Olight M2T Warrior / XHP 35 Tactical carry / Full review

This is the Olight M2T Warrior , sent to me for review and NO other compensation other than keeping the light.

Light can be found at …… Warrior Mini 2 Compact EDC Tactical Flashlight - Olight Store

or at …. Amazon.com: Olight (links are NON affilliated)

The M2T Warrior is the latest in the “Tactical” line of the Olight products. This light is designed specifically for Tactical carry and use , so please try to keep that in mind if you want this light for an EDC instead , as it is more suited for the “Tactical” carry.

The reason I am mentioning this is because of the tail switch desgin protruding and the fact that it is very easily activated if you were to carry this light in your pocket , backpack , a purse or something of that nature , without doing a manual lockout of the tailcap. Being an Ex-LEO , I can appreciate the easy to use tail switch personally , as with a flush switch or one with guards around it in a heated situation , it can be hard to just grab a light and hit the button sometimes.

Now on to the review………

The M2T came in a padded mailing envelope with the Olight box inside that and everything was in great shape when it arrived. The Kit contains the M2T itself , Lanyard , 2 Olight CR123A cells (with the carrier for those) the instruction manual , the tail switch operation instructions and a nice semi hard sided nylon holster.

Upon Unpacking the light everything was in very nice order and the light is the first thing you see. The M2T has “ribbing” instead of traditional knurling on the body and tailcap both , but provides a nice grippy surface.

The Bezel has a more aggressive look with alot of cut outs , but still retains a nice look about it. The lens was so clear when I unpacked the light it was virtually invisible.

The side switch has the Olight “blue ring” around it that we have become accustomed to seeing and the tail switch has raised bumps on it to ensure a no slip operation. Both the side switch and the tail switch are very smooth to operate and the tactical tail switch is almost totally silent in use.
The side switch also has a Low Voltage Indicator in the center that will show a red dot when the cell is nearing depletion.

The clip on the M2T is a Bi-Directional clip , meaning you can use it for head up or head down carry and even attach the light to a ball cap if desired , for use as a headlamp. The clip will also attach at either end of the light.

All the threads on the light are well cut and were lightly lubed when I received the light. Solder joints are well done and shiny inside the head and all the Anodizing is near flawless.

The Tactical operation of the tail switch is Unique to the M2T to the best of my knowledge. The way it operates is …. a half press to get momentary Turbo mode and release for the light to go back off. If you continue from the half press to a full press , you get the strobe mode , which also goes off when the switch is released. For the constant on in Turbo from the tail switch , (from off) you just do a full press and release the tail switch and the Turbo will stay on then , until the switch is pressed again to turn the light off.
The rest of the UI is from the side switch……. a long press will get you into Moon mode a semi long press from there goes to the next level and you can also get to Turbo mode with a quick double click of the side switch. If you press and hold the side switch then you can scroll through the modes until the desired one is reached , then release the switch. There is last mode memory meaning , whatever mode you are in when the light is turned off with a quick click of the side switch (or a tap of the tail switch) , even Moon mode is memorized if that is the mode the light is turned off in. Turbo is the only mode NOT memorized. As I just mentioned about the tail switch , No matter what mode you are in when using the side switch , a quick bump of the tail switch will turn the light off and allow you to be back to the “Tactical” use instantly.

The reflector is an Orange peel , with the XHP 35 HD sitting perfectly centered in there. The beam is a wide , more floody beam from the OP reflector , but still gives a good amount of distance to go along with that flood.
The below Beamshots are at 20 feet from garage door , 25 yards , 50 yards and 75 yards from Gate on Turbo……

For size comparison Left to Right M2R Warrior / BLF A6 / M2T Warrior….

Overall I feel the M2T is a very well built light , nicely done overall and for the purpose it was designed for should be a great “tactical” carry light.

This light IS compatible with 2 x Cr123A cells or a single 18650 cell , however DO NOT use 2 x 16340, as the voltage will be too high if you do try the 16340 cells and will probably burn out something.
I did some testing with the LG HE4 and Efest Purple High drain cells. The output numbers were so close to what the Olight 3500 mAh cell that I used was doing , I didnt bother to list those , but the run times with a good 3500 mAh cell should be close to the Olight cell I think.
All the cells I have tried in the M2T seem to work fine and those included the longer protected Panasonic and EVVA , the button top high drain such as the LG HE4 , Efest Purple , and the flat top LG HG2 , LG HE4 and Efest Purple.

Here are the charts with my Test results…….

For those who do not want to see the whole video but would like to see more still pictures of the light and the beamshots and / or live comparison footage with the Olight M2R warrior and the BLF A6…….
The still photos and beamshots start at 9:04 of the video timeline and the outdoor live footage starts at 15:00 of the timeline.

Video with listed specs below that………

GENERAL DATA

Beam Distance (ft) 640
Beam Distance (m) 195
Max. Performance (lumens) 1200
Charge type
Optional charger

Compatible Batteries 1 x 18650 or 2 x CR123A
Light Intensity (candela) 9500
Light Form Standard hotspot diameter with impressive distance. The perfect all-around beam profile.
Lens / Reflector Type Orange peal reflector (big central area and flood area).
Mode Operation Dual Switch
Form/Size Factor Medium size (Permanent Marker)
Series Series M (Tactical, Military)
Unique Characteristics Three-in-one tail switch operation: momentary-on turbo (soft press); ON/OFF (medium press); momentary-strobe (deep press).
Exposed thumbnail sized tail switch for firm and easy operation.
Quiet tail switch with minimal noise for maximum concealability.
Faster strobe frequency: 13 cycles per second vs. 10 cycles per second in previous models.
Comfortable ergonomic knurling on the flashlight body and tail cap allowing the user to operate naturally without looking at the tail cap. Screwing the tail cap on or off is even easier due to increased friction of the tail cap knurling.
Slim head design, detachable pocket clip for both carry directions, and lanyard hole for an enhanced and comfortable user experience.

LIGHTING LEVELS

LEVEL 1 (lumens)
1200 - 18650 battery

900 - 2 x CR123A

Run-time LEVEL 1 18650 3500mAh Olight battery

1200 lumens (~600lm);
2h10m (3m)
2 x CR123A 1600mAh Olight battery

900 lumens (~600lm);
1h25m (3m)

LEVEL 2 (lumens)
600 - 18650 battery

400 - 2 x CR123A

Run-time LEVEL 2 18650 3500mAh Olight battery

600 lumens;
2h20m
2 x CR123A 1600mAh Olight battery

400 lumens;
3h

LEVEL 3 (lumens)
250 - 18650 battery

60 - 2 x CR123A

Run-time LEVEL 3 18650 3500mAh Olight battery

250 lumens;
6h15m
2 x CR123A 1600mAh Olight battery

60 lumens;
14h

LEVEL 4 (lumens)
60 - 18650 battery

15 - 2 x CR123A

Run-time LEVEL 4 18650 3500mAh Olight battery

60 lumens;
20h
2 x CR123A 1600mAh Olight battery

15 lumens;
42h

LEVEL 5 (lumens)
15 - 18650 battery

1 - 2 x CR123A

Run-time LEVEL 5 18650 3500mAh Olight battery

15 lumens;
70h
2 x CR123A 1600mAh Olight battery

1 lumen;
30 days

LEVEL 6 (lumens)
1 - 18650 battery

Run-time LEVEL 6 18650 3500mAh Olight battery

1 lumen;

30 days
Strobe Yes
SOS / BEACON No

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Waterproof IPX8
Weight (g / oz) 134 / 4.73
Length (mm / in) 130 / 5.12
Head Diameter (mm / in) 25.4 / 1.00
Body Diameter (mm / in) 24.4 / 0.96
Led Cree XPH 35 HD
Packaging Carton box
Use Standard hotspot diameter with impressive distance. The perfect all-around beam profile.
Package Contents Olight M2T flashlight x 1
Double Direction Pocket Clip x 1
Battery magazine x 1
Lanyard x 1
Holster x 1
user manual x 1

nice review, thanks!

This one is on my buy list

Glad to do the reviews and thank you netprince .

It is a nice light ARsee……I really like it so far.

I am kind of leaning on this m2t. I think this light would be better with the xhp 35 hi.

With the Orange Peel reflector I don’t know that you will get a lot more from the HI but……….
If you are Ok with soldering , the emitter swap is really easy with just the Positive and negative wires to unsolder and put a Noctigon with XHP35 Hi already on it in there. The bezel is tight but not glued.