumens in pitch dark.

The feature is also present and more noticeable when turning off the H2R from Turbo. The light rapidly ramps down until off. It takes about 750 milliseconds to go from Turbo to off.

Parasitic drain through the electronic side switch is negligible at 51.1µA.

Charging:

The Olight H2R Nova uses the same proprietary magnetic USB charger and interface as all of the newer Olight rechargeable flashlights. The attraction between the two magnets is enough to automatically center and snap to position when brought near the tailcap. It takes a fair amount of force to separate. It can take a small tumble and not detach.

It begins charging at 770mA and will decrease the charge rate as the battery approaches fully charged. The light on the magnetic end will shine red through the duration of the charging. The indicator light in the charging attachment will shine green when the battery is fully charged. The Voltage of the The included Olight ORB-186C30 18650 3000mAh cell fresh off the charger was 4.229v. Total charging time was about 4 hours from fully depleted to fully charged.

Data & Measurements:

My measurements through my pvc lumen tube are fairly close to the specifications. I do measure a fair bit higher maximum output at 30 seconds compared to the specifications.

All throw measurements are lux values taken at 7ft and calculated back to 1 meter (Rounded to the nearest hundred). Estimated Max Output (Lumens) values are calculated based on measurements taken 30 seconds after turn on and are obtained through a DIY 'pvc lumen tube' in an effort to achieve diffusion of dissimilar beam profiles. As such, these values should be taken as "rough approximations."

Pictures:

The Olight H2R Nova came in a small cardboard retail box.

A lot of good information on the various sides of the box.

Inside the box everything is nicely tucked into their respective spots. Here the H2R immediately greets the opener.

Contained within the box is a ton of goodies. The very good quality headband, user manual, extra padding, replacement padding, magnetic USB charging cable, pre-attached pocket clip, pre-installed (and isolated) Olight ORB-186C30 3000mAh cell, and the Olight H2R Nova flashlight/headlight.

The headband is of excellent quality. The bands are fully adjustable to fit just about any head size. The top band is a much welcomed improvement over the H1's single band design. While the other design worked fine, I prefer the much greater stability that the top band offers.

The attachment point for the flashlight is very well designed. The backing is a hard plastic and the securing strap is a soft rubber.

The pre-installed magnet in the back of the plastic piece holds the H2R secure for easy installation into the headband.

The rubber strap holds the light very securely in place while still allowing for micro adjustments in the angle of the light.

The pre-installed pocket clip is very sturdy.

It can be removed from the flashlight with some force. It is necessary to remove the clip in order to attach it to the headband.

The electronic switch on top of the light is very good. The size and immediate response of the switch makes for activating the various shortcuts to moon/turbo/sos very easy and consistent.

There is slight angle on the top of the head of the H2R.

Fit and finish of the entire light is excellent. No flaws or defects anywhere that I could find.

There are slight fins on the back of the head of the light.

The tailcap has some small machined ridges that make it easy to unscrew when changing out the battery.

Here is the connection point for the magnetic USB charging interface.

The threads on the rear of the light are square, anodized, and well lubed. Very smooth threading.

The included proprietary Olight battery is oriented with the negative end towards the top of the light. The proprietary cell allows for integrated charging while the cell is in the flashlight with the included magnetic USB charging cable.

Here's a look down the tube where the negative side of the battery contacts the spring.

Here's the included Olight ORB-186C30 3000mAh 18650 battery.

Here's some closer shots of that nifty little honey comb TIR optic.

Comparison:

It has been a while since I took an Olight family photo so...

From left to right: Olight S Mini Baton SuS Thunder Grey, H1 Nova, H1R Nova, S1R, S10R III, S1A, S2R, H2R Nova, S30R III, R50 Pro Seeker, X7 Marauder, O'Pen, M3XS-UT.

A little closer...

From Left to Right: RCR123A, Eneloop AA, 18650, 26650, H1 Nova, H1R Nova, H2R Nova, S30R III, R50 Seeker.

The headlamps...

H1 Nova, H1R Nova, H2R Nova.

Beamshots:

As with all beamshots in my reviews, every shot is taken using the same settings in manual mode.

In this location the central tree trunk is about 50 yards away. The water line is about 35 yards away. The hanging tree limb in the upper left quadrant of the pictures is about 10 yards away.

For beamshot comparisons we have 4 floody, high output flashlights. The Manker E14, JetBeam T4 Pro, Olight H2R Nova, and the Olight R50 Pro Seeker.

The Olight H2R Nova has a very floody beam profile. It has a very consistent brightness across the beam due to the honeycomb TIR optic with a small amount of spill on the outside edge. This is very similar to the H1 and H1R but the H2R is considerably brighter in Turbo mode. The R50 Pro Seeker has a fairly concentrated but wide hotspot with a very wide and bright spill.

Olight H2R Modes: Low - Medium - High - Turbo

The H2R Nova modes are well spaced up until the jump from high to turbo. The difference isn't quite as severe in person, but it is definitely a considerable jump up in brightness.

Conclusion:

The Olight H2R Nova is a great addition to the Olight flashlight family. It utilizes a UI similar to recently released Olight flashlights with shortcut access to Moon mode, Turbo, SOS, and a smart mode memory. The H2R has the same great quality I've come to expect from Olight with negligible parasitic drain, excellent fit and finish, topped off with a great electronic switch and excellent beam profile.

If you're looking for a very high quality, floody flashlight/headamp with an incredible Turbo mode output of around 2600 lumens, the Olight H2R Nova may just be the light for you.

More to be added as time permits…

Edit: Beamshots added. All finished up. Excellent light. The Turbo output is really incredible to see in person. :+1: