Let me get the required stuff out of the way…
This light was provided for review by The OlightStore.com (link is external) and can be purchased at the aforementioned link.
I have a fair bit of history with Olight, I have purchased and EDC’ed several of their 18650, 16340 and AA lights in a variety of finishes. Most do not get any kind of special treatment and I have yet to break one of them! I like this track record and would assume the HS2 will also be just as solid!
Olight lists the following Key Features
table(table#posts).
|Can be powered directly from any USB power source; never run out of battery.|
|Dual LED system for long range and up-close wide illumination.|
|Audible beep at 10% battery capacity to alert the user to charge.|
|Super lightweight at only 4 ounces. It is made of lightweight aluminum alloy with a compact uni-body structure.|
|Wide illumination area. Its dual LED light source with TIR optic lens give either independent low beam (close-range light), high beam (far-range light) or a mixed beam combining both of them.|
|Great runtime. It has a 2000mAh Lipo battery pack that supports a runtime up to 18 hours for continuous use.|
|Alternative lighting easily available. In case the provided battery pack runs out of power, the headlamp can still be powered by any external Micro-USB power source and resume normal work by plugging the charging cable to it, further extending its runtime.|
|Smart power level indication. Four-level battery power indication and low-power beeping sound warning in addition, helping to keeping you updated of the power status.|
|Gradual brightness changes. When turned on/off or changing modes, the brightness will change gradually to protect eyes from the stimulation caused by sudden brightness changes.|
GENERAL DATA
Beam Distance (ft) 279
Beam Distance (m) 85
Max. Performance (lumens) 400
Charge type Micro-USB
Compatible Batteries Customized LiPo Battery
Light Intensity (candela) 1800
Light Form Wide/broad hotspot. Perfect for up close illumination.
Lens / Reflector Type TIR bead lens (wide/broad beam)
Mode Operation Side Switch
Form/Size Factor Small size (Car key / Zippo Lighter)
Series Series H (Headlamps, Multitasking)
Unique Characteristics
Can be powered directly from any USB power source; never run out of battery.
Dual LED system for long range and up-close wide illumination.
Audible beep at 10% battery capacity to alert the user to charge.
Compact and lightweight at only 4 ounces.
LIGHTING LEVELS
LEVEL 1 (lumens) 400
Run-time LEVEL 1
2h12m.
LEVEL 2 (lumens) 200
Run-time LEVEL 2
4h30m.
LEVEL 3 (lumens) 100
Run-time LEVEL 3
9h.
LEVEL 4 (lumens) 50
Run-time LEVEL 4
18h.
Strobe No
SOS / BEACON Yes
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Waterproof IPX4
Weight (g / oz) 115 / 4.06
Length (mm / in) 24 / 0.94
Head Diameter (mm / in) 23 / 0.91
Body Diameter (mm / in) 45 / 1.77
Led Cree XP-G2
Packaging Carton box
Use EDC, car, camping, fishing, household, general use, fishing, climbing, cave exploration, outdoor activities, house activities
Package Contents
Flashlight Olight HS2 x 1
Rechargeable 2000mAh 3.7V Lipo x 1
Head strap x 1
Pouch x 1
Replacement Cable Clip x 2
1.5-meter Micro-USB Cable
instruction manual x 1
On to the beauty shots!
The wonderful carry case is back! To me, this is a giant plus. It also fits a jeans pocket.
Light as a whole.
You will notice that this light has an external battery box. This is different that the other headlamps I use, not bad… but different. The battery can be disconnected from the light and the light can be run by another USB power source, should you run your main onboard battery dead. You will also notice 2 LEDs in the head, one has a flood optic and one has a spot optic, this is very effective! Olight calls this pairing High beam and Low beam, each LED is able to put out 200 lumens on high and 50 lumens on low or a combined output of 400 lumens and 100 lumens.
The included 2000 mAh battery pack.
This pack indicates capacity and below 10% charge the last indicator will blink and the unit will beep. This can be silenced by pressing the blue button. As you can see the power button is large and easy to access!
So, how does it fit?
My daughter was happy to stop here homework and model for us!
UI
This light uses a different UI than we are used to from Olight.
On/off - When off a single press starts the light in high mode with both LEDs on. To turn the light off, hold the switch for about 1.5 to 2 seconds. This light has soft start and soft stop, meaning the LEDs will fade up to full brightness and will fade down to off. This light has no mode memory, so plan to always start in the 400 lumen high mode.
Changing brightness within a mode - single press of the switch toggles between high an low output within your current mode. Fades are present here as well, like this feature!
Changing modes - A quick double click will cycle from combined mode to flood mode to spot mode. Once in a new mode, a single click will change the output level of that mode. When changing mode groups the light will maintain the output level that was selected in the previous mode group. Another good feature.
SOS access - A quick triple click from on will enable SOS mode, a single click now will return the light to the previous mode of operation and previous output level.
What do I think of the light?
Let me start by saying, I am not a climber or runner. After this review has been completed, I am going to hand the light to a friend that runs long distance and in the dark. I will collect his opinion and report back to the group. I suspect he will love the weight and convenience of the light, he currently runs with an Olight H1 Nova and says that sometimes the mode spacing is just not quite right.
I love the fact that the semi-hard zipper case is back! That should be included with any headlamp, fits a pocket and protects the light and associated cables. This light looks complex from the start, the extra plug in the cable from the battery to the head is a very tight fit. But, in real use it is very simple to operate and that plug will let you run the light when stationary from any USB power pack, thus conserving the onboard battery. I do like this feature, I suspect in the long run this may be a camping and hiking light that I will really like. All of the plugs, cables and covers seem to be very solid and well sealed resulting in the IPX4 rating. Did I mention how light the unit is??? 115 grams, you hardly notice it! The 400 lumen mode is rated to run solid for 2 hours and 12 minutes, the 200 lumen mode is 4 hours and 30 minutes. From an initial full charge, I got 2 hours and 14 minutes, but that is with a new battery that has not been used.
Tint… Well, I am ok with the tint on the dual XP-G2’s. This light is cool leaning low neutral white, for use outdoors it might have been nice to have something that would render the surroundings in a nice light. The tint is not ugly, just not neutral or warm. No blue tint to the output. It could have been much worse! I will be in the woods with this light this weekend and may change my mind, at my home I am surrounded by sodium lights that make it very hard to tell what the actual outdoor presence on a lower output light is like.
Another added bonus, this does not use the standard Olight rechargeable tail cap. It instead uses a micro USB cable to charge the light from any USB source. There has been some concern amoung users since full battery voltage and current are presented at the end of the light and a short could be possible. I have never had this happen and use several Olight rechargeable lights… but it is possible!
I will gather real beamshots this weekend and update this post with further thoughts after that!
Over all, I think this is a good light and will be adopted by runners, climbers and hikers as it should be. It would also be a good light for construction workers and folks who work above ceiling tiles.
Thanks for your time reading my thoughts, hopefully they will help!
Matt