OTR M3 Pro or Alternative? What Would You Get for an EDC Rechargeable?

Hey all,

I’ve never had a rechargeable light. All the ones I have now, except 1, use the 18650 cells. I am looking at a rechargeable now because I lost my charger in a move and until I get a replacement, I’m stuck with my single AA light, which I like by the way even though it’s a cheapie.

I went to Best Gear and just started looking and came upon this tiny, thumb sized LED that was rechargeable, the On The Road M3 Pro. It was about $24, but that was with no cell or charger. The bundle that has all you need is sold out I guess. It apparently comes in 2 versions, the U3-5C or the V6-1A. I have no idea what the difference is in these 2.

I read some reviews and it appears to be a well received light. LOTS of great comments and in reviews I saw here, there were also some high praise for this little light. From what I could tell, this light and some of the reviews were as much as 2 years old. I wondered if there is an updated model that replaced the original or the original is still going strong. Two years seems like a long time to go in the flashlight world without a replacement model being introduced.

Anyway, if you were in the market for a rechargeable, small, EDC, bright and reliable light, would you still get this light or would you go with something else? Are there other lights that are better than this small OTR M3 Pro?

I can definitely see myself getting another rechargeable light, a bigger and more powerful thrower, to replace the other 18650 lights that I currently have if for no other reason than the convenience of charging.

Any info would be appreciated.
Thank you and have a good weekend all.

Larry

As far as I know, there is no updated M3 pro version, only the two you mention.

I have one, great little light. I feel the ui could be better but the size and the quality is awesome. People recommend the warm tint but I got the cool one and it’s not that bad tbh. It has a usb-c port so you could recharge the battery through it.

I believe you can find it even cheaper with a discount code (I got mine ~18USD)

Hi Nalajr!

I have one OTR M3 Pro and I will tell you what I think.

It is a very nice light, the User Interface (UI) can be, to a certain point, configurable as you can choose to have it as a 1 mode light only (then you can access turbo and blinky modes through double click. I normally tend to use it that way as I don’t like to use the “regular” UI (long press for ON is not good for me).

I also have the Cool White version (Led XP-L HD V6-1A) and it is not bad in this flashlight. I put a frosted TIR optic instead of the reflector + lens and I like it that way.

The only thing I would advise you to be aware of is…this light may have a high parasitic drain! Meaning, it can discharge your battery when the light is OFF in case you don’t cut the current path from the cell to the light.

I tested mine several months ago I did the same this week: I charged a battery up to 4.19V and put it in the flashlight. During the night it went from 4.19V to 4.09V.

It is obvious that I can have a defective driver, but be aware that if you buy this light, you may have to put some plastic between the negative pole and the spring to avoid current drain!

Other than that I do like this light and other OTR lights! Actually, I will be buying their 311 model soon.

EDIT: Depending on your budget, you may also wanna check the Olights S1R Baton (old version) and S1R Baton II. Both have magnetic charging base. They are a bit more expensive, but they are worth the money. If you want a nice 18650 rechargeable light, I would suggest the Skilhunt M200!

You could always try an 18650 rechargeable, like this:

Sofirn SC31B

I also like the MTR M3 Pro; especially for its one mode setting. I have it in NW and am comfortable with it. Have a look at the Wurkkos FC11 - [Review] Wurkkos FC11 - 18650 EDC with USB-C It checks your boxes, has a great high CRI emitter, and is inexpensive. You can also use it with a short tube to take an 18350 cell. The Astrolux FC01 is another option; also inexpensive but more powerful.