Olight ST-25 Baton
Overall Rating:
★★★★
Summary:
| Battery: | 2xAA or 1x14500 |
| Switch: | Side and tailcap |
| Modes: | Moonlight, Low, Med, High, Turbo, Strobe |
| LED Type: | Cree XM-L2 cool white |
| Lens: | Anti-reflective coating (inside only) |
| Tailstands: | Yes |
| Price: | 59.95 USD (45 USD with coupon "ST25") |
| From: |
Pros:
- Easily accessible turbo and moonlight modes
- Good run times, particularly on high and turbo modes
- Stealth silent tailcap switch
- Light can be 'soft' locked out
- Tailcap can be locked out
- Reversible pocket clip
Cons:
- Only available in cool white tint
- Does not include spacer for 14500 use
- Strobe mode is slightly hidden
Firstly, I want to thank Banggood for providing this light for review. ^_^
Instead of the usual cardboard affair, the ST-25 came in a clear box allowing the light to be seen, and displayed hung from a hook. On looks alone, I must admit it did not speak to me to be unboxed and handled. That said, the Olight Baton is a light that needs to be used to be appreciated.
Front of box:
Back of box:
Included are two spare o-rings and a manual. These o-rings are thicker than those one typically sees in flashlights:
A lanyard/wrist strap is also included:
It has a nice push button slider allowing the user to set the size.
Embroidery:
Even the attachment has a logo:
Already one has a sense of a high level of attention to detail.
Stainless steel bezel, and blue glow-in-the-dark o-ring:
The side switch is in a matching blue:
Some AA eneloops for size comparison:
It is quite small, only 152mm long. Here it is, slightly taller than a Mini Maglite:
Weight is quite reasonable. With two AA Eneloops inside the Baton weighs 125g and feels a little hefty for its slender size. For comparison, a Convoy S5 with 18650 cell together weigh a little less at 120g. With 14500 and Coolook AA spacer the Baton weighs just over 100g.
I saw some stores online stating XM-L2 U2 emitter, so I asked Olight for confirmation and was told they no longer disclose this information. It is cool white.
For someone used to single cell Li-ion lights, a 2xAA light might seem a step backwards. It is just as well then, that the Baton delivers not only in lumens and run-time, but also in terms of well thought out design.
The body features this nice cubic knurling:
On closer inspection, this knurled area is the largest and corresponds to the side button. There are three flat surfaces on the middle of the body, two either side and one on the opposite side. These flats makes the pocket clip easier to use, and by having one large area of knurling helps user locate the side button by touch.
The tailcap, with 'stealth' switch just visible:
The stealth switch has a plastic button top. What does it feel like? It is like pressing a firm spring, there is no click either in sound or feedback, and under 1mm of travel.
Here is a video demonstration comparing it to a typical clicky tailcap switch:
I found the way to produce the quietest press is to squeeze the button down and release it gently, rather than pushing it. If the button is released too quickly it can make a noise.
The Baton comes with removable pocket-clip which can be attached in both lens-up and lens-down position:
Notice the flat in the body where the pocket clip rests? Either side of this flat area are two slimmer knurled areas.
The six-sided 'nut' area forming part of the head is curious but seems mainly a cosmetic touch. I suppose in the dark it can aid feeling if the light is pointing the right way. It does not prevent the light rolling off a surface, though the pocket clip can.
Here the pocket clip is mounted in lens-down position, where it allows deep pocket carry (shown next to marker pen for size):
In this position the pocket-clip can be slid up and down along the body. In use I quite like this as it allows for tail-standing without having to remove the clip (it is quite stiff to remove).
The squared threading is anodized allowing for tailcap lockout. Standby current draw is really low (0.5mA), but I like having this option as it takes a little less thought than the 'soft' option (more on this later).
The machining is such that I can't tell if this shiny ring is a stainless steel insert or aluminium (it is aluminium). Remember those thick o-rings? When I removed the tailcap there was a faint pop from the pressure.
Inside the tailcap:
Ahh, moonlight! 
I really like the moonlight low on this light, it feels very natural. I love that it is easily accessible too -- whilst the light is off, one simply holds the side switch for a second.
It is low enough I can read with it as a pen light in total darkness whilst containing the spill with my other hand:
Reflection in AR lens:
The reflector is very nice, very smooth. Here is a beam shot next to a Convoy S5 with orange peel reflector (Convoy S5 left, Olight Baton right):
Although the white balance shows a greenish ring almost mid-way between hotspot and edge of beam, it does not seem at all greenish tint to my eyes in actual use, so don't be put off.
The blue GITD o-ring is a nice detail but sadly it is mostly cosmetic and does not glow for very long at all.
It also creates this blue glow when stood near a wall:
Beam shot control at 400 ISO:
This is Turbo mode running on 1x14500. The lit tree is approximately 23.5 metres away (25.7 yards):
So bright it caught the neighbours attention, in the middle of the night! 
UI
I wanted to cover this separately as the two buttons are not identical in function. Most of the UI is navigated by the side switch. The stealth tailcap switch only activates the memorised mode. It is not possible to access Turbo mode from the tailcap switch.
The manual sheet has three diagrams explaining the user interface:
From the off position, moonlight and turbo modes are directly accessible by side switch only (hold for Moonlight, double-click for Turbo). For me these are the two modes I use the most, and I love that they are so readily available.
From Moonlight mode, one must press and hold the side switch each time to access Low, Medium and High modes. I am used to being able to cycle through modes rather quickly so this is a little change of pace.
Strobe is a double-click away from all other modes. In an emergency, the easiest, quickest way to access it is to double-click for Turbo then double-click again for Strobe. To end Strobe a single press will return to the previous mode.
One small issue I have is not being able to store Strobe in the tailcap switch (whilst still having access to Moonlight and Turbo from the side switch), but this is mainly because I don't need a stealth switch.
The Baton can remember Strobe but it is overwritten when Moonlight mode is used. This is perhaps where the silent tailcap really comes into its own, if you find you need a very low amount of light without being heard (or, for that matter, one of the other regular modes).
Lastly, it is possible to lock-out the side switch by holding it for greater than two seconds whilst the Baton is off. Whilst 'soft-locked' one has to press the side switch for a second to turn the light on (Moonlight).
Current, Output and Runtime
The manual states these run times, tested with 2xAA 1900mAh NiMH:
| Mode | Lumens | Time |
| Turbo | 550 | 30 mins |
| High | 300 | 1 hr |
| Medium | 100 | 6.5 hrs |
| Low | 10 | 60 hrs |
| Moonlight | 1 | 200 hrs |
| Strobe 10Hz | 300 | 2 hrs |
There is also a run time graph of the high mode:
For comparison I measured the high mode in lux, taken at 3 metres, with 3rd generation Eneloop Ni-MH and a protected Trustfire 'flame' 14500 Li-ion cell. The protection circuit in the Trustfire activated after an hour.
The Turbo mode is more interesting. Peak beam intensity is stated 4,400 candela, which I could verify with a lux meter via three sets of measurements taken at different distances. I took these measurements after 30 seconds:
Output of Modes
| Cell | Mode | Lux 1ft | Lux 1m | Lux 2m | Lux 3m | Candela 1ft | Candela 1m | Candela 2m | Candela 3m |
1x Trustfire 14500 |
Turbo | 4910 | 1410 | 655 | 4910 | 5640 | 5895 | ||
| 2xAA Eneloop | Turbo | 4400 | 1100 | 500 | 4400 | 4400 | 4500 | ||
| High | 3220 | 805 | 388 | 3220 | 3220 | 3492 | |||
| Medium | 853 | 230 | 112 | 853 | 920 | 990 | |||
| Low | 920 | 105 | 26 | 11 | 85.47 | 105 | 104 | 99 | |
| Moonlight | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1.86 | 1 |
As you can see from this graph, the light gets hot and the output drops to 390 lux by 15 minutes (approximately 3500 candela).
And again with a pair of 80mm fans cooling the light, running at a gentle 5V so not to skew the results too much:
This output drop is not an issue if you use Turbo in bursts. I needed to use the light on the brightest mode for extended periods without handling and was curious about output behaviour, hence the graphs.
Current Measurements
| Mode | 2xAA Eneloop | 1x14500 |
| Turbo | 3.02 | 1.75 |
| High | 1.15 | 0.69 |
| Medium | 0.27 | 0.17 |
| Low | 0.04 | 0.03 |
| Moonlight | 0.0074 | 0.0091 |
Small update
Since I have been using this light a lot I thought I'd share pictures of the kind of wear the pocket clip makes in the anodizing. It is really HAIII. My Nitecore EA4W the black finish is a bit shiny in comparison, but it stays in a sheath so I don't worry.
You can see shiny wear spots:
At the tail end:
Also, I noticed the bezel machining is not perfect, but not that noticeable:
Thanks for reading!
