REVIEW: Olight PL-2 Valkyrie Pistol Light

If you see a Valkyrie, you have probably had an apparition. If you look into this Valkyrie, you are probably blind. If you see this Valkyrie, you are blinded by beauty. Well, but it's about the Olight PL-2 Valkyrie. Some time ago we had the predecessor model PL-1 in the review, which was impressive but still had some teething problems (mounting was too weak). Olight announced a revision - and implemented it.

The Olight PL-2 Valkyrie comes in a nice package that shows what's inside and what the weapon light can do. 1,200 lumens with a range of 235 meters is what's promised - and that interests us very little. How to attach the Valkyrie to the handgun and not mount a searchlight on the long gun. (And to allay the fears of our German readers: in Austria we are allowed both.)

What does the user get when they indulge in the box? That's inside:

First of all, of course, we take the Olight PL-2 Valkyrie in hand. Here are the basic technical details:

View from behind: this is the battery compartment, which is released with the button on top. The grip strength is very good. The two wings on the right and left are the operating buttons for the weapon light, which can be switched on and off on the pistol with the index finger. The yellow plastic strip is part of the battery isolation because they are supplied in the light.

No contact, no voltage drop. The yellow tab is on the floor. The lamp takes two CR123A batteries. Olight has its own batteries. It's worth ordering them together or buying corresponding rechargeable batteries because CR123As have a rather steep price. And you should always have spare batteries...

Sometimes it's a comparison that makes you feel safe: on the left a Surefire X300 and on the right the Olight PL-2 Valkyrie. In terms of basic shape, they are very similar, but we rule out coincidence. However, the detailed solutions differ, both in the locking mechanism for the rail and the switch cap. However, holsters for Surefire and this model of Olight are not identical or interchangeable: the point where the lamp snaps in is in a different position. For this light and various weapons suitable Kydex holsters are available at GEAR MANIACS. 

Logo against logo. With Surefire, it's a rotary switch; with Olight, it's a pressure-tilt switch. What you prefer: a matter of taste and habit. Olight uses a clamp lever for mounting, while Surefire uses a bar moved downward with both hands to detach the light from the weapon. A loud clatter...

Here you can see the two weapon lights side by side. With Olight, we also had the Laser-Light-Module PL-2RL Baldr reviewed by SPARTANAT: since Valkyrie is just the basic model without an exposed laser, the same criticism applies to the buttons. The switches work perfectly on the gun. The only thing we notice: for people with short fingers, Olight did not take advantage of the opportunity to move a few crucial millimeters further back. That would be the first difference that a shooter notices who otherwise uses a Surefire.

The weapon lights from the front. Olight doesn't have the monstrous CREE XHP35 HI Led inside that brings 1,200 lumens into the room. In addition, the PL-2 has a nice crown that leaves a good impression if you use the pistol with the weapon light not for lighting or shooting, but for direct thrusting.

Olight delivers: the new mounting holds well and perfectly. Here is the Olight PL-2 Valkyrie on the Glock 17. The mounting proves itself now even under continuous load. That's how it should be.

One must have goals in life. As I said, we did not use Olight PL-2 Valkyrie as a long gun light in the depths of the room, just at close range. The little thing has impressive power up close. And another surprise: simultaneously pressing the left and right buttons, the Strobe mode comes on and confuses the opponent with stormy light - clearly visible in the video. And this despite some descriptions indicating that the Olight PL-2 Valkyrie does not have a Strobe.

CONCLUSION: The Olight PL-2 Valkyrie proves its