Sofirn HS45
What’s in the box?
The light itself of course
Type C charging cable
21700 battery
Two spare O-rings
Pocket clip
Lanyard
Headlamp strap
User manual
Build quality
As I’ve come to expect from Sofirn the light feels very solidly made and of high quality. The body has a really nice texture that lends great grip and helped it adjust angle and keep that angle in the headlamp strap. The switch is nice and clicky and is backlit to indicate battery level. The switch also sits low in the silver bezel around it so it can stand on its head should you need it to. Though not as steadily as a tail stand. The tail magnet is very strong and it can tail stand easily. The pocket clips lets it sit nice and low in my pocket and feels sturdy.
Ok. Let’s get to the elephant in the room. The fan. So when considering this light the first thing that popped into my head was how that may be a point of vulnerability. And while I haven’t submerged it entirely in water, I haven’t had an issue yet. Sofirn claims an IPX6 water proof rating, and I don’t have any reason to doubt them so far. The next thing I thought is do I really want the whirling of a fan on my forehead while wearing this out? Will it sound like a loud fan from an old struggling laptop? Will it sound like a high pitched mosquito and be annoying? Will it eat my hair? The good news is that no. It is very quiet. Noticeable but not annoying. And it did not eat my hair, even when I tried to push my hair into the fan slots (how’s that for commitment‽). So so far my concerns have been assuaged.
UI
The UI is simply and the switch on the head is easy to operate as a hand light and headlamp. Low medium and high cycle with a press and hold. Double click for turbo. Triple click to lock with moonlight from lock (this is a key feature for me). There is no strobe, which I like for this light’s purpose.
Performance
Sofirn claims a max 3200lm and it can sustain 1500lm for 2.5 hours and 75lm for 210 hours. That with a 223m of throw all sounds amazing. I don’t have any way to test that, but again, they haven’t given me reason to question their claims yet. It can hold a very bright turbo for a long amount of time without significant step down. The fan does seem to help but it still gets pretty warm. Though not too warm to have on your forehead. When switch from pocket light to headlamp the pocket clip does seem to get in the way a little, but it doesn’t make it impossible. That is an area where there could be improvement.
TL;DR
The HS45 is a solid headlamp or right angle EDC light. Really strong performance is aided by the fan. The 21700 cell provides nice and long battery life. A simple UI with great performance. Time will tell if the fan is a weak point, but so far I’ve had no issues. The fan is noticeable when used as a headlamp but not annoying or dangerous. The strong tail magnet and head strap makes this a good dedicated project/chore light.
And I think that this is a great addition to my collection especially at the current price point.
by esskue
