Review: Olight S1R Baton (XM-L2, 1x RCR123A/16340)

Olight S1R

Summary:

Battery: 1x RCR123A (included), 16340 Compatible
Switch: Electronic Side Switch
Modes:

Moon* - Low- Medium - High - Turbo

Hidden strobe

*Only accessible via a long press from off or from memory.

Mode Memory: Last mode memorized to a single click from off.
LED Type: Cool White (Pure White)
Reflector: TIR Optic
Provided by: Olight

Function:

The S1R functions very similarly to the S1A.

From off:

A single press turns the flashlight on in the last used mode (Strobe is not memorized).

A long press turns the flashlight on in moonlight mode.

A double press activates Turbo.

A triple press activates strobe.


To enter lockout mode, Press and hold the switch for 2 seconds. Moonlight will first come on within the first second, continue holding for another second and the light will turn off. The light will not function until lockout mode is exited by either unscrewing the tailcap or pressing and holding the switch for about a second and will turn on in moonlight mode. While in lockout mode a red glow will illuminate the switch for 4 seconds after pressing the switch.



While on:

Press and hold to cycle through modes Low, Medium, High, Turbo.

A triple press activates strobe. A single press to turn off the flashlight. or press and hold to exit into the last used mode.

A single press will turn the flashlight off.

A double press will select between the 3 minute (Indicated by a single flash) and 9 minute timer (Indicated by 2 flashes).

The last mode used will be memorized when the light is turned off. Strobe will not be memorized. Turbo and high modes will be memorized for 10 minutes. After those 10 minutes the memory will reset to medium mode.

The S1R has a very nice (unintended?) feature I haven't seen in any other flashlight. Activating turbo or high from off will cause a subtle, yet noticeable fast ramp up to the desired brightness. This is a lot less harsh on the eyes than instantly blasting out 1000 lumens in pitch dark. I would not of thought it would matter, but now I'm noticing the lack of this feature on my other lights.

The feature is also present and more noticeable in turning off the S1R from High or Turbo. The light rapidly ramps down until off. It takes about 750 milliseconds to go from Turbo to off.

The rapid ramping up when powering on turbo makes it feel like you're powering on a light cannon and need to prepare for the recoil lest you want to be knocked over. When is ramps down when powering off the recoil subsides and you shift forward a little bit. :P

Data/Measurements:

My measurements are a bit higher than Olight's measurements. Moon mode values are dashed out simply because I cannot measure below 1lm with my current setup. Tailcap amps were measured with a clamp meter.

Moon mode is very usable indoors in pitch black. It appears ever so slightly brighter than the S1A's moon mode.

All throw measurements are lux values taken at 7ft and calculated back to 1 meter (Rounded to the nearest hundred). Estimated Max Output (Lumens) values are calculated based on measurements taken 30 seconds after turn on and are obtained through a DIY 'pvc lumen tube' in an effort to achieve diffusion of dissimilar beam profiles. As such, these values should be taken as "rough approximations."

The following tests took place in 74°F Ambient temperature, indoors, with very little air movement. The flashlight sits head facing down on a piece of glass that is recessed inside a 4" PVC pipe. A small fan directed at the flashlight, is activated for the duration of the tests.


The S1R maintains a very high output for just over 30 seconds and then suddenly drops to about 750lm. Output steadily drops until the 1 minute mark. This level (about 350lm) is maintained until the 45 minute mark when output drops to about 90lm. This is maintained until the 58 minute mark when output drops to about 13lm. Between 60 and 90 minutes the switch glows red indicating that it is time to charge! :) I didn't notice this until I manually stopped the test at 90 minutes. I would consider the 13lm to be 'emergency light' to go find another battery or the charging pad.

The following Turbo Test was intended to show the effects of repeated Turbo activations allowing time to cool down in between each short run.


The Efest cell doesn't fair as well as the Olight RCR123A, but it does show the very consistent, intermediary step at 30 seconds. With the Efest cell the drop is not as noticeable because the high turbo output is not sustainable so it is dropping fast in the first 30 seconds. With the Olight cell the light maintains output and then drops off suddenly around 35 seconds. After the intermediary step (approximately 750lm), the light steadily drops to about 350lm by 1 minute.

Pictures:

The Olight S1R arrived in the same plastic retail package as the S1A. Loaded with goodies(Details below)

The side switch sticks up ever so slightly. The switch has a small amount of squish before activating.

The switch cover is made out of soft rubber.

Crisp lettering, fantastic machining, fit and finish.

A look at the magnetic and charger ready tailcap as well as the lanyard attachment point.

Cells go in negative side first. The Olight RCR123A cell makes contact on both brass contact points inside the tailcap allowing for charging through said tailcap.

The beautiful Blue PVD coated bezel and the TIR optic.

Contained within the plastic retail box is a small pouch, a USB cable with the magnetic attachment end, a lanyard, a manual, the Olight RCR123A cell (preinstalled, and insulated to prevent activation), a pocket clip (preattached), and the Olight S1R Baton flashlight.

A closeup of the tailcap and the magnetic end of the USB cable. The attraction between the two magnets is enough to automatically center when attached. It takes a fair amount of force to separate. It can take a small tumble and not detach.

There is a red glow while the battery is charging.

It begins at 750mA charge rate.

Towards the end the charge rate drops until it finally terminates at 0mA and the indicator light turns green. After the runtime test charging took 62 minutes from start to finish. The cell measured 4.24v, which is a little high, but certainly within the acceptable range.

Comparison:

For comparison from left to right we have a Keeppower 18650 cell, Olight S1R, Olight S1A, TrustFire L2M (16340), and Convoy S2+.

The Olights wanted to do a little spin.

So I let them. :)

S1R and S1A head to head.

Beamshots:

The central tree trunk is about 50 yards away. The water line is about 35 yards away. The hanging tree limb in the upper left quadrant of the pictures is about 10 yards away.

The output of the S1R is truly amazing. The beam profile is essentially one large floody homogeneous hotspot with a small amount of spill. Compared to the S2+ that has a smaller floody hotspot with a wider spill. Despite being more floody the S1R slightly outthrows the S2+ because of the massive output packed into this tiny little flashlight.

Olight S1R - Medium - High - Turbo

Conclusion:

The Olight S1R Baton is a spectacular flashlight.

Incredible output, fantastic machining, fit, and finish. Great UI with direct access to moon, turbo, and strobe. Solid accessories, complete with an in-light charging feature.

All of that inside of a tiny little flashlight that is smaller than an 18650 cell. :THUMBS-UP:

Minor updates, compiling beamshots atm. They should be up today.

Edit: Beams up. :+1:

Another minor update to OP.

I have been keeping the S1R attached to the metal corner bead (under a layer of plaster) on the wall next to my desktop PC via the magnetic tailcap. Very convenient and difficult to lose this way. :slight_smile:

Hey mate cool review!

I think it is way over 900 lumens for the first few seconds then drops. When i done a ceiling bounce test it ripped my stock S2+ but that step down is also annoying.

With the included Olight battery are you getting quick drops in turbo after only a few seconds? You seemed to indicate that this is true with the Efest but I am having similar results with the Olight battery. After only 2-3 times using the turbo mode for approximately 30 seconds and allowing time to cool in between I cannot get more than 5-6 seconds of full turbo before I notice a VERY significant drop in output. I must recharge in order to get anything more than 6 seconds with turbo again. I am beginning to wonder if it is a faulty cell? Are your results consistent with this?

That’s pretty consistent with my testing. You get a few sets of max output ~1000lm, and then the cell can’t handle the draw anymore so it drops to ~750lm within 30 seconds (the sudden drop occurs faster the more the cell is drained). Then around 30 seconds is goes into normal slow ramp down to ~350lm.

The Olight cell fairs better the Efest.

got mine in neutral white...loving it!

@rebuswind: I can't see your pic.