I have had my eyes on the Perun Mini Headlamp for a while now. I have a couple of older headlamps that I have had for a while from other brands that are ok. But last year I got my hands on the Perun 3 3000 Lumen headlamp, and I was just amazed at how much better it is than any other headlamp I have used. One of my older headlamps is quite powerful as well. Still the quality increase with the Perun 3 is noticeable and because it can be used as a handheld light as well, I find I use it more often. But I didn’t actually buy it for myself originally. I bought it for one of my sons and it turned out to be too big for him, as he is still quite small. So, I have been looking at the Perun 2 Mini as a replacement for him. But now Olight has brought out the Perun 3 Mini and lifted the quality of the mini headlamp again, and so we are going to look at that light today, in comparison to its older version the Perun 2 Mini and its Big Brother the Perun 3.
As is standard with Olight when you order the Perun 3 Mini it will come in quality packaging:
Figure 1: Perun 3 Mini in the box.
When you buy a quality product it is good to know that it will come to you in good shape. This headlamp is really light. With the battery it weighs 54 grams, or 1.9 ounces. That is feather light. And the box weighs so little, even with the light in it, that I did not realize what was in the package at first when got it in the mail. But it is also a strong little box that is designed to house this Olight well on its journey to your house through the mail.
In the box this is what you get:
Figure 2: Contents in the box.
You get the Perun 3 Mini, the headband, a magnetic charging cable, and the instruction booklets. Here is a picture of my black Perun 3 Mini sitting next to one of my headphone ear buds:
Figure 3. Perun 3 next to my ear bud.
As you can see it is not much bigger than that ear bud. However, even though this Olight is 54 grams, as I already noted, it does not feel flimsy in your hands when you hold it. It feels solid, and the heatsink grooves on the light mean that you can grip this little light well in your hand when you are using it. But it is also small enough to carry in your pocket with your keys and not have it bother you at all.
Here is the Perun 3 Mini next to its big brother the Perun 3 3000 lumen light:
Figure 4: Perun 3 next to Perun 3 Mini.
The Perun 3 is about 3 times the size of the Perun 3 Mini. And this is confirmed by the fact that the Perun 3 weighs 150 grams, and as we noted the Perun 3 Mini is only 54 grams. So this light is a tiny light. Because of its small size, and what I say in my introduction, you might be tempted to think that this light is more suitable for children. However, this was not the point I was trying to make. What I was noting is that for my small son the Perun 3 was a bit too big for him to wear on his head, so he needed a smaller light, but this does not make the Perun 3 Mini just a kid’s light. The Perun 3 Mini is an effective, surprisingly incredibly powerful, and useful light for anyone who wants a compact every day carry light. It just punches so far above its weight.
The Perun 3 is a powerful torch. As noted, it has a max output of 3000 lumens on turbo mode, and it can luminate up to 160 meters away. But you would be more likely to run it on high at 600 lumens for up to 300 minutes of use, or even on medium at 120 lumens for 25 hours of use, when you are out in the bush. You have that higher capacity if you need it, but for general use you are likely to use it in that 600 to 120 lumen range, to conserve your battery. These are good numbers for a headlamp, very good numbers. And, as noted, you can use it as a hand torch or clip it onto your shirt to use as a forward facing light as well.
Now the out going mini light, the Perun 2 Mini has a maximum output of 1100 lumens which it can run at for about 2 minutes and can luminate up to 150 meters away. It also has a setting of 250 lumens for which you can run the light for about 100 minutes and also a 60 lumen setting for which you can run the light for about 7 hours. As well as two much lower settings that let you run it for 26 hours and 10 days, respectively. So, the Perun 2 Mini is a great light for its tiny size, but it is noticeably behind its big brother the Perun 3.
However, the Perun 3 Mini steps us the mini game by quite a bit. The Perun Mini 3 has a maximum lumen output of 1250 which can luminate up to 155 meters in front of you. That is a small light that punches hard. In fact, those are epic numbers for such a tiny light. It can output 1250 lumens at 100% for 2 minutes and at 28% for 60 minutes. That is the turbo setting. It can output on high, 500 lumens at 100% for 2 minutes, and at 70% for 74 minutes. It can output at 100 lumens for 4.5 hours. It can output at 10 lumens for 30 hours, and it can output on moonlight mode, 2 lumens, for 10 days. So, the Perun 3 Mini may be a better light for my young son because he is small, but it steps up the mini game so much that this is a great light for any outdoors man who wants something compact, but powerful.
The Perun 3 Mini is able to punch out these numbers while using the same Olight 16340 650 mAh battery that is compatible with the older Perun mini and Perun 2 mini. This is because in each generational upgrade Olight improves the efficiency of their lights. The Perun 3 Mini has max white light of 9w and a red light of 0.7w. The model I have has a cool white light of 5700-6700K. So, it gets a lot out of this small battery, and you can pick up extra batteries for $9.95 on the Olight website. Which is cool.
Of course, the Perun 3 is more powerful than the Perun 3 Mini, which is to be expected. It is the big brother light of the Perun 3 Mini. But if you want a very small EDC light that you can also use a headlamp then the Perun 3 Mini is an excellent choice for anyone. This would be a perfect light to leave in your glovebox for those emergency situations where you need to work on the car beside the road, or just need a light on hand. And because it is small you don’t have to worry about it taking up too much room. Or you could buy it for your girlfriend or wife to keep in her purse as an emergency light. Again, it will not take up too much room. This light is tiny but bright:
Figure 5: Perun 3 Mini in action.
Look at the size of this light in my hand and look at the light that it is putting out on turbo mode, its highest setting. Incredible.
Here it is on a much lower setting:
Figure 6: Perun 3 Mini on second lowest setting.
This is the same light on its low setting, the one above moonlight, and it is still doing a great job. If you have lost your keys and you need to look for them, this light is not going to let you down. If you are on a several hour hike at night, this light is not going to let you down. If you are moving around your campsite at night, this light is not going to let you down. For any of these applications and more this light is fantastic. In fact, this is the perfect hiking headlamp, because it is incredibly powerful. And not just powerful for its size, but objectively powerful, 500 to 1250 lumens on a headlamp is an excellent headlamp. One of the headlamps that I have used for years only outputs 150 lumens. I have a brighter one that I have had for a while, but it is too heavy on the head and I would never use it for hiking. However, with this Perun 3 Mini I now have a light that is lighter on my head that is still powerful…when my son is not using it of course.
And this bears focusing on for a bit. Whether you choose the Perun 3 or the Perun 3 Mini, either way these lights are very comfortable to wear.
Figure 7: Perun 3 Mini and Perun 3 in their headbands.
You can pick up headlamps at any servo, camping store, or many other stores around the place. But those of you who have done a bit of camping, hiking, or hunting, will know that some headlamps can get really uncomfortable after a while. But these two lamps are the most comfortable headlamps I have worn to date. As I said, I have had a couple of other headlamps for years now, one is larger and more powerful, the other lighter and less powerful, and I have used the lighter one precisely because it is comfortable. But both of these Olight Perun headlamps are light on the head and comfortable to wear. I was quite surprised actually how comfortable the Perun 3 is as a headlamp, and of course the super light Perun 3 Mini is incredibly easy to wear as well. This matters. You don’t want to get a headache from your lamp. And the design of the band spreads the weight of the light across the front of your head, rather than sticking out like many traditional headlamps. This is an advantage.
Both lights have this gel on the band as well:
Figure 8: Perun 3 Mini band.
This gel aids with comfort. It is little extra touches like this that show you that these lights are designed with thoughtfulness and care.
Just a few other things to note. This light has a redlight function that gives you three settings low, high and SOS. Yes, it has an SOS mode. Which is fantastic. It also has a lockout function, which is good, because you don’t want it to turn on by accident in your pocket or bag. The Perun 3 Mini is waterproof with an IPX8 rating. It can be dropped 1.5 meters. And the magnetic charging point on the back allows you to set up this light on any metallic surface to use as a lamp at night. Which is handy.
This is a fantastic light. You could give it to one of your children as a present and they will be amazed at the quality of the light. But this does not mean it is a toy, it is a highly useful and high-quality little light that can be used as an every day carry light, as an emergency glovebox light, or for general camping use and hiking. And I noted, because it is light, sturdy and bright it is especially a fantastic light to use for hiking. I recommend this light. I have been wanting a Perun mini light for some time now, and I am not disappointed in the slightest. Olight have produced an even better version of their miniature Olight and this light is going to get lots of use.
