Preface
The Olight Perun is the next generation version of the Olight H2R Nova model.
It features a built-in infrared distance sensor (Proximity Protection Function) which automatically decreases mode output to the LOW level when it senses an obstruction nearby (similar as to what is found in the Olight X7R Marauder model).
Let’s check out the merits and demerits of this new generation Olight Perun model.
Note: At the point of writing, the Olight Perun comes in both Black and Blue (Limited Run color).
Packaging & First Impressions
This is what the light will come with as shown below.
- The shrink wrapped packaging with its magnetic opening flap looks premium – something not commonly found with flashlights’ boxes.
- The threads and o-rings were lightly lubricated. Threads were smooth and clean (no gritty feeling).
- The head electronic switch requires a rather firm and deliberate press to activate and helps in preventing any unwanted activation of the light.
- The proximity sensor works noticeably better on lighter color surfaces as compared to darker color surfaces.
- The clip comes pre-installed from factory.
- Clip is not reversible. However, the dual-direction clip enables decent pocket carry (no deep pocket carry option) with bezel up carry.
- Magnetic tail cap is able to bear the light’s weight when attached horizontally and vertically (upside down) to a flat ferrous metallic surface.
- Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs, as expected from Olight.
- The provided lanyard provided comes with a useful lanyard attachment pin tool to help thread into the lanyard hole.
- The lanyard is able to support the full weight of the light and should hold up to the test of time.
- No holster is provided/included.
- Battery compartment is able to take a KeepPower 18650 3400mAh battery with some room to take a slightly thicker battery width. Fatter protected 18650 3500mAh batteries should be able to fit without issue as well.
- The provided proprietary 18650 battery (Olight ORB-186C35) will work in other flashlights but Olight advises that it should only be recharged inside this flashlight (do not use other external chargers to recharge).
Note:
- Before using the flashlight for the first time, remove the Lens Protection Film from the lens and Insulation Film from the battery tube.
- Battery is inserted into the battery tube with the Positive end (+) in first.
Front:
Back:
Sides:
Top:
Bottom:
Box Contents:
Removing Lens Protection Film:
Removing Insulating Film:
Quick Overview (Manufacturer Specifications)
- Body Material: Aluminium
- Body Color Option:
- Black
- Blue (Limited run edition)
- Clip Material: Stainless Steel
- LED: Cree XHP50.2 CW (Cool White)
- Battery Format: 1 x 18650 or 2 x CR123A ONLY
- Output & Runtime (with included Olight 18650 3.6V/3500mAh battery):
- “Moonlight” (5 lumens / 10days)
- Low (30 lumens / 1day 23h 30min)
- Mid (120 lumens / 15h)
- High (500 lumens / 3h) → (220 lumens / 1h)
- Turbo (2000 lumens / 2min 30sec) → (800 lumens / 2h 40min)
- SOS (2000 lumens / 5h)
- Max Beam Distance: 120m
- Beam intensity: 3,600cd
- Waterproofness: IPX-8 Standard (2m)
- Impact Resistance: 1.5m
- Dimension: 112mm (length) x 26mm (diameter)
- Weight: 120g (including batteries)
- Battery reverse polarity protection
- Accessories Included:
- 1*Olight 18650 3.6V/3500mAh battery (Olight ORB-186C35)
- 1*Magnetic Charging Cable (MCC3)
- 1*Pocket Clip
- 1*Lanyard
- 1*Lanyard Attachment Pin Tool
- Option Accessory:
- Headband (MSRP: ~$15)
- MSRP: ~$85
UI (User Interface)
UI for this light is good for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is rather straightforward to use.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the head electronic switch on the light, so no momentary activation is possible.
Normal Operation
From OFF:
- 1 Click – Last brightness level (all modes except TURBO & SOS are memorized only) is activated.
- 2 Click – Direct access to TURBO; 1 Click to switch OFF or HOLD down to switch modes.
- 3 (or more) Click – Direct access to SOS; 1 Click to switch OFF or HOLD down to switch modes.
- HOLD (~1 sec) – Direct access to “MOONLIGHT”.
From ON:
- 1 Click – Light will switch OFF.
- 2 Click – Direct access to TURBO; 1 Click to switch OFF or HOLD down to switch modes.
- 3 (or more) Click – Direct access to SOS; 1 Click to switch OFF or HOLD down to switch modes.
- HOLD – Mode change (light cycles through LOW, MID & HIGH only; MOONLIGHT & TURBO is not part of the sequence).
Note:
- TURBO mode is memorized as HIGH mode.
- If memorized mode is HIGH mode, after 2 Clicks to enter TURBO mode – an additional 2 Clicks will return light to MID mode instead of previous mode (HIGH).
- There is 1 blinky mode for this light (SOS only) and no STROBE modes.
Proximity Protection Function
This right angle flashlight/headlamp comes equipped with built-in infrared distance (proximity) sensor. It is mostly similar to the one found in the Olight X7R Marauder model.
In any modes higher than LOW (30 Lumens) mode, the sensor will detect if there is any obstruction nearby (approximately ~10mm) and automatically switch to LOW mode. Once the obstruction is no longer present, it will return to the previous mode.
Probably the best benefit of this function is, if the obstruction is present for longer than 1 min, the light will switch OFF. This works best for accidental activation when in an enclosed area (e.g. bag, pocket or etc.).
Notes:
- The sensor tends to be more sensitive (or work better) when detecting obstructions that are light colors, as compared to dark colors.
- In order for the sensor to work effectively, do ensure that the black portion (where the sensor is situated) of the lens is clear of stains/smudges at all times.
Timer Configuration
There are 2 types of Timers – Short (3 min) and Long (9 min). Light will switch OFF once the timer ends.
From ON:
- 2 Click & HOLD – 1 Blink indicates Short (3 min) timer is activated. Repeat 2 Click & HOLD to activate Long (9 min) timer – 2 Blinks.
Power Indicator
There is only 1 type of Power Indicator for this flashlight with a rather unique vibrating function.
It can be considered as an entry level version as compared to the Power Indicator found in the Olight Warrior X.
From ON (in all Modes except “MOONLIGHT”), the flashlight will vibrate based on the current battery charge:
- 1 Vibrate Every 30 seconds – Power is <10%, do recharge or replace the battery.
Electronic Lockout
From OFF:
- HOLD (till MOONLIGHT is activated & deactivated) – LOCKOUT mode is enabled; HOLD (till MOONLIGHT is activated) – LOCKOUT is disabled.
When Electronic LOCKOUT mode is activated, any button presses will cause the MOMENTARY “MOONLIGHT” mode to be activated.
Form Factor
For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.
This light feels well balanced (not head/tail-heavy). and the body portion easily fits in a clenched medium sized hand, leaving the thumb to fall onto the head switch for easy activation. The removable dual direction (2-way) clip can rotate fairly easily in its groove, to allow for easier orientation of the flashlight when attached to a cap, pocket or other gears.
The raised knurling makes the light extremely “grippy” (a trend that can be found on some of the newer Olight flashlights such as the Olight Baton Pro, Olight S1R Baton II & Olight S2R Baton II), even with wet hands/gloves but not overly aggressive (i.e. still fabric and pockets-friendly).
Even with the lanyard attached, it is able to tail-stand perfectly without the slightest wobble.
Note: If the right angle flashlight is intended to be used as a headlamp as well, it is required to purchase the optional headband. That said, it would be nice if Olight includes it as part of the included accessories (especially since it is meant to be the successor of the Olight H2R Nova).
Charging Process
With the provided Magnetic Charging Cable (MCC3), the battery was charging at ~1.38A.
The light is capable of operating on all modes when charging (at the expense of a slower charging rate). However, it is recommended to use “MOONLIGHT” or “LOW” only, to ensure that the battery does get charged.
Solid RED indicator on the TAIL part of the MCC Charger depicts charging in progress.
Solid GREEN indicator on the TAIL part of the MCC Charger depicts charging has completed.
Notes:
- The MCC3 will charge the proprietary battery (Olight ORB-186C35) only, it will not charge battery from other brands’ 18650 batteries.
- Charging will not disable the Electronic Lockout mode.
Beam Style/Beamshots
For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the TIR (Total Internal Reflection) optic used. The LED is clearly visible despite having the Clear TIR optic. Hence, the beam has both “throw” and soft flood for recognizing items in the up-close to near range distance.
The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting.
The beam has a fairly wide circular hotspot with some slight corona and squarish wide spill (most of the beam produced is focused into the hotspot). There are some beam artifacts in the beam when whitewall hunting but not visible in real world usage.
All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (“MOONLIGHT”: 2sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, LOW: 0.6sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, MID: 1/4sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 1/10sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB and TURBO: 1/20sec, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.
Control shot:
“MOONLIGHT” (5 lumens):
LOW (30 lumens):
MID (120 lumens):
HIGH (500 lumens):
TURBO (2000 lumens):
Mode (Output) Spacing
Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).
We were rather surprised that Olight did away with a true MOONLIGHT mode of under 1 lumen in this flashlight/headlamp model. The “MOONLIGHT” mode of 5 lumens is too bright for bedtime night snack runs or with night-adjusted eyes but is suited for other up-close tasks in day-to-day usage.
On a side note, the HIGH mode (500 lumens) is just about perfect to ensure the light can operate at a cooler temperature as well as have an increased runtime, when compared to a 800 Lumens – HIGH mode.
Tint & CRI
Olight did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LEDs used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 6500K and 70CRI ballpark.
However, there are tint shifts throughout the beam profile. The hotspot is a cool white tint whilst the corona possess a slight yellowish green tint; and the spill having a slight purple tint.
This is still slightly noticeable in real life usage.
Waterproofness
The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on TURBO.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, switch or body was seen.
Note: During our water tests, the Proximity Protection Function sensor will intermittently step down to LOW mode when directly placed under running tap water.
Lockout Capability
Electronic lockout and mechanical lockout are possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
A quarter turn (anti-clockwise) of the tail portion of the light will enable Mechanical LOCKOUT.
For Electronic lockout, see above “Electronic Lockout”, on how to activate and deactivate LOCKOUT.
Quick Comparison to Olight H2R Nova
| Description | Olight Perun | Olight H2R Nova |
|---|---|---|
| LED Used | Cree XHP50.2 | Cree XHP50 |
| LED Options | Cool White (CW) only | Cool White (CW) or Neutral White (NW) |
| Max Output & Runtime | 2,000 Lumens (2min 30sec) | 2,300 Lumens (CW Option) (1min) |
| Min Output & Runtime | 5 Lumens (10 days) | 1 Lumen (45 days) |
| Colors Available | Black & Blue (Limited Run) | Black only |
| Max Beam Intensity | 3,600cd | 5,850cd (CW) |
| Max Beam Distance | 120m | 153m (CW) |
| Beam Profile | More "flood"-orientated | More "throw/spot"-orientated |
| Proximity Protection Function | Yes | No |
| Battery Level Indicator | Yes, Vibrating Type | No |
| USB Magnetic Charging Cable | Yes, MCC3 | Yes, MCC |
| Max Charging Current | 2A | 0.75A |
| Lanyard Included | Yes | No |
| Headband Included | No | Yes |
| Included Battery Capacity | 3,500mAh | 3,000mAh |
| Weight (with Battery) | 120g | 100g |
| Length | 112mm | 110mm |
| Diameter | 26mm | 25mm |
Scale Comparison (Ruler)
Summary
To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one’s pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this light, it is a YES, if the lack of a true Moonlight mode is not an issue for your usage.
The straightforward UI with Direct Access to “MOONLIGHT”, TURBO & SOS from OFF, Proximity Protection Function, strong magnet in the tailcap, inclusion of the lanyard attachment pin tool, vibration for low battery power indicator function and improved Magnetic Charging Cable (MCC3) charging speed capability are all plus points for this flashlight.
That said, we do hope that a true moonlight mode will be retained for future Olight models as well as the inclusion of headband (as a standard accessory) for future headlamps.
Side note: If having a true moonlight mode, more “throw/spot”-orientated beam profile headlamp or having a Neutral White (NW) tint is absolutely necessary, the Olight H2R Nova can be a good alternative as well.
Here is a bonus size comparison with some of the other similar sized flashlights we reviewed previously.
From Left to Right: Streamlight ProTac 90, First-Light Torq Med, Zebralight H600w Mk III, Olight S2R Baton II, Nitecore HC33, Olight Perun and Olight Baton Pro.
As with all gears, two is one and one is none.
Stay safe,
The Lite Review
Disclaimer: Light was provided for by Olight (manufacturer) for this review. No other compensation was provided.
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Olight Perun
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