Greetings,
Today’s review will be dedicated to newest Olight headlight, the HS2.
Link to the headlight on Olight website
Well, when I first heard about new Olight headlight I thought to myself, why? I mean, there are a lot of headlights from Olight already, so why add another one?
I compiled a small table to make some sense.
Well, as we can see from the table there are a lot of lights, but nothing like the HS2. Especially notable the light weigh, limited brightness settings, and lack of stepdown .
So, why should I choose this light?
The flashlight is designed for runners, their specific needs. It means that the light is very lightweight, controlling the light is very easy without taking it off, the runtime is excellent and it is sweat proof.
Some points:
- The light “head” unit and the battery pack are separated. The head itself is really tiny, the battery pack uses a light li-po battery, all this meaning that the light is extremely easy to carry and you can hardly feel it on the head.
- There is no stepdown, thermal or time based. Meaning that the light stays in maximum brightness until the battery can’t push the required power. The head itself off course gets very hot, but because of the mount and the band you will not feel it.
- There are only two brightness levels, and the flashlight starts on the max level. The minimal brightness is 50 lumen, enough to be actually used on the run.
- The battery pack can be charged from USB charger, using provided (or any other) mini usb type B cable. Meaning you can charge the flashlight away from home, and it even can work while connected to powerbank.
- Maximum flexibility - there are 3 light modes to use - floody, throw or combined.
Well, after I got your attention, let’s start
The light comes in a small carton box. Inside the box there is semi-rigid plastic box with the light, and some accessories.
The light comes with USB cable, user manual and spare plastic connectors between the cable and the headband.
As you can see in the manual, controlling the light is very easy.
The battery pack contains a li-po battery. The battery is not user replaceable. After the battery reaches critical level, the battery pack starts an audio notification regarding battery status. The beeping can be stopped by pressing the blue button (that is usually used in order to check the battery status).
The battery pack is connected to the head (and the main switch) with a micro USB cable. You can also connect a powerbank or USB adapter instead of the power pack, the flashlight will work.
The button itself has a nice feel (soft touch) and the click is silent.
Some current measurements:
If you thought the S1 and the H1 are tiny, take a look at this headlight. The head is really tiny, but it holds two reflectors (to be more precise two TIR lenses).
Three modes - the flood, flood+throw and throw only
The headband is soft and wide. It also has some reflective parts.
The head gets up to 52 degrees Celsius, but your head does not feel it because of the mount and band.
Let’s see it in action
Control shot
Throw mode
Flood mode
Combined
Well, it’s not a monster headlight, but it gets the work done, while still being really light.
Conclusions
If you are a runner, or in a need of a lightweight flashlight that will be able to get you throw the night - this light is the light for you. For more general use, I’d suggest having a look at H1R.