rookiedaddy
Enlightened
Received a review unit of Olight Array headlamp together with the Olight Perun and a Friendship Baton Pro before Christmas last year. This Olight Array is supposingly an updated model to the older Olight HS2 headlamp but there are a few notable differences.
Let's get down to a few key facts about the Olight Array:
1. It has lesser runtime in the 100 lumens (Mixed Mode Low) and 50 lumens mode (Flood Mode Low or what Olight calls it "Low Beam_Low") compare to the older Olight HS2, reason being manufacturer added a new "safety" feature at the battery pack to have a running LED indicator while the headlamp is turned-ON. Although it's a neat feature, but yours truly prefers the juice be reserved for the headlamp instead of the running LED indicator... or at least gives user an option to turn the indicator OFF.
2. Olight Array is now using Olight's signature Magnetic Recharging System, no more Micro-USB port and cover to mess with when recharging the headlamp (although they still uses Micro-USB to connect the headlamp to the power pack). Two-thumbs Up for that.
3. There is now a physical locking mechanism to lock the headlamp Micro-USB connector to the Power Pack. This makes Array power connection very secure and close to impossible to get loose during use.
4. Unlike HS2, there are only 4 main modes + S.O.S. as Olight took away the ability to turn-ON only the TIR optics LED (for throw) in this Array model but keep the ability to have only Flood optics LED turned-ON.
... and above all, this Olight Array brings back the not so fond memory of why yours truly didn't want the Olight HS2... the dreaded PWM in all modes! I'm sensitive to PWM-based light and it gets in the way of using one at night as it is not only annoying but PWM makes my vision second guessing when needed to move from left to right or from right to left.
Now that we have that few facts out of the way, let's look at some pictures:
here is the video showing when first turned-ON, it will show the battery status with the 8 Red LED, and then as long as Array is still ON, the LED indicator will start running in circle with 4 of the 8 LED being turned-ON at a time.
another neat feature is the ramping of brightness...
The retail packaging that Olight Array comes in:
and a nice carry pouch/case is included:
compare to the older H1 carry pouch, the Array's carry pouch/case is slightly larger:
unzipping the pouch:
and the contents of Olight Array:
Olight Array headlamp, Cable Clip, Velcro, User Manual, MCC1AL recharging cable
To recharge the Olight Array headlamp, connect the USB-A connector to your USB power brick (recommended those that can output 2A) and the magnetic connector to the Array's Power Pack:
during charging, the MCC1AL charging indicator will turns Red. When finished charging, it will turns Green.
it takes approximately 3 hours+ to fully charge a fully drained Olight Array. Do not be alarm if it takes longer or shorter to recharge fully as we are not all using the same power source and depending on the age of the power pack.
as a side note, Olight Array only comes with 2 years of warranty instead of the usual 5 years warranty, while 1 year warranty for the battery pack. In yours truly opinion, this indicates the manufacturer's estimated life time of the headlamp set based on a calculated usage pattern.
after 2 years of HS2 release, Array is still using the same 2000mAh battery pack, yours truly thinks Olight Array could do better by offering a 3000mAh - 4000mAh battery pack, that would be a much better upgrade!
a yellow sticker attached to the cable as a reminder to tighten the connector between the headlamp and the battery pack:
here is how we do it:
match the connector...
then tighten it without leaving any gap...
pull the metal locking mechanism to the other side of the connector...
and push it in thus securing the connection.
Olight Array can rotate in 180° angle
this gives ample of adjustability during use.
and the measured output:
it exceed manufacturer's number in every mode...
The usual disclaimer: I do not claim the above measured lumens as authoritative nor an indication of over/under-stating the number given by manufacturer. It's calibrated against some known light output (e.g. SureFire, Elzetta, etc.) so take it with a grain of salt and just as a relative reading.
an animated gif to show the spread and angle of different modes available in Olight Array:
and the runtime in the highest mode:
as shown, Array switched itself OFF when the battery can no longer provide enough power. Yours truly would much prefer if Array can taper down the brightness to extend a little longer runtime, similar to Olight Seeker 2 (not the Seeker 2 Pro).
and last but not least...
PWM...
... P.W.M....
...P..W..M.....
...P...W...M......
in conclusion, would i recommend this Olight Array? I honestly don't think so due to the PWM, runtime and same old batter pack capacity. What I would recommend Olight to do is the following:
1. Upgrade the battery pack capacity to at least 3000mAh.
2. Get rid of the PWM
3. Use Neutral White LED or Warm White LED... or better yet, use High CRI LED (please select your LED bin carefully so that we can enjoy a creamy white lighting without the overly greenish tint)
Let's get down to a few key facts about the Olight Array:
1. It has lesser runtime in the 100 lumens (Mixed Mode Low) and 50 lumens mode (Flood Mode Low or what Olight calls it "Low Beam_Low") compare to the older Olight HS2, reason being manufacturer added a new "safety" feature at the battery pack to have a running LED indicator while the headlamp is turned-ON. Although it's a neat feature, but yours truly prefers the juice be reserved for the headlamp instead of the running LED indicator... or at least gives user an option to turn the indicator OFF.
2. Olight Array is now using Olight's signature Magnetic Recharging System, no more Micro-USB port and cover to mess with when recharging the headlamp (although they still uses Micro-USB to connect the headlamp to the power pack). Two-thumbs Up for that.
3. There is now a physical locking mechanism to lock the headlamp Micro-USB connector to the Power Pack. This makes Array power connection very secure and close to impossible to get loose during use.
4. Unlike HS2, there are only 4 main modes + S.O.S. as Olight took away the ability to turn-ON only the TIR optics LED (for throw) in this Array model but keep the ability to have only Flood optics LED turned-ON.
... and above all, this Olight Array brings back the not so fond memory of why yours truly didn't want the Olight HS2... the dreaded PWM in all modes! I'm sensitive to PWM-based light and it gets in the way of using one at night as it is not only annoying but PWM makes my vision second guessing when needed to move from left to right or from right to left.
Now that we have that few facts out of the way, let's look at some pictures:
here is the video showing when first turned-ON, it will show the battery status with the 8 Red LED, and then as long as Array is still ON, the LED indicator will start running in circle with 4 of the 8 LED being turned-ON at a time.
another neat feature is the ramping of brightness...
The retail packaging that Olight Array comes in:
and a nice carry pouch/case is included:
compare to the older H1 carry pouch, the Array's carry pouch/case is slightly larger:
unzipping the pouch:
and the contents of Olight Array:
Olight Array headlamp, Cable Clip, Velcro, User Manual, MCC1AL recharging cable
To recharge the Olight Array headlamp, connect the USB-A connector to your USB power brick (recommended those that can output 2A) and the magnetic connector to the Array's Power Pack:
during charging, the MCC1AL charging indicator will turns Red. When finished charging, it will turns Green.
it takes approximately 3 hours+ to fully charge a fully drained Olight Array. Do not be alarm if it takes longer or shorter to recharge fully as we are not all using the same power source and depending on the age of the power pack.
as a side note, Olight Array only comes with 2 years of warranty instead of the usual 5 years warranty, while 1 year warranty for the battery pack. In yours truly opinion, this indicates the manufacturer's estimated life time of the headlamp set based on a calculated usage pattern.
after 2 years of HS2 release, Array is still using the same 2000mAh battery pack, yours truly thinks Olight Array could do better by offering a 3000mAh - 4000mAh battery pack, that would be a much better upgrade!
a yellow sticker attached to the cable as a reminder to tighten the connector between the headlamp and the battery pack:
here is how we do it:
match the connector...
then tighten it without leaving any gap...
pull the metal locking mechanism to the other side of the connector...
and push it in thus securing the connection.
Olight Array can rotate in 180° angle
this gives ample of adjustability during use.
and the measured output:
it exceed manufacturer's number in every mode...
The usual disclaimer: I do not claim the above measured lumens as authoritative nor an indication of over/under-stating the number given by manufacturer. It's calibrated against some known light output (e.g. SureFire, Elzetta, etc.) so take it with a grain of salt and just as a relative reading.
an animated gif to show the spread and angle of different modes available in Olight Array:
and the runtime in the highest mode:
as shown, Array switched itself OFF when the battery can no longer provide enough power. Yours truly would much prefer if Array can taper down the brightness to extend a little longer runtime, similar to Olight Seeker 2 (not the Seeker 2 Pro).
and last but not least...
PWM...
... P.W.M....
...P..W..M.....
...P...W...M......
in conclusion, would i recommend this Olight Array? I honestly don't think so due to the PWM, runtime and same old batter pack capacity. What I would recommend Olight to do is the following:
1. Upgrade the battery pack capacity to at least 3000mAh.
2. Get rid of the PWM
3. Use Neutral White LED or Warm White LED... or better yet, use High CRI LED (please select your LED bin carefully so that we can enjoy a creamy white lighting without the overly greenish tint)
