Military Morons: the Olight S Mini Ti

The S Mini Ti (S1R) is the smallest CR123A battery compatible flashlight from Olight. It’s a very compact EDC flashlight, powered by a single CR123A lithium battery (included), with a maximum output of 550 lumens. It ulitizes a Cree XM-L2 LED with TIR optic lens and delivers an artifact-free, balanced beam. The S Mini has four brightness levels and a strobe mode, covering an output range of 0.5 to 550 lumens.

The “Limited Edition” S Mini series of Olights are their smallest CR123A-compatible flashlights, and are available in a variety of body materials and finishes. There’s the S mini Cu, which utilizes copper alloy as its body material, and is available in Raw Copper, Rose Gold and Black finishes. There’s also the S Mini Br, a raw brass which patinas over time. Then there’s the S Mini SS (Stainless Steel), which has a stainless steel body with grey PVD coating. Shown here is the S Mini Ti, which has a titanium body and is available in Polished, Bead Blasted and Rainbow PVD finishes. The S Mini Ti Rainbow PVD is featured here. Each “Limited Edition” variant is limited to 9999 pieces. Not very ‘limited’ in a rare sense, but more so than their standard run quantities.

Key Features of the S Mini Ti:

Included in the box:

Advertised run times are as follows (on a fresh CR123 battery):

The S Mini Ti comes in an attractive cardboard gift box, with a battery installed and the instruction manual. That’s it; no pouch or accessories. The box could have been made a lot smaller.

At 2.15″ long and 0.83″ in diameter, the S Mini Ti is the smallest and lightest CR123-compatible flashlight that Olight offers. It’s really tiny. The small size isn’t realized until it’s held in the hand. The S Mini is essentially the non-rechargeable version of the S1R Baton previously featured, which is itself a very compact flashlight. I’ve illustrated them both below, next to each other. The S Mini and S1R have different bodies; the S Mini incorporates the spring clip groove into the into the push button area instead of behind it. The push button area on the S Mini is rounded, vs. the hexagonal cross-section of the S1R. The raised push button switch prevents the S Mini from rolling if the clip is not installed. The S Mini also lacks the magnetic charging tailcap on the S1R Baton, which further reduces its overall length.

One of Olight’s signatures is the blue PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) coating accents on the bezel and switch rings. The entire S Mini Ti Rainbow version is PVD coated in a very attractive multi-coloured finish. It’s actually more of an oil slick instead of rainbow finish, as the main colours are blue, green and purple.

The S Mini body and tailcap are knurled for a secure grip, and each S Mini is individually serial numbered on the side. While the PVD coating is scratch resistant, it’s definitely not scratch proof. Removing the clip will scratch the clip groove, as illustrated in the photo below of the clip removed, so don’t do it just out of curiosity. I prefer to leave the clip on and find the light more useful that way. The clip is not reversible; and is oriented for bezel-up carry in a pocket. It can also be clipped to the brim of a cap. The clip has a small lanyard hole should you want to attach a lanyard to the light; since the tailcap does not provide a lanyard attach point. It’s also slightly shorter than the S1R clip.

The S Mini comes with a single CR123A battery. The positive end of the battery is installed facing the rear, as per the marking etched inside the cavity. Any CR123A or RCR123 battery can be used in the S Mini. The shorter tailcap of the S Mini lacks the magnetic and charging properties of the S1R Baton, so it can’t be attached to a ferrous surface or the battery recharged in the light (unless you replace it with the tailcap of the S1R Baton, which is compatible, but won’t match the finish).

So, every since I started carrying the S1R Baton, it’s become my favourite EDC light; along with the light from the H1R Nova. Both are very compact and provide two different beam types for different applications. The S Mini gives both of them a run for their money due to its compactness; and the only practical feature it gives up is the ability to charge an RCR123 battery in the light; and the 900 lumen Turbo-S mode of the S1R.

The S Mini is well presented in the gift box and I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be happy upon receiving one as a gift. When I told my wife that I was revewing yet another flashlight, and that she might like to actually use this one; she was skeptical until she saw it. Besides the compact size, the uniqueness and beauty of the rainbow PVD finish really caught her fancy. She almost felt it was too small, and feared losing her grip on it until she had used it for a while and got used to it. Even in very small hands, you’re pretty much using two fingers and a thumb to hold onto it. It’s about the same size as a wine cork. That being said, the small size guarrantees that it doesn’t take up much precious space in a purse or pocket; making it very convenient to carry. As mentioned before, performance of the S Mini is very similar to that of the S1R, so read that write up for more details. As with the other CR123 Olights, the amount of light coming from such a small, convenient package is impressive. It’d be difficult just to get one