I received the Brinyte HL18 Noctua directly from Brinyte for the review.
For technical details: https://www.brinyte.com/product/HL18.html
For purchase: https://brinytestore.com/products/brinyte-hl18-noctua-headlamp
Brinyte on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brinyte
BRINYTE has recently released the new HL18 Noctua, a multifunctional flashlight suitable for various uses and situations. HL18 Noctua incorporates some features of the previous HL16 including the 90° swivel head that allows it to easily transform into a headlamp. HL18 features a Luminous LED with a maximum light output of 1600 lumens and 5 main brightness levels, as well as special Strobe and SOS modes. It is equipped with magnetic recharge "on the fly" and is powered by a 18650 battery (included in the sales package) with a maximum autonomy of 120 hours.
Brinyte HL18 Noctua has compact dimensions and is equipped with a 2-way clip for better portability; thanks to the magnetic tail it is possible to anchor it to ferrous surfaces. Brinyte HL18 can be mounted on a rigid plastic bracket and worn on the head with its elastic band for even more freedom of movement. It has reverse polarity protection and is IP66 certified.
Brinyte HL18 is the right choice in all situations where a light is needed, especially for outdoor sports or for home use.
Main features:
- Max 1600 lumens and beam distance 308 meters
- Powered by 3100mAh 18650 rechargeable battery
- 0 ~ 90 degree rotating head
- Adjustable bracket from 0 to 120 degrees made of durable plastic
- A strong magnetic tail can stick to any ferrous metal
- A perforated headband makes it much cooler and for hands-free use
- Easy magnetic charging, smart battery indicator
- Made of durable A6061-T6 aluminum
- HAIII Premium hard anodized anti-abrasive finish
- Tested with IP66 waterproof and 1.5 meter impact resistance
Levels / Runtime
Turbo: 1600 lumens / 2h6min
High: 620 lumens / 3h5min
Medium: 150 lumens / 8h30min
Low: 50 lumens / 25h
Moon: 10 lumens / 120h
Strobe: 1600 lumens
SOS: 300 lumens
Dimensions and weight
Weight: 86g, 3.03oz (including Clip, excluding battery)
Dimensions: 27.5mm head, 127.5mm length and 26mm body.
Note: Stated data was measured to ANSI / NEMA FL1 International Flashlight Test Standards using a Brinyte IMR18650 (3.6V 3100mAh) Li-ion battery under laboratory conditions. Parameters are approximate and may vary between flashlights, batteries, and environment.
Brinyte HL18 Noctua arrived in a rigid white/blue cardboard box.
Inside the box I found:
- The Brinyte HL18 Noctua flashlight with Clip and 18650 battery inserted
- Magnetic charging cable
- Headband with rigid plastic bracket
- 2 x Spare O-rings
- Manual, warranty and warnings
The steel clip, included in the package and already mounted on the Noctua HL18; being 2-way it can be used in two different positions. Stays firmly and allows easy insertion into jeans. A lanyard can be inserted on the clip to carry the flashlight safely in your hands.
The headband, included in the sales package, is well made and easily adjustable.
It is perforated to facilitate sweat and has a rigid plastic torch holder (bracket). The logo and the wording "Brinyte" can be seen on the band and on the support.
The bracket, where the HL18 fits, is well built and made of durable plastic.
It allows quick insertion of the flashlight even with the clip inserted and is adjustable by rotating it from 0 to 120 degrees through 8 clicks. The pivot mechanism is effective in adjusting unless it is strongly stressed while walking.
The battery that I found included in the package is a 18650 High Drain protected by 3100mAh marked Brinyte.
Brinyte also includes in the package a box to store the battery when we do not use the HL18 for a long time. With the Noctua HL18 you can also use other batteries with or without button.
Some features of Brinyte 18650 battery:
- Type: High-drain IMR18650 3100mAh
- Chemistry: Li-ion
- Capacity (mAh): 3100mAh
- Voltage: 3.6V
- Charging Cycle: >=500
- Weight: 48.4g
- Dimensions: 18.9mm (Diameter)*70mm (Height)
- Over-discharge protection
- Overcharge protection
- Short circuit protection
- Up to 500 charge and discharge cycles
HL18 Noctua has protection against polarity inversion and as contacts a plated spring on the positive (in the head) and in the negative (in the tail). In the threads on the body, which arrive well lubricated, we find an O-ring for water and dust protection. Brinyte HL18 Noctua is IP66 certified (dust and wave protection).
Also this product, like the others I have received from Brinyte, is very well built with good thicknesses, rounded edges and without construction residues. In the hand it is held and handled well. It is 127.5mm long and weighs 138g with the battery inserted.
Like its smaller sister, the HL16, the design of the HL18 is particular with the bezel and the frame around the button in blue color, as well as the body and the tail cap which have a particular prism processing. The Noctua HL18 is constructed from HAIII Premium Military Grade Hard Anodized Aluminum Alloy. The writings on the flashlight are well-made and are clearly legible. In my (evaluation) version the word “sample not for sale” is added.
On the head of the Brinyte HL18 Noctua we find a smooth projector with a Luminus LED in the center (it is not specified but the shape clearly looks like an SFT-40-W: https://www.luminus.com/products/white)
with Cool White tint with about 5900K measured. With this configuration Brinyte HL18 Noctua reaches 1600 lumens with 23750cd and the beam covers a maximum distance of 308 meters. The HL18 Noctua has a blue bezel enriched by a particular stepped battlements that enhances its brightness.
Brinyte HL18 has a 90° rotatable head through 5 positions. The rotation is soft but safe thanks to the mechanism with which it is equipped that arrives well lubricated.
HL18 Noctua features a single generously sized switch surrounded by a blue bezel and engraved with the Brinyte "logo". The click is audible and the right pressure must be applied to operate the switch. Given the design of the flashlight it is easy to find it in the dark or with gloves.
HL18 is equipped with an electronic lock by “clicking” 5 times when the torch is off.
On the opposite side of the switch, we find the magnetic charging port. The “on-the-fly” connection system speeds up charging operations and gives a greater degree of safety against the infiltration of dust and liquids to the detriment, however, of the possible deterioration, over time, of the contact surface.
HL18 Noctua has intelligent safe charging mode to avoid battery overheating during prolonged charging and ensure battery safety. Once recharging has started, the LEDs around the magnetic socket on the flashlight are colored to indicate the status of the battery. The color is red when recharging and green when recharging is complete.
These LEDs also indicate the status of the battery once the Brinyte HL18 Noctua is turned on.
Note: The light can be switched to MOON, LOW and MID while charging.
GREEN: 30% -100%
FIXED RED: 10% -30%
FLASHING RED: 0% -10%
In my tests the supplied battery was fully recharged in about 3h50min (4.19V) with the maximum charging current of 1.2A.
The only unscrewable part of the HL18 Noctua is the tail cap. By slightly unscrewing the tail cap we obtain the mechanical lock of the flashlight.
There is no possibility to insert a lanyard on the tailcap while there is a magnet in the tail to make the Noctua HL18 adhere to ferrous surfaces.
Brinyte HL18 Noctua near the Brinyte HL16 Noctua and other torches.
USER INTERFACE (UI):
Brinyte HL18 Noctua has only one switch and has 5 main levels + 2 special levels (Strobe and SOS). The spacing of the levels is good and the user interface (UI) is very simple.
Turbo: 1600 lumens / 2h6min
High: 620 lumens / 3h5min
Medium: 150 lumens / 8h30min
Low: 50 lumens / 25h
Moon: 10 lumens / 120h
Strobe: 1600 lumens
SOS: 300 lumens
ON/OFF
Click the switch to turn the flashlight on or off.
CHANGE LEVEL
Press and hold the switch to change the cycle modes: MOON - LOW - MID - HIGH - TURBO. Release the switch to select the mode. MOON mode appears only in the first cycle; then to recall it, press and hold the switch with the torch off.
TURBO LEVEL
In any state, double click the switch to enter TURBO mode and double click again to enter LOW mode.
STROBE and SOS
Triple click to switch to STROBE and triple click again to switch mode to SOS. Click once to deactivate.
LOCK and UNLOCK
In the OFF state, click five times to enter lock mode, then click five times to unlock. When the light is locked / unlocked correctly, it will blink twice slowly.
Memory
The projector will automatically memorize the gears of the lighting mode excluding TURBO, SOS and STROBE), each time it is switched on it will switch on at the level of the switch off.
Beam and Runtime:
The beam of the Brinyte HL18 Noctua has a beautiful white color tending slightly to greenish. Then we note the violet color of the outline of the spill due to the color of the bezel. The optic + led system gives the torch a good beam depth even at low light outputs. Surely the average level of 150 lumens is sufficient for a good vision of the walk to illuminate well up to about ten meters. I don't see any PWM in any level.
The maximum value of over 31000cd found by me, in the test with the Luxmeter LX1330B, is higher than that declared by the house. The beginning of the spill from the feet is about one meter.
The CCT color temperature and color rendering Ra value taken with the OPPO Light Master Pro, two meters away from the sensor, varies according to the selected light level.
In TURBO I measured 5923 CCT and 66.7 Ra.
In LOW I measured 5474 CCT and 63.5 Ra.
With a FLIR thermal imaging camera, I measured the temperature in the brightest mode (Turbo 1600 lumens) after: 12min, 19min and 20min from switching on. The hottest part is the head which, however, never reaches excessive temperatures.
The Runtime were done outdoors, with low ventilation and a temperature of about 15° C, using the supplied battery, a fully charged 3100mAh 18650 protected battery.
I would like to clarify that the values expressed by the graphs must be evaluated above all as a reference because they are made with means and conditions different from those used in the laboratory.
The tests were done by putting the Brinyte HL18 Noctua in “TURBO”, “HIGH” e “MID” mode.
Really excellent adjustment of the HL18. The runtime in the average brightness of 150 lumens is remarkable.
The first 10 minutes.
VIDEO REVIEW:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/k0zNJRL0twg
CONCLUSIONS:
Brinyte HL18 Noctua is an interesting and particular product. There are few flashlights with the ability to rotate the head to become a headlamp like the HL18.
The build quality and the quality of the beam left me well impressed with an amazing beam depth thanks also to the excellent Luminus SFT-40-W LED. Also excellent adjustment and runtime considering that the battery is a 18650.
In conclusion, an excellent product that is certainly recommended.
Thank you for reading the review.