Flashlight Review - Olight Baton series

I’ve been daily carrying an Olight Baton flashlight in my pockets for almost two full years now (check out Olight's website).  I think I can consider that a sufficient amount of time to gain a pretty good understanding of the lights.  Most of that time was with the S15R (single AA rechargeable battery), about the last two months with a limited edition copper S1A (single AA), and now the new S1R Turbo S (single rechargeable RCR123). 

The main features that keep me daily carrying these lights are the size, functionality, and pocket clip. 

Size:

When I say I carry a light daily, I truly mean this.  Even in bed, I have a light clipped in my pocket.  The single cell Baton’s are just the right length and width to not be too uncomfortable when I’m seated.  Longer, two-cell lights (e.g. FourSevens Preon 2 & Streamlight Stylus Pro) often dig into my leg, or rest at awkward angles while I’m at my desk or in the car.

The Batons are just big enough to be comfortable in your hand.  They are not too tiny like some single-cell “key chain” flashlights (e.g. Preon 1 and Olight I3E EOS).

Functionality:

On this aspect, I’m mainly talking about the brightness levels and ease of use.  They go from really low (.5 lumens), to really high (280 lumens S15R – 600 lumens S1A – 900 lumens S1R) with a few stops in between.  One of my most used settings is the .5 lumens.  This works great at night when I’m checking on my young children or when I don’t want too much light so as to wake up my wife.  I love that this setting can always be immediately reached simply by holding down the power button when the light is off.  It is also nice that the Batons go back to the last used setting when powered back on.

I like the side clicky button.  I’m not a fan of lights that require the twisting of the head, like some of my Foursevens lights.  The Batons are easily operated with one hand. 

Pocket Clip:

I didn’t think that I liked the clip at first, but it has become one of my favorite features.  The clip is long and fairly tight and seemed, at first, to be difficult to clip into my pants pockets.  The trick I’ve found is to hold onto the clip itself and pull it out slightly while pulling it down into the pocket.  The lights ride deep in the pocket and the tight clips are not easily dislodged.  

Overall the steel that is used has really held up well, with the exception of the silver clip on the S1A Copper.  The clip did not sit on the light well to begin with (it had some wiggle) and the steel seemed weaker.  The silver clip broke after only a little over a month's use.  The spring steel on my S15R has held up to every day use for the past 1.5 years.

As a side note, the clips also allow the Batons to be clipped onto hat brims as impromptu headlamps.  Not as good as a dedicated headlamp, but great in a pinch.

OVERALL PROS:

• Size
• Several brightness levels
• Easy operation
• Solid, deep-carry pocket clip
• Rechargeable options 
• Magnetic tail cap
• Very water resistant (IPX-8; 2 meters)
• Nice looking
• Durable
• Light weight (S1R is 1.9 oz on my scale)

OVERALL CONS:

Probably my biggest hesitation with these lights has been the warranty/customer service.  My first S15R cracked across the glass.  I have no idea how this happened, as I am sure that I did not drop it.  

Olight was quick to send me a replacement glass but I was unable to install it properly, since the light ceased to function properly after my attempt.  I don’t think it is something easily done outside of their factory.  When this fix did not work, I went through the customer service to get the light repaired.  It took three months to get the light back, and it still was not fixed properly.  To Olight’s credit, they had me send the light back and they sent me a new one.  I guess I was wishing they would have sent me a new one to begin with so I would not have had to wait three months.  After being without it for about a month I missed it so much that I bought another one to replace it.  The following Christmas I bought another one for my daughter.  I think you can see that I really like these lights.  (Another side note: the S15 is now no longer in production, and has been replaced with the S1A.  Unfortunately, they do not have a rechargeable version yet.)

My only other con is the poorer quality clip on the S1A Copper edition.  Unfortunately, Olight was not willing to replace this.

On the positive side, Olight has been quick to respond when I’ve emailed them about the issues.

BOTTOM LINE:
I am a huge fan of these lights.  As I sit here typing this, my new S1R is clipped in my jeans pocket.  There have been a few hiccups, but hopefully these were the exception and not the rule.

~Rhyno