Olight Flashlights Review: S14 & S24 Baton

August 12, 2020  
|  16 Comments
Categories: Musings

Olight Flashlights markets flashlights that are advertised as high performance, affordable, and durable. This review will let the reader know what he gets for his money by looking at two of Olight’s offerings, the S14 Baton and the S24 Baton.

Olight S1R and S2R - compact flashlights.

The lights are compact, especially the S1R.

Olight flashlights with MyMedic medical kit.

A good light should be mandatory for all medical kits, since emergencies seem to happen at the worst possible moments.

S1R Baton

The first light is the S1R Baton, which measures 2.6 inches, making it a very compact light that easily fits into the pocket with the included pocket clip. The bezel diameter is .83 inches with a weight of 1.9 inches. It’s a very small, lightweight light.

For such a small light, it really throws out some lumens. This light has five modes of operation that are scrolled through by pushing the activation button. The output of lumens varies with each power level, to include: 900 lumens (55 minute run time), 300 lumens (60 minutes), 60 lumens (4.5 hours), 12 lumens (33 hours), and finally, .5 lumens (15 days).

The output of this tiny light is phenomenal, it really performs. There is also a strobe mode to disorient an attacker.

All Olight flashlights have an interesting charging system. There is a charging cord with a magnetic disk attached that fits onto the tailcap of the flashlight. You just plug in the cord (to a USB plug) and magnetically attach it to the base of the light and let it charge.

Olight S1R Baton flashlight recharging cable.

The recharging cable attaches to the magnetic base and plugs into any USB charging port.

Olight flashlight magnetic base

The magnetic base allows mounting to any metal object, which is a nice touch. Note the on/off switch near the head, which can be difficult to find in the dark.

S2R Baton

The S2R Baton is larger, at 4.1 inches long, weighing 3.6 ounces, with a bezel diameter of .9 inches. Even so, it’s not a huge light, though it does fill the pocket.

The power output of the S2R is even more impressive; it also operates in five power modes: 1020 lumens (190 minutes), 500 lumens (200 minutes), 120 lumens (13 hours), 12 lumens (120 hours), and .5 lumens (60 days). A strobe mode is also available.

This light, when at full power, really lights up things both far and wide. At the higher outputs, both of the heads of these lights really heat up quickly, and full power is not something the user will want to employ for a long time.

The small push-button switches are on the side of the light near the bezel, and they can be a bit difficult to find in the dark. As such, these would not be good choices for tactical use; I’d strongly prefer a tailcap for tactical use. For EDC type duties, it is acceptable.

Olight Flashlights — Hit-and-Miss Quality?

Beyond everything you’ve just read, there is another glaring problem that arose. Both of these Olight flashlights stopped working after a few weeks of me receiving them (they were brand new directly from Olight). They just simply would not turn on, despite being fully charged. I had to send them back to Olight, who repaired them and returned them to me in working order, which they did free of charge.

Things were fine for a few weeks, and then the S1R (the light I carried more frequently due to its smaller size) again failed. It simply will not turn on when the switch is activated. It’s important to note that I did not torture test these lights in any way, I simply carried them in my pocket and used them normally. At some point when I have spare time, I’ll likely return the S1R Baton to have it repaired again.

The lights at Olight are made in China, and apparently, the quality control is not up to par in the least. So far, the S2R still functions, but I’ve stopped carrying it because I just do not trust it to work when I need it.

There are other users who swear by these lights and claim they are the greatest thing since sliced bread was invented. It appears that Olight products are hit-and-miss in regard to quality.

Worse still, Olight offers “Tactical” lights and weapon lights, and people are buying these things, mounting them on their firearms, assuming they will be good to go in lethal force situations. People are depending on these pieces of gear with their lives, and to me, that seems to be a disservice to those buying these products. I absolutely would not trust my life to one of these lights, there are far better products out there to choose from. Caveat Emptor.

Olight unreliable weapon light.

Criminals operate at night, making a light vital to being able to identify hostile targets. Unfortunately, Olight does not offer the reliability needed as a weapon light.

You may also like: All the Lumens.

Jim Davis: Read more of his articles.

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Jim Davis

Jim Davis

About the Author

Jim Davis served in the PA Dept. of Corrections for 16 ½ years as a corrections officer in the State Correctional Institute at Graterford and later at SCI Phoenix. He served on the Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT), several of those years as a sniper, and also the Fire Emergency Response Team (FERT). For 25 years, he was a professional instructor, teaching topics including Defensive Tactics, Riot Control and Tactical Operations, Immediate Responder, and cognitive programs as an adjunct instructor at the DOC Training Academy. He was then promoted to the title of corrections counselor, where he ran a caseload and facilitated cognitive therapy classes to inmates. His total service time was close to 29 years. He was involved in many violent encounters on duty, including incidents of fatalities.

16 Comments

  1. kenobi

    ive bought a couple of the S-Mini Batons, very similar to the S1R, a touch smaller without the recharge option. after about a year of EDC one failed to turn on, after heating up to unsettlingly warm to the touch any time a battery was in it, despite not turning on. One day it worked, the next day it did, they did send me a new one, but it took like 6 weeks. the other couple i have see less use.

    over all id say they are nice lights, but no, they aren’t Streamlight or Surefire, but far from “suck”

    Reply
  2. LARRY YAKLICH

    I agree with the Author, I had bought 2 LIGHT SAVOR flashlights. not related to this article. having worked corporate America, they figure x=amount fail out of box, 1 week, 2 weeks etc… being disabled VETERAN, and only one leg. need light at night, sand, hole, gravel, stick. all can wipe me out, for those with disabilities and/or balance issues, it is extremely important to see all times of day. WHEN I SPEND MY MONEY ON A PRODUCT!!!! I EXPECT IT TO WORK THE WAY THEY ADVERTISE IT SHOULD. I am not a sue happy person, but if I am on our picnic that usually lasts until midnight or later and a malfunction occurs and I get hurt. ( I dont mean a scratch… Really hurt, I will go after them, I have never before, but the crap some companies put out just for money… they need to be held accountable. On my light saver, I contacted the sight , and the manufacture, and the only reply was at my cost and they wanted me to purchase more of their products… NOT HAPPENING, as a matter of fact, I do like the one, but I have it wired to a 5200mah power bank so I can use it

    Reply
  3. Stan

    Chill out fanboys. They’re ok craplights. Everyone has them. No everyone expounds on their perceived awesomeness. They’re spotty at best. The guy who says they give surefire competition is smoking that lettuce. Goh.

    Reply
  4. Robert Martin

    I have one of the S1R Baton lights. I love it! I have had instances where it did not turn on when I depressed the switch. I found that just unscrewing the tail cap a few turns and then tightening it back up fixes the problem. Don’t know why it happens but it does occasionally. I use it for edc but I would not use it for a tactical light because you just don’t have time to fumble around with it to make it work in a life and death situation.

    Reply
  5. Bobo

    I don’t have either of the two lights from this review (both of which, as has already been pointed out, have been discontinued/replaced with updated models) I do however have some of their other lights, including a few of their tactical lights. I’ve had no issues with any of them, granted I’m not using them in Afghanistan or Iraq in combat situations, but for typical LE use or Self-defense purposes I’d say they’ll hold up and function fine.

    Reply
  6. Xaun Loc

    What the author hints at without saying bluntly is the point that Olight fanboys are missing. The Chinese factory that cranks out these lights for a few cents each quite simply has no quality control. No quality control on the components they assemble, and no quality control on the assembled units they ship out. This is not unusual for Chinese electronic products — if you happen to get a good one you have a great product and usually at a good price. If you happen to get one that’s DOA, then you depend on the seller to make good — something that Olight does do successfully. Unfortunately, you can also get one that works when you get it, but gets Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Again you are relying on the seller to fix the problem, and again Olight does have a reputation for taking care of such failures. BUT as the author points out, none of these products are reliable enough to bet your life on it working every time.

    Some sellers of Chinese electronic products take care of the endemic lack of quality control either by having their own personnel at the Chinese factory to handle QC, or more often by inspecting the products upon arrival from China before selling them in the US. Olight doesn’t do that — Olight simply sells the lights and has them shipped direct from China — with no quality control.

    Olight isn’t the only company doing this. You can find hundreds of sellers on eBay, Amazon, and Wish, all using this same business model — the difference between the other companies using this business model is that most other sellers of Cheap Chinese electronic junk sell them for only four or five times what they are paying. Olight charges prices that would be appropriate for a product with proper quality control.

    Sorry, but that is a business plan that assumes the customers are either disposable or fools.

    If you want a lot of lumens in a sturdy and reliable flashlight that I don’t plan to bet my life on, I’ll buy a cheap Chinese flashlight on Amazon for under $4 with shipping from China included (or if I’m in a hurry, I’ll by the same cheap Chinese flashlight from a “US Seller” for $10) — but either way I’m not betting my life on it working every time. My $3 Chinese flashlights all have worked every time, even after being dropped on concrete from 10′ or after being run over by a semi, but I’m still not going to bet my life on them.

    Reply
  7. Gregory L. Culver

    Your lights probably worked just fine. I wouldn’t be surprised if Olight looked at them, took the tailcap off and on again and sent them back. If the tailcap touches anything magnetic in your pocket it will short the light out. Take the tailcap off and on and it’s usually fine. That being said, the two lights that you reviewed weren’t meant to be anything but EDC lights. Not tactical lights. They have lights available with that feature set in mind.

    Personally, I carry the S1R Baton for EDC. The M2R Warrior Pro and a Surefire Stiletto Pro for tactical lights. I collect lights and switch my edc based on environment and how I dress. Olight make some great lights. You just have to buy the right light based on your need and function.

    Reply
  8. Patrick

    Why are you reviewing old models in 2020 instead of the new improved models – the S1R Baton II and the S2R Baton II? The issues you mention were addressed and fixed in the new versions. That’s like reviewing a 2017 model Camaro in 2020 and complaining about it after the 2018 Camaro already addressed and fixed the things you’re complaining about with a track record to show for it.

    Reply
  9. Civilian

    Have a warrior 20 (or something).. broke.. sent back.. quit carrying it and put on shelf for occasional use. broke again within a month of sitting on a shelf/taking dog out at night..
    Junk

    Reply
  10. Rob

    I understand some of the authors sentiment and I hate that he had a negative experience with the two lights he reviewed. I own both of those light and have used and carried them for years. No issues. Rather than writing off the whole company I challenge the author to actually use and review some of the other offerings that Olight actually markets for “tactical” applications such as the M2R Warrior Pro and some of the weapon mounted lights such as the Mini Valkyrie or the Baldr. Unlike companies like surefire, streamlight, etc. (which all make great products), one thing I appreciate about Olight is their constant striving for ingenuity when it comes to increased lumens, candela, etc. Olight cannot be compared to several other companies when it comes to track record but I think they are attempting to improve upon that and hopefully provide healthy competition to companies like Surefire and streamlight who sometimes become too comfortable in thinking that they have set the bar when it comes to new technology.

    Reply
  11. Dan Mak

    The s1r baton 2 and the s2r baton 2 fix alot of the problems you’ve outlined in this review. The lights you have pictured are old, discontinued models I believe

    Reply
  12. JD

    I’ve got a few olights and I carry one for edc and have ones for when I’m in the outdoors. My weaponlights however are either surefire or streamlight.

    Reply
  13. Davis

    I have purchased 7 lights from olight in the past 2 years. From the warrior x, to the Perun mini head lamp they have all worked flawlessly. They do get hot when on high for extended periods of time. Also, my warrior x was getting crud in the magnetic tail cap but have easily become more aware of what I get it near. I collect lights, and have found olight to be in my top 3 for bang for your buck.

    Reply
  14. rex

    I’ve had half a dozen of them over the last six or eight years, I collect. One of the early magnetic charging ones, the spring loaded part was on the flashlight which led to it getting crud in the tailcap and causing problems. They fixed that later on, different tail, different charger, no problems since. It was the S10R, I fixed it once and then “fixed” the tailcap myself making it a regular pull the battery to charge affair and it’s been fine. They all get hot quick, especially in hot weather, on high output. I have a longer version I forget the designation of that had the newer charging setup, it’s been trouble free but I don’t use it too often since it’s about the size of a 6P with a good switch and multi mode head from Malkoff. I’d have a hard think about putting an olight on a weapon for regular use too, but they have been steadily improving for as long as I’ve known about them. I’ve had a bunch of lights but pretty much settled down to Surefire, homebuilt clones with custom LED modules and switches, and Olights. The S1R has a great floody beam pattern for regular use under cars and such. FWIW.

    Reply
  15. DRas

    Can’t agree more. I’m an active LEO for 22 years and I love Olight for a cheap bright in the truck door we’ll light but I’d never trust it for work…I’d take a Coyote Streamlight mini USB rechargeable. $30, bright enough for tactical entry with a pistol and small enough for EDC pocket carry and can take cop abuse. Mine is scratched dinged and dented and works like day one. Get Coyote because that model starts on high lumen vs the black that starts on low.

    Reply
  16. Jonathan Hebel

    I have had a similar issue with Olight but I love the lights. I have found that it is usually that the flashlight is not fully seated and closed. If it’s just a tiny bit loose it will still charge but will not discharge. I’m not sure why this happens, but it seems to be an issue with Olight’s.

    Reply

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