The Olight H1R Nova is compact, bright–ok that can be said about most flashlights these days! Here’s what I really like about this light.
- It’s USB rechargeable and the battery lasts a long time. I’ve actually only ran out of juice in it once, and when I did, they were nice enough to include a back-up non-rechargeable battery. This little light hits both Rule #2 and #7 of being an Experimental Gentleman:
- Rule #2 – Always, always have a back-up plan.
- Rule #7 – Always be charging.
- The light is at a right angle to the body/clip of the light. This means I can clip it to my belt, my hat, a curtain, or whatever; and the light will be going in the direction I want it.
- There’s a really nice diffuser making for a wide even light at close range. Let’s face it, I’m not doing search and rescue with this light. I’m more often than not trying to find something or just read a book. It casts the perfect light for these tasks. That said, at 600 lumens, it’s bright enough to evenly light up the entire trail at night.
- It has a magnetic base, and combined with the right angle, this is great for working on any sort of vehicle. I can just let the magic of magnets allow me to put this light anywhere so that I have a perfectly focused work-light.
A quick story to illuminate the importance of owning a good torchlight:
I bumped into this guy in the parking lot the other night. He was under a street light looking around. I asked what he was looking for. He said he was looking for his car keys. I asked where he had them last.
“By my car.”
“Where’s your car?” I asked.
“Over there.” He pointed to the other side of the parking lot.
“Why are you looking here then?”
“I can’t see over there because there’s no street light.”
Don’t let someone you know be this guy. A flashlight is more than just about casting light, it’s a symbol of empowerment representing our own ability to shine a light on solutions that we may not have been able to unless we were prepared with the proper tools.