Tag: olight

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Olight Javelot Pro Review (Neutral White, 1000 meters of throw, 2100 Lumens)

Olight has a new thrower on the market the Javelot Pro. This is a big update from the older MX3-UT Javelot that I reviewed quite a while back. The new light has an impressive 2100 lumens and 291,000 candela on turbo meaning it can throw 1000 meters. Thanks to SkyBen for sending this to me to review and tell you all about. Let’s jump in! 

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/82bxe4h

YouTube Version of this Review: 

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Packaging

Instead of a box, the Olight Javelot Pro comes in a plastic case similar to a Pelican case. It even has an air release valve on it to equalize pressure. Inside everything has foam cutouts and fit’s just right and a gasket around the opening. This is a nice case, nicer than many firearms come in. I do wonder how much this contributes to the lights price as you can’t buy it without the case. 

Accessories include a large belt holster for the light, manual, as well a larger magnetic charger capable (MCC5V) of charging at 2A. Battery is built in with the light, so it’s included as well. While my light didn’t come with these, the remote pressure switch (RWX-07) also fits the Javelot Pro as does the weapon mounts. My E-WM25 mount fit’s but could be more secure. Skyben also included a black an Olight i3E EOS AAA light and a 18650 battery case as a bonus for buying from them. 

Construction

It’s no surprise that the light is made from aluminum and hard anodized black. A desert tan version of this light is available in very limited quantities and only from Olight direct. As one would suspect fit and finish from Olight is great, no complaints or flaws to be found in that regard. That said I have seen in the forums some people are having issues with the black wearing off the side button on this light.

The tail on the very rear is bead blasted aluminum and serves as the contacts for the magnetic recharging as well as a momentary and full lock on/off switch. It reminds me of the tail that was on the M2R but larger. The sides have some flats milled in for grip and style. Inside we see some flat sheet brass contacts to manage the recharging, and dual wall construction of the light for the eswitch up front. 

The battery tube section of this light has great relief features milled in providing texture and something to grip on to. It’s much deeper then more traditional knurling and works well with gloved hands. I can’t imagine this is an inexpensive part to machine. Batteries are self contained inside by two retention rings on either side with generous amounts of black thread sealant applied. I tried to disassemble the retaining rings on either side without destroying the light but had to stop. It may work if you wanted to apply heat to break the thread sealant/epoxy. Olight has designed this so that the batteries are contained in the tube and not removable. 

The head of the Javelot Pro grows in diameter greatly from the body tube in 2 main sections. The first section is where the eswitch button is placed. It’s a large black silicone button with a battery level indicator in the middle and texture across the button. I have read that some people have had durability here with the blackness of the button but so far I have not. On the sides you have some milling for head dissipation. As we go up the head olight has nicely stylized things here with teardrops we have seen and then some additional areas milled out. It’s a stylish design. The front has the signature blue bezel with shallow crenulations. The lens is double anti reflective coated and the reflector is smooth and deep. 

Size/Weight/Comparisons

I measured the Javelot Pro’s length at 252mm. Maximum diameter at 63mm and minimum diameter on the body at 22mm. Weight with battery was 375.7g. The light is IPX8 rated and drop rated to 1 meter.

In comparison to my Klarus XT32 the Olight Javelot Pro is very similar in size in all dimensions. Same length and diameter pretty much. The Olight is a little lighter in the hand and has a more aggressive grip area and I think it’s a bit more attractive. But the Klarus does use standard 18650 batteries. 

LED/Beamshots/Runtime/Heat/Lumens

The Javelot Pro is running a Cree XHP35 HI LED in Neutral white. Who would have thought we would see an Olight available in only Neutral White! My only guess is that since this light is targeted at search and rescue and hunting is making a difference here. The tint does have just a slight amount of green in the beam but nothing like what I am used to from most Cree Neutral White LED. 

The beam is for the most part what you expect from a thrower. A vast majority of the light is focused in the center and it’s a small hot spot. The spill on the Javelot pro was a little more then I expected but the edge is where things get a little weird. At short distances you do see the outline of the crenulations on the end of the bezel. You then get a second very small ring outside the main spill. At distance neither of these really make an operational difference. 

The Javelot Pro isn’t a cool running light, but that’s not expected either with the 10 minutes of turbo runtime. I measured the following temps.

  • 1 Minute – 106 F (41C)
  • 5 Minutes – 140 F (60C)
  • 10 Minutes – 124 F (51C)

Olights Official lumen ratings which are generally pretty accurate are the following.

  • Turbo – 2,100 Lumens then 1,000 Lumens
  • High – 600 Lumens
  • Medium – 150 Lumens
  • Low – 15 Lumns

I was pleasantly surprised with runtime on the Javelot Pro for turbo. It stays at near the 2100 lumens for most of the 10 minutes Olight claims (Excuse the bump on my long duration graph (my mistake). It was even a more impressive 18 minutes when I ran it with a fan to dissipate heat. This is really nice to see since so many other higher output lights make turbo last for just a few minutes. I think on a thrower this is extra helpful if you do need that bump to reach maximum distance in say a search application. After turbo steps down you are left with 1000 lumens for about 120 minutes, and the light then takes an additional step down for about 10 minutes. Total runtime with the included 7,000mAh battery pack was 145 minutes. I did measure the voltage of the battery tube after the light shut off and measured 2.17v. I believe the internal cells to be at a higher voltage but there must be some protection circuitry that is factoring in here. 

Cooled Runtime

UI

Olight has chosen a little different interface here, then the standard they are known for and it works well with the tail and eswitch. Starting at the rear of the light you can half press on the switch here to activate a momentary low mode and if you give it a full press and hold you get momentary turbo. If you do a quick press in either half or full it will lock the light on. 

With the electronic switch on the front a quick tap activates the battery charge level indicator on the front of the light. A slightly longer press turns the light on in the mode last used (it starts in low by default). To increase the brightness a quick tap will do the job. Long press to shut the light off from the side switch. Lastly there is no strobe on the light. 

Recharging & Battery

The Olight Javelot Pro does come with Olights magnetic recharging system. It comes with a larger diameter recharging base (MCC5V) but charges at the roughly 2A speed of the MCC2A that recent models of Olights have been shipping with. The cable is longer here at 1.2M. I measured the speed of recharging of the internal 7,000mAh battery pack as taking 3 hours and 50 minutes at a maximum of 1.85A. The electronic switch does have an LED that gives battery level indication that goes through green, orange and red. 

As mentioned previously the batteries in this light are 2x 3,500mAh 18650 batteries. They are no user replaceable and instead Olight only is selling the battery tube with the cells inside for $49.00. It’s really unfortunate that Olight has decided to take a big step further down the non user replaceable battery path since the cells here are likely not to fancy or expensive. When buying an expensive light I expect to be able to find batteries for it for at least a decade, and thats not an issue when using standard 18560’s.

Pros

  • 10 minute Turbo runtime, best that I have tested among the throwers I have. (18 minutes if cooled)
  • Fantastic machining, fit, finish and packaging. Olight does it well here.
  • An Olight that’s only available in Neutral white? Crazy I know. My theory is this is because of the hunting community. 
  • No Strobe, while I am not disappointed with this it’s something I would have expected to see).

Cons

  • Battery replacements consist of replacing the body tube of the light instead of just the cells. This makes replacements expensive at $50 for an already expensive light, and they could become hard to source in a few years and I would imagine the limited edition desert tan tubes could be even more difficult to get.
  • Low capacity battery for it’s size. In 2019 we can do better then 7000mAh in a 149mm x 23mm package.
  • Limited Edition Desert Tan color, only available through OlightStore in the US, not the dealer network
  • It’s not using the standard Olight UI here but a modified version of it. It takes a little getting used to but works well.

Conclusion

While the performance and interface of this light are both nice, I have a hard time fully recommending a light in this price category that doesn’t have a more user friendly battery replacement option. I realize this is a choice Olight made to reduce consumer complaints and problems with people using the wrong batteries and then complaining about performance or runtime, but it just kind of rubs me the wrong way. Buying an entire new battery tube instead of just replacing the cells seems wasteful and expensive. I also think it’s a lost opportunity given this lights size to not have gone with 20700 or 21700 sized cells to get a lot more then a total of 7000mAh in capacity without much additional length or weight. Olight could have gone with a light capable of 10,000mAh battery here if they would have gone with 21700’s and this might have justified that higher price. 

Other then that this is the most ergonomic thrower I own, I love the design of the body tube and head. I like the olight blue accent touches as well. This is a big light but not crazy like the BLF GT or Sofrin SP70 I reviewed last week. I do really like that this has the longest “Turbo” runtime of any of the throwers I have, more lights need to engineer turbo to last longer and on a thrower that really makes a lot of sense and it’s an olight that’s only available in neutral white. Who would have thought we would have seen that day coming?

If you have any questions let me know in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. If you are interested in this light you can pick it up from Skyben on Amazon.

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Olight Seeker 2 Pro Review (3200 Lumens, 21700, Triple LED)

Olight has a new light on the market, the Seeker 2 Pro. It uses a triple LED with an optic, and a proprietary 21700 battery, and has the magnetic tail cap with magnetic recharging. Along with this light Olight has included and announced a magnetic L bracket to mount the light and for easy charging of any of the magnetic tail cap rechargeable lights. Thanks to Skyben on Amazon for sending this to me to take a look at and review.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/hLOrymN

YouTube Version of this Review: 

Packaging

The packaging of the Seeker 2 Pro is impressive at this price range. Olight always does a good job but this might be the nicest packaging under $150 that I have seen. It’s a white heavy duty box that unfolds from the side and is held together magnetically. Inside it had the yellow instruction layer tucked nicely in that reminds you to remove the piece of plastic from the battery terminal and charge the battery before use. All of the accessories are tucked into two small boxes either side of the light. On the back you have the stats and more detailed info on the light.

The included accessories are the flashlight itself, along with a proprietary Olight branded 5000mAh 21700 battery. You get a long MCC1AL charging cable, high quality holster (Very similar to the M2R holster), lens cleaning cloth, and then the new L charging bracket. This bracket is a high density glass fiber reinforced bracket with 2 mounting screws in the side (Screws and drywall anchors included, as well as adhesive). The bracket is designed so that the flashlight hangs from it, and the magnetic charger goes on top (Can be reversed), the power is transmitted through. The cool thing about this is it works with all existing Olights that have the magnetic charging system except for the weapon lights because their polarity is different. Olight is also selling this bracket separately.

Construction

The light is made from aluminium and hard anodized black with an eggshell style finish. Machining is excellent with no sharp edges or tool marks to be found. Starting at the tail we notice the magnetic charging port that looks very similar to other similar Olights. It sits flush and allows for good tail standing. In the tailcap is the place for a thin lanyard to attach as well. The grip on the tail cap itself is straight fine knurling. Based on past experience these will show dirt and dust easily and are a little difficult to clean. Inside the tail cap there is not a spring, just a large brass contact and w outer rings with something bass inside it looks like. I would love to see the deconstruction of this tailcap if someone is willing as most of the charging system is here.

The body tube and head are one continuous piece and is one of the areas where things changed the most on this light. Instead of knurling in the aluminum Olight choose to mill in 2 ares and place in silicone grip panels with molding for your fingers. These appear to be held on with adhesive and on mine are very firmly attached.

For me the finger groves don’t’ fit my hands great, but they are small enough it doesn’t much matter. They provide grip and insulation from the heat when running the light in Turbo. They also wash off pretty easily with just some water, which is just fine since this light is IPX8 rated. They also milled in a flat on the switch side of the light for labeling and indexing purposes which is nice. Threads are small, but square cut and well spaced out. It was easy to thread.

Interestingly there are no springs on the head end of this light, but there is a raised structure the battery sits on. It looks almost like a solid brass cone. On the tail side there is a very small amount of give in the tail cap. There is no rattle or play with the cell in terms of rattle and it passes my non marring drop tests just fine.

The head section had 2 larger milling ares opposite the button. The Seeker 2 adopts the switch that the X9R premiered, with a 4 step led indicator on the left hand side for power level, and a 4 step indicator to the right of the button for battery power level. Thee battery counter ramps up over about a second, and ramps down at the end. Visually I think it’s a neat design apart from the PWM these small LED’s have. These LED’s stay on for about the first 8 seconds or when a button is pressed.  Further up the head as the diameter increases the milling decreases. There is the iconic Olight blue bezel on the Seeker 2 pro, and it does have a crenelated bezel, but it’s very blunt. When face down just a little light shows out, it’s more for looks then function I think. The lens itself is similar to Olights TIR optics but in a triple format.

The light comes with Olights first proprietary 21700 battery, As with other magnetic rechargeable Olights, the cell goes in with the positive facing the tail cap. How they do their recharging is on the positive end they also have a negative end. The 21700 adds a plastic spacer ring around the positive pole for a bit of added safety. More on the battery and recharging system in that section.

Size, Weight, & Comparison to other Olights

The new Seeker 2 Pro is a replacement for the old R50 Seeker series of lights. I have a R50 Seeker that I will be comparing it to, and they line up closer than I thought.

Seeker 2 Pro

  • Length – 128mm
  • Minimum Diameter – 27mm
  • Maximum Diameter – 35mm
  • Weight with the included cell – 197g

 

R50 Seeker

  • Length – 133mm
  • Minimum Diameter – 32mm
  • Maximum Diameter – 42mm
  • Weight with the included cell – 258.9g

So as you can see the Seeker 2 Pro is smaller in all dimensions but it’s not an enormous difference. Largest is definitely in the head, and you feel it in the body size difference as well, more so then what the numbers show I think. Weight difference is noticeable as well. Here is a photo of how it compares to some other recent Olight models as well.

LED/Beamshot/temps/Runtime

The Seeker 2 Pro is using Cree XP-L HD LEDs in CW. Olight doesn’t give an official tint number but I would guess mine is between 5000-6000k.  

The tripled LED combined with the TIR style optics means the beam is pretty smooth and floody. It’s not perfectly round but not something you notice at distance. The TIR optic also does a good job of hiding any obvious Cree Rainbow from the LED’s.

  • Moonlight  – 5 Lumens
  • Low – 50 Lumens
  • Medium 300 Lumens
  • High 1200 Lumens then 600
  • Turbo 3200 Lumens then 600

Runtimes

Turbo’s 3200 lumens only lasts for 2 minutes, and then the light decreases to 600 lumens for over 100 minutes, One more major step down came at the 105 minute mark which lasted then for around 50 minutes before the light stopped it’s output and LVP kicked in. Total runtime was right at 145 minutes.

Temps were well controlled during my uncooled runtime tests. The maximum temps I saw was 45C at the head within 2 minutes. The silicone grips provide a bit more insulation as well.

 

UI

UI is is very similar to other Olights, and that’s great because it’s a simple UI that I like. From off if you long press on the button the light comes on in moonlight, which on this light is a little bright for my liking. When the light is on it starts in low, and then you can hold the button and it will cycle from lowest to brightest, just stop on where you want to be. The light does have memory mode for low through high. For tubo just double click and for strobe just tipple click. The light also features a lockout mode and timer that’s available.

 

Recharging

Recharging is using Olights newer MCC1AL magnetic charging system. Olight does include a much longer cable to go along with the LDock on this light, that was just shy of 4ft long. I observed maximum charging speed of .9A which resulted in a total overall charge time of 6.5 hours for the 5000mAh 21700 battery. This is a conservative charging speed for such a large cell. Good for the overall lifespan of the cell if you can wait. Terminating Voltage for the charge was 4.16V.

As mentioned earlier Olight includes the new Ldock with this light and I think it’s an underrated simple add on. This allows you to mount the flashlight vertically or horizontally to charge on most surfaces and route the cable cleanly either down the back or to the side. It’s compatible with most other Olight’s using the magnetic charging system as well. Better yet Olight is selling these separately , or if you have a 3D printer you could probably whip out one of your own in an afternoon.

Pro

  • It’s nice to see 21700 sized batteries continue to enter the more mainstream market. They are the highest energy density form factor battery currently available.
  • This battery choice allows for a light that’s more slim in all dimensions.
  • I like the X9R style button for output level and battery indicator.
  • Less Cree Rainbow then the R50’s XHP 70 LED.
  • Pretty smooth and even beam pattern
  • Love the L charging bracket and that it’s compatible with older lights.

Cons

  • Proprietary battery is more costly when it comes to needing a replacement.
  • Not a substantial upgrade in performance over the R50, I do like the increased runtime and smaller size though.
  • Only CW non High CRI LED is offered
  • Relatively long charge time for a large 5000mAh battery.
  • A bit on the expensive side

 

Conclusion

The Olight Seeker 2 Pro I feel like is an incremental upgrade over the R50 Pro it takes it’s name from. The smaller form factor, and less weight without reducing performance or runtimes is a nice upgrade. I like the new button and external UI options. Performance wise it’s a nice beam, and 3200 lumens is very bright, but with turbo only lasting 2 minutes and it taking such a large drop to 600 lumens after is a bit disappointing. On this price level of light I would like to see active thermal regulation and not timed step down. I would also be happier with less overall turbo output for longer runtimes at lower output. It’s a little disappointing to see moonlight being 5 lumens here, typically moonlight is 1 lumen or less.

Olights proprietary batteries like other manufactures branded cells tend to be pretty expensive and while I love the 21700 format, it’s proprietary nature and cost ends up being a negative for me. Luckily you should be able to use a standard button top 21700 and a small magnet if you want a less expensive second battery option and are ok with charging on an external charger.

Overall it’s a very capable light that I think people who get one will be happy with as long as you know about it’s cons. I can recommend it with reservations.

If your interested, pick it up from Skyben on Amazon.

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Olight PL-Mini 2 Review (Sub Compact & Compact Weapon Light)

Today I am taking a look at the Olight PL-Mini 2, a weapon light from Olight designed for compacts and subcompact pistols. Thanks to Skyben for sending this Pl-Mini 2 to me to check out and test at the range.

 

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/bfjczyN

YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging

Packaging for the Olight PL-Mini 2 is much like other recent Olight’s with a white high quality cardboard outer box. On the inside, you have a pull out tray covered by a cardboard cover that contains the manual and a right angle torx key. The light, charger and accessories come housed in a plastic form fitted container. Included accessories are the PL-Mini 2 itself, Olight magnetic charger (Special for the PL Mini lights), a metal 1913 rail piece (Glock is preinstalled), 2 extra screws, and a T6 Torx wrench. Skyben also includes 2 extras, a small little battery case for CR123 batteries, and a USB flash drive sized LED light.

Construction

The light is built from anodized aluminium with a smooth fairly glossy finish. The rear left and right buttons are plastic, and designed to bet pulled down to actuate. Compared to the original PL-Mini the PL Mini 2 is shorter but a bit thicker in height.

The big difference here is the mount. It has the same quick detach lever as the PL2 RL that when unlocked you have to then push on this actuator to expand left and right the attachment point, I like this and it adds additional security incase the quick detach was to come unlatched, the light wont drop off your pistol. The element that the PL Mini 2 adds is that in the unlocked position the mount section then slides forward and backwards allowing you to get the rear end of the light to fit a wider selection of firearms.

For instance the original PL-Mini won’t fit on the rail section I have installed on my S&W Shield, the light is too long, but the PL-Mini 2 I am able to sift the light forward so that it will connect. For those of you wondering I am using a ReCover Tactical SHR9 Rail adapter, and it’s really a nice option for the shield, with super easy install.

One thing to note is that there is No locktight on the screws that hold the adjustable rail section to the light. It hasn’t been a problem through my shooting the light but it’s something I might end up doing to just make sure they won’t ever come loose. I did decide to see if I could pry off the small rail section to see inside, and with a little force I was able. Between the two pieces there is a black silicone gasket, and inside there is a 130mAh battery. I was a little surprised to see the light is mostly potted with a clear silicone type material.

I had no issues with durability, having shot about 300 rounds through it on two outings to the range, from 4 different guns in 3 different calibers, 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP.

Physical Comparisons

PL Mini 2

Weight – 73g

Length (Shortest) – 44mm

Length (Longest) – 52mm

Width – 27.5mm

Height – 32mm

 

PL Mini

Weight 65.5g

Length – 53mm

Width – 28.5mm

Height – 27mm

 

To sum up the numbers the PL Mini 2 is shorter, but has more height and weighs slightly more due to the more complex mount system.

LED/Beam/Runtime

This light uses the Cree XP-L HD LED in cool white. In comparison to the Original PL-Mini the tint in version 2 is a bit warmer, but with a slight green tint in my example. The reflector is a little larger due to the increased height of the light, and it seems to throw a bit larger beam. The light throws pretty well the reflector size, and for a weapon light this is what you want.

600 lumens on such a small platform will have a hard time dissipating heat and this is no different. It’s brightest mode only lasts 2-3 minutes, the good news is the step down is smooth and slow but significant. By the 11 minutes mark, the light is at about 10% relative output. It maintains this steadily for another 35 minutes before decreasing slowly down to almost nothing before it shut off at 100 minutes.

UI

The UI is very basic with essentially no options on this light. The buttons have basically one mode that either lock on if pressed quickly, or act in momentary if held down. There is no strobe on this light.

Recharging

Recharging happens via the magnetic olight charging system. The PL Mini 2 like the original use the special version of the charger, my guess this is to reduce the charging speed due to the small battery. Overall recharge time from shut off point was 52 minutes.

 

Pro’s

  • Adjustable solution that will fit most compact and subcompact pistols with rail support
  • Stepdowns are more gradual and slow, not big steps, but it’s initial 600 lumens only lasts 2-3 minutes.

 

Con’s

  • Holster Support – A few brands announced they will be making holsters for the lights, Olight still has a lot of work to do to catch up to the more established brands in the pistol light market for holster support.
  • Clamp on the left hand side, when mounted easily catches a finger when going to turn it on.

 

Conclusion

The PL-Mini 2 is almost a completely different light from the 1st generation. While they do similar things, the Mini 2 prioritizes it’s modularity to fit smaller compacts and subcompact pistols, and makes design decisions to accomplish this such increasing it’s height, to make it’s overall length shorter to better fit compact and subcompact framed pistols. As a weapon light it works well, I don’t have any complaints there, the magnetic recharging system is very convenient, and works well for the size. My two problems are the quick disconnect lever is a little too long and kind of covers the switch on that side. Left handed shooters would notice this the most or if you trigger the light activation with your off hand for right handed shooters. I think the design could be improved by at least making it round or perhaps coming up with another lever design that is smaller. The other main problem I see is holster support. There are a few manufactures that offer semi custom holsters but not many. Be prepared to be buying custom holsters if you decide to run this light as it’s just not widely supported like some other brands are, especially if you have an adapter rail like I do. As long as you know this going in it’s a nice little pistol light that works well in my testing.

Pick up the PL-Mini 2 on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2Zt1RkL

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Olight PL-2RL Review (1200 lumen Weapon Light + Laser)

Today I have a review of the new Olight PL-2RL Baldr weapon light from Olight. This light takes the PL-2 which I reviewed last year and adds a red laser to the bottom of the light. A few things on the flashlight itself were improved upon and then the addition to the laser. Thanks to Olight for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/l4MvtiC

YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging
Packaging is similar to Olight’s others from 2018. It’s a white cardboard box with texture, and a picture of the light printed on the outside. On the back it has stats about it and runtime specs. I prefer if Olight would relocate the SN/Barcode because when you pull the tab to open the package that piece comes loose.



Accessories include the light itself, 2x CR123A batteries, small Hex wrench, and a 1913 rail piece (The Glock is preinstalled). If you don’t know the Glock rail is slightly smaller, it will work on a 1913 rail but move around more than is desired.

Construction
This light is very similar in construction to the original PL-2 but with a laser module screwed on to the bottom. It’s built of aircraft grade aluminum and is pretty sturdy. The anodizing finish on the light looks the same but in my experience it and the lens clean up easier. I sprayed mine down with Ballistol, let it sit for about 15 minutes while cleaning other things and the powder residue on the front of the light and on the lens easily wiped off with a microfiber towel. My PL-2 was more difficult to clean.


The buttons appear to be the same, they click from the side, not from the back, have a rubberized texture and are ambidextrous. The battery door has a tab to pull up and then it hinges up. This means you most likely will need to remove it from your weapon to swap batteries. Not a huge deal with the toolless mounting system on the PL-2RL. It has visible springs in the front nearest the lens, but the rear terminals are also spring loaded, just not visible. Not much movement in them.

The mounting system has been improved on the PL-2RL. It still features a toolesss quick release lever which I really like. What’s new is this is now more spring loaded. In the unlocked position the light is very hard to shake off accidentally, if you push on it some you can get it to come off. To get it off you have to press in on the lever to expand the jaws a bit. This is definitely an improvement, the PL-2 would just drop free when the lever was in the unlock position, I could see if you were in a tactical situation how the lever may be caught on something and if that happened your light would fall free. With the new PL-2RL that is much less likely to occur.

The light does have a bright yellow warning sticker about the laser that also features as the indicator for the modes. I wish this was done differently. I understand there is probably import/legal regulations regarding the laser, but I wish the mode indicators were laser engraved into the light as a more permanent fix. I find the yellow a bit distracting and it’s not very tactical. I think i’ll either cut the sticker and remove the bulk of the yellow part or use a sharpie or paint marker to make it black.



Size and Weight
This isn’t a small weapon light. The addition to the laser adds quite a bit of bulk to the light. On a full size pistol it’s ok, but on anything much smaller it’s borderline too big in my opinion. Length of the PL-2RL is 83mm, width is 36.5mm, depth is 48mm. Depth of the PL-2 was 30.5mm.

Weight with batteries of the PL-2 is 116g.
Weight with batteries of the PL-2RL is 140g an increase of 24 grams.
It is IPX6 water rated so it should do fine in heavy rain or dropped in a puddle if removed quickly. It’s not a diving light.

Hold a zero?
In my testing the light held a zero pretty well. I tested the light on a couple of Glock’s chambered in .45 ACP, 10mm, and 9mm. I also tested it on an AR9 pistol. We didn’t zero it on every firearm but we did on 10mm and AR9 and after the first few shots it held its position well. I know Olight had some initial issues with the PL-2 and 10mm, we didn’t have any issue after running it through a variety of rounds.

To adjust zero there are two set screws near the laser part of the housing to set windage and elevation. An included Torx wrench does come with the light. One thing I would improve is when adjusting elevation and windage some clicks that you could either feel or hear would be useful, to improve the speed of adjustment. So you know each click is for example 1 MOA etc. You can zero it without shooting a round at home if you have your iron signs setup. Point your unloaded firearm in a safe direction, and zero the laser to your iron sights.

LED/Runtime
The PL-2RL is advertised as producing 1200 lumens through a CREE XHP 35 HI LED in Cool White, however those are peak lumens. Like many high output flashlights the PL-2RL will step down in brightness to 400 Lumens after 1.5 minutes. The runtime is then an additional 100-105 minutes depending if the laser is on or off. In mode 2 when the light is on at a constant 400 lumens, runtime is increased to 105 or 120 minutes depending on if the laser is on or off. The lens is glass, with a plastic TIR style reflector. It creates a very hot center, minimizing spill. The Olight PL-2RL can use 2X CR123A or rechargeable RCR123A cells. If using the rechargeables runtime won’t be as long. This is one case where I would recommend using Primary batteries for longer shelf life, and because the runtimes will be longer due to the reduced capacity of the rechargeable batteries.

The laser is a 5mW red laser that’s similar at 15 yards to a 3moa red dot. It’s running at a 645-655nm wavelength. Max runtime of laser only is 75 hours. Having the laser on doesn’t change runtime much of the XHP 35 HI LED. Olight lists the difference in mode 1 (1200 lumens, then 400 lumens after 1.5 minutes) of only 5 minutes if the laser is on. In mode 2 (Constant 400 lumens) the runtime difference with the laser on is 15 minutes less.

Beamshots
The beamshots are identical to the PL-2. It’s a large hot center and throws decently well. The laser seems to be pretty centered in the middle of this beam. See my video for the examples.

UI
This light uses the same side to side toggle buttons as the PL-2 has. They work best to push from the side in. These work pretty much the same as the PL-2 for light uses. If you long press on either switch you get momentary on, if you quick press you get constant on, and if you click both together you gets strobe (Doesn’t work on laser only mode). On the back of the laser you have a 3 position selector switch, Left, Center and Right to select what combination of laser/light are on when the buttons are pressed..

When the selector switch is all the way to the left you get laser only. It will come on with either left or right button, and pinching each button at the same time doesn’t do anything in this mode.

When the selector switch is in the center you get a Light + Laser option. In this mode when you pinch both switches together the light will strobe and the laser stays on all the time.

When the selector switch is to the right you get only a light. In this mode the light works exactly like the PL-2, giving you momentary with a longer press or constant on with quick press.

Rather then a big yellow warning sticker about the laser, I would prefer they laser engrave the 3 positions into the light itself as I think most people will remove the sticker. Engraving is also much more durable.

Pros

  • Buttons with tactile and audible click
  • Quick open battery door
  • Improved Tool free quick disconnect mounting system
  • High performance but it can’t be sustained due to heat

Cons

  • The addition of the laser makes this quite large and heavier.
  • Holster options will be limited, meaning you may have to have one custom made.
  • Somewhat pricey batteries (CR123A)
  • Strobe interface isn’t ideal requiring pressing both buttons at the same time.

Conclusion
I have enjoyed testing the Olight weapon lights, for me they have worked well on a variety of guns and platforms. The PL-2RL is a nice addition to the line. It’s downfall is it’s size, even on a full size pistol it’s pretty big.. For me it’s probably going to live on one of my AR platforms due to the size and having to get a custom holster. I like the addition of the laser, it makes aiming in the right conditions a little quicker and easier once you have it zeroed in.

I like the Norse mythology name of the PL-2RL Baldr, the god of light. Each weapon light from Olight shows their growth in knowledge and experience in this segment of the industry and this is what you want to see to keep making better products. Olight needs to work with holster manufacturers in advance of a light release to have better support for their weapon lights if they want a wider adoption rate. I am interested to see what they come up with next.

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Olight i3T Cu Mini Review and Flash Sale reminder (10/22 1-3pm EST)(Raw Copper, AAA EDC Light)

I wanted to show you the brand new special edition Olight i3T Cu in raw copper. This is a special edition of the Olight i3T I reviewed earlier in the year. Olight is having a flash sale for this light on Monday October 22nd from 1-3pm eastern during this time the light will be available for 25% off making it only about $24 plus a little for shipping. This is a great sale for a solid copper EDC light. I have only had the copper version for a few days and I like it alot. I kind of have a thing for raw copper and the aluminium version of this light gets a good amount of pocket time in my current EDC lineup.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/Njzwdra

 

If you have not seen my review of the aluminum version of this light make sure you check it out on Youtube or Reddit. Let’s quickly go through the differences in the new copper edition.

 

  • Only 10,000 will be made for sale worldwide, they are individually numbered so if you want one you better buy it now before it’s sold out.

  • Solid raw copper. The light is solid copper inside and out, even the tail cap innards, This means the light will take on a great patina the more you use it. It came sealed in a protective bag inside the box so that it will be perfect when you first receive it. I am really looking forward to how the patina develops over time. Make sure you subscribe to my instagram. I will be showing progress of how it naturally progresses with the patina. You do pay some weight penalty for copper but since this is a small light I don’t think you will notice much in the pocket.

  • The clip steel and is the same pattern as the aluminum light but this time it’s PVD coated in a brown/copper metallic finish. Right now when the light is bright and shiny there is some definite contrast here but as the light develops patina it will really blend in I think. Olight has also added 2 small raised area where the clip sets to give it a more snug secure fit to help it not rotate. Also changed are the color of the tail cap and button assembly. It’s also a copper brown finish.

  • Lastly the O’Ring around the lens and inside the tail cap have been changed from the standard black to red.

 

Outputs, UI, and the emitter in this light are the same as the aluminum version. The i3T Cu makes a nice EDC especially if you have a thing for copper, this is really easy light to pick up.

Don’t forget about the flash sale on October 22nd from 1-3pm EST on OlightStore.com

 

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Olight S1R Baton II Review (1000, EDC Flashlight, 16340, Rechargeable)

Today I am looking at the new Olight S1R Baton II. While the name is a mouthful this small light means business. It’s just 2.4 inches tall but produces 1000 lumens on Turbo, has a magnetic tail and has recharging via the doc. Thanks to Olight sending this to me to take a look at the newest light in the Olight flagship line.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/LwokMdZ
YouTube Version of this Review:

https://youtu.be/DOyeQKSNDYw

Packaging
Packaging follows other recent Olights. It’s a tall and narrow white textured cardboard box. Inside is a white branded plastic tray that holds the light. Underneath was a large yellow cardboard read me, telling you to remove the insulating film, suggesting to store the battery in an included battery keeper, and what all is inside. Included with the light is the light itself, the Olight dual direction pocket clip, a proprietary Olight IMR 16340 550mAh battery, new generation of the magnetic USB charger, a small plastic battery box, lanyard (With threading needle), and a brown suede bag.







Construction
The S1R Baton II follows in a long line of well made production lights. The light is made from aluminium and anodized a smooth satin black. Starting at the back of the light we notice the recharging contacts for its magnetic recharging system. The outside silver rings are slightly raised, and the inner brass button is sunk in just a little. I did test for safety of this system with a bit of steel wool and didn’t have a fire starter on hand. This tail cap is magnetic and quite strong. It easily holds the weight of the light and is better against vibrations then some previous Olights. The tail section also has a hole drilled in it’s side to allow for a lanyard.

Unlike on the original S1R Baton, on version 2 the tail and body tube are one machined piece of aluminum, and the only place the light seperates now is right below the head. The body tube has a new machined raised square with each side tapered in. It’s definitely more aggressive than the small flat squares before but nothing that should rip up a pocket. I like it quite a bit. Threads are small, well machined and greased.


The head itself is pretty small, and inside features a pretty stiff brass spring. On the exterior writing is kept to a minimum, with just a small Olight logo, and opposite that the model number and serial number in small writing. The button is the same as others in the Baton series, It has a silicone cover, and has a small red LED in the center for indicating status. This is surrounded by a blue bezel. The front bezel of the light is reflective blue, and has engraved 1000 Lumens, CCT 6500k CRI 70. It features a TIR lens.

Size and weight comparisons
I measured the length at 63mm and the maximum diameter in the head at 21mm. Weight with the battery and clip came to 51g. The S1R Baton II makes a pretty good EDC for a 16340 battery light. The thin side walls and clip make it a pretty easy carry in a front jean pocket in my opinion.

In comparison the Olight S1 Mini Baton Is 54mm in length, 21mm in diameter, 43G with battery and clip, its tail isn’t rechargeable or nearly as strong magnetically though. The Copper Smini Baton I have with battery is 54mm in length, 21mm in diameter but comes in at 72g with battery and clip due to copper being heavy.

LED/Beam/Runtime
This light uses a Cree XM-L2 LED in cool white. It’s rated at 6500k with a CRI of 70. I don’t notice any cree rainbows, or odd color tints on mine. It features a TIR style optic and it’s no secret I like this style of optic on a short from factor EDC light like this. You get a sizeable hot spot that allows it to throw a useable amount and then you get a wide spill. For me and how I use an EDC light (Shorter durations) this is about perfect.


Runtimes are about what I expected for a small light that leads off with saying it’s capable of 1000 lumens in turbo. Turbo mode doesn’t last that long, only about 1.8 minutes before it starts to slowly decrease fairly significantly to about 30% relative output. While that sounds like a lot it’s still quite a bit of useable light for about 28 minutes. Past this light steps down again pretty quickly to low mode. Total runtime from turbo on the included 550mAh battery was 65 minutes. Heat was well controlled for a small light.

UI
The S1R Baton II has the standard Olight UI many of us have come to know, and I like with the slower fades from off/on and between modes. From off, long press to activate moonlight mode at 0.5 lumens. To turn on in normal modes single click the switch, to change brightness level hold the button and the light will cycle through the 4 available modes lowest to highest. Double click to access turbo. Triple click to access strobe. The light also features memory mode for normal modes.

Lockout can be accomplished when the light is off by pressing and holding the switch for 2 seconds until moonlight mode comes on and immediately shuts off. If you then press the button the red LED under the power button will come on to let you know your in lockout mode. To exit lockout press the button for about 1 second until moonlight mode stays on. Personally I will just give the body of the light a ¼ turn to mechanically lock it out. The light features a short 3 minute timer, and a longer 9 minute timer. If these are setup (See the included manual) the light will automatically shut off when the end of the timer is reached.

Recharging and the Battery
Olight has an updated magnetic charger (MCC2) with the S1R Baton II. The main benefit of this charger is it’s faster. It now is capable of 1A charging. The charger is also capable of working with older versions of lights such as the S30R, or S2R. On those it was able to charge at a closer rate of .95A.

Visually it’s a little different with the bottom and top having rounded edges. Gone is the LED indicator at the base of the charger and instead it has been replaced with a tiny LED on the bottom. I find the LED harder to see if it’s sitting on top, but better for night time bedlight charging due to less ambient lighting.


On the S1R Baton II the charger didn’t charge at full speed the charger has printed on it. This due to the smaller capacity of the battery. You wouldn’t want to charge this 550mAh cell at AA for safety and cell longevity reasons. The battery has a plastic separator that stands up a little more and protects the positive terminal more then other olight batteries have had. The light is also capable of using a CR123 or other olight batteries although you won’t be able to recharge it in the light.


My guess would be Olight will be rolling out updates to some of their other Baton series lights with this new charger over time.

This is the 4th model of Olight magnetic chargers that I have, I think I need to start putting labels on them to keep them straight in my charging drawer.It would be nice if they had labels or color indicators on the lights/charges to help you out.

Safety
I deliberately tried to short circuit the exposed charging contacts on this light with a bit of steel wool and had no ill effects.

Pro

  • Small size, well built, strong magnet, great pocket clip.
  • Convenient slightly faster charging
  • Simple interface

Cons

  • Proprietary battery, new to the this updated light. The older ORBC-163C06 also works in the light but won’t recharge.
  • MCC2 charger with the LED on the bottom makes it harder to check status, I would prefer the charge status on the side.
  • LED choice, while I don’t have major complaints against the XM-L2, I would love to see a neutral white or high CRI option, it would make this fantastic EDC in my opinion.

Conclusion
The Olight S1R Baton II is a nice little EDC light with a lot of power for a short time. I think it’s a nice update. I especially like the new style of pocket clip and the new milling on the body. Olight does a good job with TIR reflectors creating attractive beam patterns for this style of light in my opinion. If you are needing a new EDC this is a nice option to choose.

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Olight M1T Raider (500 Lumen, Tactical EDC CR123A)

Today I have on my Review table the new Olight M1T Raider. This is a tactical style EDC light with 2 modes, a rear tail switch and upto 500 lumens out of a CR123 battery. In looks it is similar to the Olight I3T I reviewed last month. Thanks to Olight for sending this to me to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/dqsO18H
YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging
Packaging is the familiar white cardboard box that Olight has had on several of their recent releases. On the outside is a large picture of the light, and details are all on the back. The box has a pull tap on the top and you slide out the white tray that contains the light and accessories. In the package you get the light with the removable pocket clip preinstalled, a CR123A Olight branded battery (With plastic insulator that must be removed before use), a lanyard, and an instruction manual that in this case is only in english. I suspect that’s due to this light being released a bit earlier elsewhere in the world a little earlier this summer.





Construction
The M1T is made of aircraft grade aluminum and is hard anodized a semi gloss black. The design is pretty similar to the Olight i3T but with some changes. Starting with the tail switch the top is a grippy rubber with a dimpled pattern. The side walls of the button are plastic, this means you need to actuate it more straight up and down not roll onto it from the side. I like this and think it helps prevent accidental activation. The tail cap has very fine knurling on it that seems to attract dust and dirt easily. The there very back there is a place for the small diameter lanyard to fit. Inside the tail cap instead of a spring, it has a spring loaded brass button.



The body of the light has a helix style spiral like the i3T had but this time it has some straight knurling pressed in, I like the look of this and like the additional grip it provides.

The head is rather simple, no additional heat sink or knurling on the body. The front Olight blue bezel has returned and this time with a DNA catcher of sorts on it. It’s not smooth but not sharp enough to damage you pocket. All branding and marking are on the head. The lens is recessed and a TIR style optic. You can see a few of the wires underneath the TIR optic which is uncustomary.

The pocket clip is a scaled up version of what’s been on the M2T, and i3T to fit the size and proportions of the M1T. This is a good clip in my opinion. It sits reasonably deep, can fit onto a hat

Sizes, Weight, and Comparisons
Overall length 91mm, diameter 21mm. Weight is 65g with the included battery and clip. The light is IPX8 rated.


LED/Runtime
This light uses a Luminus STT40 LED in cool white. The tint isn’t super cool, and more on the neutral side of things. As mentioned previously a TIR style optic sits on top.

!{width:80%}https://i.imgur.com/IAAHwUn.jpg Beamshot!

Runtimes
For my runtime tests I used an Olight branded 650mAh 16340 battery. The light ships with a Olight branded CR123A. Total runtime on the 650mAh battery was 70 minutes. Turbo lasted about 5 minutes and what was notable is that there really was not much sag in light output during this stage. The stop down was sharp and put output at about 55% relative output for the remainder of the 65 minute runtime. Runtime at the end was an abrupt shut off.

This light doesn’t have Low Voltage Protection which is disappointing. The manual specifically says to use protected batteries (RCR1234 or 16340) if using rechargeables which to me means that it doesn’t have LVP. This is disappointing to me for a light in this price range and from a premium brand. However with this family of lights it does seem to be what Olight is doing.

UI
The UI of this light is a simple 2 mode only. It’s similar to Streamlight’s protac tactical series lights. The switch on the rear of the light works in momentary with a half press then can lock on in either of the two modes with a full press. By default the light comes on in high mode. To get to low from off you need to do a very fast double click. I find it easiest to do this in momentary then lock on if needed. It takes a little bit of practice to get right but once you do it’s easy to repeat.

High modes is 500 lumens, and low is 5 lumens. Part of me wishes there was a medium mode of maybe 150 lumens which I find would be nice for EDC uses but it would complicate the UI a little for a tactical light.

Pro

  • For a CR123A light it’s pretty slim, but it could be shorter. Either way I find it carries well in the pocket.
  • The Olight blue bezel is back!
  • I like the new clip, it’s 2 way and carries well

Con

  • No LVP
  • Low mode takes practice to access
  • Cool White only

Conclusion
If you want a tactical (High mode first) EDC light this is a pretty nice option. In essence this is a scaled up version of the Olight i3T. They use the same LED, same style lens and rear button, have a similar clip and exterior design. To me the most disappointing thing to me is the lack of Low Voltage Protection on a light of this price and from a premium manufacturer. Lack of LVP only matters if you are using it with rechargeable batteries but that’s what I do for EDC because it’s a lower cost of operation.

As an EDC this carries nice, and is fairly deep in the pocket. It’s minimal diameter and it’s length isn’t too long. I like TIR style optics on EDC lights because I find the beam patterns to be useful. A good mix of flood and light throw. The UI on this light is good when you remember it’s tactical. While it starts on high it does have low but it takes a little practice to get to easily. Overall this is a nice tactical EDC option available from Olight.

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Olight i3T Review (180 lumen AAA Powered Flashlight)

Olight has another new small flashlight to take a look at. Today I have the Olight i3T EOS. It’s a small AAA powered, tail switch light with 2 modes of illumination. In my review I plan to compare it to the Streamlight MicroStream because they are similar in size and operation as well as price. Thanks to Olight for sending this out to take a look at.

Full Image Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/i6z6SFs
YouTube Version of this Review:

Packaging & Size
The packaging is similar to other recent Olight products. It’s a white small cardbord box with relevant info on the sides and back. Inside is a plastic tray that holds the light and directions. This light doesn’t come with many extras only a preinstalled generic battery. The light is IPX8 water rated, and features a 5 year warranty. With battery it only weights 41g.



 (This one bothers my OCD)

Physical comparison
The triple AAA style lights carry well when they have a good clip. Both lights here are contenders. I find diameter to be important especially for summer EDC when wearing thinner materials and less bulky clothes. The Olight i3T is a hair shorter The nthe Streamlight Microstream, mostly all down to the button. The Streamlight has a bit of a reputation for not having the best retention in the clip. The Olight doesn’t seem to have this problem so far in my 2 weeks of carry. Aside from outputs and modes the buttons are the biggest difference. The Streamlight has a more traditional rubber button and you can activate it by rollin in from the side. The Olight on the other hand has plastic sides on the button and a rubber top so it can only be activated from straight down.

Construction
The Olight i3T is made of aluminum and has a gloss black anodizing on it. Starting at the tail the button stands proud and is easy to find. It has a studded rubber pattern on the very top, but the sides are hard plastic. This creates a very sturdy feel, and you have to be directly on top to activate it. This helps prevent side activation or rolling to activate. The tail is the only part that comes apart. It has straight cut knurling on it that is fine. Inside it’s a threaded brass insert with a gold colored spring.





The body has a unique grip. It’s a spiral cut area that’s milled out in two little rows. It’s not a high grip design but it’s more then some of the competitors have and it’s something different. It won’t tear up your clothes and I like it. The head is pretty simple. It’s glued in place and has branding and model name and serial number on it. The lens is glass and under is a TIR style reflector and a small LED.

The clip is a new design that is reversible and removable. In head down configuration it carries faily deep. It has ample area at either end for both thin and chick pants. Retention was good I had no issues on thin slick short pockets or thicker jean type pockets. The clip can also be used to attach the light the bill of a hat.

LED/Runtime/UI
The i3T usesa Philips Luxeon TX LED in cool white with a TIR reflector. This was the same LED used in the recent Olight i1R keychain light. It’s LED tint is not super cool, more of a warmer cool tint. Currently there are no plans to offer this in a warm or neutral tint.

The beam of the i3T has a small hot center with a smooth fall off to spill. The Streamlight’s beam pattern is similar but the cut off is harder. At distance this harder cut off is more apparent and the Olights looks more even. In my comparison shot here the Streamlight is on the left and the Olight is on the right. It’s hard to make a fair comparison shot because of the lumen differences. The Olight is on Low, and the Streamlight is on in it’s one mode.
 (Olight i3T on a cream colored wall on Low mode)
 (Streamlight Microstream on the left in it’s 1 mode, Olight i3T (CW) on low mode on the right. Different lumen outputs here.)

This light is not compatible with lithium 10440 batteries officially according to the manual. However it does work with them if they are flat tops. Mine happen to be button tops. It is compatible with Alkaline, and rechargeable NiHM batteries officially which is what I have been using and recommend since there is no low voltage protection. I suspect the internals are very similar to the recent Olight i1R keychain light as it’s the same LED and reflector combo.

For my runtime tests I used an Amazon Basics AAA rechargeable battery. I got a solid 10 minutes at the brightest setting (180 lumens) which was about 10 minutes before the light decreased in output to about 40% relative output over the next 10 minutes. At this point it ran for 40 minutes before continuing to drop off. Total runtime starting out in high was 70 minutes. The Olight i3T has a low mode as well at 5 lumens and they claim it will last for 16 hours. While the streamlight microstream has a longer output at 175 minutes it’s producing quite a bit less light during this time then compared to the olights High mode.

UI
The UI of the i3T is fairly simple. It starts off in low, and if you click (or momentary) again you get high output mode. If you change modes again within 2 seconds it will remember where you are, if longer then that the light will start again in low. The tail switch is capable of momentary with just a half press or constant on with a full press (audible click).

Pro’s

  • Small Size and TIR reflector
  • Well done dual direction pocket clip
  • Well built
  • 2 Mode UI but 3 modes would be nicer.

Con’s

  • Cool white only emitter
  • Could be a little more throwy
  • No official 10440 compatibility due to lack of LVP.
  • No signature Olight blue Bezel.

Conclusion
The Olight i3T is a nice update to the 1 AAA options Olight has. I welcome the two mode button top design. The pocket clip has good retention and is deep enough. The top click mount button prevents side presses which helps prevent accidental activation in the pocket. The new milling on the body could be a bit more grippy in my opinion but I like the new look. I wish a neutral or warm tint LED was offered but I understand that adds cost and manufacture complications to service a smaller segment of the market. Overall I think the i3T is a nice light from Olight that should be popular to many and a good option for those looking for more output from a Streamlight Microstream or other similar lights. It can be purchased in the USA at OlightStore.com or at Amazon.