FS1040
.40 S&W
I have been on a flashlight quest trying to find the holy grail of portability, luminosity, and qualitosity. (I just coined that last word.) I've graduated from the heavy, but reasonably priced Maglites to Surefire, Four7 (defunct), and now OLIGHT.
My 9 year old son, knowing how I like flashlights, thoughtfully bought me a 2000 lumen NEBO for Christmas. It weighs (and I'm guessing) 12 pounds. It's redeeming feature is that it takes AA batteries. It's unredeeming feature is that it takes 9 AA batteries. I wouldn't return this for the world; he put a lot of thought into it, but for EDC, you would walk in circles if you carried it in your pocket.
Enter the Grinch and how I came to own the OLIGHT S1 Mini Baton. I bought this for a friend of a family member we were seeing after Christmas. I thought it was the perfect gift, but as I thought about it, I thought how it would be a better gift for someone I knew would really appreciate it--me. Future BIL got something else instead.
I've never owned an OLIGHT product before so I didn't know what to expect. The box was a reasonable size; I expected a light about the size of the Surefire Tactician I own. (Quick review--the Surefire is overpriced and is a battery vampire.) I opened the well designed packaging and had to search for the light. It is very small at a hair over 2" high; it weighs 1.6 oz. I've had slivers bigger than this. My immediate thought was to send it back as it wouldn't turn on with the battery inserted, but then a lightbulb went off as I realized I might have to charge it first. (Make sure the battery is inserted the right direction as well. The charging port on the batter should be next to the tail cap.)
I didn't time the initial charge as I am not a data freak like some reviewers, but i would guess it took an hour or so before the green light came on. You charge the battery by inserting the plug into the battery (kinda cool). This light takes CR123A and RCR123A batteries. This OLIGHT came with a spare rechargeable battery and a handy-dandy battery storage case. Once I was juiced up, I ran it through a grueling gauntlet of tests on the back patio. By gauntlet, I turned it on and off a bunch of times and probably annoyed my neighbors. I didn't see an owners manual so I had to figure out the settings on my own. Here is how it works:
Press and hold -- .5 lumen (moonlight). This is an incredibly useful setting.
Double tap -- This takes you into the 3 main light modes--15, 60, & 330 lumens. While in this mode, you can double tap again and go straight to 600 lumens for 1 minute before it backs down to 330. Also, while in this mode or in moonlight mode, hold down the button to cycle through the 3 lighting options.
Triple tap -- I'll call this sport mode as it's so much fun. It's a blinding strobe light that I tested on myself. It was disorienting and completely destroyed my night vision.
If I did my math right, this light has a total of 6 useful settings. When on 600 or 330, the light does get hot, hot, hot, but that's expected in a package this small.
It comes with a reversible clip. You can carry bezel down in your pocket, but it's so small you could let it float around with your loose change and pocket lint. Reverse the clip and wear it on your hat like your old man. Wait, OH NOOO, that's me now! I’ll rephrase that— wearing it on your hat is super cool! Your kids will think so too.
But wait....there's more.
The designers at OLIGHT also include a lanyard that attaches to the clip inconspicuously. They even provide a thin metal guide to help thread it through the hole. I'm not a lanyard kind of guy, but it may be helpful if you need to hang the light somewhere.
Speaking of hanging the light, the tailcap is MAGNETIC. You can stick this to any piece of ferrous metal for hands-free use. Uber neato.
And, the light is waterproof. What more do you want?
This was my new favorite light until I saw the OLIGHT S1R II Baton 1000 lumens with the IMR16340 rechargeable battery. Guess what I'm getting for Christmas next year.
I suppose I have to give it stars or points or some kind of rating to be an official review. I'll give this lilliputian luminescent bundle of joy 10 Bailey's Beads.
Do you have an OLIGHT? What are your experiences with the brand? What flashlight do you prefer?
My 9 year old son, knowing how I like flashlights, thoughtfully bought me a 2000 lumen NEBO for Christmas. It weighs (and I'm guessing) 12 pounds. It's redeeming feature is that it takes AA batteries. It's unredeeming feature is that it takes 9 AA batteries. I wouldn't return this for the world; he put a lot of thought into it, but for EDC, you would walk in circles if you carried it in your pocket.
Enter the Grinch and how I came to own the OLIGHT S1 Mini Baton. I bought this for a friend of a family member we were seeing after Christmas. I thought it was the perfect gift, but as I thought about it, I thought how it would be a better gift for someone I knew would really appreciate it--me. Future BIL got something else instead.
I've never owned an OLIGHT product before so I didn't know what to expect. The box was a reasonable size; I expected a light about the size of the Surefire Tactician I own. (Quick review--the Surefire is overpriced and is a battery vampire.) I opened the well designed packaging and had to search for the light. It is very small at a hair over 2" high; it weighs 1.6 oz. I've had slivers bigger than this. My immediate thought was to send it back as it wouldn't turn on with the battery inserted, but then a lightbulb went off as I realized I might have to charge it first. (Make sure the battery is inserted the right direction as well. The charging port on the batter should be next to the tail cap.)
I didn't time the initial charge as I am not a data freak like some reviewers, but i would guess it took an hour or so before the green light came on. You charge the battery by inserting the plug into the battery (kinda cool). This light takes CR123A and RCR123A batteries. This OLIGHT came with a spare rechargeable battery and a handy-dandy battery storage case. Once I was juiced up, I ran it through a grueling gauntlet of tests on the back patio. By gauntlet, I turned it on and off a bunch of times and probably annoyed my neighbors. I didn't see an owners manual so I had to figure out the settings on my own. Here is how it works:
Press and hold -- .5 lumen (moonlight). This is an incredibly useful setting.
Double tap -- This takes you into the 3 main light modes--15, 60, & 330 lumens. While in this mode, you can double tap again and go straight to 600 lumens for 1 minute before it backs down to 330. Also, while in this mode or in moonlight mode, hold down the button to cycle through the 3 lighting options.
Triple tap -- I'll call this sport mode as it's so much fun. It's a blinding strobe light that I tested on myself. It was disorienting and completely destroyed my night vision.
If I did my math right, this light has a total of 6 useful settings. When on 600 or 330, the light does get hot, hot, hot, but that's expected in a package this small.
It comes with a reversible clip. You can carry bezel down in your pocket, but it's so small you could let it float around with your loose change and pocket lint. Reverse the clip and wear it on your hat like your old man. Wait, OH NOOO, that's me now! I’ll rephrase that— wearing it on your hat is super cool! Your kids will think so too.
But wait....there's more.
The designers at OLIGHT also include a lanyard that attaches to the clip inconspicuously. They even provide a thin metal guide to help thread it through the hole. I'm not a lanyard kind of guy, but it may be helpful if you need to hang the light somewhere.
Speaking of hanging the light, the tailcap is MAGNETIC. You can stick this to any piece of ferrous metal for hands-free use. Uber neato.
And, the light is waterproof. What more do you want?
This was my new favorite light until I saw the OLIGHT S1R II Baton 1000 lumens with the IMR16340 rechargeable battery. Guess what I'm getting for Christmas next year.
I suppose I have to give it stars or points or some kind of rating to be an official review. I'll give this lilliputian luminescent bundle of joy 10 Bailey's Beads.
Do you have an OLIGHT? What are your experiences with the brand? What flashlight do you prefer?
