As something of a kid brother to the S30R Baton, the S10R’s small form can be deceiving. In a tightly packed body barely larger than the CR123 battery that powers it, the S10R makes a great pocket light.
It’s similar in body size to the H1 Nova headlamp, but features a deeper recessed bezel for what turns out to be a much better beam distance. Another plus is the fact that it comes with a rechargeable CR123 battery, since the single-use ones are a bit pricey to keep buying.
Worried you don’t have a special charger for CR123 batteries? Don’t be. This light comes with a USB charging dock, allowing you to magnetically attach the tail of the light to the dock and charge from anywhere with a USB connection.
S10R Beam Shots and Impressions
Check out my video review below to see how the S10R fared outside:
As you’ll see in the video, the low mode does a decent job of illuminating the ground directly in front of you. It would be okay for simple walking outside in the dark, but ideal for indoor use or reading in the dark where you need gentle illumination to see the book.
Medium mode is the perfect walking brightness for nighttime walks or camping. This little light can project a fair beam to a little over 15 feet, and illuminates a wide arc in front of you for everything closer than that. For the ground in front of you, the S10R’s medium mode does a great job of lighting things up bright enough that you wouldn’t trip on anything. The arc is wide enough that if you were walking with someone else they’d see where they were going, too.
The high mode on this little flashlight might shock you. As you’ll see in the video, the S10R’s high mode easily illuminates trees and other objects about 20 feet away. For a light barely larger than its battery, I was blown away by its reach and the relatively huge spill of light on both sides of the hot spot.
As I mentioned for the larger S30R flashlight, the quick access to strobe mode by triple clicking the on/off button is a great feature. If you’re ever in a situation where you need strobe to disorient someone else for self defense, it’s tough to cycle through modes to get there while you’re in a panic. This setup makes that fast and easy when seconds count.
Olight S10R Bezel shot, by Brian Watkins
Overall this is an impressive little light. CR123 batteries don’t have the same run time as the larger 18650 rechargeables do, but the small size is definitely worth consideration for pocket carry, especially if you’ll be keeping other things in the same pocket. The lanyard, charging dock, and rechargeable battery included make for a nice package (and a great gift).
Nice job, Olight.