[Review] Olight M1T Raider (500 Lumen, Tactical EDC CR123A)

Huh… so it wasn’t my imagination.

I thought it was the camera angle, lighting, etc, that made it look a bit skewed.

Pretty kewl, at least different.

Thanks for your review :wink:
I have an old version of this light. It was won in a X3 GAW, so it might be from a “first” batch. The bezel is not tactical (it’s flat as the S1R Baton) and the UI is Low-High (unlike the one reviewed here)!
I do find it pretty nice and I’ve been using it since it arrived last week. Tactical “forward” switch is quite useful, specially starting on Low :+1:

I didn’t notice that it doesn’t have LVP, but am I wrong to say that if using the “stock” 16430 battery (Olight RCR123A 2.4Wh 650mAh) will provably avoid damaging the battery?

BTW, a longer protected battery such as the Wuben 16340 ABC650 (650 mAh) doesn’t fit. Unprotected batteries (ex: On The Road ORB1607 16340 700 mAh) fit, but are probably not advisable, due to lack or protection…

correct, these are Protected Batteries:

Thanks jon_slider :wink:
BTW, I have the ORB-163P06, the one stated as “non recommended battery” on the picture. (on the context of that picture, on CPF, it was addressed to the S1R Baton, so it makes sense not being recommendable for that flashlight).

However, I also went to HKJ’s test of that battery and this is the conclusion he took:

SO, my questions are:
a) the M1T Raider is not High Drain device, is it?
b) it will always be better to use a protected battery (even if it is not for HDD) , right?
c) considering this, is it likely to have any problem to use the ORB-163P06 I have?

Thanks again and sorry for these silly questions! :person_facepalming: :beer:

Thanks!

Thanks! Ya I tend to use protected batteries as well when I can in most applications, I still think a light of this price range should have LVP built in.

The bezel isn’t too sharp I find. The clip holds on pretty well to the light and the pocket I thought.

this is my understanding, but I yield to those who have other info

The high drain S1R is rated for 900 lumen output, the M1T Raider is not, it is just rated for 500 lumen, hence, high drain is not needed.

The only downside to using a Protected battery is IF the protection circuit is triggered by a High Drain use of Turbo. If you use your ORB-163P06 in the M1T, and the protection is not triggered by using the high mode, then there is no problem.

How “better” it is to use a Protected Battery is all about avoiding overdischarge. People with the skills to use UnProtected cells can still do so. I prefer to use Protected Cells

fwiw, rookiedaddy claimed the ORB-163P06 would trip protection in the S1R, I cannot say, as I dont have that battery. However, he also thought the ORBC-163C06 would trip but he did not try it in his S1R, that was just a guess. I otoh, put my ORBC-163C06 in my S1R and it did NOT trip the protection, it just made 10% less lumens. So, No, there is no downside to using your ORB-163P06 in the M1T afaict…

So far we have been talking about ICR LiIons, and imo those are best used with protection circuits, and that is all Olight sells, their ICR LiIons are all Protected. otoh, the battery that comes in the S1R is IMR, not ICR. It is not clear whether the IMR is protected, I believe it is not, but, the S1R has LVP built into the light, unlike the M1T

Lights with Protection built into the light, can have a problem, IF the operator keeps using Turbo after the light’s built in Protection has tripped, and the operator unscrews and then retightens the tailcap thereby fooling the S1R into thinking a CR123 battery has been inserted, and that therefore the Protection Circuit in the Light, should not be activated. This all means that the unprotected IMR can then be overdischarged, by an untrained operator chasing Turbo repeatedly… soooo… dont do that. Dont chase Turbo… If Turbo stops working, charge the battery.

fwiw, overdischarging IMR is not quite as dangerous as overdischarging ICR…

I hope liquidretro does not mind me writing a book in his thread :slight_smile:

the main reason to use UNProtected batteries, is IF the Protected version is Too Long to fit the light. This is not a Problem with the Olight Protected ICR 16340… not even for the ones with built in USB charging. otoh, the Fenix version is too long. It wont work in the S1R… but the Olight Protected ICR fit and work fine in the S1R, and I have no doubt they will fit and work fine in the M1T.

Here you can see that the Fenix cell is taller than the Olight version. I like and recommend the Olight batteries, I do not recommend the Fenix version.

Very nice review liquidretro. Thank you.

Yours is not really an old version, it's just not the "US" version. FWIW, Olight decided to make changes to M1T after getting some feedback from US "clients" that they want a more "tactical" version, so Olight comply and so all US reviewer receive the review unit ~2 months later due to this change. The "Tactical" version comes with crenelated blue bezel and High-Mode-First configurations. I'm guessing the feedback are likely comes from LE users who wants a light similar to SureFire's offering.

But I think other country can still order the "Tactical" version as long as the distributor/reseller can meet the MOQ. In my review thread in CPF, there are members who prefer the "Tactical" UI while others prefer the "Civilian" UI, yours truly is one of them. LOL!

I can't recall about the ORBC-163C06 tripping, so I tested it, again, and nope, it doesn't work in S1R Turbo S. But it doesn't trip the protection in S1R nor the battery's, it steps down... much like my aged AW IMR, it runs Turbo S for 5 to 15 seconds. The main reason ORB-163P06 is not recommended is due to its durability and the "overly protective" configuration in the circuit. I did complaint a few times to the manufacturer hoping they would raise the discharge rate in the circuit but not sure if they would made change to it.

both ORB-163C06 and ORBC-163C06 are better than ORB-163P06 as they made changes to support the H1R 600 lumens, but both still won't work in S1R due to the high drain requirement to run it in Turbo S mode.

Fenix non-micro-usb rechargeable works in S1R, but it too when repeatedly stress tested in Turbo S mode, will experience early aging symptom. Likewise for KeepPower's cell. Micro-usb rechargeable from Fenix and NiteCore doesn't fit in S1R due to the length, so don't force these cell down onto S1R as it may damage the charging circuit in the cell.

Thank you jon_slider and rookiedaddy for your explanations :wink: I quite understood it all and feel more comfortable knowing that:

despite

Knowing that the M1T doesn’t have LVP, this protection circuit will probably help a bit!
I still have soem unprotected batteries in case I wanna risk it all :smiling_imp:

Thank you both for explanations! And for letting me know that I am probably a “tactical civillian” :smiley:
:beer: :sunglasses:

I respect your opinion and experience.
I only tried the ORBC-16C06 for a few seconds, It did not trip protection. I did not test long enough to confirm your comment that it steps down, and I cant now, as I gave the light to one of my adult kids, with only the special S1R battery.

I did screw the Fenix w Micro-usb all the way down into the S1R, and it did not allow the tailcap to make contact with the body, so the light did not turn on… No damage, but I dont recommend the Fenix cell, too long. Im a big fan of the OIight USB rechargeable cell.

Nice, the UI was one of the main complaints about this flashlight and it is an easy fix, good to see it changed.
Here’s the old/non-us version: [review] Olight I1R EOS and M1T Raider flashlights with the normal bezel.
The new bezel probably adds like 1mm to the length :stuck_out_tongue:

hey, I like the ORBC-163C06 too… :beer:
and speaking of ORBC-163C06, I recently found an issue with my review sample of S1 Mini HCRI that was commission to long term testing (at 6th month now) and found that the standby current has somehow increase to ~6.3mA instead of the normal 25µA, it drains the cell within 3-4 days. I now loosen the tailcap until I have time to send it back to the engineer. My other unit of HCRI and CW is normal. So if anyone is experiencing the same issue (i.e. battery drains too fast even when not use frequently), do check your unit’s standby current draw.

Note that Olight M1T do not have standby current as it uses mechanical switch.

thanks for sharing info, I hope you figure out the solution to the unusually high drain

forgive my newbie question, How do I check standby drain on my S1 Mini HCRI?

Im glad you pointed out that the topic of this thread, the Olight M1T, does not have standby drain due to the switch being mechanical, unlike the S1 Mini

you can use your meter to touch the contacts on the battery and light's body, the above picture was send to Olight engineer to confirm the issue, however, since I do not have the skill to investigate, I'll have to send the S1 Mini back to the engineer for findings.

thanks for the coaching
you helped me figure out I need a new fuse for my meter

I hope your light gets fixed, and that mine is not like yours :slight_smile:

Sorry to come back to this thread! I’ve been using the M1T Raider with the Olight ORB-163P06 battery!
Some minutes ago I was arriving home after a walk, to which I took the M1T, and arriving home I switched it ON on High mode, and a few seconds later, puft, it went OFF and didn’t went ON again.

I had happened once, some weeks ago, so I knew the battery was “drained”. What I didn’t know is that it went OFF on 3.36V . The battery protection kicked in at that voltage.

I took it out and put it in the S1R, just to check if the “problem” was from the battery, and yes, after switching it ON, after 2 seconds it went OFF.

So, going back to the discussion on this flashlight and on that battery, I guess using a battery in which the protection kicks in a little further (2.8-2.9V) would be better. Also, there is nothing in the flashlight that warns us about how low the battery may be, what bugs me a bit… :expressionless:

It was good if Olight fixed this on next lights/batches!

terminology
OverDischarge Protection tends to be below 3v, and is impacted by drain rate.
IF you are able to read the voltage of the battery after it refuses to turn on the High Mode, then I would say its a Low Battery Voltage issue.

When a protected battery trips, it reads 0 voltage, until it gets put on a charger.

What you describe sounds like a battery that is below the necessary voltage to operate on High Mode, and the light is stepping down because of Low Voltage Step Down Warning (LVSDW), not OverDischargeProtection (ODP)

I could be wrong, but I hope you understand the distinction Im making regarding ODP going to Zero volts.
LVSDW will allow the battery to rest and work again, briefly, on a lower level, although it still really needs to be charged.

I do wish more of my Olights had battery monitors, but what works somewhat, is that the light will refuse to hold High Mode, when the battery goes below 3.4v. You report refusal to operate on high mode at 3.36v, that is a match to what Im calling LVSDW, and is not true ODP.

fwiw, the battery monitor on the Olight S1 Mini, turns on the red led on the power button, below 3.4v… coincidentally a match to your Step Down experience. Basically a 3.4v battery, cannot sustain Turbo modes.

alphabet soup!

[quote=jon_slider]

Thanks for some explanation on this issue!
I understand what you say, but seeing that the battery is not at a Voltage lower that 3.36V, isn’t it above the threashold of what we consider to be “low voltage”?

Well, the battery’s juice by the time it turned OFF couldn’t even turn the flashlight ON in the lowest mode. Also the M1T Raider doesn’t have any kind of warning for low battery.
Unlike the S1R that does not let you turn it ON in medium, high or turbo when the “stock” battery is below a certain voltage, with this cell in the M1T it doesn’t turn On at all! I will try this with another 16340 battery and see it if it acts the same way (I guess not because the battery is probably the “issue”).

Well, this didn’t happen. Both times when the M1T went off, the light couldn’t be turned On again even in the lowest mode!
I have to check if the battery will work in other non-Olight flashlights and see what it does [next time it acts this way, ’cause now it is full again :smiley: ]

Got it jon_slider :wink: This one, in particular, doesn’t sustain the lower as well :stuck_out_tongue:
Thanks for the explanation! :+1:

a LiIon is half empty at 3.7v.

It is good for LiIon to be recharged when half empty…

LiIon does not benefit from deep discharge cycles.

Most lights, including Olights that are intended to work with both CR123 Primaries, and 16340, have no built in OverDischargeProtection. They rely on LVP in the LiIon battery. None of my Olight Minis have built in OverDischargeProtection. That is so the light can also work with 3v CR123, but Turbo will be lower on Primaries than on LiIon.

I trust your M1T is working normally now that the battery has been recharged.


these are just my opinions and guesses:

I think the battery was simply empty after repeated attempts to turn the light back on. I say this because you mention the M1T turned off the week before.

Resting a drained battery can give a false impression of capacity, as the voltage will rise when rested, but the remaining capacity is still very low. At 3.36v, it is definitely time for a LiIon to be recharged

Keep the battery full. Do not turn the light on again if the light shuts off or cant hold Turbo.

Has anyone tried to open the tailcap of the M1T to “mix” with the switch?

I am having some issues with mine!
I don’t know if it is due to dirty inside, or any problem with the rubber taicap, but pressing/depressing is very stiff and besides being annoying, it slows down the response of the momentary ON / full ON alternation!

I wanted to open it up to clean it but I’m kind of lost . It seems to be press fit on the tail, but I am not completely sure and don’t want to ruin this light…

Any help is appreciated! Thanks :+1:

too long for cr123a!
you can get an 18650 in that space, easy!