OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie – USB Rechargeable Pistol Light [Review]

One of the major drawbacks to a pistol flashlight is the constant need for replacement batteries. The Olight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie defeats this drawback by being a USB chargeable. With this feature though, are we losing light power or durability? It’s a viable question, and we wanted to know the answer.

We put this little Olight through the ringer, and we’re going to give you our results in this article.

Do You Actually Need A Pistol Flashlight?

OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie Light

Light is a weapon. It’s probably one of the most powerful weapons that doesn’t cause direct bodily harm that exists. You can use it to obtain situational awareness. You can use it to disorient your attacker. Also, you can use direct light to conceal your exact location in some instances.

It may be hard to believe at first glance, but light is a powerful ally. While there is an argument to be made for keeping a flashlight detached from your pistol for every day carry purposes, I believe there is no argument for not having an attached pistol light on your carry firearm.

So, do you actually need a pistol flashlight? That depends. Do you want to maintain the option of using light as a weapon by keeping a light attached to your carry weapon, or do you want to solely rely on the flashlight you keep in your pocket? There is no 100% correct answer, it all depends on you as an individual. Personally, I choose to keep a light on my handgun.

Meet the 600 Lumen OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie.

Here’s a killer video review from IraqVeteran8888 in the event you like to get two reviews for the price of one.

My biggest gripe with handgun lights is honestly needing to change the battery. It’s 2020, more stuff should be rechargeable. OLight answered this complaint from me when they dropped the OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie, and I couldn’t be a happier camper. Finally, no more excessive purchases of 123 batteries from Amazon for when I accidentally turn my light on for four hours without realizing it.

This thing boasts not only a USB recharging set-up, it has a bunch of other great features. First, it’s a small form factor light with an adjustable rail system. That means it fits most devices, and you can adjust the position of the light on the front of your handgun easily to make it more ergonomic with your individual hand size. Next, it has a pretty standard quick attach system that allows you easily to attach and remove the light from whatever rail system you’re currently using it on. Last but not least, it boasts 600 lumens of light, an is able to throw that light out to 100 meters with relative ease.

All in all, the OLight PL Mini 2 was designed with every day carry in mind. It also gets bonus points because I’m able to charge the light in the center console of my truck pre and post training days with it.

Specifications.

  • Beam Distance: 100 Meters
  • Max. Performance: 600 Lumens
  • Charge type: Magnetic USB Charge Base
  • Compatible Batteries: Customised Li-Ion Battery
  • Light Intensity: 2500 Candela
  • Light Form: Standard Hotspot Diameter
  • Lens/Reflector Type: Smooth Reflector
  • Mode Operation: Side Switch
  • Form/Size Factor: Small
  • Attachment: Adjustable Rail System
  • Waterproof: IPX6
  • Weight: 73g / 2.57oz
  • Length: 52.5mm / 2.07in
  • OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie In Everyday Use.

    OLight PL Mini 2 EDC Tools

    I have owned and used the OLight PL Mini 2 Valyrie for about 3 months now. In that time, I have carried it on both a standard Glock 19 and the Custom Glock 19 that is my current EDC firearm. In that time, I have been out to night shoots twice with the weapon. At both events, the flashlight performed as well or better than some of the other lights shooters were using. Also, several other shooters at these events were using the same light and had no direct complaints when I asked them.

    Overall, the light is has a very small form factor, which gives it very little footprint on the firearm. The selector switches to turn the light on and off are conveniently located so that you can turn the light on easily while your finger is straight and off the trigger. There are two modes of light. One is a toggle that turns the light on until it is turned off, and the other is a flash that turns the light back off as soon as you remove your finger from the toggle.

    This, is probably my only complaint with the light. It took a little bit of practice to get used to the two settings for turning the light on. Overall though, the light is simply easy to use and get used to. Outside of needing to take a little bit of extra time out of my training to practice these settings, the light met all of my expectations and even exceeded them. I have yet to have the light die on me during training, and both times it was too easy to simply put the light on the charger at the conclusion of training.

    Final Rounds on Target.

    OLight PL Mini 2 Flashlight

    One of the major drawbacks to keeping a flashlight on your pistol is the constant need for battery changes. There’s a number of ways your pistol’s flashlight can die, from accidentally being turned on inside of the holster, to constant training causing batteries to die. With the OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie, this isn’t an issue. You can easily recharge your flashlight with it still on the weapon simply by attaching the magnetic strip at the bottom.

    The 600 lumen bulb and diminutive nature of the light’s body is also a massive plus for any connoisseur of EDC items. Stack on top of that the low barrier for entry with the $90 price point, (we’ve seen it down at $75 on sale.) and you’ve got a recipe for a solid handgun light. In our testing, we’ve found this thing to be both durable, and reliable. This is an easy recommendation for us to make if you’re in the market for a new pistol light.

    As always though, this is just our opinion. We’d love to hear about your experience with this mini pistol light down in the comments. What’s your go-to pistol flashlight, or do you choose to not even use one? If you don’t like pistol flashlights, let us know why down in the comments so we can get a different perspective.

    2 thoughts on “OLight PL Mini 2 Valkyrie – USB Rechargeable Pistol Light [Review]”

    1. I have the Mini-2 and noticed that the battery discharges after just a couple days of sitting unused, requiring a recharge. Did you notice this? Is it a normal issue with this light? I have emailed Olight regarding the issue and am awaiting a reply.

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