**REVIEW: ~ New Olight S1A AA EDC Flashlight** (photo heavy)

Olight S1A BATON - Single AA EDC flashlight Review

Olight S1A Baton

Reviewer Overall Rating: ★★★★★

I received the S1A arrived in a padded Envelope in excellent condition, and it came with the classic Olight package, containing the spare O-Ring, a AA Lithium 1.5 volt battery, soft lanyard, & manual.

- This Olight S1A Baton was provided to me for review by Lydia directly from: “https://olightworld.com/home/
Olight Official : https://olightworld.com/store/s1a-baton.html
US Amazon : Amazon.com
UK Amazon : Amazon.co.uk
CA Amazon : Amazon.ca

The new Olight S1A Baton is an all new EDC Baton-Series powered by a single AA battery.
It is the replacement next generation & upgraded version of the popular S15 Baton, but with better performance, smaller size, better beam pattern, (and nicer looking) using a TIR optic lens that delivers up to 600 lumens on maximum mode using a 14500 LiIon cell. This flashlight is compatible with any AA-format battery for ease of use, ranging from 1.5 volt NiMH or Alkaline to 3.7 volt LiIon cells. ). The S1A Baton has five brightness levels and a strobe mode covering a range of 0.5~600 lumens.

I received the light in a padded envelope, in perfect condition packaged in the traditional Olight package with manual, lanyard, o-ring, etc.

- My first impression of the new S1A is its definitely smaller & more streamlined.
it does make a better EDC than the last generation S15, and i really like the look blue SS bezel and switch ring. Looks however is only one of the many improvements i found in the S1A over the previous S15. One being its smaller, and better suited for pocket carrying.

- Another notable benefit of its smaller size is i found it to be less intrusive when using it as a head light when clipped to a ball-cap brim. ( as i do wear ball caps quite often on our camping trips, expeditions and at work, The smaller head-size of the S1A does not protrude or be as noticeable on a hat when used as a headlight.

- The second good improvement is the uniquely designed TIR, (Total Internal Reflection) optic lens.
On the S1A, it gives a much, larger hot-spot than the past reflector & lens designs of the Baton series lights, which i found to be better for illuminating a larger area directly in front of you. Though like most TIR designs, the spill is a bit less ( and more gradient) than a reflector design, but it is adequate & having the even larger hot-spot makes up for the spill loss.

  • Another big advantage of TIR lens designs is they are practically unbreakable versus glass lenses/reflector designs. ( and i do know as i have broken lenses & ruined a few reflectors in lights in the past from dropping on rocky ground, use at work, etc. while TIR lenses are generally made from acrylic or polycarbonate resins, they do scratch of struck, but can take much more abuse than a glass lens.
    -most of the body, modes, clip etc are similar or same as the previous S15, and still retaining the magnetic tail cap, lock-out ability, top-notch knurling, versatile side clip, and electronic side switch design, but the biggest change is in the head of the light with the new TIR lens, smaller size, better beam & tint, and more output than the S15 on both 14500 or AA 1.5 volt cells.

-The quality of the finish & build is again top-notch as we seen from other recent Olight models. My sample arrived flawless, with no scratches, dings, etc. The machining is very smooth, with no noticeable burrs, rough edges, or any physical blemishing. The threads are very smooth & well greased.
The reversible side clip is strong & well designed for holding onto pockets, hat brims, backpack flaps, as past Baton series Olights it has the favorite style of side clip i like and use on EDC level lights.

- Modes are nicely spaced, ( Moon, (accessed with a long-pres from off) then Low, Medium, High, (turbo with 14500) and a bonus is the strobe is hidden, accessible with three quick presses of the switch.

  • as mentioned in the specifications, the S1A is controlled by a thermal protection program, the turbo mode is limited to 1 minute and then the brightness gradually steps down to 50% of the initial brightness (Turbo mode is only available when 14500 rechargeable lithium battery is used, thus when using a AA-NiMH, AA-Alkaline, or 1.5 volt Lithium Primary, the turbo mode is not accessible.

- The S1A also has a unique Built-in timer: A Short timer for 3 minutes, and Long timer for 9 minutes run time. Two quick presses consecutively while on in any mode will access the timer feature, the first set of presses will reveal a “double flash for the first timer, then pressing quickly again the S1A will flash ”once” for the second timer setting. I am unsure of the uses for the timer mode, but as a time-delay shut-off i can see it being useful as a feature while camping and turning it off automatically as a bed night light when hanging in a tent, etc.

- The tint of the S1A is a cool white, and one noticeable improvement over the past S10/15/20 Baton models is the noticeable green tint is not as prominent on the new S1A. Its almost a neutral but on the cool side. i would prefer a more warmer neutral tint like 219, 4C or even a 3B tint, but for what the S1 has now its better than the past stock greenish tints found in the past S-Baton lights.

- The beam pattern is different from most EDC lights with reflectors, as the S1A has a very large hot spot with this TIR optic design. I like this larger hot spot as it illuminates a wider area farther out on a trail outdoors at night. it don’t have as much throw as some reflector EDC lights, but as an EDC, super throw capabilities is not really what most uses the S1A would be required or used for, as most EDC style lights are used for closer-up lighting.

  • Run times is good, & better than expected in all modes with the different cells it can run on. My tests conclude similar results as the factory claims, though Moon light has not been tested as the time is likely to run 15 days to a month continuous and will take some time to test.

- Using the Sphere-O-Light, (photos below tests) my calculations of the output are somewhat close to the factory ratings, though the moon was difficult to accurately measure but my readings it is below 1 lumen.
Below are my lumens output findings using various types of cells:

>> Alkaline AA (Reactor Alkaline)

  • Moon: 0.5 ~ 1

- Low: 10

- Medium: 56

- High: 227

>> NiMH AA (Eneloop Pro)

  • Moon: 0.5 ~ 1

- Low: 10

- Medium 57

- High: 238

>> 14500 LiIon (Olight 14500 3.7V)

  • Moon: 0.5 ~ 1

- Low: 10

- Medium: 59

- High: 241

- Turbo: 582

What i did find was how close the Moon, Low, Medium & high modes in output were the same with the various voltages & cell types. Except for the addition of turbo-mode while using a 3.7v 14500 high-drain cell. my measurements were close to that of the factory ratings, with the high being slightly higher.

  • During the tests i found the turbo drops to 500 after 15 secs, then gradual step down to 460 after 65 secs, then levels off at 415 after 2 minutes, 30 secs of running on Turbo.

- during these tests i ran some heat testing. After two runs of turbo-mode, the maximum temperature i measured on the head of the S1A was 43.1 degrees Celsius, (or 106.34 Fahrenheit for those who use that measurement) somewhat hot to the touch, but not enough to burn your fingers.

  • after the second Turbo run, i immediately removed the Olight 14500 cell to measure its temps, and that was at 34.3 Celsius, (93.74 Fahrenheit) meaning the Li-Ion battery remained in a safe temperature rating.

- Many times the Amp-draw load can tell us the efficiency & what to expect in average run times of lights, below are the Amps-draw take at the tail cap with various cells, using a Fluke ET73DMMA with high-current 12-guage leads.
Moon was difficult to measure, as the meter bounced between 0.005 to 0.01.

>> Alkaline AA (Energizer Alkaline)

- Moon: 0.005 ~ 0.01 Amps

- Low: 0.04 Amps

- Medium: 0.28 Amps

- High: 1.42 Amps

>> NiMH AA (Eneloop Pro)

- Moon: 0.005 ~ 0.01 Amps

- Low: 0.04 Amps

- Medium: 0.28 Amps

- High: 1.98 Amps

>> 14500 LiIon (Olight 14500 3.7V)

- Moon: 0.005 ~ 0.01 Amps

- Low: 0.02 Amps

- Medium: 0.13 Amps

- High: 0.51 Amps

- Turbo: 1.68 Amps

- Next is outdoor beam shots.
These were taken with a Nikon D5100 + Remote shutter using a Nikkor 18mm~55mm lens + UV + PL Filter, with all beam shot photos taken with the same settings for each light, and all high-modes used for the NiMH tests, and for the 14500 all the light were on maximum modes, ( S1A on Turbo with photo taken at a 10-second delay after turning on.)
The Olight S1A was compared to two other single-AA format lights in this Review, the previous S15R modded with a XM-L3 3D emitter + Stippled TIR optic, a Stock Olight S20 18560 light, and a modded Thorfire TG06 with a XM-L2 4C tint.
I selected the modded TG06 & S15R as the mods improved these two lights over stock, and will show how the S1A is such a powerful single-AA light in comparison for output, and using the stock S20 it shows the improvement in Tint over the past Baton-series lights by using the new smaller TIR optic over the shallow reflector of the S20/15/10 Baton lights.
The images are Adobe-Gamma corrected, & adjusted to appear as we see them as close as possible with human eyes, (as long as your monitor is set correctly)

- Using Li-Ion cells, I am very impressed with the output of this new S1A in the Turbo-mode, as it even slightly beat the older S20 Baton on Max mode.
As Seen in the outdoor beam shot photo below, you can see the S1A appears to be a hair brighter in the hot spot than the S20, even though the hot spot is even larger than the older S20.
Also note the tint between the S1A & the S20, the S1A is slightly more neutral with noticeable less of that green-hue of the past S-series Batons were known for.
Both the modded TG06 & S15R lights were my most powerful single 14500 lights in my arsenal, until the S1A came along. Even though the 4C & 3D tints of the TG06 & S15R modded lights are better & and warmer, the S1A with the factory is not bad, & much better than the past Baton lights.

Single photo below is S1A on Turbo with 14500.)

- Now even more impressive is the output on high-mode while using a freshly charged Eneloop Pro NiMH in each of the lights used in this review comparison. In place of the S20 i substituted in my modded UF-G10 for the Eneloop test, This single-AA light is my most powerful single AA 1.5 volt light in my arsenal using the burly 7880 / 20-mode driver + a XM-L2 3D tint emitter on a Noctigon.
Again the S1A is impresive, nearly matching the modded UF-G10 on high for throw, (with a bigger hotspot) and beating both the modded TG06 & modded S15R lights on the Eneloop Pro cells on high. (below:

- Below is the S1A lined up with some other single AA-class lights, showing here how compact & small the new S1A really is. ( its the smallest AA-format light i have seen so far.) From left-to-right:
Olight S1A, Solarstorm SC01, Olight S15R, Thorfire TG06, Ultrafire-T20, and UF-G10.

- Next up is the Olight S1A lined up with other S-eries Baton lights, ( left-to-right:
Olight S1A, Olight S15R, Olight S15 (with 2-AA tube) and Olight S20 Baton.

- Below is the tiny S1A along side other Olights, including the monstrous SR-90 Intimidator. The M3XS-UT seen here is another light generously provided by Lydia from Olight for review, so keep your eye open for a full review of this impressive thrower-on-steroids soon, it will be run up against my thrower arsenal including a TK75vn 2015 edition , heavy modded 5-amp DST, the Stock SR-90, a Jacobs A60, Tom-E BTU super shocker, and others. :slight_smile:

- As with most Olight Baton S-series lights, i always like the reversible side clip, but with the smaller S1A it works better as a head/hat light than the larger past series Batons. And adding a small piece of rubber tubing, it works great in the side of a hat for hand-free use.

>> Below are the pros i like in this light that give it + points.

- well spaced modes, moonlight.

- Excellent build quality and flawless finish.

- very compact, among the smallest AA-format EDC lights available.

- Can be Locked out from tail cap with a 1/4 turn loosening.

- well designed TIR optic with large hot-spot.

- Tailstands, + strong tail-cap magnet for on steel surfaces. (which magnet is removable)

- Great runtimes on all battery types.

- best, removable & reversable side clip in the business.

- very good knurling for grip.

- No PWM in any modes.

  • good looks, with the blue accented bezel & switch ring.

>> Below are the cons i managed to find with this light, (and there aren’t many!

- Cool white tint, though its not bad, i do prefer more neutral & warmer tints in the 219C/4C ~ 3500 to 5000K ranges.

> Specifications As per manufacturer
This product has the following specifications (ANSI/NEMA FL1-2009 Standards):
Max Output (lumens) 600
moonlight (lumens) 0.5
Max Run Time (hours) 25 days (moon)
Beam Distance 118 m / 387 ft.
Peak Beam Intensity (candela units: 3,480 cd
Water Resistance IPX8 (up to 2 meters)
Impact Resistance 1.5 m / 4.9 ft.
Head Diameter 0.83 in. / 21 mm
Length 3.13 in. / 79.5 mm
Battery Type 14500 3.7 volt or AA 1.5 volt
Weight (oz) 1.2900
pocket-clip Yes
User Manual Yes

>> Final thoughts:

- Overall the new Olight S1A Baton is a step in the right direction in many ways for Olight As they did the first S1 Baton CR123 version. This new S1A however adds the versatility & available of easy-to-find AA Alkaline format cells, added with the compatibility of the AA NiMH rechargeables, 14500 LiIon cells, and 1.5 volt Lithium AA primaries, its in a class that makes it more versatile than the S1.
When compared to the older previous S15 Baton AA-format EDC light, there is no contest. This new S1A is more compact, brighter, better tint, better beam pattern, & better looking. Also more durable, as TIR solid optic lenses are nearly unbreakable. they can be scratched, but will not break like a glass lens if dropped on a sharp rock. (i found that out twice with EDC lights that broke lenses after dropping) I found to in my sample the modes changed at a faster rate than the past S-series lights. ( when the switch is held down, the modes would cycle quicker.)
For the price point its a great EDC light, among the top in the range so far of those i have used. After a emitter swap to a more warmer tint, this new S1A would easily be a new favorite AA-format EDC light over my previous three faves in this test, the modded UF-G10, TG06 & S15R.
If you are looking to find a good, small AA-format EDC light with great features, build quality, modes and versatility, the S1A is a good choice. :slight_smile: If you have any questions pertaining to this light feel free to ask.
~ Also stay tuned for the next upcoming full review of the Factory-Dedomed M3XS-UT Thrower provided by Lydia from Olight!

  • Den / DBSAR

Really nice review, DB. Thanks for taking the time.

Excellent review! You put a lot of work into that! :+1:

Thanks. I did miss a few parts to the test, (water submersion & tear-town) but as fro water proofing its passes that test easily.

Great review dbsar. I would jump on a warm white of this light.

The stock tint is not as bad as the past S-series or other cool whiter lights, but it could be warmer as like many, i prefer tints between the 3700K to 5000K ranges. I will likely swap out the stock emitter for a 4C or 3D tint to make it the perfect single-AA EDC light.

I see you did one as well. :+1: i’m guessing these new lights were sent to a few to review.

Nice review. Like the nice and clear photos.

I’ve reached my saturation point.

LOL, That’s too bad as I’m 100% sure there will be more as, at a minimum, I still owe one.

well, I certainly don’t begrudge your free sample
kinda fits the theme of the site
carry on!

Very nice review! I appreciate all the work you put into it.

Thanks for providing precise measurements of output and amperage. The detailed description of the step-downs from Turbo mode are particularly useful, as are the comparison beam shots.

Nice review. Does Olight make an extender for multiple AA use?

They don’t have extender tubes for the S1A at this time yet, (as they also have a 2-AA version called the S2A, but that model is a permanent 2-AA body with rubber grip. it woudl be nice to se extender tubes come available for the S1A for use with 2 and even 3 Eneloops, as did with the older S15 Baton model did.

Thanks, i did not sadly get to test actual run times for each cell types & each modes, but so far the high & medium modes run times are very good for this type of light. (the moon light would take a month for each battery actual run time tests.

Thanks