The Sofirn H05B is a rechargeable head torch with two lights in one: three white LEDs for up to 1,600 lumens and two red LEDs for when you want to keep your night vision. We paid $35 for ours and used it on a recent camping trip to the Hunter Valley.
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The best thing about it is the beam: it’s powerful, especially for the price. It has a few quirks too, mostly to do with heat and the button, which we cover below.
What You’re Getting
In the box you get the head torch on its headband, an 18650 battery and a short USB-A to USB-C charging cable. The lamp is a small tube that sits sideways in a bracket on the headband: the five LEDs are in the middle, the switch is on one end and the battery goes in at the other.
The good
- Up to 1,600 lumens for $35
- Hold the button to dim or brighten
- Separate red light
- USB-C charging, cable included
- Powerful, removable 18650 battery
- Comfy strap and a tilting lamp
The not-so-good
- Gets hot fast on High and Turbo
- Switched itself on in the bag
- Modes are a bit complicated
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sofirn |
| Model | H05B |
| Weight | 114 gwith battery and headband |
| Battery | 1 × 18650Removable |
| White light | Up to 1,600 lumensDimmable |
| Red light | 660 nm |
| Strobe | White and red |
| Charging | USB-CAbout 3.5 hours |
| Water resistance | IP55 |
Build quality and battery
The H05B feels very solid in your hand. The body is a compact tube with knurled caps at both ends, which gives you something to grip when you unscrew the battery cap. Under that cap sits a single 18650 battery, and a small battery symbol on the body shows which end it is. An 18650 is significantly larger and heavier than a standard AA battery, and it is what lets a head torch this size put out so much light. It also explains most of the 114 g on the scale. Because the battery comes out, you can carry a charged spare for longer trips instead of waiting for the torch to charge.
Sofirn rates the H05B at IP55, which covers rain, mist and splashes, and for drops from 2 metres. The lens over the LEDs is plastic rather than glass, which is more prone to scratching, so it’s worth keeping the lamp away from loose tools and tent pegs in the bag.
Charging
The USB-C port is in the body next to the end cap marked with a USB symbol, so the battery charges inside the torch from a power bank, a 12V USB socket or a wall charger. Sofirn quotes about 3.5 hours for a full charge.
How long a charge lasts depends heavily on the brightness. As a rough guide:
| Brightness | Run time |
|---|---|
| Turbo (up to 1,600 lumens) | A few minutes; steps down after about 30 seconds |
| High (about 400 to 900 lumens) | 1.5 to 3 hours |
| Low (about 100 to 150 lumens) | Around 7 hours |
| Eco / Moon (under 50 lumens) | 8 hours or more |
For a normal night around camp on a low setting, one charge is plenty.
Light output: white and red
The powerful beam is the best thing about the H05B. At full power it puts out up to 1,600 lumens, which is a lot of light from a $35 head torch.
The brightness isn’t set in fixed steps. You hold the button to dim it or turn it up, and let go when it’s where you want it. That makes it easy to go from a low glow for reading in the tent to a strong beam for walking a track or finding your way to the amenities block.
The top end comes with a catch. The lamp gets hot quickly on high and turbo, and it steps the brightness down by itself to stop it overheating, starting after about 30 seconds on turbo. So the 1,600 lumens is a short burst for when you need to see further, not a setting you can leave on all evening.
The two red LEDs give a separate red light. Red light is easier on the eyes at night and doesn’t blind the person sitting across from you at camp. Both colours also have a strobe.
Button and modes
Everything runs off the one button on the end cap. You hold it to dim or brighten, double-tap to switch between the white and red light, and use more hold steps to reach the strobe and emergency patterns. With that much on one button, it can feel a bit complicated until you’ve learned it.
The button also isn’t recessed. Ours got pressed by accident while it was stored in a bag, so the torch switched on by itself. With a lamp that runs this hot on the top levels, that’s one to watch: pack it where nothing presses on the end cap.
Comfort and fit
The strap is comfortable. It can slip a bit, so tighten it until it sits snug on your head. It’s a single elastic headband that adjusts with a buckle, and the lamp tilts up and down in its bracket, so you can aim the beam at your hands or further down the track. At 114 g with the battery in, it’s heavier than a small AA head torch like the 47 g Kings Illuminator.
Conclusion: Sofirn H05B Headlamp
The Sofirn H05B is a powerful head torch for the money. It puts out up to 1,600 lumens, has a separate red light, charges by USB-C and runs on a removable 18650 battery, and it feels very solid in the hand. Full power is a short burst, because the lamp gets hot quickly and steps down, and the button isn’t recessed, so it can switch on in a bag. I paid $35 for it. For campers, hikers, rooftop tent owners and anglers who want a lot of light without spending much, it’s a very good choice.
A $35 rechargeable head torch with a powerful beam of up to 1,600 lumens, brightness you dim by holding the button, and a red light.
It charges by USB-C, runs on a removable 18650 battery and weighs 114 g on our scale. It gets hot quickly on High and Turbo and steps down, and the button isn't recessed, so it can switch on in a bag. It suits campers, hikers, rooftop tent owners and anglers.
- Hikers
- Rooftop tents
- Anglers
Yes. A beam this powerful, a red light, USB-C charging and a removable 18650 battery for $35 is good value. Just treat full power as a short burst, and pack it so the button can't get pressed.
