Review Olight S1 Mini (Newest Model)

This is the Olight S1 Mini , provided by Olight for my review and NO other compensation other than keeping the light.
The light can be found at …… S1R Baton II EDC Pocket Flashlight - Olight Store

Or at …… Olight LED Camping & Hiking Flashlights with Batteries for sale | eBay (Links are NON Affilliated)

I know this isnt the first review on this light , but here is my take on it , along with the charts I made with actual measured Lumens and the run time test that I did , as well as a few GIF’s and the video for those who would like to see the live outdoor footage and comparisons with a couple of other similar sized and output lights.

This newest version of the S1 Mini is the smallest of the Olight “S” series flashlights to date , to the best of my knowledge. Dont let the small size fool you though , this little light packs a punch for such a small package. There is one main difference in the new S1 Mini also , being that Olight has used a USB rechargeable cell with the integrated charging port built into the top of this cell , instead of the tail charging we have been seeing from them before now. The included cell is a protected RCR123A-(16340) / 650 mAh / 2.4 wh capacity cell. The cell has a Red and a Green indicator light built in at the positive end of it and it shows the Red when charging and Green when fully charged. When using the USB charging cord provided with this package , it took me an average of about 2 hours 23 minutes to charge the cell over the course of 6 different charge cycles throughout this review.

The S Mini comes in 2 different tints ( I have the cool white) and both tints are different types of emitters , with the Cool version having a 6500K XM-L2 , 70 CRI emitter and the High CRI (HCRI) model utilizing the XP-G3 5500K , 90CRI emitter. You will even be able to physically see which light is which if they are side by side as the information is printed on the flat at the front of the bezel. Both lights use a TIR optic and with the cool version I received , the XM-L2 emitter makes a huge coverage area with the optic and is a very smooth beam and respectably bright to boot. I was really surprised at just how broad the coverage area is really from the tiny light and it is pretty much all beam with one broad hotspot instead of the spill , corona , hotspot that is present with most reflector lights. The beam is also pretty consistent in tint from the center to the edges with very little color or tint change within the beam , as I have seen in many lights as you look on out toward the edge of the beam… I am more of a neutral tint fan , but I know that is personal preference. With the TIR optic it seems to do the job well also , as I do not see any artifacts or rings or anything of that nature in the beam. The only thing I have been able to see that might count , is that in the very center of the beam there is a very very small spot that is just barely brighter than the rest of the beam , to the point it is almost undetectable unless you are really looking for it. I have not been able to detect any PWM with my eyes or in my video camera either one , as the video camera view finder usually lets me see any PWM that may be present.

The modes seem to be very well spaced for my liking with the long press for Moon , Low , Medium , High and then Turbo with a quick double click and a hidden strobe mode with a triple click of the switch button. A quick single click turns the light on and a longer press (1/3 to 1/2 second) to change the modes. You can either hold down the switch button an scroll until you reach the desired mode and let go of the switch , or make the changes one at a time with the longer press for each mode. A quick press of the switch to turn the light back off. A long press (3 seconds or more) activates the electronic lockout and to get out of the lockout simply press and hold again for 3 or more seconds. Also the light can be manually locked out with 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn of the tailcap if you desire to use that method instead. There is also mode memory with the light memorizing Moon / Low / Med indefinitely and High is memorized for 10 minutes, the Turbo and the strobe are not memorized. You can however go straight to Turbo from off with a quick double click.

The side switch has a low voltage indicator light in the middle of it (Red in color) that will come on when the cell is at about 3.2 or 3.3 volts to let you know the cell is getting low. With my sample this happened just about the time the light stepped down from High mode to the Medium mode. The indicator light will stay on until the cell is depleted and the Low Voltage protection turns the light off. The little red indicator light is no bother though to me , as it is not really bright at all , but just visible enough in a dimly lighted room. I might also mention the side switch is very easy to find on the S1 Mini , as it is raised a slightly higher than the rest of the tube and kind of squared on the edges , so it really stands out to feel when you are trying to locate it in the dark.

The run time was also a bit surprising to me as I was expecting maybe 45 to 50 minutes from the S1 Mini with me starting my run time test in Turbo and letting the light run from there until depleted. It actually gave me 79 minutes from the time I turned it on in Turbo and let it step down and run until depletion. The light never got what I would call super hot and the step down seems to be set about right for this tiny light.

The light runs in full Turbo until 1 minute , at which time it very slowly starts a step down (more like ramping down really) that is pretty much undetectable , until it gets to the High mode and then levels off at about 330 lumens and does not step down again from there until 57 minutes. You can go back into turbo when the light steps down to high or starts the step down process as mentioned above , although I didnt test to see how many times it would last , but I did step it back up 4 times in a row while doing my review and it held up pretty well to that.
10 Yards From Gate —— Low / Med / High / Turbo

25 Yards from Gate —— Med / High / Turbo

As with all my Olight products so far , the build quality is really good on the S1 Mini. The knurling (as it would be called) is done differently than any other light I have and gives the little light a very nice look while retaining the purpose of giving some grip also. The small threads are square cut , very well machined , were lubed just about right and they are very smooth also. The clip is also very well thought out and the tube is made for the ends of the clip , where it attaches , to actually sit down in the grooves , without protruding anywhere , so the attachment point is kind of sunken in a little , giving it a more sleek look and NO little wings or ends sticking out on the clip , which by the way holds very firmly on the light compared to many others. The clip is also a “bi-directional” clip so the light can be used as a headlamp attached to a ball cap or it can be carried head up or head down. The tailcap is magnetic on the light also so it can be attached to a smooth surface with that. I will say the magnet on my sample does not seem as strong as the other Olights I have with tail magnet , but it is sufficient to hold the light firmly , either vertically or horizontally , as long as the surface is smooth that it is being attached to.

Here are the charts I made on my tested lumens and the run time test I did……

For those who do not want to watch the whole video , the Still shots and beamshots of the light start at 13:49 of the video timeline and the live outdoor footage starts at 17:25 of the video timeline.
Just a FYI , my cheap video camera does not show as true to life what I actually see out there as the beamshots do.

Video followed by the listed specs……….

GENERAL DATA

Beam Distance (ft) 427
Beam Distance (m) 130
Max. Performance (lumens) 600
Charge type Micro-USB
Compatible Batteries 1 x CR123A/RCR123A
Light Intensity (candela) 4200
Light Form Wide/broad hotspot. Perfect for up close illumination.
Lens / Reflector Type TIR reflector (big, defined wide hotspot)
Series Series S (EDC, General Use)
Unique Characteristics
HCRI model color temperature: cool white 5500k, 90 CRI.

Regular model color temperature: cool white 6500k, 70 CRI.

Extremely compact. The new S1 MINI are the shortest CR123A & RCR123A battery compatible side-switch flashlights.

No charger is needed for charging the battery. The included battery is rechargeable through a built-in Micro-USB port, therefore it may share the same charging cable with a phone.

HCRI version built for perfect color reproduction with illuminating objects eliminating all unwanted extra tints.

Magnetic tailcap. The flashlight attaches securely to any ferrous metal surface for hands free use.

LIGHTING LEVELS

LEVEL 1 (lumens)
600 - S1 Mini

450 - S1 Mini HCRI

Run-time LEVEL 1
S1 Mini: 600 lumens (~300lm) - 55m (1m);

S1 Mini HCRI: 450 lumens (~250lm) - 55m (1m);

LEVEL 2 (lumens)
300 - S1 Mini

250 - S1 Mini HCRI

Run-time LEVEL 2
S1 Mini: 60m;

S1 Mini HCRI: 60m;

LEVEL 3 (lumens)
60 - S1 Mini

50 - S1 Mini HCRI

Run-time LEVEL 3
S1 Mini: 6h;

S1 Mini HCRI: 6h;

LEVEL 4 (lumens)
15 - S1 Mini

12 - S1 Mini HCRI

Run-time LEVEL 4
S1 Mini: 30h;

S1 Mini HCRI: 30h;

LEVEL 5 (lumens)
0,5 - S1 Mini

Nicely done. Gives all the info a flashaholic needs to pull out his wallet. That bezel is such a nice touch… until you mod the light

Thanks againthelaw.

Yea unfortunately this one is glued tight , but it is a pretty nice little light without mods.

I have one of the new 600lm. The centre of beam has some artefacts thats pretty ugly. The beam on the S1 500lm is much nicer and homogeneous.
Also the 600lm version is much wider beam diameter (bit floodier) while the s1 500lm is much smaller beam diameter and more thrower.
The tail magnet sucks, very weak. Almost cant handle staying on metal surfaces while the older version is much stronger.

On the sample I received , as mentioned in the review , “in the very center of the beam there is a very very small spot that is just barely brighter than the rest of the beam , to the point it is almost undetectable unless you are really looking for it.”

I actually have several of the smaller Olights with tighter beam such as the S10R III , and the S1 , I like that this one has the broader beam instead of being so similar to the others.

Also as mentioned in the review on the sample I received “I will say the magnet on my sample does not seem as strong as the other Olights I have with tail magnet , but it is sufficient to hold the light firmly , either vertically or horizontally , as long as the surface is smooth that it is being attached to.”

If you rotate the light you can easily see the centre beam. But this is more visible on a flat wall. Not so much outside.
Another thing I noticed is that it get hotter much quicker than the 500lm version.

To me the Positives of the new 600lm version:

  • Smaller than S1 500lm
  • 100lm more that almost makes no difference as its floodier beam
  • Nice design, nice different knurling
  • Includes rechargeable usb battery
  • Low Battery warning on switch
  • Remembers moon light mode in memory
  • Floodier beam goof for indoors

Negatives:

  • Gets hotter quicker
  • Center beam isn’t very pretty
  • Tail magnet just sting enough to hold it on a flat surface. Would fall off if not flat or if surface is vibrated (such as a car hood)
  • Does not remember turbo mode in memory
  • Floodier beam does not real long distances ar S1 500lm.

if you can get the S1 500lm at a good discounted price, its worth it more than the new 600lm at RRP.

Bruno ……….

I do these reviews on the sample I receive and I report what I find from that particular sample.
I am sure with pretty much any brand and from light to light there will be at least some small variances.

I agree with you on some points , although if you are not really close or white wall hunting with the sample I received , it does have a pretty nice beam , especially if outside. (not saying the beam is perfect)

I also do not expect such a small light to cover vast distances in most cases , as most of them just do not have the throw that a larger light with larger reflector will have and many times I prefer the more floody beam over the throwy beam , depending on what the light is being used for at the time.

As far as the price of the light and one being worth more than the other , that also is dependent on the buyer and what they prefer.
I am not reviewing the price or discount codes on these lights , as mentioned above , I simply review the sample I receive and give my findings as I see them on THAT particular sample.

I am also pretty sure if you asked 100 people what they think about this light , you would probably have many different opinions as some would like certain features while others may not like those same features.

I understand. I was just giving my opinions as I bought the new 600lm thinking it would be improvement. But found some small flaws. I just wanted to let people know the differences, in case someone has the old version and is thinking of doing the same upgrade. More of a comparison between them. Hopefully helps someone that is indecisive.

That’s an awesome little light Robo! They (at Olight) are sure packing the performance level into a small package, love seeing that! And they also seem to have an excellent grasp on what a small light needs in the TIR design, great beam profile for EDC use! Thanks for the review, Olight really is coming out with some groundbreaking lights these days. :wink:

OMG! I should know better…… I clicked the link… why do I do that?

High CRI available.

So close to Christmas.

I should have internet privilege’s revoked…

yeah, High Green CRI

click pick for maukka’s review

Always glad to do the reviews Dale.
Sorry about the somewhat slow reply….the last 24 hours or so I felt pretty rough , so I have hardly been up and about during that time.

I agree that Olight has done some really nice things as far as development of the lights lately , although some ideas have not been perfect , at least they are trying to make progress instead of following what everyone else has already done and most of their ideas have been positive ones.

As far as your internet privileges being revoked and you wanting one of the S1 Mini………well your a big boy so you will have to fight with that decision yourself………lol

The magnet is fixed or can I retire it? (I really do not like the magnets for my carried lights. Is ok for my Car lights but not for pure EDC)

according to Olight Engineer, you can heat up the tailcap to get rid of the magnetism. :innocent:

Thanks, I prefer retire the magnet, if is integrated,… is integrated. Is a nice light, but I will pass this time. I not use my Foursevens Atom AL for this, I like the option of magnets (but always must be a choice for the consumer use it or retire.

In all the Olight’s I’ve seen with a magnet in the tail cap it’s held there by a unique shape to the spring. Remove the spring and the magnet will fall out (or come with the spring)

Thanks for comment :beer: , I know this, but I would like that some one with the S1 mini confirm the information…best be sure before spend the money :slight_smile:

Regards.

No spring in the tailcap.

Maukka beat me to it , but yea the magnet is glued in around the center contact , just the insulator covering the magnet. Probably enough heat and some determination would get the magnet loose?

Thanks both for your help!
I am really tempted, I love the design, but I must think about this…. I really hate magnet in my pocket. But all mini Olight are really nice …ufff…