The Olight H2R is the most reliable and versatile headlamp I have ever owned! It is a 2300 lumen waterproof rechargable LED angle torch with a headlamp strap. It offers five levels of brightness and magnetic tail cap for easy USB charging.

What I like

• Versatile – use as headlamp or hand-held torch
• Variable brightness – 1 to 2300 lumens
• Long battery life – up to 45 days
• Simple charging – magnetic tail cap

Magnetic attraction…

The H2R headlamp kit is actually made of two parts: the angle torch and the head strap, which can be separated as needed. I use this as a headlamp most of the time, but the torch can be detached and held by hand. It also has a magnetic tail cap which holds the torch securely against a car body, steel fence post or any other ferrous material.

Also, when reattaching the headlamp to the head strap, another magnet helps line it up for you automatically while you clip on the rubber strap. Clever!

This magnet can hold the torch in the head strap without having to clip down the rubber strap (e.g. may be difficult when wearing thick gloves), although I always use the strap to be sure it won’t fall off.

What a bright idea!

The output of the H2R ranges from very dull to super bright. It is capable of lighting up just over 150m, all the way down to a tiny 1 lumen glow, with a few more levels in between.

I chose the white light LED which has a brigher beam, higher contrast and enhanced detail. The neutral white LED is also available for a more natural and soft looking colour (like sunlight) which apparently penetrates the fog better.

For my purposes this head torch is used to light up:

• Daily hobby farm work feeding animals early morning or after sunset
• Camping – setting up camp, toilet stops and night-light for the children
• Mechanical work on the car

The H2R has a long battery life, although it depends on the mode you’ve selected. In any case it’s vastly better than another headlamp I’ve used which runs on AA batteries.

Mode	Lumens	Battery life	Usage
Turbo	2300 750	1 min, then 1 hr 50 mins	Briefly checking paddocks for foxes
High	600	2 hrs 30 mins	Spotting possums and other wildlife
Medium	150	10 hrs	General use: distance work
Low	30	50 hrs	General use: close up work
Ultralow	1	45 days	Camping: reading books before bed, night-light all night
S.O.S	?	?	Emergency beacon

Note that the LED gets quite hot at the brightest setting, which must be why it’s automatically limited to 1 minute. My son even used it to heat up a marshmallow – if you can swallow that!

Take charge with the magnetic tailcap

Every time I pick it up the thing it just works, as opposed to my Kathmandu Falcon 100 head torch which flattens the batteries even when turned off. When the H2R eventually needs charging I simply attach the magnetic tailcap USB charger for a few hours and it’s good to go again.

The included magnetic USB tailcap charging cable is so simple to use. It allows you to charge the headlamp without removing the customised 18650 battery, so you won’t need to buy a dedicated lithium-ion battery charger. Monitoring the battery recharging level is easy too with the charger tailcap indicator: glowing red means it’s still charging, green means fully charged or on standby.

Conclusion

A friend gave glowing reviews of this brand, and I’ve been happy with all my purchases of their products too! The Olight H2R is serious everyday headlamp with a good balance of functionality, power, weight and size.

Technical specs

• Waterproof rating: up to 2 m (IPX-8)
• Drop rating: 1.5 m
• Dimensions: 23.2 mm diameter body (25 mm head diameter) x 110 mm length
• Weight: 174 g (with battery and strap)
• Battery type: 18650 (customised battery required for tailcap charging)
• Warranty: 5 years
• RRP: AUD $119.95 (USD $89.95) purchased through Olight Store
  UPDATE 11 Jan 2021 – this store is not currently selling the H2R but other online stores still have this available.

See also:

• L-shaped magnetic charging port