After checking out a series of great Olight baton lights, I got my hands on the S1A single AA flashlight. It seemed like a great way to wrap up a review series to return to a pocket AA light. For a long time my go-to pocket light was the Fenix E11/E12, and I was eager to see how the S1A compared.
It doesn’t have the throw distance of the larger S30R baton or the battery life of the S2R baton, but both of those use 18650 li-ion rechargeable batteries. For a single AA flashlight, the S1A is a stout little light.
Olight’s baton series has some nice common features:
- Easy on/off and mode switching button
- Quick and direct access to strobe mode (with a triple click)
- Durable aluminum body with IPX8 water resistance
- Pocket clip and lanyard
- Magnetic tail cap for easy standing or attaching to metallic surfaces while working
A Look At The S1A’s Beam – Impressions
Check out my video review below to see beam shots outside, or keep reading for my impressions on each of the light’s modes.
The low mode is better than some smaller lights I’ve used, but is pretty much what you’d expect from a single non-lithium ion battery flashlight. It’d work for peeking under a desk or maybe for reading, but that’s about it at 5 lumens. Anything not directly in front of you isn’t illuminated, but the battery life is useful for certain applications.
The medium mode’s 50 lumens is no slouch. Pocket flashlights with shallow bezels are never going to be great throwers, but even with the diffuse beam the S1A does a good job of illuminating anything within a 10 foot radius. Pocket AA flashlights I’ve used in the past had similar lower modes and I always found that for evening walks and tasks that didn’t require a lot of distance it was a great all-around mode.
The brightness works well for indoor and outdoor use, projecting an adequate beam that isn’t too bright when shined against white walls indoors.
The high mode is the brightest I’ve seen from a single-AA flashlight. Throw distance is significantly improved, and a nice wide area in front of you is fully illuminated. The 220 lumens of this mode outshine similar AA lights I’ve used with similar battery life, which speaks to the advancements in LED technology.
(This light does have a turbo mode, but only when using an optional 14500 li-ion rechargeable battery. I only used alkaline and lithium AA’s for this review, so I can’t speak to how the turbo mode looks.)
I’d class the beam color as just the green side of white, giving it a warmer presence than other lights with a very stark white beam.
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Check out the Olight S1A today at their online store!
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