[Review] Olight Warrior X

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

I was quite surprise to see Olight decided to release a new Tactical flashlight before end of 2018. I thought a more “civilian” or “hunter” model would be release, oh well…

OK, I’m trying a little different approach this time, the review will be split into 2 posts, first one focuses on what yours truly thinks is the more significant feature of Warrior X while the second will be the normal boring review. Here we go…

Olight releases a teaser image saying they are releasing “THE WORLD’S FIRST… ” yup, the world’s first VIBRATOR FLASHLIGHT is what it is! See below for the proof…

see that? hmmm… but calling it a VIBRATOR FLASHLIGHT is incorrect, because we can’t control when it vibrates. It goes into the crazy vibration mode when battery met the following conditions:
power=30% vibrate once every 5 minutes
power=10% vibrate once per minute
power=5% vibrate 6 times per minute
Let’s call it FLASHLIGHT that vibrates then. I know, I know, all sorts of naughty comments will start popping up on the Internet with regards to this Warrior X…

this is what’s printed at the side of the box Warrior X came in…

OK, joke asides, I think the biggest surprise is the improvements made to the silent electronic tactical tail-switch that begins with Olight M2R, we now have a proper UI — 2 groups, Tactical and Enhanced Tactical. In normal Tactical mode, you have access to the low 300 lumens and high 2000 lumens, while Enhanced Tactical allows you to access High and Strobe. Having to hide the Strobe mode to second group (Enhanced Tactical) is not the surprise that I was referring to, but Olight Warrior X implemented something similar to SureFire LX2 or the more recently released SureFire EDCL1-T and EDCL2-T, what the Internet now refers to as gas-pedal UI, but was called “2-stage UI” back in the day. In my humble opinion, I think Olight’s implementation of this “gas-pedal” UI is as good if not better than SureFire’s.

In this review, let’s ignore the Enhanced Tactical group, but note that you can switch from one group to the other by doing the following:

  1. Unscrew/loosen the Warrior X tailcap
  2. Hold down the tailcap button while screwing/tightening back the Warrior X tailcap
    That’s it, now you toggle to the other group. Oh, one more thing, the Enhanced Tactical is only available in Momentary.

The “gas-pedal” UI is further featured into 2 activation stage, constant-ON and momentary-ON. And I love the simplicity of it. I commit this UI to my muscle memory within 3 minutes. It’s that intuitive.

  • Light press and let go to enter Constant-On Low mode
  • Deep press and let go (within a second) to enter Constant-On High mode
  • Light press and hold (longer than 1 second) to enter Momentary-On Low mode
  • Deep Press and hold (longer than 1 second) to enter Momentary-On High mode
  • If you are in Constant-On Low mode, another Deep press will switch you to Constant-On or Momentary-On High mode, depending on how long you hold the button down
  • If Warrior X is Constant-On, a light press will turn it Off
  • One more thing, Olight’s UI provide a tactile feedback when we deep press

The second best thing about Olight Warrior X is the optional RWX. This optional accessory is a brand new pressure switch built specifically for this Warrior X. Olight ain’t kidding when they say you can attach the remote pressure switch in just “HALF A SECOND”. It’s that fast! When RWX is attached, you get Constant-On or Momentary-On High mode when Warrior X is configured for normal Tactical mode group, while only Strobe mode when Warrior X is configured for Enhanced Tactical mode group.

Olight also send over a sample flashlight mount: E-WM25 which is suitable for Olight Warrior X, M20SX, M2X, M22, M2R, M2T, M23 and M3XS-UT. Note that to install Warrior X, you need to take out the tailcap, the clip, and the grip ring to slot in the provided space and put back the grip ring and tailcap. A smaller diameter flashlight mount is also available: E-WM21 for Olight M1T, M1T Plus (not yet release, but was printed at the package).

here ends part 1.

2

Let’s begin part 2 with sort of a challenge initiated internally at Olight…

*above picture is from Olight

Olight Warrior X Specifications

what’s printed at the back of the box

the user manual

below is what Olight sent over

they are so kind to also send 2 optional accessory, 1 x RWX Remote Pressure Switch and 1 x Flashlight Mount

The RWX…

Charging the Warrior X with included 1A MCC charging cable

LED at the magnetic charging turns RED when charging is in progress

and turns GREEN when charging completed

The improved UI tail-switch

Tailcap contact side

head contact spring

Double barrel wall design, also to allow charging to happen with non-proprietary battery

body threading

clip and grip ring design. Unlike the 10 years old M20 Warrior, the grip ring is not screw on, it is hold in place by a second O-ring as you shall see in later image…

Warrior X large heat-sink fins, that 2000 lumens sure generate a lot of heat!

body knurling

blue-colored crenelated bezel, it looks mean…

Neutral White XHP35 LED in Warrior X

A few picture of Warrior X

The 15A ultra high drain 18650 battery included in Warrior X

battery is to be install button-side (positive terminal) face towards the tailcap

to switch the factory installed grip ring + clip to TGR (Tactical Grip Ring), after removing the tailcap, you can push out the grip ring…

and then pull the clip out

see the double o-ring in the picture above, that second o-ring is to secure the grip ring.

after pulling out the clip…

you can install the TGR by slowly sliding it pass the first o-ring and sit it firmly at the second o-ring

and put back the tailcap

A few images of the TGR installed in Warrior X

Compare Warrior X with SureFire C2

and compare to M20 Warrior, M2T, C2

the beam profile

from the above under exposed image, you can see this new Warrior X can definitely out throw Olight M2T.

The measured output

My measured output is different from what manufacturer’s claim, I get a good ~30 minutes in ~1250 lumens before dropping to ~600 lumens, see below runtime chart
The usual disclaimer: I do not claim the above measured lumens as authoritative nor an indication of over/under-stating the number given by manufacturer. It’s calibrated against some known light output (e.g. SureFire, Elzetta, etc.) so take it with a grain of salt and just as a relative reading.

and my measured runtime

For the area highlighted with (1) in the above image, please see the following from the user manual

and

however, no mentioning of that step down to 1250 lumens. According to Olight engineer, the runtime period of that 1200 lumens is dependent on the operating temperature, and the longer it stay at this brightness level, the shorter the total runtime, that is why my total runtime plotted is shorter than what manufacturer quoted.

so there you go. In conclusion, I really like this Warrior X’s fit and finish especially the improved UI, this alone is worth the asking price in my opinion (vibrating power indicator notwithstanding).

3

I’m not sanguine about dual-tube designs, but I gotta say, the piezo switch, charger, remote switch, and corresponding UI, all look pretty kewl. :smiley:

Any mention of the price? Wonder if it’s “Hmm, y’know, I might just get one for s&g”, or “Yoiks! Forget it…”.

4

Unfortunately I do not see any improvement in output than old model - M23.
On paper this light has 2000 lumen, but in reality they are 1250 lumen. M23 has 1000 lumen and better throw than X warrior at 1250 lumen.
If we look at the chart and compare X warrior to similar light - Acebeam T27 we can see that Olight is missing high mode of 1250 lumen.

5

Retailed at USD129.99, but I believe OlightStore US is running some sales for this model soon. I think the sale prices is below USD85.00 during the promotion.

6

Thanks for the nice review rookiedaddy! :+1:

7

I like how they are offering a NW version. How is the tint? On previous Olight NW LED many have a green tint it seems.

8

my sample also has greenish tint, well, it’s a Cree… :stuck_out_tongue:

Btw, I feel very deserted seeing the OlightStore ads… you guys in the US of A is having a h*ll of a good deal going on starting today…

man… that just makes me so jealous!!! :frowning:

9

Is it an XHP35 HI, looks like no dome in the photos? Anyone know whether it’s CRI70 or 80? Everywhere it just says XHP35 in the specs.

10

Great now they are making Tactical Vibrating Flashlights? Just what you need in a High Stress situation, fantastic idea? Lost track of how many rounds are left in this mag? Cover me I’m reloading my flashlight!

I wonder if you can disable the Vibrating battery level alert/warning…. maybe surgically remove it?

11

I asked, and received “it’s neutral white” reply from Olight. :person_facepalming:

I was told we can’t disable it. Perhaps someone will make an attempt to mod their unit…

12

You still have the light, I presume? Does it have a dome or not?

13

from the looks of it, it does not. Let me take a close-up pic of the LED. Gimme a moment…

14

ok, I’m back, removed the bezel and lens and zoomed-in:

a little further…

that looks like a XHP35 HI

15

I am interested in this light because of the remote switch. Can you tell me how well the cap sticks to the light? Will it stay if walking in the woods around small tree branches? Also, is the remote switch of a standard dimension? Will it work, for example, with a Surefire M-Lok mount plate?

16

Well I don’t know when or if I’ll buy one of these, but it looks (gimmicks and all) a much more “tactical” light than the M1R and M2R.

17

The magnetic attachment is much much stronger than their usual MCC charger, I can swing the Warrior X which attach to the remote switch from side to side without it being detach.
I do not know if it will fit a SureFire M-Lok mount plate, following are the measurement I took…
The dimension of the magnetic switch is:

- Magnetic Attachment Diameter: 2.4cm

  • Tape switch: 1.8cm x 5.5cm x 0.8cm

The diameter of Warrior X is:

- body: 1 inch (~2.54cm),

  • tailcap: ~2.78cm
18

Thanks for the review . I ordered one . Gotta try it !

19

I’ve been thinking about that magnetic tail switch/cap. I wonder how that would be affected if it was carried in a shop (like mine) where there are metal filings present. It worries me they could foul up the switch.

My H1 NOVA does attract them, however, not to the switch because it is on the opposite end of the light.

20

Don’t see the point of purchasing the Warrior X if you’re planning on disabling the vibrating low battery level alert/warning? :person_facepalming: …You can always purchase a different model instead?..Your flashlight should always be fully charged to begin with, just like your mags, in case you get into a tactical “high stress” situation. Or how about recharging it once a week just to make sure is always full of juice, that way you don’t have to worry about “reloading” your flashlight once it start vibrating :wink: