OLIGHT H25 Wave headlamp and waist-pack battery with 800 lumens for camping, running, caving.

OLight H25 + H35 Wave Headlamp Review (New Gear)

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[Page Updated: 1 June 2022]

OLIGHT H25 WAVE HEADLAMP

NOTE – before we get started… the OLight H25 is very hard to find anywhere online. OLight has a habit of making good or great headlamps and immediately discontinuing them. This is a poor business decision because now we’re not going to buy or review anymore OLight headlamps until they snap out of it and make good decisions.

Instead of this OLight headlamp, I strongly recommend any of the following:

Or, read about the OLIGHT H25 below.

A friend brought one of these OLight H25 Wave headlamps with him from the Netherlands yesterday and I told him I had to review it. Why? It’s bright! It was almost as bright as my Petzl Ultra Rush headlamp, but the light beam is spread out over more area. In actuality, it’s supposed to be putting out 40 more lumens than the Petzl.

I used this headlamp for an hour last night just after I used my preferred light, the Petzl mentioned above. The OLight has a warmer beam output than the Petzl’s ultra-white beam. The OLight beam is a floodlight, versus the more spotlight shape of the Petzl. Either would be good for running, but I prefer the Petzl for looking for wildlife at night, but still, the OLight has it’s advantages – starting with the price around 40% of a Petzl Ultra Rush headlamp. That’s HUGE.

Table of Contents

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The specs say the OLight will crank out 800 lumens for 5 hours. That’s also a major benefit because the regular ACCU 2 battery on the Petzl will only output 760 lumens for about 2 hours. With the larger ($199) ACCU 4 battery, you can get 4 hours of 760 lumens. If the OLight actually can put out that kind of light brightness for 5 hours, that’s remarkable.

The price difference is substantial. OLight – $120-150 USD. Petzl with ACCU 4 battery – $629. So, you can buy 4 or 5 OLights for one Petzl Ultra Rush. That’s impossible to ignore, and most people would buy the OLight based on this fact alone.

The H25 Wave headlamp is small with a large belt-worn lithium-ion battery pack. It can produce blinding 800 lumens light for 5 hours with the highly efficient Cree XM-L2 LED and high capacity 5200 mAh rechargeable battery worn on the waist and attached to a power cable.

One of the unique features about the OLight is that it has an instant off feature where you just swipe your hand in front of it, and the light turns off – allowing you to talk in close quarters with someone without blinding them with your headlamp. The built-in infrared sensor takes care of that. Swipe again and the light is back on.

TESTIMONIALS

“I used this headlamp for over a year. I have always used OLIGHT headlamps for the past 8 years. I live in the Netherlands, but I order online from the USA. The light is tough and rugged. I put it through the paces. This headlamp I refined with another battery even bigger and I get 7.5 hours at 800 lumens. Best light from OLIGHT so far. I will keep buying their products. Very satisfied.” – Vince V.

H25 WAVE DESCRIPTION

A heavy-duty headlamp with the company headquartered in Georgia and headlamps outsourced to China. OLIGHT headlamps are tough, and have a couple of interesting features that other companies don’t have – USB charging for your other electronics; and, instantly shut off by waving your hand close to the beam.

Oh, and VERY good prices!

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SPECS

LED: Cree XM-L2 Neutral White Beam Max 800 lumens output

Three brightness level: 800 lumens/5 hours, 250 lumens/12 hours, 35 lumen/60 hours Beam Profile: Intensity: 11,200 cd Distance 231yards / 212m

Battery: 5200mAh rechargeable battery pack (included) this is a very strong battery, equivalent to the ACCU4 Petzl battery which is $200 just for the battery.

Recharging time: 4 hours

Dimension: Light head: 2.44 in x 1.65 in x 1.14 in / 62mm x 42mm x 29mm Battery pack: 4 in x 3.5 in x 1.25 in

Weight: Headlamp: 4.34 oz / 123g Battery Pack 11.3 oz / 320g

Power Cable: 4 ft 2 in (Power cable connects the headlight with the battery pack)

Water resistance: IPX-6 (Water resistant to heavy rain, splashes, and other environments)

Impact resistance: 3.3 feet / 1m

Package Includes Headlamp, headlamp strap, battery pack, AC power adapter and Legion Arms power cable.

DETAILED IMAGES

OLIGHT H25 Wave headlamp and battery unit (5200 mAh). USA product.
One bright CREE bulb with 3-levels of brightness adjustment. The infrared sensor shuts headlamp off with a wave of the hand. Wave again to turn it on.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Nice lightweight with the battery on the waist or in a backpack or waist pack. This much battery needs to be somewhere other than your head because it’s heavy – about a pound. Nice design and made with high-quality plastics and metal. The cables look strong. It really looks like a well-made headlamp.

OLIGHT H25 MATERIALS | CONSTRUCTION QUALITY

Hard plastics. Thick rubber for the cables. No rough spots. It’s really quite well designed. The strap is comfortable and the headlamp can be worn for hours without discomfort.

WATERPROOFING

IPX 6. Hard jet-streams of water. Any rain. Probably submersible for up to a minute. Can drop this unit from 1 meter high onto hard ground.

OLIGHT H25 BATTERY LIFE AND POWER OPTIONS

5200 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery. External waist-clip and long power wire goes to head from the battery.

BEAM QUALITY

About 1-meter diameter at 3 meters distance. Pretty ideal for most tasks. When set to high, this headlamp lights up a large area in front of you – it has an amazing flood beam that spreads out the light to hit more areas than the Petzl Ultra Rush.

SETTINGS / OPTIONS

WHICH ACTIVITIES IS THIS BEST FOR?

Ultra Running – this is the best headlamp for this sport. The wide beam profile (shape) is perfect for running where you need to see a large area in front of you.

Cave Exploration – spelunking – cave exploring. Because the flood beam is bright and spread out, you have the best of both worlds in the H25 Wave for exploring caves. Long battery life and excellent brightness and color balance. Highly recommended for caving.

General All-purpose Headlamp. Camping, fishing, hiking, working on your vehicle… this headlamp is great for all basic uses, and you have almost endless battery life.

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SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PETZL ULTRA RUSH and OLIGHT HP25 WAVE

If I was going to compare this headlamp to any other, it would be a good comparison to the Petzl Ultra Rush. The OLIGHT H25 Wave is MUCH cheaper, a fraction of the price of the Ultra Rush. The OLIGHT H25 Wave strongest light beam is more flood-beam than spot, which is ideal for caving or running – even more so than the Petzl Ultra Rush.

PRICE – OLIGHT HP25 Wave destroys the Petzl Ultra Rush in Price – that is true!

BEAM SHAPE – OLIGHT HP25 has a wide flood beam at maximum brightness. The Ultra Rush has a more center-focused beam. Each is better for some activities than others.

ACTIVITIES OLIGHT H25 Wave is BEST FOR: Caving, slow ultrarunning.

ACTIVITIES PETZL Ultra Rush is BEST FOR: Skiing, mountain biking, fast running through trails.

BOTH Ultra Rush and OLIGHT H25 Wave are great for Camping, fishing, running, slow cycling, hiking, working outside.

CUSTOMER RATINGS

I’ll rate the light myself below, and then add some other ratings I find online as well.

Headlamps101 Ratings

***** – 5 Stars. I think the OLIGHT H25 Wave is an awesome light that competes directly with some of the other best headlamps in the world made by Petzl. Yes, OLIGHT has outsourced their manufacturing to China – but the headlamps are made very well and have high durability and reliability. Similar to the Fenix brand, but better. We will be reviewing a number of other OLIGHT models this year to add some to the top 12 list! We should have that list finished in March 2018.

Online Quality Ratings for Wave HP 25 Headlamp

PRICE and AVAILABILITY

H25 WAVE PRODUCT SPECS & INFO (from OLIGHT)

The H25 Wave is a small, tough and powerful headlamp with up to 800 lumens of maximum brightness – with a neutral white color balance. There are 3 levels to choose from – high – medium – low. In an emergency, you will have 60 hours of light to get you through dark nights. The infrared sensor senses swipes in front of the bulb and shuts the light off so you don’t blind friends.

The H25 features a top-of-the-line CREE XM-L2 LED in its compact head design. It has the ability to articulate its head up and down, giving you the flexibility to angle the beam. Its focused beam gives you a reach of 212M (696 feet) making it ideal for navigating trails and caving. The rechargeable battery pack (5200mAh/7.4V) comes with a belt clip to secure it as you move and charges via a convenient USB cable. The battery pack can also be used as a power bank to charge mobile devices.

OLIGHT H25 Wave Features

  • Three brightness level: 800 lumens/5 hours, 250 lumens/12 hours, 35 lumen/60 hours
  • A manual switch or infrared sensor to activate the light and select mode via wave technology.
  • Latest top-of-the-line, highest-performing, single-die CREE XM-L2 Neutral White LED
  • Light head tilts 55 degrees to adjust the angle of the beam
  • Die-casted aluminum case for maximum heat dissipation for better light performance. Note, occasionally the headlamp does get too hot while running in high mode in hot and humid environments. If so, remove from head and hold in hand to let air circulate and cool the unit off.
  • Included Rechargeable Lithium battery pack (5200mAh/7.4V) with USB charging port (max 2.5A) that can be used as a power bank to charge mobile devices
  • The rechargeable Lithium battery pack features a battery power indicator and fully charges in less than four hours
  • Water resistant from heavy rain, splashes, and other environments (IPX 6)

OLIGHT H25 Wave Specifications

LED Bulb: Cree XM-L2 Neutral White
Brightness Mode: 800 lm for 5 hrs. | 250 lm for 12 hrs. | 35 lm for 60 hrs.
Beam Distance: 696 ft / 212 m
Peak Beam Intensity: 11,200 candlelight
Water Resistance: IPX-6 (resistant to powerful jets of water for at least 3 minutes)
Drop Resistance: 3.3 ft / 1 m
Battery Type: Lithium-ion 5200mAh 7.4V Battery Pack to be worn on the waist. The battery has USB 2.0 OUT port so you can charge your other electronics with the proper cable (not included).
Weight: 4.34oz (123g) headlamp / 11.3oz (320g) battery pack (443g total).

Dimensions

Headlamp

Length: 2.44 in / 6.2 cm
Height: 1.65 in / 4.2 cm
Depth: 1.14 in / 2.9 cm

Battery Box

Height: 3.82 in / 9.7 cm
Width: 3.31 in / 8.4 cm
Depth: 0.98 / 2.5 cm

Included Accessories

  • Headband
  • AC charger
  • Power cord