HM61R Review: Awesome two-in-one

Ambassador Reuben S.

The HM61R headlamp is really a two-in-one device that doubles as a standalone right-angle flashlight, so I’ll discuss the pros and cons of each in a minute. But first, the stuff that’s common to both.

This flashlight has a magnetic charging port, which allows you to stick a charging cable on the backside of the flashlight to charge it. No messing with waterproof covers that may or may not be in place properly, no taking the battery out, nothing like that. It’s so convenient. I suspect it might take longer to charge with this method, but I simply put my flashlight on the charger overnight, so I wouldn’t know the difference. It’s always charged by the next morning.

The light output is fantastic at 1200 lumens. The button is conveniently located at the end and it’s huge, making it easy to operate without having to fumble around trying to find the button. There are also two light modes, both white and red light output. At 1 lumen of red light, this thing will run for 400 hours. Crazy.

Headlamp features: Every other headlamp I’ve owned has had the battery mounted at the back of the headlamp band with the lamp at the front, while this one has everything self-contained at the front. This makes it a little bit heavier on the front, but the difference is barely noticeable. I like not having a power cable running from the power back to the lamp.

The lamp tilts up and down by rotating within the head strap holder, and it’s very secure. The lamp is held in place with a couple of plastic clips, as well as a heavy-duty rubber strap to make sure it stays in place.

Because it’s all self-contained on the front side, it’s bulkier on the front than other headlamps. This could be a nuisance while working in tight quarters, but so far, it hasn’t been an issue.

Flashlight features: It’s a bit odd using a flashlight with a right-angle head, but it doesn’t take long to get used to this. In fact, it’s really handy in some cases because you can clip the flashlight onto a shirt pocket or belt, and have it shine forward instead of straight up like all other traditional flashlights.

This also has a magnetic base, which is an awesome feature. Why don’t more flashlights have this? It’s very convenient to just stick it wherever you want it.