Field test and review – Olight Perun 2
Recently I was sent an Olight Perun 2 to field test and review. What sets it apart from the Olight Baton 3 Pro Max I reviewed recently is that it’s built to work as both a handheld torch and a head torch, using the supplied headband. These compact everyday-carry lights are often called EDC’s, for everyday carry, and the reason head torches matter on the trail is straightforward: hands-free lighting counts when you’re climbing, holding onto a branch, or using poles and still need to see what’s ahead, and it’s just as useful around camp when you’re pitching a tent or cooking and want both hands free.
On paper it shares a lot with the Baton 3 Pro Max: a maximum output of 2,500 lumens, the same hidden proximity sensor that protects the lens without interfering with the beam (you can disable it temporarily or permanently), and the Perun 2 adds an automatic power-off within 1 minute if the lens is fully obstructed. Its 4000mAh battery is rated for up to 12.5 days in moonlight mode at 5 lumens, and close to 4 hours in high mode at 500 lumens, and it charges on the same magnetic USB cable Olight uses across the range. The large recessed top switch is easy to find and use without accidentally triggering it, and the whole thing is built to work equally well gripped in your hand or clipped into the headband.
How did the Perun 2 perform?
2,500 lumens is the maximum output, which is a measure of how bright the beam is, but as with the Baton 3, that number by itself doesn’t tell you how long you’ll actually get to use it.
Lighting levels
The Perun 2 has six light modes, accessed by pressing and holding the switch in different combinations.
Moonlight mode outputs 5 lumens and is what I use around camp when I don’t want to light up the whole site or wake anyone else, and at that draw a full charge will last 12.5 days.
Low mode steps up to 30 lumens, and at 66 hours of runtime it’ll comfortably outlast a multi-day hike on a single charge.
Medium mode jumps to 120 lumens for darker nights, but the battery drain shows straight away, run this mode alone and you’ll deplete it in under 18 hours.
High mode reaches 500 lumens for around 4 hours before dropping to 120 lumens for roughly another 30 minutes, and I’d use this one for short evening hikes, active searching, or signalling.
Turbo mode, double-press the switch within 5 seconds, throws enough light to pick out objects 166m away, useful if you’re searching for wildlife or trying to be seen. At the full 2,500 lumens it holds for 2 minutes before dropping automatically to 800 lumens for around 3 hours, and the head of the torch gets hot enough that you need to be careful where you grip it. The same lesson applies here as with the Baton 3: the 2,500 lumens figure is real, but the number you can actually rely on out on the trail is closer to 800.
SOS mode is built into the Perun 2 properly, which the Baton 3 Pro Max doesn’t have. Triple-clicking the switch activates the internationally recognised SOS pattern, three quick flashes, three slow, three quick, automatically. Point it toward whoever you want to see it and it does the rest.
Red light mode is the one additional feature that stands out. Red light doesn’t stimulate the cone cells in your eyes the way white light does, so it doesn’t wreck your night vision the way flicking on a white beam does, and it’s also less noticeable from a distance if you’d rather not draw attention to your location while cooking, reading a map, or just sitting around camp.
Design and comfort
At 120mm and 161 grams it’s a similar size and weight class to the Baton 3 Pro Max, and it carries over the same removable two-way clip and the same knurled grip that stayed secure even with wet hands, just like the Olight Baton 3 Pro Max. The vertical body, which is what lets it work as a headlamp, took me a little while to get used to holding as a handheld torch, but it pays off around camp because you can just stand it upright on any flat surface instead of needing to prop it against something.
There’s no adjustable beam focus here either, so you’re relying on the lighting levels rather than a zoom for control. The proximity sensor automatically drops the output to medium when the lens gets close to something or is obstructed, which is handy reading a map in the dark, moving around a tent at night, or digging through a pack, and it’s on by default but can be switched off.
The lockout function works the same way as the Baton 3, hold the switch for 1-2 seconds and it locks, which has saved me from a dead battery more than once after a torch switched itself on inside a pack.
Waterproof
Like the Baton 3 Pro Max, the Perun 2 carries an IPX8 rating, and Olight’s own claim is that it will handle up to 2m of water for 30 minutes. I can’t vouch for that from personal testing, it’s the kind of claim you only really confirm by accident, and I haven’t had that accident yet.
Easy charging
Charging is over the same magnetic USB cable as the rest of the Olight range, which suits how I actually hike, since I already carry a USB power-bank on the trail and my outlets at home are all USB anyway. The trade-off is that the cable is proprietary, so if you leave it behind you can’t substitute a generic USB lead, and I’d like to know at some point exactly how much of a power-bank’s charge it takes to bring a flat battery back to full. The magnetic connection at least means there’s no open charging port for dust or grit to work its way into.
Tech Specs
Following are some of the tech specs, you can find a great deal more on the Olight website.
- Maximum Performance: 2,500 lumens
- Beam Distance: 166 metres
- Battery: Customized 4000mAh 3.6V 21700 Rechargeable lithium-ion Battery
- Charge type: MCC3 Charging Cable
- Body Diameter: 27mm
- Length: 120mm
- Weight: 161 grams (Including Battery)
- Waterproof: IPX8
Weighing the runtime alone, I’d still reach for the Baton 3 Pro Max over the Perun 2, but that’s not the whole comparison. The Perun 2 gives you the headlamp option on top, and hiking gets easier, and lighter, the fewer single-purpose items you’re carrying, so having a genuine 2-in-1 is a real point in its favour.
Whether you want it for the trail, the car, or just around the house, the Perun 2 is worth checking out, particularly if you’d rather carry one light that does two jobs than two lights that each do one.
Buy the Perun 2 direct from Olight for $126.95 (as of May 2023)
