Overview & First Impressions
The V2 is a bigger jump than the name suggests. Output goes to 800 lumens with a 410 foot beam, which is more than fifty percent up on the first version, and the light now offers cool white, warm white and red in the same head. But the feature that matters most to me is boring: it still runs on three AAA cells if you want it to, or on the included rechargeable pack over USB-C. That is real redundancy on a long run.
Materials & Construction
The housing is a lightweight polymer with an aluminum front bezel, and the whole unit weighs little enough that you forget it is there after ten minutes. The SPORT headband is the good part: wide, elastic, with silicone gripper strips and an integrated emergency whistle on the strap. Small detail, but on a night run a whistle you did not have to remember is worth more than twenty extra lumens.
Design & Details
Dual top switches mean you can change mode without hunting, and a slide lockout switch stops the light turning on inside a pack, which is a problem every headlamp owner has had. Warm white is the mode I use most on trail, because it renders roots and rocks with actual depth instead of washing them flat the way cool white does. Red preserves night vision at a camp.
Real-World Use
Six evening runs on mixed terrain, from pavement to rooty singletrack, plus one long hike that finished in the dark. At 800 lumens the beam is wide enough to read the ground two paces ahead and bright enough to be seen by traffic. The tilt mechanism holds its angle over rough ground, and the strap did not need re-adjusting mid run. Battery life on the rechargeable pack covered every session.
Ownership Notes
The pack charges over USB-C, which means one cable for everything you own. If you run the AAA route, use lithium cells rather than alkalines in cold weather, because alkaline performance collapses below freezing. Rinse the headband by hand and let it dry flat. Keep the lens clean, since a smeared optic on a headlamp is more noticeable than on a handheld torch. It has also replaced the small EDC flashlight I used to clip to a belt loop, since a headlamp leaves both hands free at camp and on the move.
Who Is This For?
Buy it if you run or hike at night and want a light that does not need a wall socket to survive a weekend. It suits trail runners, fastpackers and anyone who wants a warm white option for map reading. Skip it if you need a 2000 lumen work light, or if you refuse to wear a headband and want a handheld only.
Final Verdict
The HL18R-T V2 fixes the one thing wrong with the original, which was output, and keeps the thing that was right, which is battery flexibility. Fenix flashlights tend to be conservative on paper and reliable in the field, and this follows the pattern. Nitecore flashlights and Nextorch flashlights make good headlamps too, but few offer AAA fallback. EdcMall has the V2 in both colourways.
