Our Editor in Chief Pete asked some of us to honestly review some Olight lights. No this was not a request direct from Olight. As Luke C. had mentioned in his Olight S2R Baton review, this is a non-shill review. I had already bought some Olights on my own with my own money before Pete asked us to.Yeah. Normally we request loaner guns and gear on a test and evaluation basis directly from the manufacturer. As you may know me by now, I like weapon lights and the Olight Valkyrie lights were priced reasonably with decent performance on paper. As the title states, we will take a look at the PL-PRO Valkyrie pistol light.

First The PL-2 Valkyrie

I originally purchased the PL-2 Valkyrie last year on August 24, 2018. The tan PL-2 was a limited production run and was on sale. I purchased two of them for $153.99 shipped. No that is not the price for one but the price for BOTH PL-2 Valkyrie lights. That makes one light only $76.99 shipped!

The PL-2 is powered by 2xCR123 batteries and pumps out 1,200 lumens for the first 1.5 minutes of continuous use. Then it drops down to 600 lumens if you leave it on. The PL-2 has a run time of 70min.

There are side activation buttons on either side for ambidextrous activation. The buttons rock inwards and have a tactile click to them. A quick press and the light stays on. Press and hold the button for momentary activation. If you press both buttons simultaneously the light will strobe.

The PL-2 light uses a locking lever to clamp the light to a pistol accessory rail.

PL-2 vs. PL-PRO

The PL-PRO came out earlier this year. And just like the PL-2, Olight had an introductory sale when it came out in May. I bought two of them for $191.88 shipped making one light just $95.94. It is a little bit more expensive than the PL-2 but right now, online, the PL-PRO costs $129.99 while the PL-2 is $99.95.

The big difference between the PL-Pro and the PL-2 is the fact that the PL-PRO is rechargeable. Aesthetically they are almost identical save for the darker tan anodizing on my PL-PRO and the magnetic charging port on the bottom. Otherwise, they are nearly identical.

The PL-PRO is brighter than the PL-2 at 1,500 lumens however it has a shorter run time. Just like the PL-2, the PL-PRO will turn on at 1,500 lumens for the first 1.5 minutes then drop down to 600 lumens if left on. Run time is only 45 minutes though. The PL-PRO does have a secondary brightness level of 300 lumens. This lower output results in double the run time of 90 minutes. When the light is on, double tap the activation button. If you turn off the light, the light will remember which mode you were on. If you squeeze both buttons simultaneously, the PL-PRO will strobe.

The PL-PRO is not designed to be opened by the user.

One issue I have with the magnetic charging port is the fact that it is magnetic. I suppose you could use your light to help pick up an AR takedown detent pin and spring? I can understand the USB charging cable having a magnet but why does the light have to have a magnet? It will just attract unwanted metal bits.

As I mentioned, the USB cable is magnetic and there is an added benefit to this style of recharging port, the PL-PRO comes with a remote tape switch. You can use the PL-PRO as a long gun weapon light.

The USB magnetic charging cable has a similar connection point.  The shiny silver rings are both magnetic. Couldn’t Olight have made the ring on the PL-PRO out of a ferrous material rather than a magnetic one?

Unlike some other Chinese light manufacturers, Olight included a rail grabbing mount for the tape switch.

While the magnetic remote tape switch seems like a cool accessory it does have some issues. The first problem is the location of the magnetic charging port. Since it is at the bottom of the light, the cable has to reach all the way there. Exposing a lot of cable.

Olight used a flat cable between the magnetic cap and tape switch but this makes it more difficult for cable management. I cannot use Larue rail clips with integrated cable management hooks.  I end up having to twist the cable to get it to bend down toward the handguard. However, this is still a potential snag hazard. I guess you could alleviate this with some zip ties or rubber bands but it is not ideal.

Shooting With The PL-PRO

There is not much to say about this. It works so well that it is boring. I was expecting failures due to recoil or the clamp failing resulting in the light flying off the gun. Nope, none of that happened. The PL-Pro just continued to perform.

The PL-PRO will work in a Safariland ALS holster made for SureFire X300. This does not mean it will work in any SureFire compatible holster, just that the ALS does not lock onto the light but rather the barrel hood and slide.

 

Final Thoughts

The PL-PRO does not have a great run time but it is easy to recharge it. Just keep the USB charging cable plugged in and slap the magnetic charging cap onto the light. No need to take the batteries out and use a charger. Yes, this is a slight issue if your batteries die, you cannot simply reload with some fresh CR123A batteries. It is a compromise for convenience.

The performance and beam pattern are very nice. I would put it up against a Streamlight or SureFire pistol light. The price is the best part. While I did get them for less, that was only because Olight runs sales all the time especially when they announce a new light. It was a bit of a risk being an early adopter of the PL-PRO but I already had the PL-2 and figured the performance would be similar, just the battery life is less.

The PL-PRO is currently available in black or desert tan for $129.95. If you want a rechargeable pistol light that won’t break the bank then take a look at the PL-PRO.