Olight H2R Nova Quick Review (New Improved Tailcap Available Now! See post #32)

rookiedaddy

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Pros:
Maximum 2300/2000 lumens
Good runtime on High mode (600/550 lumens)
Improvement to the included headband

Cons:
Same old Olight's slow magnetic recharging system

For those who thinks you have read all there is to read about H2R Nova, you can stop right here and move to another thread because what comes next is gonna be boring or you might actually find my review quite offensive if you are a fan of Olight (as a matter of fact, just for your information, Olight recently launch their Friends of Olight fan-club).

Gonna try a different approach for this review, less pictures... hehe
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After Olight released H1R Nova back in January 2017, approximately 6 months has passed and no new releases from Olight. Between showing up at trade-shows, moving their Head Quarter and celebrating their 10th Anniversary, it's no wonder new releases been slow and repeated missed dateline... M1R, M2R, X7R, X9, etc...

H2R Nova is Olight's attempt to waken the market as it's touted as the brightest headlamp in the market today. While this is true to a certain extend, it does comes with a few "perks".

About that 2300/2000 lumens
Yea, it's bright as daylight if you lit it in a small room and need it for just about a minute. Other than being marketed as the brightest headlamp in the market because they can do it and they are doing it, well, I don't know about you, but it serves me no real practical purpose. Oh! I'll spare you the need to school me on that Turbo mode is for short burst when you need that extra output. Well, tell you what... if I've been running the H2R for an hour+ on high mode, and I absolutely, positively, urgently and immediately needed that Turbo mode, IT IS NOT AVAILABLE!!! Yup! It Is Not Available if and when needed in most of my outdoor usage scenario!
Honestly, it would be more practical if it is made to 1000-ish lumens and is truly available as short burst output.
Moreover, running at 2300/2000 lumens, the heat is unbearable even if you wear it on your head with the included headband. It is burning hot if you hold it in your hand, I measure the head in excess of 60 degree Celcius after 30 seconds.
*here you will find your first perk for the survivalist in you: you might be able to lit an ember from charcloth

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About the rest of the modes
Now, this is where H2R really shines, compare to H1R, due to H2R bigger body, the high mode on H2R dissipate heat faster and doesn't run as hot as H1R's 600 lumens maximum mode. Having 2.5 hours runtime on the 600/550 lumens high mode is really sweet too. For those who think the 2 lumens moon mode is too bright on the H1R, Olight has lower the moon mode to 1 lumen. Which is still plenty bright and not as glaring as the H1R moon mode.
There is electronic lockout, activated from OFF mode by holding the switch down for >= 2 seconds. To get out of this electronic lockout mode, repeat the same holding the switch down for >= 2 seconds. Alternatively, you can get out of this lockout mode by loosening the tailcap, wait for a few seconds, and tightening it. The electronic lockout will be released. Note that engaging lockout will slowly drain your battery ever so slightly.


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About the Neutral White H2R tint
Good news for the incandescent tint lover like myself... the Neutral White version of H2R Nova is not really Neutral White, it's warmer, much warmer than Olight's usual Neutral White tint...
Bad news for those of you who hated the yellow incandescent tint... because it's warmer, much warmer, much much warmer... so stay away... :nana:
Oh, btw, the picture above, from left, Olight H2R Nova Neutral White, Olight H2R Nova Cool White, Olight H1R Nova Neutral White.


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About the H2R Nova headband/head strap
The head strap included in H2R Nova is a vast improvement over the older H1R, not only have Olight lengthen the head strap, but the inclusion of magnetic-based mount is very useful and convenient. The magnet is really strong and even without fastening the silicone strap, I doubt you will have much trouble in your everyday use. Of course, if you are using H2R Pro for night hiking or night running races, it's highly recommended to fasten the silicone strap. But on a side note, this H2R is really hefty and will likely weight you down in your races.


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About Olight Magnetic Charging System
Olight SxR, HxR (including this new H2R Nova of course) that's release between 2016-2017 all uses the same magnetic charging system. Most includes a USB Magnetic Charging Cable to charge up the customized battery (read proprietary) that's included in the light. For smaller 16340-size battery with less than 800mAh, I think the USB Magnetic Charging Cable is fine as the maximum charge rate is 750mA and it usually doesn't' charge at that rate unless your battery is empty, but for bigger 18650 light with 3000mAh and above, charging at 750mA is just too slow.
With the Magnetic Charging Tailcap, you will find your second perk for the survivalist in you: if you ever found yourself with a damage H2R switch, and can't switch on the H2R, you can use the tailcap to light up a bi-pin bulb or LED, provided you carry some in your BOB or GHB... heck, a user even manage to power up a Astrolux S41! Now that's impressive hidden feature... isn't it.
As your third perk for the survivalist in you: pairing it with fine steel wool, and you can use Olight's Magnetic Rechargeable Tailcap as a fire-starting tool, this has been proven to work 100% of the time. Yes, it works on your S1R, S2R, H1R, S10RIII, S30RIII too... except the R50 Pro Seeker.


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About the Ultra High Drain 3000mAh ORB-186C30 LiIon Battery
Some potential users are concern that Olight using such a high drain battery that connects to exposed contact at the tailcap may cause a thermal runaway when shorted. I honestly don't think shorting the tailcap will cause a catastrophic event/failure to the H2R Nova... but on the other hand... the hidden feature as a fire-starting tool is a real concern.

For some reason, Olight decided to remove what I think is a protection feature that's available in the older light, that is, if you shorted the exposed positive and negative contact point, the light will just switch off and required breaking the tailcap contact (loosening the tailcap and tightening it back) to work again.

Following video shows the difference of shorting the tailcap between H1R Nova and H2R Nova.


Did you notice the small sparks in the second part of the video? Yea... there is that...

OK, a bit of grand-mother story from this points onwards... skip this if you are not into gossiping or more into grand-daddy story... please skip this... else... be warned...
These review units are the second delivery from Olight, first delivery was asked by Olight to hold back on the review due to some cosmetic imperfection and it was kept with my local distributor. A month passed and I finally received the new batch, but shockingly, what they updated is just the user manual,
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however, confirmation from my local distributor is that they have indeed fixed the switch boot cosmetic issue.
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In multiple occasions since the S1R, Olight was contacted to explain the exposed live contact issue and has been shown with picture the live Voltage reading as well as the side-effect of the exposed contact lighting up a 5mm LED and a bi-pin bulb. the only consistent answer from Olight is they are aware of what we can do and do not think it's an issue... well... not until a user posted in their facebook early this year showing how his S2R "accidentally" cause some steel-wool to burn and the magnetic tailcap was "actively" attracting metal dust/particle and was heating up the S2R tailcap.
I was a "little" disappointed to say the least that they continue to release H2R with the same Magnetic Charging System. After some follow-up (including the R50 Pro LE R Dok issue), I finally see lights (pun intended) at the end of the tunnel. With a pretty reliable source from Olight, they've confirm that the coming MxR series already fixed the issue. Now, as a sceptical nerd, I guess we will have to see it to believe it... LOL!

Links to other Olight H2R Nova Review:
Budda: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?434927-Review-Olight-H2R-NW-and-CW
Muakka: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...H2R-review-(Headlamp-right-angle-18650-XHP50)
mhanlen: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?435542-Olight-H2R-Nova-Video-Review
Mr. Baz: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?434574-Olight-H2R-A-quick-unboxing-and-preview
 
Last edited:

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Thank you for your straight-to-the-point overview Rookiedaddy.

+1 Rookiedaddy for sharing your frank opinions and vid links.
 

scs

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Thanks for the update. Decided to pass on this one because the modes are few, it uses PWM, and now the potential dangers of the tail cap. It annoys me when makers and users alike stick their heads in the ground rather than admitting the problem.
 

Zak

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

I'd like to point out that I don't think being able to use the H2R as a backup means to power an S41 or start fires is a good thing. I think those references were tongue in cheek, but it doesn't always come through in a text-based medium. To be clear: I made those videos to demonstrate that the H2R's hot tailcap is dangerous.

There's a thermistor in the tailcap, so a dead short will throttle to about 400mA. It's not a pipe bomb as I originally suspected, but it's definitely a fire hazard. It can output at least a couple amps sustained with a higher peak.
 

rookiedaddy

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

@proceed5, thanks for the kind words mate.

@scs, yes, the PWM (or it could be the so called hybrid PWM where it's does not reach OFF-ON sequence instead some claim it's the "noise" in circuit, but to me it's all the same) in Moon mode is quite low in frequency and one can easily detects the presence by just waving in front of the eyes.

I'd like to point out that I don't think being able to use the H2R as a backup means to power an S41 or start fires is a good thing. I think those references were tongue in cheek, but it doesn't always come through in a text-based medium. ...
@Zak, tongue-in-cheek is exactly what it is. Thank you for making the videos so I can reference to it. :twothumbs
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

I'd like to point out that I don't think being able to use the H2R as a backup means to power an S41 or start fires is a good thing. I think those references were tongue in cheek, but it doesn't always come through in a text-based medium. To be clear: I made those videos to demonstrate that the H2R's hot tailcap is dangerous.

There's a thermistor in the tailcap, so a dead short will throttle to about 400mA. It's not a pipe bomb as I originally suspected, but it's definitely a fire hazard. It can output at least a couple amps sustained with a higher peak.

Hi there Zak,
Yup, thanks for the frank honest video. We users need these kind of video information to alert us of potential hazards.
 

noboneshotdog

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

I think that it would be better to have a High 1 of 1000 lumens and a High 2 of 2300 lumens instead of the 2300 lumens only, which as you stated is only available when the battery is at full capacity.

I am happy that they do have a pretty reasonable mid mode of around 600 lumens though. 500 to 600 lumens is my happy spot for most uses.

With good mid mode and nice neutral to warm white tint, this is a keeper.

Still not sure why they took a step backwards with the magnetic charging system compared to the H1 which seems safer.
 

Zak

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

The H1 uses essentially the same charging system as far as I know, though it has a less potent battery. The original S20R and S30R (but not the S30R II and III) used a different system that supported standard batteries and did not have live contacts on the outside of the light. I believe they had reliability issues with those lights though, and rather than refining the design, they replaced it with something too crude to be unreliable.
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Hi rookiedaddy,

My H2R seems a bit weird. Not sure if you can help.

Query 1:
I turned my unit to Turbo and then switched back to high mode and left it on high mode, and it got fairly hot and i noticed after another minute or so, the brightness reduced substantially on its own .. would this be due to the Temperature Control management system ? or is my unit sick or the weather here is too hot for H2R to handle.

Query 2:
I pressed the switch button to off and immediately i pressed again to turn back on, but the light did not power up ? It seems as if a few seconds time gap is needed between off and on presses.

Query 3:
I used unit on high and felt quite hot and then the unit suddenly turns off by itself while i was walking ??

Should I send my unit back to my favorite distributor for a 1-to-1 warranty exchange ?
 

rookiedaddy

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Query 1:
I turned my unit to Turbo and then switched back to high mode and left it on high mode, and it got fairly hot and i noticed after another minute or so, the brightness reduced substantially on its own .. would this be due to the Temperature Control management system ? or is my unit sick or the weather here is too hot for H2R to handle.
Query 2:
I pressed the switch button to off and immediately i pressed again to turn back on, but the light did not power up ? It seems as if a few seconds time gap is needed between off and on presses.
Query 3:
I used unit on high and felt quite hot and then the unit suddenly turns off by itself while i was walking ??
Should I send my unit back to my favorite distributor for a 1-to-1 warranty exchange ?
may I know which version are you using? Is it Cool White or Neutral White?
For query 3, do you know (or can you guesstimate) how long have you been running on high mode? The default behavior for H2R is it will turn itself off when battery runs down. But if you are running on High mode for anything less than 2 hours after fully charge and it turns off abruptly, you either have a defective battery or a defective light.
your experience with Q1 and Q2 sounds like a battery problem to me. if you have tried another high discharge/IMR battery and the problem persists, then the light definitely warrants to be send back for replacement.
btw, fwiw, between the CW and NW, the NW seems more efficient from my testing/usage...
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

may I know which version are you using? Is it Cool White or Neutral White?
For query 3, do you know (or can you guesstimate) how long have you been running on high mode? The default behavior for H2R is it will turn itself off when battery runs down. But if you are running on High mode for anything less than 2 hours after fully charge and it turns off abruptly, you either have a defective battery or a defective light.
your experience with Q1 and Q2 sounds like a battery problem to me. if you have tried another high discharge/IMR battery and the problem persists, then the light definitely warrants to be send back for replacement.
btw, fwiw, between the CW and NW, the NW seems more efficient from my testing/usage...

Thank you Rookiedaddy for your prompt reply,
I got the NW version.

Referring to Q3= Last night I used the H2R NW on high mode for at least 45-60 minutes, with Turbo bursts (turbo few seconds only and not the full 1 minute turbo timer) at several intervals and every time i do that when i switch back to high mode it shuts down completely. This seemed too odd.
That being said, Last night's walk was terrible. Because my H2R and R50 both completely shut off. The R50 showed Red light on switch. ..:drool:. This is why I really dislikes Customised and/or Proprietary batteries

Ok, noted on your advise for Q1 and Q2, tonight I shall re-try with VTC6 .
And Ok, also I shall send back a rotten Olight 3000 mAh C-IMR battery to the favourite distributor in exchange 1-to-1 with a fresh brand new battery tonight after work.
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Hi Rookiedaddy,
Favourite Distributor has 2 prototype H2R's that were meant for the Reviewer, swapped the tail cap from the Reviewer's unit to mine and this worked with no problems.
Fitted the tail cap from my unit to the Reviewer's unit and after a several presses of on- off and it did not respond for a few seconds.

Tested another brand new unit with almost fully charged battery and this unit also proved problematic i.e. no response after several on-off presses.

I fitted my Olight batteries from my X7 into the H2R and it worked like a gem.
I tried VTC6 button tops and faced similar issues of having no response. hmmm. oh well, lets see what I'll do to my unit.
I fitted my S30RIII's tail cap to my H2R and it worked like a gem (albeit the o-ring from H2R was exposed)

Ok, back to more testing. If all fails, its going back to the O factory. Wont be bother to ask Distributor for 1-to-1 exchange.
Or perhaps I will go take those Revierwer unit while in transit. LOL
 

rookiedaddy

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

@proceed5, thanks for reporting back.

I fitted my Olight batteries from my X7 into the H2R and it worked like a gem.
you mean the X7 battery works fine with your unit's tailcap?
Strange, tailcap issue never cross my mind coz I thought Olight had already addressed the magnetic tailcap contact issue (some tailcaps were having intermittent connectivity issue between the center button and the outer ring to make contact with the body). :shrug:
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Got back from a 1 hour + 20 mins walk.
During the walk I have put my H2R unit to the test. Standard battery that came with the light being used.

Started with a direct Turbo and let the unit's turbo timer kick in. Obviously the unit's preset timer dimmed the light nearing 1 min.
After 5 mins Turbo again and after another 5 mins turbo again and again ... well even after 50 mins it could still hit turbo.
However, I noticed when the light is very very very hot (no where near as hot as my Manker E-14-II) after pushing several turbo outputs, a slight touch on the button (i.e. not necessary pressing the switch all the way) the light will somewhat shut off. Wait about 2 secs and press to turn on again.
When I got home, I fan cooled the battery and put it to charge, the voltage was 3.7v.

My observation for my H2R: i cannot press the power switch too fast from On-off-on.
Stop playing around with that blardy switch. The respond from my H2R's switch feels as if there is a lag. My other Olight's switches could hit the On-off-on without pausing too long in between of On-off-On.

Yap, correct, I also believe my unit has an irregular connectivity issue, but am not sure whereabouts the connectivity fault is. I could say with longer batteries it seems to work just ok.
I will disassemble the tail cap this weekend. If it fails, well then, its time to my unit back to big O for surgery. ROFL.

Man-0-man, this is Olight.
 

rookiedaddy

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

I also tested my sample with shorter battery -- button top VTC6 and it works OK. It looks like Olight may have a new issue to look into.
Still holding my hopes up their new tailcap design with M2R will address all the short-comings of the existing magnetic rechargeable tailcap, but last heard it will not be available until possibly... maybe... some time in September together with a micro-usb rechargeable R18/Pro (XPL-HI/XHP50).
There are also rumours that a new headlamp HS-something and X7R is near the August sky... well... rumoured that is... :ohgeez:
 

noboneshotdog

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

^^^^^
Nothing like a good rumor to get the mind dreaming about flashlight goodness.

I am hoping as well that the magnetic tailcap problems will get worked out. I will probably hold off on purchasing any more Olights until they are worked out.
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

^^^^^
I am hoping as well that the magnetic tailcap problems will get worked out. I will probably hold off on purchasing any more Olights until they are worked out.

Haha, I initially was supposed to hold off purchasing any more Olights ... but you know what, that blue ring and warm tint was a 'lil over tempting :D
And for that, I got myself into this crap 'connectivity' issue of either the tail cap OR customised battery is not well.
Sometimes I really asked why ...
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

I also tested my sample with shorter battery -- button top VTC6 and it works OK. It looks like Olight may have a new issue to look into.
Still holding my hopes up their new tailcap design with M2R will address all the short-comings of the existing magnetic rechargeable tailcap, but last heard it will not be available until possibly... maybe... some time in September together with a micro-usb rechargeable R18/Pro (XPL-HI/XHP50).
There are also rumours that a new headlamp HS-something and X7R is near the August sky... well... rumoured that is... :ohgeez:
Yes Rookiedaddy,
The R18 would be very nice. I hope the USB charging system is not those used on the R50 which is incredibly slow in recharging.
The HS2 would be ideal for my jogs.
The M2R ... I am speechless, big O have kept us waiting for 7 months already ...
The X7R - nope, not going for this one, I am bored with soda can sized 12k lumen lights. It is pointless for me to add another 1.5 minutes wonder of flood

OK mate, going out for my nightly walk. And to further abuse my H2R, this time with VTC6. Gonna be carrying 4 Olights tonight, SR52UT + SR-Mini-II + H1R (back-up for H2R in case it decides to go black again)+ H2R
 

proceed5

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Re: Olight H2R Nova Quick Review

Hi Rookiedaddy,

The problem I faced with my H2R:
Problem always occurred:
- at the switch area when Hot. You know, double click to enter Turbo and unit gets Hot and double click to disengage Turbo, this is when problem always occur, when unit is Hot AND only problematic after 45 minutes of usage;
- to double click, I use 2 fingers to rest on head of light and 1 finger to press the rubber cover above the switch button, but before I could even physically hit the button underneath the rubber cover, the light shuts off completely for a few seconds.

There seems to be some kind of interference problem or connection issue that caused the light to shut down.
 
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