i thought the magnetic charging is just connecting the light to 5V usb, now i just know that olight uses this stupid design
As a preventive I would use some kind of rubber cap on the tailcap to prevent any problem…even a piece of electrical tape would suffice.
I could see a potential incident if you heavily use it in metal dust charged atmosphere, where some partciles could grow between the two poles… like in metal workshop, with grinders and stuff
I don’t see any risk of shorting with coins, nor keys and in general daily civilian use (yes, I know those are Tools for some and should be able to be used like that)
As a side note, yes I DO like Olight products (having tested all their 2015-2016 models gives me a wide point of view on this brand) but I know when something is bad.
GOOD :
Their TIR optics are really useful for EDC/close range use.
Their thrower are seen as references (M2X/M3X), thanks to reflector quality and fine tuning (okay, green tint on the M3X-UT)
The S1 had a huge popularity among EDC forums, and the S2 was a best seller too.
They’re listening to their customers AND flashaolics, but 2300 lumens in a headlamp is too much IMO…
BAD :
However, the systematic use of proprietary batteries on the rechargeable models is irritating and the lack of compatibility between old and new charging docks (see my last pos) is a pity.
Their lanyards are fragile, or the lanyard holes are badly machined… I had at least two users that I gave Olight to that complained few months after that the lanyard had broke.
No high CRI option, even when a NW is available.
Their old UI was SLOW (S1, S2, S30…), like a full second between two modes when you had to hold the side switch…(new UI is faster, and still usable)
There was some problems with protected batteries on the S1R that were too easily trigged so the Turbo mode could barely be used.
It saves a lot of size and weight
RISK the safety for size and weight, i would stay away and never buy a product from a professional company like that
I find this a weak excuse. You don’t keep it on your head all the time. I like to tailstand my skilhunt, you won’t be doing this with H2R
in a moist environment while camping. I was very interested in this light until Maukka review (thank you maukka), but this light lost all it’s appeal for me. It’s a shame cause for the price you could get a nice gifting/intro package: Good output light, quality high drain battery and a charger. I know I would be pleased with a gift like that.
Good to know they mention it on tailcap, still a silicone cap should be no issue for Olight to provide.
Will it short in water? isn’t it IPX rated?
Water is not a good conductive… it won’t short even in sea water
It won’t short in sea water, but current will certainly flow. I keep my EDC light clipped in the same pocket as my keys and knife. Even if positive is slightly recessed, I can easily see a key causing a short with those exposed contacts. I see this as a major downfall in design, and an accident waiting to happen for the average consumer who doesn’t know about lithium cells.
I do see it being useful for a fire starter with steel wool however. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!
d’Oh-light…
OK that’s good, so it won’t short in the rain while on your head. But it probably does drain the battery or am I wrong?
We’ve had at least one report on Reddit where someone’s Olight battery was fully discharged every day by metal shop debris. Even without the risk of fire, that is unacceptable.
Also, this is something that every other major brand does correctly. Everyone else has “magnetic charger protected from shorts” in their ad copy. Usually next to a picture of a bunch of keys 
Olight is aware of this, I asked them about it during a live video and their answer was “We haven’t had any problems yet”.
Danger aside, this is lazy design, pure and simple. I’m surprised this was ever approved and is telling regarding their design methodology.
1) Do not wear this headlamp over a tin foil hat
2) Do not put this lamp in the pocket of your chainmail clothing
Just calls for thinking through what could go wrong.
in the case of H2R Nova, it’s mentioned in the manual and at the tailcap… but the real issue is something else…
some of us did (including their earlier products) and will continue to…
just received the review units (supposedly newer batch) yesterday as they asked to pause the review on their initial batch (early last month) for them to rectify some small cosmetic issue… perhaps in that review I might share the experience giving feedback to the manufacturer.
(start of rant)
I think most of us who do product review knows how hard it is to convince the manufacturer to go with what we think is the better route for the product that we review. and we do understand that what we suggested may not always be viable option or commercially feasible as we do not have the full picture of their production cost. tho we do hope the manufacturers will take note of our input and put into considerations for next iteration of the product… one can only hope…
(end of rant).
Not that I am defending the design, but it should be noted that lighting the steel wool on fire is not as difficult or dramatic as it is being made out to be. The same thing can be done with eneloops.
This is fun chemistry-at-home stuff, but it does not illustrate possible dangers of the exposed contact points. What does illustrate it is trying a direct short between them (the with-keys-in-pocket scenario) and see how the light and battery fares.
It does illustrate the potential and I 100% agree that the design has some serious potentially dangerous flaws. I am just pointing out the ease of electrically igniting steel wool to disperse some of the hyperbole from this dramatic demonstration.
IMHO the contacts should be switched or at least dioded or fused.
It’s definitely possible to mitigate the risks by not carrying the H2R and similar Olights in a pocket with other items, avoiding metal dust and steel wool and taking great care to ensure the magnet does not attract staples, nails and the like. Most of us here will do so, especially having read people like me complaining about the live contacts and calling the light a potential pipe bomb.
It’s absurd to have to worry about something like that in a mass-market consumer product. It’s one thing if there are some special caveats about “Joe’s Custom Flashlights Ultimate Face Melter 9000”, but Olight is marketing this thing to casual users. It should be designed to be reasonably safe if you can follow instructions like “don’t point the really bright light directly into your eyes” and “don’t eat batteries”.
Added a video of it powering the Astrolux S41 at 700lm.
Might want to check your videos.
Thank you for doing this testing.
People have a reasonable expectation that their lights are safe (I.e. no voltage on the outside.) Every other brand has managed, except Olight for want of a penny part.