The Olight HS2 is aimed at people who want a lightweight headtorch or headlamp but do not want to sacrifice on beam. The Olight HS2 is small and lightweight, which makes it ideal for runners as well as general outdoor use.
Features include:
- The brightest beam is 400 lumens and has 85m light throw.
- Other options for 200, l00 and 50 lumens.
- Dual LED system for long range and up-close wide illumination.
- Less lumens the longer the battery lasts, from 2 hours 12 mins to 18 hours.
- Gradual brightness changes. When turned on/off or changing modes, the brightness will change gradually to protect eyes from sudden brightness changes.
- Rechargeable battery pack via micro-USB
- Option to bypass battery and charge with any USB power source
- Battery gauge to show how much charge is left
- Beep alert when 10% battery left
- Zipped pouch for storage.
- Weight: 4oz/114g
- Standard price: £53.95
- 5 year warranty for the headlamp and 1 year warranty for battery pack.
- Buy from a new UK on-line store Olight Store UK which opens on May 18. There will be up to 50% discounts between May 18 and 21. (If you buy through this link I will earn a small commission. Thank you!)
On test: Olight HS2 head torch
It is a very lightweight product. For weight to beam ratio it is the lightest I have tested and that includes my favourite Silva head torch. The Silva I own offers 600 lumens of light (I think the newer versions have greater lumens).
While it’s great to have 600 lumens for some situations, less light is fine too and 400 lumens will be more than sufficient for most running situations. I often reduce the beam on my Silva head torch to give me more light beam for each charge of the battery.
With the torch set to 400 lumens you will get around 2 hours to 2 hours 10 mins of light output. This might not be enough if you are doing a longer training session or race or and so you would have two other options: Run the head torch on only 200 lumens for double the time or switch to continuous charging through a USB cable from a portable charger.
I really like this latter idea. I think it’s a great concept and a bonus for a headlamp. You could, for example, put a portable charger in your rucksack and use a lead to feed the head torch. I can’t do this with my Silva because the charger battery requires a plug in power charger.
The headtorch is very easy to wear on the head. The simple headband feels comfortable and it’s adjustable to suit different head sizes. A small battery pack sits on the headband but I hardly noticed it was there. Thinking back to my first headtorch for running, it seems amazing how far the technology has come and how small the battery packs are these days.
There is a large button for switching on the light beam. This is easy to find with your fingers when you have the lamp on your head. There are three main modes:
Mode 1. Mixed beam (both bulbs are on and the light can be adjusted including 400lumens and 100lumens)
Mode 2. Low beam (emits wider and softer light): Including 200lumens and 50lumens
Mode 3. High beam (emits narrow and focused light which can go further) including 200 lumens and 50 lumens
To start with the headlamp is in mode 1. To switch between beam brightness you single click.
To switch to mode 3 you double click the button.
There is also a Mode 4. Three quick clicks takes you to a flashing SOS beam.
I found it easy to switch on the brightest setting and a less bright setting. To access another two settings (mode 2) of the light beam you quickly double click the button. If you triple click in quick succession you get a flashing SOS light beam.
I confess I found the settings a bit tricky to get the hang of at the start and I suspect I will use only the two brightest settings. The other settings will be reserved for times when I am not running, when I am pottering around in the dark at night at a campsite or similar. It is good to have these options, however.
Use a portable charger to power the headlamp.
The direction of the light beam can be adjusted by moving the small torch head up or down. There is not a huge amount of movement but it’s enough for running or hiking with.
It comes with a neat wee case.
The battery charge indicator is excellent. You can tell how much charge you have left according to the number of small blue lights. When the battery is close to decharging an alert sound is emitted.
I also like the storage pouch for keeping the headtorch safe when not in use.
Overall – and especially for the price – this is a great lightweight headtorch with a good level of brightness and, therefore, vision. An excellent feature is the ability to run the torch from a portable charger if the batter should run out.
To buy see: Olight Store UK which opens on May 18. There will be up to 50% discounts between May 18 and 21. (If you buy through this link I will earn a small commission. Thank you!)