Nicely packaged and branded in a soft shell zip up box the torch instantly has a look of quality about it. Silicone fittings appear durable, plastics and material used are clearly high grade and the torch itself looks well-made and finished to a high standard. When handling the product these initial assumptions are confirmed with the torch and fittings having a great feel and looking every part the premium product.

Design, build and functionality: 4/5

A lot of time and effort has clearly been put into functionality and design of this torch. The torch has multiple settings allowing you to adjust the strength and size of beam and are easy to select at the touch of a button. Adjusting the strap to fit your head is very simple and it then grips and holds to that size with no slippage. Changing the battery (either rechargeable or “throw away”) is a very straight forward exercise and takes a matter of seconds. Overall it seems very intuitive and simple to operate piece if kit.

Field Test: 4/5

In the field the torch excelled, the headband was comfortable with the torch being firmly held in place by the silicone fittings. The beam of light was brilliant for both close up detailed work and when checking your footing on steep descent with a nice even spread of light in all settings. The moonlight mode was especially useful for checking your kit whilst staying relatively discrete. In light drizzle the selector button was still easy to work and nothing felt compromised. I did change the torch into its other holder for the sake of the review however in reality there is no need to move away from its headband as it was so comfortable, user friendly and adaptable.

Value for Money: 4/5

At £45 this torch is by no means the cheapest on the market but given the apparent build quality, performance and functionality it is good value for money and should last a good numbers of years even with some rough treatment in the field.

Overall: 4/5

The torch performed well straight out of the box and stood up well to the real world situations during the field test. It was comfortable to wear, easy to use and provided a strong and flexible beam of light. I am not sure about the bright blue branding for sporting trips but this is a very minor point on an overall very impressive torch that would sit well in anyone’s outdoor kitbag.

Specification:

• Type: Torch
• Make: Olight
• Model: H1 Nova
• Battery: CR123A 1600 mAh
• Weight: 49.5g
• Run Time Up to 42hours on low
• Beam Range: 66m
• Impact Resistance: 1.5m