Review: Olight S2R Baton (XM-L2, 1x 18650 or 2x RCR123A)

Olight S2R Baton

Summary:

Battery: 1x 18650 (Included) or 2x RCR123A
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: XM-L2 (CW pure)
Reflector: TIR
Provided by:

Olight

Olight S2R Baton Bundle at Amazon

Function:

The S2R functions very similarly to the S1A and S1R with a few small differences.

From off:

A single press turns the flashlight on in the last used mode (Turbo and Strobe are 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 the light will flash momentarily when the switch is pressed.



While on:

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

A single press will turn the flashlight off.

A double press will activate turbo mode.

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

The last mode used will be memorized when the light is turned off. Turbo and Strobe will not be memorized, instead high mode will be memorized if it is turned off in turbo and the last used mode will be memorized if it is turned off in strobe.

Charging:

The Olight S2R Baton uses the same proprietary magnetic USB charger as the S1R baton. It begins charging at 760mA and will decrease the charge rate as the battery is charged. The light on the magnetic end will shine red through the duration of the charging. The attraction between the two magnets is enough to automatically center and snap to position when brought near the tailcap. It takes a fair amount of force to separate. It can take a small tumble and not detach.

The light will shine green when the battery is fully charged. I've charged the Olight ORB-186C32 3200mAh cell using the integrated charging 4 times since I received the light. Each time the charger consistently terminated the charging at 4.24v, which is a little on the high side of my preferences, but is certainly within the passable range. The magnetic attachment and the tube will get somewhat warm when charging for a long time. For instance, after fully discharging the cell to around 3v rested about midway through the charge I measured 94°F at the hottest point on the magnetic attachment. Total charging time was around 5 hours from fully depleted to fully charged.

Data/Measurements:

I measure quite a bit higher in Turbo and high modes.

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 test took place in 75 °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 where indicated.

Starting in turbo the S2R maintains a fairly constant output for 2 minutes and then drops slowly over the following minute down to about high mode. This output is maintain for about 150 minutes and then slowly drops after that. The red light under the switch cover comes on towards the end of the test. Immediately after manually ending the test the cell measured 2.7v.

At 10 minutes I opted to turn the fan off and reactivate turbo. In this instance Turbo behaves the same as the initial turbo activation. Without cooling and in the aforementioned conditions the temperature plateaus around 115°F.

Here I wanted to show the primary difference between the S1R and this S2R apart from the size difference. The S2R utilizes an 18650 cell which can handle the consecutive turbo tests far better than an RCR123A or 16340 cell. Each run is separated by a 10 minute period to allow the light to cool down to room temperature and measure the voltage of the cell. The cell measured 4.24v at the start and decreased to 4.14v after the first test, 4.09v after the second, and 4.04v after the final test.

The results of this test are 4 turbo runs practically identical to each other. The greatest measurable difference between the highest and lowest run was a 1.2% greater output in the beginning of the third test which is well within the margin of error.

Pictures:

Here is a small album of additional pictures of the box, battery etc. http://imgur.com/a/tLWvd

Contained within the plastic retail box is a small pouch, a USB cable with the magnetic attachment end, a lanyard, a manual, the Olight 18650 cell (preinstalled, and insulated to prevent activation), a pocket clip (preattached), and the Olight S2R Baton flashlight.

Here is the included cell.

The pocket clip comes pre-attached and is quite tight.

Here's the blue pvd coated bezel. It doesn't have an edge that sticks over the black anodized aluminum like on the S1A and S1R.

The machining is excellent as I've come to expect from Olight flashlights. The S2R feels every so slightly grippier than the S1R and S1A.

The switch cover is made out of soft rubber. The side switch sticks up slightly and has a small amount of squish before activating. It is pretty much identical to the switch on the S1A and S1R. Similarly, it can be a little difficult to find the switch in the dark.

This is the tailcap where the proprietary magnetic connector attaches.

Inside the tailcap, and the end of the battery tube. Note the yellow plastic insulator that is in place during shipment.

Here's the positive end of the Olight ORB-186C26 cell.

A closer view of that beautiful bezel and TIR optic.

And another. :)

Comparison:

From left to right we have the Olight S1R Baton, Olight S1A Baton, Olight S2R Baton.

From left to right we have the Olight S1R Baton, Olight S1A Baton, Olight S2R Baton, Convoy S2+, and the ThorFire C8s.

Beamshots:

As with all beamshots in my reviews, every shot is taken using the same settings in manual mode.

In this location 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 S2R has some incredible flood similar to the S1R. At the 50 yard distance it launches a very useful wall of light. It has a wider and brighter beam than the S2+; however most of the light is concentrated in the gigantic, floody 'hotspot'. The spill is comparatively minimal.

The BLF A6 is a direct drive light and has been modified slightly with spring bypasses. The A6 has a much brighter and wider spill, a tighter hotspot, and put a little more light out the front. The S2R does a very good job of keeping up with a direct driven flashlight.

Olight S2R Baton Modes : Low - Medium - High - Turbo


The S2R has very nicely spaced modes

Conclusion:

The S2R Baton is another great, high quality flashlight from Olight.

The fit and finish, machining, and threads are all fantastic as usual.

For those who want a much more sustainable and stable max output, the S2R with an 18650 is a large step above the RCR123A/16340. It is a substantially larger flashlight; however, it is still extremely compact for an 18650 flashlight. With the S2R you get substantially longer runtimes, with better thermal management allowing for higher output.

Beamshots added.

olight might sell a lot of them if its manufacturer rated at 1200 ANSI lumens, ive been seeing a few people hesitated to get them due to not much increases on the output comparing to S2

excellent review by the way, thanks a lot for the useful information.

I added a small album of additional pictures of the box, battery etc. S2R Supplementary Pictures - Album on Imgur