SOFIRN HS22 was sent to me directly by Sofirn for review.
For technical data and purchase information: https://www.sofirnlight.com
The SOFIRN brand has been offering customers products with good value for money for years, a key feature of the brand. Sofirn products are easily available on Amazon, Aliexpress, and, of course, on their website, sofirnlight.com.
The SOFIRN HS22 is a high-brightness, multipurpose 18650 headlamp that combines spot and flood beams with a 1500 lm cool white spotlight and a 2000 lm neutral white floodlight with multiple color temperatures. It features a dual switch to control the spotlight and floodlight independently.
The SOFIRN HS22 is powered by a rechargeable 4000 mAh 18650 Li-ion battery (included) with a maximum battery life of 400 hours.
The HS22 has an IP66 waterproof rating (protected against dust and resistant to powerful water jets), is drop-resistant up to 1.5 meters, and features an active temperature control system.
The HS22 comes with a comfortable, easily adjustable headband and a practical, lightweight plastic bracket.
The features of the SOFIRN HS22 make it suitable for a variety of usage scenarios, such as night running, camping, hiking, road trips, or as an emergency light.
SOFIRN HS22 MAIN FEATURES
- Emitters: 1 high-power LED with long throw and 4 high-power LEDs with wide beam
- Electronics: Buck converter
- Battery: 1 x 18650 battery
- Operating voltage: 3V – 4.2V
- Operating mode: Dual switches
- USB-C charging
- Material: AL6061-T6 aluminum alloy
- Reverse polarity protection for incorrect battery installation.
- The thermal protection system is automatically activated if the temperature exceeds 55°C. This system reduces the light output to maintain an optimal external temperature, ensuring a better user experience.
Dimensions: 80 mm x 48.52 mm x 26.5 mm
Weight: 72 g (without battery)
WARRANTY:
Sofirn offers a standard one-year warranty on its products, covering manufacturing defects and failures not caused by misuse. Extended warranties or accidental damage coverage may be available for some products, often through separately purchased insurance.
Web: www.sofirnlight.com www.sofirn.cn sofirn.aliexpress.com
E-mail: us@sofirnlight.com eu@sofirnlight.com
service@sofirnlight.com wholesale@sofirn.cn
PACKAGING and ACCESSORIES:
The SOFIRN HS22 is sold in a beautiful, rigid cardboard box with a magnetic closure. Opening the box reveals the HS22 headlamp containing the 18650 4000mAh battery and the included accessories: headband with quick-release fastener, USB Type-C charging cable, 2 spare O-rings, and the manual (in Italian).
Upon opening the box, we find a warning to remove the insulating paper disc on one of the battery terminals before using the HS22.
Before use, the clear plastic protection on the headlamp must also be removed.
THE HEADBAND
The sales package includes a headband for attaching the headlamp. The elastic headband, which also features a top strap, is of good quality, and the removable plastic bracket for attaching the flashlight is a good fit. The HS22 can easily rotate up or down on the bracket up to 180°, depending on the application, with a dozen adjustments.
The battery supplied with the Sofirn HS22 is the new lithium 18650 format with a capacity of 4000mAh.
SOFIRN HS22 is an inverted T-shaped headlamp that combines spot and flood beams. The materials are discreet; the body is made of AL6061-T6 aluminum alloy with matte black anodization and no sharp edges. It weighs just 120g with battery and is compact in size (103mm).
The lighting component consists of a TIR optic with a high-power cool white (6000-6500K) 1500-lumen emitter (SFT-25R) for long-range illumination and 4 high-power 2000-lumen flood LEDs (2 x TN3535) with a wide flood beam. The four flood LEDs have a warm color temperature (2700K) and two cool color temperatures (6000-6500K).
The combined beam can be used with the two emitters, with a maximum power of up to 2500 lumens and an adjustable color temperature (CCT) from 2700K to 6500K.
The maximum distance covered by the depth emitter is 260 meters.
Let’s see below the 4 LEDs, with two different color temperatures, turned on:
On the top of the HS22 we find 2 rubber buttons; the Mode Button (M) to manage the beam mode and the Brightness Button to manage the brightness levels. The two switches have a nice click, soft and slightly noisy. Since the two buttons are raised, they are easy to find when wearing the headlamp.
In the SOFIRN HS22, the only unscrewable part is the cap, to the left of the front when viewed from the front, where the battery will be inserted.
Screen prints and writing indicate the correct direction to unscrew and screw the cap, while the body also indicates the correct direction to insert the battery.
For the battery contacts, there is a plated spring for the positive and one for the negative.
The Sofirn HS22 can also be powered by other batteries, both button-top and flat-type.
The threads arrive well greased, and the HS22 is equipped with an O-ring for waterproofing and is IP66 certified (not suitable for diving). The Sofirn HS22 has reverse polarity protection due to incorrect battery installation.
Battery Level Indicator
After turning on the HS22, the indicator light above the two switches will display the voltage for 5 seconds.
Solid green = 75%-100%
Blinking green = 50%-75%
Solid red = 25%-50%
Blinking red = 1-25%
Charging:
At the end of the cycle (runtime), the battery read 2.9V. Behind the headlight is the USB-C charging port, protected by a thick rubber cover. During charging, the indicator light is red, and turns green when fully charged. A full charge takes about 3 hours (5V/1.65A max).
N.B. During my tests, at the end of charging (green LED), the battery read only 4.11V. Leaving the battery charging for an additional 30 minutes brought it to 4.16V.
During charging: The device will turn off and unlock automatically when charging is detected. While charging, it only responds to a single click (ON/OFF) to turn on Spot at medium level.
We see the SOFIRN HS22 in the center along with two Nitecore front lights.
UI & LEVELS:
The SOFIRN HS22 has two buttons to manage the user interface. Seen from behind, on the left is the Mode “M” button used to switch between the various available light sources, and on the right is the Brightness button (with the sun symbol), which we will use to change the brightness level and color of the flood beam.
Lock/Unlock Function: When off, triple-click either button to lock the HS22. Triple-click again to unlock it. In lock mode, any button press (except triple-click) will trigger two flashes of the focused beam to indicate the device is locked.
On/Off
Press the spotlight/floodlight switch to turn on the power.
Quickly press either switch to turn off the power.
Switching Brightness Levels
In Spotlight or Floodlight mode, or both, press the brightness button to cycle through the brightness levels.
Changing Modes
When the flashlight is on, press and hold the mode button (M) to change modes to Spotlight, Floodlight, or both.
ECO Brightness
Press and hold either button to turn on the headlamp in 5-lumen ECO mode.
TURBO Mode
Quickly double-click either switch to activate TURBO mode.
Color Changing in Floodlight Mode
In Floodlight mode, quickly click the Brightness button twice and hold to change the color temperature. Release when the desired color temperature is reached.
Memory Function
The headlamp has a memory function. When the headlamp is turned off, it will save the previously used brightness levels. It will automatically turn on with the saved brightness level when turned on (excluding Turbo and Eco).
Low Battery Warning
When the battery is low, the power indicator flashes red continuously to remind you to replace the battery.
Temperature Control Protection
If the product temperature exceeds the safe value, the product brightness will be reduced through temperature control to prevent damage to the product and injury to the user.
BEAM and RUNTIME:
With the SOFIRN HS22, we have two beam types available: deep and floodlight, and various color modes (CCT). The beam quality is good.
The floodlight provides a very wide 180-degree illumination, providing good illumination up to 30-40 meters. The ability to vary the color from warm to cold, or a mix of both, is highly appreciated.
With the focused beam, spotlight, you get excellent depth illumination with a narrower beam angle. As you can clearly see from the photo below, the beam is not clean but has some rings that, however, do not significantly interfere with outdoor lighting. The distance covered by the spotlight beam, according to my measurements, is over 285 meters in TURBO mode at 1500 lumens.
Using the OPPLE Light Master Pro, an inexpensive and reasonably accurate device (though not calibrated), I took some measurements, taking the CCT color temperature and Ra color rendering index (CR). Flicker is in the green range, not at risk. As shown by the reported values, the beam color has a CRI index that is not particularly high but average, with a cool beam color, especially at higher brightness levels. The beam with a warm color temperature has a higher color rendering index, reaching a value of 94.2 in my measurement.
Floodlight:
2 WARM TURBO LEDs: CCT 2812/CR 94.2 – DUV: 0.0047
2 COOL TURBO LEDs: CCT 5549/CR 68.5 – DUV: 0.0086
Spotlight:
HIGH: CCT 6030/Ra 68.5 – Duv: 0.0067
TURBO: CCT 6341/Ra 70.2 – Duv: 0.0038
Using a thermal imaging camera, I measured how heat is distributed across the headlamp in the combined TURBO mode at 2500 lumens after 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 5 minutes from turning it on. Heat distribution is good.
Runtime:
The runtime tests were performed indoors (approximately 22°C) with the supplied battery (Sofirn 18650 4000mAh) fully charged. I used the LX1330B Luxmeter for the test. The values in the graphs are expressed in Candela (cd), not lumens.
I would like to point out that the values in the graphs should be taken primarily as reference values, as they were obtained with hobbyist-level equipment and environmental conditions different from those used in the laboratory.
Starting with the SPOT beam in the TURBO (1500 lumens) and HIGH (600 lumens) settings, good regulation is noted.
In TURBO, the first stepdown occurs 3 minutes after power-up, with the brightness decreasing to the high level.
Subsequently, the beam remains constant until minute 115, when another stepdown brings the brightness below the medium level, and then, after another hour, to the low level. This level is then maintained for over 5 hours.
In HIGH mode, the brightness decreases slightly after startup and then remains constant for over 136 minutes after power-up. Subsequently, stepdowns begin, bringing the brightness back to low after over 200 minutes. As with Turbo mode, the brightness then remains constant at low for over 5 hours.
The values found in these two tests meet and exceed those indicated in the Sofirn table. Regarding the candela (cd) value, it is significantly better in both Turbo and High modes.
Switching to the FLOOD beam I ran the runtime in HIGH mode (600 lumens). Here too, the regulation is good, with a constant brightness from start-up for over 186 minutes before the first drop in brightness due to the approaching exhaustion of the battery.
The first 10 minutes:
VIDEO
CONCLUSIONS
The SOFIRN HS22 is an excellent headlamp considering the price and the many features found in this model. Tested in the field, I found the depth beam to be very effective, usable even at the lowest settings. The flood beam covers a wide field in front of us and is particularly useful for illuminating short distances or indoors, with the option of varying the beam’s color temperature.
The regulation was good during runtime, as were the battery life with the 4000mAh battery included in the package.
Recommended.
Thanks for reading the review.
Roberto
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