“REVIEW”: On The Road 311 – 1x16340 – USB-C Rechargeable – 720 lumens

Hi,

With Z821 while flaslight on…
2 fast click leads to strobe
3 fast clicks to pulsing(heart beat mode)
4 fast clicks to SOS

Modes are not well balanced so it has a lot of low modes, medium mode is not medium it is still low.

Mentally 18650 is the format I would like to use but this On The Road 311 does not look bad. Thanks for comprehensive review. :beer:
One day when you get clamp meter far tailcap current readings and lux meter reviews will be even better.

Hey, thanks for the correction on the UI, I didn’t explore the extra blinkies :person_facepalming:

Yeah, I agree that Low and Medium are closer than they “should”, as visibly there is not much difference
However, on “theory” they are more distant! I don’t have a clamp meter, but I made an experience with the luxmeter (not a calibrated tube!).

It was made at 1m from the luxmeter, so this is just an experience, take the numbers (lux) as relative.

OTR 311 OTR Z821 (zoomed out) OTR Z821 (zoomed in)
Ultra Low 12 1 75
Low 234 12 1685
Medium 1261 322 4145
High 3095 922 11150

I need to test it outside too in the next days to see what I get. The 311 also has that kind of spacing, but outdoor it has a visible spacing between those modes!

So far I am liking the little one :wink:

Today I modded the OTR 311 ! I changed the emitter/MCPCB.
So, I took the XML2 U3 1A (cold white) and put a Luxeon V2 4000K in a led4power MCPCB.
The original PCB is ~16mm x 1mm. So, when I changed the MCPCB, it rose the reflector up.
I needed to change the original o-ring and put a thinner one (below the lens) so that the bezel could screw in correctly, without gaps.

The beam improved, but clearly this OP reflector seems suited for larger emitters. Still, the tint of the 4000K Luxeon V2 is great on it :wink:


BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE > AFTER

A question on this one: Are you able to test if it supports C-to-C charging? (There is an issue where many simple charging circuits don’t support this.)

I am not sure, I guess I don’t have C-to-C cable to test it. Most of the things I have are only USB to C :zipper_mouth_face:
In case I can test, I will let you know :wink:

Great read again.

Thanks id30209 :+1:

Absolutely great review mate, you covered it all.
I still like this light for its size and price but @Scallywag sorry no i just tried C to C charging and got nothing :frowning:
which is to be fair something almost all lights with Type-C seem to suffer from right now.
Ive given one of these lights as a gift to a non flashaholic and they love it for their back yard and taking bins in and out. Small compact light they hang it next to the keys at the back door.

Thanks for the detailed review on this light and loving the modding work there.
Thanks for shout out also. :+1:

Thanks Trail Trek :wink: And also thanks for your inspiring review on video, I linked above :wink:
Well, the C-C charging is a no-go then, thanks for trying it! Most of them are “C”-suffering :stuck_out_tongue:

Still, this may seem an under rated light, as you pointed out, but it is still pretty solid, well built and a user & gifter! It’s versatility is good enough for that!

Thanks again keep up the good work on the reviews too :+1: :beer:

Trail Trek, thanks for checking. It’s still a very giftable and moddable light (as MascaratumB said), so I’m sure I’ll have to do at least one at some point. If the tail were easier to disassemble, I’d probably consider it for my smart tail and some EDC duty.

I just wish they would extend the tail tube a bit to surround the switch
To avoid potential for accidental pocket discharge……

Believe me, there is very reduced chance to press it and activate the light. The distance betwen the switch and the not so soft rubber tailcap is enough to take a hard press to activate the flashlight.

So, I don’t see a reason to rise that protection. Also, it would make the light look “longer” and that is a thing that matters aesthetically.

So far I didn’t have any trouble with accidental activation :wink:

Seems to be a nice light. To bad for the UI, otherwise I would buy a few.

Thanks for the wright-up

Thanks for your words :wink:
Well, the UI configurability gives the light some more usability, unlike other previous models or other brands!
Still, I admit it is not “perfect”, specially the double click for Strobe and the memory mode on all group levels.
Apart from this, I am actually liking it :wink:

I am waiting for Lexel to “return” to order a driver with Bistro HD OTSM for it :innocent:

Today I modded my 311 light. I replaced the original driver for a Led4Power 3A driver.

The original driver is “inserted” into and soldered to the brass ring seem above.
I retrieved the spring from the driver and put it into the new one, as it is ideal to make contact with the (charging) board in the battery tube.

The L4P 17mm driver fits well into the ring, but to make it work, I add to solder it to the brass ring for contact purposes.
I maintained the already modded led (Luxeon V2 4000K).

There is little space between the driver and the shelf. Before replacing it, I measured the top current and it draws only 1.62A.
With the new driver, it will get a bit hotter, even if on the CC configuration it will only go up to 3A.

Although this is not the “ideal” driver for me (I’d prefer one with Bistro HD OTSM), it make this flashlight more configurable and usable (better UI), a since it has USB-C charging, I guess it will start being my EDC and also travel light :wink:

:+1:

It was so clear you wouldn’t leave the driver alone :smiley: :+1: .

Nice review and pictures, well done, thanks. I missed your review originally, but wouldn’t have bought this light due to the UI. Too bad OTR doesn’t use a better firmware. I have the i3, modded with the same driver as yours (actually stole your idea), and it makes a great light with Crescendo and so much more juice.

Now, I’m curious about the Luxeon. I see the LED is out of focus, leading the beam to diverge. The LED must be above the focal point, right? If so, have you had a chance to try some thicker gasket to raise the reflector and see what that does?

On a second thought, I remember it must be actually below the focal point :weary:

Ahah, I told’ya this is a bug :smiley: I wanted to mod it since the beginning and now I had the materials for it :wink:

Thanks for your words too :wink:

Yes, OTR has improved the UI (at least in the 3 lights I got from them lately) but it is still not perfect! A even more configurable UI (ex: enable/disable mode memory would be enough, IMO) could be the best solution for them to increase sales :wink:

The i3 with Crescendo is a great choice indeed. I still have mine and I guess I won’t mod that one…I guess!
If you have an OTR M1 (see below), pick the tube/tail and attach it ti the i3 body, and get some 16650 cells: you’ll have even more juice :wink:

The issue with the Luxeon is actually not an issue in real life. The LED dome is less big than the on from the original XML2, and the gasket used not is also different but that “line/hole” seen in the photo is not visible in real life. Actually I start to think that the light was inclined and originated that. Still, being a different LED may, of course, lead to a different performance with that reflector.

For me it works great :wink: And now, even more :smiley:

EDIT:

Road Flashlight | 4 X 21700 Flashlight | Charging Flashlight | Long Flashlight - X4m Mini - Aliexpress
Would you buy this?:slight_smile:

Sorry for bringing this back to life. There is a new version with GaN LED. Looks interesting and I have it in my cart ready to pull the trigger. Only one thing stopping me from buying it, I don’t recall reading if it able to run on cr123 primary. Anyone know? Thanks

@1uP
I didn’t test it with primary cells because I didn’t have it back then, but I went to OTR AliExpress page and it is stated there that it takes 16340/CR123/RCR123a.