Olight S1 Baton - First Impressions

[Skaaphaas]

I bought this light from 480BC last week. This is not a true review as I have not used the light much, but rather an initial opinion.

The first thing that strikes you about this light is the size: It is tiny. The internet pictures do not do it justice, you have to handle it to appreciate it.







The packaging is nice clear plastic, and included in the package is a CR123 battery, an extra o-ring (that also secures the light to the cardboard), a “traffic wand” diffuser, and a lanyard.

The light features 5 modes:

Moonlight (0.5lm)

Low (8lm)

Medium (80lm)

High / Turbo (500lm – 300lm)

Strobe (500lm)

The light seems sturdy enough for its size, and the fit and finish is good. The thread on the tailcap feels a bit rough when removing it, but as the tailcap will not be used to change modes it is a non-issue.

The reversible pocket clip is a bit too tight for one-handed operation, but do not try to bend it open, reports are that it snaps easily if bent.

It features last-mode memory, except for strobe. I have read that later releases of this model do not feature moonlight mode memory. To be honest I would prefer the newer release.

Moonlight mode can be reached by pressing the switch for 1 second (timed at closer to two seconds) whilst the light is off. High / Turbo can be accessed from off by double-clicking the switch. Turbo mode features a thermal management by stepping down to 300lm after 90 seconds of continuous use.

Because of the shortcuts to these modes from off, I would have preferred to not have memory mode on them. As stated, the newer ones have a UI change to not remember moonlight mode as the last-used function.

It also features an auto-off timer which can be set with a few clicks, for either 3 minutes or 9 minutes. I have not used this function and doubt that I will.

Strobe mode is hidden sufficiently, needing 3 clicks of the switch while the light is on. Except for checking that it works, I have not used this function.

Using it

The user interface is fairly easy to learn, but you will have to read the instructions and go through it a few times to understand it properly.

I love the moonlight mode. Getting up at night with dark adjusted eyes to visit the bathroom or other sort of administrative task is a pleasure with this feature. It gives sufficient light for pretty much anything you’d do at that time, without straining your eyes with glare.

I find I use the low (8lm) mode quite a lot indoors, and the medium (80lm) outdoors. The turbo mode is used rarely, mostly to satisfy my inner child and to impress other people with the amount of light produced by such a tiny light.

The beam is quite floody, it has a fairly large hotspot and then a little bit of spill. This makes it better for a utility light, as the smooth, even beam illuminates items nicely. It is not a thrower, and not designed as such.

It has a cool white beam tint. This is most noticeable when braaiing, as the cool white tint does not render colours very well, so checking on the meat is not where this light works at its best.

The cool white works well outside, though, where it gives a very crisp and defined illumination of pretty much anything you point it at.

The side switch is needs a fairly positive push to activate, so accidental activation is probably not an issue, but the tailcap thread is anodised so a manual lockout can be achieved by just unscrewing it a little.

The sturdy clip worked well when I clipped the light to my shirt's collar to illuminate the braai, and the magnetic tailcap worked to attach the light to the porch at an angle to put some light on the dishing-up area. The small size and nifty features make it incredibly useful for everyday tasks.

Overall I am extremely impressed with this light, and it rides in my pocket all the time now.

Buy two if you can.

[Chicken]

I bought two, and very happy with them.

I have also only had this flashlight for a very short time. In hindsight, it is a bit of money for such a small flashlight. Does anyone know the guarantee on them? But I guess you pay for quality, which this flashlight is.

One of the things I like is the battery, a CR123A. They cost around R60. I have been using the flashlight a lot over the past two nights, and it is going strong.

I now don't have to find my headlamp :-)

[Chicken]

Here are some of the special editions you get.

[Skaaphaas]

Oh man. I really wanted that bead-blasted titanium one.

The Ti models have neutral white beams.

[Boomslang1651]

Dankie vir die review Skaaphaas! You may have convinced me to get one now...damn.

[habangana]

Got mine at Huntex last year, loving it everyday.

[Skaaphaas]

Got mine at Huntex last year, loving it everyday.

You sure it's the S1? It was only released middle August 2015.

[Mr_Medic]

S1 fairly new, after reading this review I am kicking myself for getting the S25Baton instead of the S1...

[habangana]

You sure it's the S1? It was only released middle August 2015.

Oh snap! My bad, I have the S10R.

[sa-shooter]

Could this be sufficient as a main EDC or better served as a backup?