Disclaimer: I got the light for review purposes directly from Sofirn. I didn’t pay for the light and I am not paid for the review. The review is my honest opinion after testing the light.
Specs by Sofirn
What you get in the box and build quality
The light comes in a typical white Sofirn Box. It includes the light itself preloaded with a 5000mAh button top 21700, a simple lanyard packed together with two spare o-rings, a two way clip (not installed), english manual and a small USB C - C cable - and of course the headband.
The HS43 is on the heavy side for a headlamp, 88g without and 158g with battery. Not surprising and in the normal range of 21700 right angle lights. It weights nearly exactly the same as the Armytek Wizard C2 pro max LR.
It feels really sturdy and well made, but i found a very small imperfection in the anodization of the tailcap and some glue on the selector ring.
On red, there is audible whine. I contacted Sofirn about that and they are checking if its only my sample or if there are others affected, too.
The anodization is black, somewhere between shiny and matte and is smooth, but the ridges all over the light provide enough grip.
USB-C-charging is integrated in the head, protected by a rubber flap.
There is a magnet in the tailcap, strong enough to hold the light horizontally, but i had it slightly slip down on smooth surfaces. It never fell of though.
The headband is ok, not the best, but it works. For further details see “Carrying options”
There are no switches on the light, just a ring with 5 distinct positions. It turns with a subtle click, each position is easy to find. It switches slightly before clicking into position (not problematic, but interesting). In the middle of the ring sits a battery indicator (Sofirn doesn’t specify %, only green = high, orange = medium, red = low and red blinking = very low).
There are 4 LEDs hidden under a TIR, 3 white TN3535 and for red a SST20R.
There might be glass over the TIR, but as far as I can tell there is not. I did not disassemble the light though.
Overall it feels well made and i would assume that it could handle hard use without problems. Sadly its only IPX6, a simple, tough light would go better with IPX8. As long as you don’t dunk it for more than a few centimeters / seconds, you shouldn’t have problems.
Running it on turbo and opening the USB-Cover results in a slight “plop”, so the light seems airtight.
Carrying Options
Clip: The clip holds the light fine in both directions. It has its own groove where it sits tight and won’t easily come off. I carried it on the clip most of the testing time, often clipped to my (dog-walking) slingbag. This way I can have light at my feet without weight at my head.
Lanyard: There is no attachment point on the light itself, only on the clip. On a light like that, I don’t need a lanyard, but if one is included, I would like to have a mounting option.
Headband: The HS43 clicks into the holder and needs quite some force to come out, no problem there. Inserting and removing works, won’t come out by itself.
The strap is big enough for huge heads or a helmet, but can also fit smaller heads.
For angle adjustment you might need two hands, but it won’t turn on itself.
The headband itself could be better, at least a silicone strip would be good, a modern headband like fenix or skilhunt even better.
It can be mounted in the headband with the clip attached, which i like very much!
UI
The UI is dead simple: Turn the ring. One direction you get red, the other three levels of white. Gloves, no Problem. Even if you are under highest stress, this will work.
I have read about concerns that the light could fire up in your pocket, because there is no way to lock it. So I tested this. I had to use so much pressure that it would be painful to have a chance of turning it - no way this could happen in a normal pocket.
As the switch is exposed if you clip it in a pocket, it could turn if you rub it along a very grippy surface, but that should be very unlikely. Summary: I have no concerns about the missing lock.
Beam profile and measurements
The white light is floody, cool and low CRI.
(Low - High) 6100 - 6900K, CRI 72 - 74, DUV 0,000 - 0,002
I generally don’t like cool white too much, but I have to say this is the most beautiful cool white in my collection. It’s just plain white. No green, no blue, no rosy, just white. Colors are washed out, of course, but the overall impression is much better than other low CRI lights.
My lumenbox (not calibrated, just an estimate, but not too far off what other reviewers measured on their Equipment) estimates low at 320 Lumen, mid at 920 and high at 3200, stepping down to (slightly below) mid.
Regulation after the stepdown on turbo is perfect. Sustaining around 900lm for a light that size is very respectable!
Mid is also fine and does, what the spec sheet says.
Low is regulated flat as well but has one slow drop of about 10% (slowly, so you won’t notice) and suddenly ramps back up. You will notice the step up. I can’t explain that behaviour, never seen this on a light, especially as it runs for an more than half an hour perfectly fine on the regulated level.
The bright and more focussed red is not regulated and shows the same behaviour as low. Overall, red in this light doesn’t seem the be aimed towards night vision, more for not having bugs in your face while having light - fits the concept.
Runtimes on white are shorter than advertised! Should be 2,5h (finished a bit under 2 hours) on III, 3,5h on II (finished a bit under 2 hours 40 Minutes). Low came short, too, with 5 hours and 20 Minutes instead of 6 hours. This is surprising, as the battery measured 5122mAh. Charging indicator turns green at 4,15 -4,17V, that could be a reason.
There are several reasons why the runtimes could vary from sample to sample quite a bit, but be aware that the stated numbers might be a bit high.
Red on the other hand runs longer than specced.
Summary
The HS43 is an interesting light. Dead simple UI, good build quality, bright. But bright on any level, not for low light environments. While I would have liked a 10 and a 100lm mode in addition, it’s not what the light was designed for. I can imagine it as a work light, it’s perfect to use with gloves. Or hand it to someone that doesn’t have any experience with lights. Would be fine as a “grandma-light” alternative to the dive lights.
Output and regulation are impressive, although not flawless.
The headband is not the best but works very fine. Switching from headband to handheld and back works perfectly, the clip can always stay on.
With its mode spacing it might not be for everyone, but if you can deal with that, I can recommend it. At the time of this review, the light sells for under 40$ and considering this I would say it’s a very good deal, especially with its high sustained brightness!
