Olight Seeker 2 Pro Review

· Mohammad-Ali Bandzar

Full disclosure: I’ve owned this light for about 3 weeks now. I’ve been carrying it daily using the included belt holster. Before this light I was carrying a no-name $20 light off of Amazon which is what I will be comparing this light to for the majority of this review. The review is broken up into segments which I feel are good points to compare flashlights with, but are in no particular order. This review is also in no way sponsored or endorsed by Olight.

The Design

I got the tan color because that was what was on sale. I personally think the blue front piece makes the light look cheap. I also think that the “rings” around the front of the light should have continued all the way to the lens for better heat dissipation and that metal knurling instead of a glued on rubber grip would have made the light look more premium.

Battery Technology

I’ve never personally used more than about 25% of the battery up, but that’s probably because I don’t use the light very often, and I charge it everyday using the included L dock. I also still find myself using my phone as a flashlight as it’s often already in my hands making it much more convenient.

The battery is also incredibly difficult to find a charger for outside of the light as both contacts are on the same side of the battery. This could also be potentially dangerous if pressed against something flexible and conductive like aluminum foil as both contacts are on the same side - the battery would short out.

The Beam

The light has 3 drivers (LEDs) which are capable of producing 3200 lumens in short bursts of a couple of hundred seconds. It still does not look all that impressive in the daytime because the hotspot is so wide.

The Charger

I will admit that the L dock is very cool and convenient and helps me to remember to charge my light every night. But it has its downsides:

  • If you are on vacation or traveling you have to remember yet another proprietary charger
  • If you forget/lose/break your charger you will have no way of recharging the light
  • Seeing as no one in my area sells Olight products, I’d have to order one from their website, making my $200 light a paperweight while I wait
  • I would also have to pay for shipping as Olight only offers free shipping on orders over a certain amount
  • This light won’t take any other brand of 21700s even though it’s a commonly available size
  • The batteries are essentially impossible to charge outside the light as I have yet to find someone selling a charger designed for it

The UI/UX

It’s so bad that I don’t know where to start - the poor UI is the main reason that I decided to write this review.

Lack of a tail switch: I find its lack of a tail switch incredibly inconvenient as it makes it hard to hold the flashlight either at eye level above the shoulder (to look into a container or over a wall), or downward (like looking downstairs). The solution is to turn the light on, then reposition your hand to hold it more comfortably, but that is extra work and even more inconvenient when you want to adjust brightness or turn it off.

The lack of a tail switch also increases the time it takes me to turn the light on as I occasionally have to rotate the light in my hand in the dark to locate the switch by feel - which becomes even more difficult when wearing gloves.

Having a tail cap switch also makes more sense because it prevents accidental activations. If you holster the Seeker 2 Pro with the button facing outward it will activate when you lean on a wall, or when your hip hits the side of an office chair.

Too many functions on a single button: This light has 5 brightness levels, a strobe mode, a lock out mode, 2 timers and basic on/off functionality all controlled by a single button. My last flashlight (which cost 1/5 as much) had one button that was sort of pressure sensitive - a deep press was on/off and a light press would cycle through its 3 brightness and 2 strobe modes. This more intuitive interface also allowed me to switch modes faster.

Battery indicator issues: It’s impossible to check battery status/brightness level while the light is on, and the battery indicator LEDs ramp up/down when the light is turned on/off which could result in you reading a lower battery level than is true.

The Holster

It’s a decent fit/finish, but it uses a latch to hold the light in instead of Velcro or friction, which:

  • Makes the holster useless for lights with other lengths
  • Is a little bit hard to relatch especially with gloves on
  • Is much more quiet to take the light out than Velcro would be

The holster could use some rubber in the area the belt goes through as I often find the light sliding further back on my belt when I stand, which is highly uncomfortable when I sit back down.

Features I’d Like to See

  • A strobe mode added
  • A tail switch
  • The removal of the timers as they are useless to me
  • A USB-C port to charge on the go/on vacation so it uses the same charger as my phone (and maybe could be used to charge my phone)
  • A non-proprietary battery design so I can use my own charger to charge a spare externally and so I can purchase cheaper cells
  • Accessories like a lantern housing and a power output adapter that would stick to the bottom and charge my phone

THANKS FOR READING