The Warrior 3s is a really good-looking flashlight. I don’t care so much about the proprietary battery, but magnetic charging means you should carry the cable with you if you plan to recharge it outside. I would definitely buy one for $87, but only because it should be easy to open it up to swap the emitter.
Why would anyone spend 100$ on a flashlight ?
On a first real light ? I think there are too many basics that need to be covered before spending too much on any light.
Do you have decent 18650's or a charger ? Do you have a Boruit D-10 headlamp ? or an 18650 straight tube light like an S2+ or the S21A that you referanced ? or a decent AA /14500 edc .How about a keychain light or an $18 thrower like a convoy C8s for the back door ? A motion activated nightlight for the bathroom... Do you already have a light with a very low low / moon? or something with an exceptional tint and High Cri ? Do you have a small pile of AA and AAA eneloops ?
Spending too much on a light makes it really easy to suddenly need to justify your mistake ...and no one will ever care about what you spent on a light .No one will ever be impressed . Normal people will just think you've lost your mind .OTOH normal people think spending $20 on a flashlight is stupid :)
Buying a $20 light that you end up not liking ....is much different then doing it with an expensive one . I have plenty that I wish I never bought .
One really good reason not to spend too much is they are usually impossible to get open and do even a basic emitter swap .So you end up being stuck with a high dollar light that has a disgustingly ugly green tint or low Cri. that you can't fix or upgrade down the road ... adding injury to insult .
I would never recommend an expensive light to someone who is looking for a first decent flashlight.
If you had to get an Olight for EDC, I would go for the Mini 2 over the Warrior 3S. More compact, with no great loss in performance.
However, for commercial grade lights I would go for the Acebeam E70 95CRI instead - perfect floody high CRI beam.
For enthusiast lights, maybe consider Convoy S2+ (in various flavours - lots of accessories too), or a whole range of brighter options, or something from Emisar/Noctigon (D4SV2, D4V2, DT8, KR1, KR4).
Get a decent Li-ion/multi-chemistry charger such as Vapcell S4+, and that will allow you to grow your flashlight collection.
Strobe isn’t particularly useful for self-defence - you are better off using your feet or pedals if you meet a dodgy character. For light painting strobe is more useful.
I mostly agree, Boaz. My reasoning for considering getting the OW3s is that I watched a lot of youtube reviews about many good quality tactical flashlights, for someone who doesn’t know a lot (or anything at all) about lights you end with a number of options for a very bright light for self-defense.
- Olight Warrior 3, also Warrior mini
- Fenix TK16 v2
- Nitecore P20iX
- A couple more
Unless you sink some real time reading about the subject, I think that most likely you will end getting one of these. I don’t think that they are bad choices, I think that these companies follow the same marketing and product policies as some other companies in other sectors:
+ Leatherman in multitools
- Oakley in cycling glasses
They make a product which is indeed of higher quality than the competition, they spend on design and marketing… and they pass all that cost plus an ‘extra’ to their products. In the end these are among the best products but these get very expensive.
For someone who is looking to cover some specific needs, these products will most likely be a good answer but they will end spending much more than what they should and they could have found a much cheaper product to cover their needs.
But then again, do I want a pair of Oakley photochromic jawbreakers? Oh boy, they look SO sweet, I might get them some day.
I don’t do it because I ended getting a pair of Tifosi photochromic glasses and couldn’t be happier about my choice. My needs are covered and I might get the Oakleys anyways in order to have more choices.
It’s the same for flashlights I guess.
After all what I have read, I will opt instead for the other choices because it is more appealing to me, those low prices means I will spend roughly the same money but get much more for it. And there are some really interesting things! Repairability, some sort of modularity, hability to twinkle with our lights. Yes please, I’m in.
I think it will take quite some time trying to learn about all this, but this is ok, it’s interesting. And who knows, I might still end getting the OW3s some day if I feel like getting one and seeing what’s all the fuss about : D
For the moment, most likely I will opt for a convoy S2+ a S21a or a S11. We’ll see.
Muito obrigado MascaratumB ; )
What I wanted when I started looking at flashlights was (still is but now I also want to dive deeper in this world) a flashlight that I could use as backup when making weekly routes with my bicycle in very dark roads. The idea was (still is) to have a light that could be used as self defense too, not because it is dangerous were I live but being alone out in the dark makes you wish for a little extra safety.
With the sale and all the OW3s looks like a perfect choice, I will choose other options anyway because now I find this is interesting and I want to see what I get with those cheaper, more modular lights. I will still get a light with good functionality and able to throw about 2000 lumens if necessary.
Nice, Will. Hope you enjoy it a lot man : )
Here in Olight Spain the best offer was to get the W3s, and the small keychain light for 105 euros (roughly the same in dollars today?) or that and the i3T plus for 115.
Not bad sales, I would had one for sure had I kept thinking on getting one of the high tier tactical flashlights.
Everyone, again thanks a lot for the replies. Learning a lot from all this.
Best regards and have a good weekend.
Djiaux.
You should never get yourself into a situation where you are having to use a flashlight for self defense, irrespective of “tacticool” marketing.
Having a reliable bright light is useful for personal safety, but defending yourself, no.
Hi stephenk,
Totally ok. As I said, the route I do with the bicycle is pretty safe. Crime rate is very low were I live and worst case scenario, I don’t know, I would get my wallet and my bicycle taken and would have to return home on foot I guess.
The flashlight I’m looking for is mostly to have a backup when out in dark roads. The additional self defense thing is a plus and just that.
Is pepper spray legal in Spain?
I have Sabre red pepper spray with tear gas and UV marking dye.
It's a well respected brand used by law enforcement, and it's pretty cheap.
I carry a knife as well, but I would rather use pepper spray because it's less lethal.
I don't think a flashlight is very good for self defense.
I would rather punch or kick the offender if I cannot use pepper spray or my knife.
I’ll always to try to avoid any physical altercation, but if it comes to me having to defend myself, I would much rather have my flashlight than not have it.
If you put your fists up with a flashlight in your blocking fist, you can simultaneuosly blast them in the eyes with a ton of lumens, have your punching fist free to do some punching, and best of all I think, is that you would be blocking their punches with the bezel of the flashlight.
Theres only so many times someone will want to punch that before they have to just stop, or they will just keep injuring themselves.
If in total darkness, you have a great advantge over them too. Especially after you render them blind.
Edit: I just had a memory of the denim jackets/vests I used to wear back in highschool. Covered in tonnes of band patches and SPIKES!
I never got in any fights, but I always felt a bit more secure wearing those spikey patch jackets, thinking how much its gonna suck for the other person punching me! lol
Although 4D Maglites are woefully dim, they make a decent club for whacking bad guys.
Naw, now you would get your wallet, bike and flashlight taken, and have to return home on foot in the dark! 
I actually do worry about that a bit sometimes. Out at night, testing a new light or just out for a walk using them.
They may draw attention from people who may want to try and take them from me…
Eh.
Personally, I wouldn’t get the Olight Warrior 3S.
Good light, poor LED choice.
I’d rather get the Convoy M21B GT-FC40/XHP50.2.
Will need a seperate charger.
They will have to catch me first! I will pedal at full speed while having the flashlight attached to the back of my helmet to blind them!
Now that I think of it, it’s not even such a bad idea. Is that a thing? : P
Bad guys periodically use them on good guys. LOL
Most European countries, UK, and Australia you generally cannot carry anything deemed as a weapon (with a few exceptions), and to be honest, we have very little reason to do so as these are generally safe countries as long as you are sensible. I carry a tactical pen to/from work, but that is more as a glass breaker to escape a train/bus crash or similar situation.
In 20 years of night photography in the UK and Australia, I’ve only had one issue, which was a crazed drug user, and used my feet to move away and then called the police. A torch/flashlight would have been completely useless in that situation and actually put me more at risk as I would have had to get closer to the person rather than moving away. If the OP has a bike, then cycling away quickly on the bike is the best form of defence.
Hey RC,
Yes, it is ilegal here. I don’t even think that law enforcements uses it here, the use tear gas instead? I might be wrong.
Anyways, the situation is similar to England when it comes about what can you use for self defense. The powerful light seems like one of the few options and in my case that is ok, as its main role would be to give me some backup and the self defense part is just to give me some piece of mind.
In routes similar to this one that I do (when summer is ending I make a similar commute route at 6:30 AM), the most dangerous thing that I have found has been other people who were doing this same route, on foot and without any light or deflectant vest. The danger was to run them over and also the scare. Sir, what are you doing here walking alone in almost complete darkness?
Stephen is totally on the money here. Flashlights are not defensive weapons. If you want a mini-club, just cut off a 12”~15” segment of washing machine tubing and wrap one end with some grip tape. It’s light. And when you hit someone with it? Hurts as if it was metal. That’s far more effective than a small metal tubular flashlight.
Don’t buy the Olight Warrior as your first flashlight. While the videos make it look glamorous, it’s hype. Go for a good solid Convoy flashlight. And really, for cycling, you might want to get a bike mounted light. You can find decent ones for under $30 USD. And as suggested, a headlamp can be tremendously useful, as the light points wherever your head is looking.
> Should I get an Olight Warrior 3S?
Why not? You seem to adore it and there’s nothing wrong about it. If you dislike the proprietary battery and want more output, have a look at the Acbeam L35. The latter would be my choice.
Difficult to find a budget light with independent tail/side-switch UI.