Hi all! Olight sent me the the H2R to test out and I wanted to share my thoughts.
Are you looking to chase the headlamp lummen unicorn but don’t want to sacrifice light quality? Well say hello to the Olight H2R neutral white headlamp with 2,000 lumen with TIR optics, and with easy to use magnetic charging!
SPECS
Below are specs copied from the manufacturer’s website.
| Mode | U.LOW | LOW | MID | HIGH | TURBO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumen | 1 | 27 | 140 | 550 | 2000->(750) |
| Duration | 45D | 50h | 10h | 2h30m | 1m->(1h50m) |
| GENERAL DATA | |
|---|---|
| Beam Distance (ft) | 501 |
| Beam Distance (m) | 153 |
| Max. Performance (lumens) | 2300 (for cool white) |
| Charge type | Magnetic USB charge base |
| Compatible Batteries | customised 18650 |
| Light Intensity (candela) | 5850 |
| Light Form | Wide/broad hotspot. Perfect for up close illumination. |
| Lens / Reflector Type | TIR bead lens (wide/broad beam) |
| Mode Operation | Front Switch |
| Form/Size Factor | Medium size (Permanent Marker) |
| Series | Series H (Headlamps, Multitasking) |
| Unique Characteristics |
|
| TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS | |
|---|---|
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
| Weight (g / oz) | 64 / 2.26 |
| Length (mm / in) | 110 / 4.33 |
| Head Diameter (mm / in) | 25 / 0.95 |
| Body Diameter (mm / in) | 23.2 / 0.91 |
| Led | Cree XHP50 |
| Packaging | Custom plastic enclosure. |
| Use | everyday carry , car, camping, fishing, household, EDC, general use, fishing, climbing, cave exploration, outdoor activities, house activities |
| Package Contents |
|
LOOK & FEEL
The light has a very unique ribbed knurling style, similar to the previous H1 style, which is overall very smooth and allows the light to rotate in the head mount a little easier. The light also has a longer tail cap than most other headlamps I’ve had, which is very helpful for when you want to lock out the light by unscrewing the cap. The tail cap houses the magnetic charging port as well. I also found out that the top of the head, where the button is, is on a slight angle, which contours a bit better to the angle of the thumb which I like just fine and would even welcome a steeper angle.
The magnetic head mount is pretty innovative but could use a little work. The mount has a large rectangular rare-earth type magnet to hold the light in place while you pull the rubber strap over the light. The magnet is accessible by peeling off the adhesive EVA foam pad from the rear. Because the magnet is very strong, I’ve had other objects stick to the reverse side and pull the magnet out of the mount along with the EVA. The rubber strap that you pull down over the light is a bit hard to accomplish while wearing and once it’s strapped in, the light is a little too hard to rotate.
BEAM PROFILE
The light uses a beaded TIR lens, the first I’ve used, which gives it an amazingly smooth and wide beam angle! The total spill angle is about total 170 degree angle with a slight spot with 50 degree total angle. One thing that seems interesting is the light almost appears to have a squarish pattern. Overall, this is a total paradigm shift for me and love the faded edge of the spill!
USER INTERFACE
The H2R light has a single stage switch which is either quickly taped or held down to change modes. Overall, the user interface is a bit tricky until you realize that all the modes are dived into four separate profiles (or set of modes): Ultra Low, Primary (Low, Mid, & High), Turbo, and SOS. Just so you know from the beginning, there is no strobe. Really the tricky part is understanding the relationship from one profile to the other; for instance, Ultra Low can only be accessed from OFF but if you hold down the power button, the light shifts to the Primary Profile but does not cycle through Ultra Low anymore.
Another curve ball is that all profiles, except SOS, are memorized, so when the light is OFF and you tap the power button you could turn on in anywhere from Ultra Low to Turbo. Because the light is so high powered I don’t think that Turbo should have been included in mode memory.
Another oddity is that the light has both physical and electronic lockout. For physical lockout you unscrew the cap a quarter turn and done. The electronic lockout is kind of confusing as when the light unlocks it turns on the light in to Ultra Low which you won’t really know when this happens unless you put your hand in front of the light.
BATTERY
The H2R uses a “proprietary” battery, or non-standard 18650 battery. The battery takes about 4 hours to charge, at about 0.8 amps in the light, which is pretty decent. I’ve actually seen this type of battery before, such as in Nitecore’s R25, and in Klarus RS20, and as more lights with innovative built in charging come to market, I think that this battery type will be more common. The benefit of this type of battery allows for the possibility of a couple of neat features such as, directly charging the battery without the flashlight body having having to be in the path which improves safety, and the ability to operate the light while charging. The H2R can be operated while charging. The H2R does not have a battery level indicator.
WARRANTY
The warranty for Olight headlamps is for 2 years for free repair with a limited lifetime warranty. Olight’s batteries are covered for 1 year. Buyer is responsible for return shipping costs. After the warranty has ended, send the light in and a repair fee will be estimated and sent to you. Make sure you only buy from an authorized dealer (you can contact Olight’s customer service to find one) or you will possibly waive your rights to the warranty. Also, take care to store your light properly, as the warranty does not cover damages caused by batter leakage. Check their website for their full warranty information.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Amazing brightness!
- Fantastic TIR optics
- Head and body are the same piece which helps with heat dissipation
- Magnet charging port is super easy to connect, and you don’t have to worry about USB covers
- Physical and electronic lockout available
- 5 brightness modes + SOS
- Smooth ribbed knurling
- Large button
- The headmount magnet can be removed to lighten the load.
- Fantastic pocket clip which can be clipped 2 ways without having to reorient the clip
- Headband has little reflective designs
- LED tint color doesn't seem as yellow as many have reported
OBSERVATIONS
- Uses “proprietary” 18650 battery
- There is no battery level indicator
- Headmount rubber tab is too small
- Headmount rubber holder is too tight (even without the clip attached)
- Headmount magnet can be easily removed by other objects if not careful
- No strobe
- UI is a little confusing, mainly because the Primary mode does not cycle through all 5 modes.
- I’d rather use the physical lock out than the electronic lockout
- High-powered LED + exposed charging connector = need to take safety precautions and keep out of reach of children
- The light does get hot but when on the headmount it’s not so bad
- Does not include a hard-shell pouch like the H1 did or a soft pull string pouch like the H1R
- When the light down shifts from turbo due to time or heat, the light can be set back to Turbo by turning off the light and double click the light back to turbo
IN-USE
All the pictures below are taken with the light in Turbo. I’ve also included my beamshots preview which goes through all the output levels to help you get a real-world feel.
PRICE
The current price for the light is about $90 USD . If you appreciated my review and would like to support me, feel free to check out this product on amazon using my affiliate link (does not cost you more, amazon gives me very small % of their profit):
Olight H2R Nova Cree LED 2000 Lumens Rechargeable Headlamp
THANKS FOR READING!
Disclaimers:
- CivilGear Reviews received this product for testing and providing an honest review.
- CivilGear Reviews is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com