The Olight S2R Baton flashlight is a compact, pocket-sized light that packs quite a punch. Pocket-sized lights I’ve seen before generally used single CR123 batteries, but this light fits a whole 18650 li-ion battery into a very compact form, which allows it to be recharged as needed as well as put out a lot more light with better battery life.
(See specs further down.)
First Impressions of the S2R
Olight really provides a premium feel with what comes in the box. There’s a soft carry bag, a lanyard, and a magnetic snap-on USB charger so you never have to take the battery out of the light. It’s not a feature I’ve had before in a flashlight, and I really dig it. For traveling especially, now you don’t need to bring a dedicated 18650 li-ion charger; simply pack the USB charger and use your computer or existing phone charger.
One thought on the lanyard also: Olight attaches a small metal pin to the end of the cord, which makes it easy to pull straight through the hole on the tail cap. We’ve all been there where we’ve struggled to get the cord through that tiny hole, and the pin removes easily once the lanyard is attached. It’s a minor thing, but it’s nice to see Olight anticipate that and go the extra mile to make the setup easier.
Olight S2R Beamshots/Impressions
Normally I share beamshots, but since I’ve also created a video review I’ll refer you below to where you can see this flashlight in action at night switching between its modes.
The low mode is similar to a cell phone flashlight brightness, which works for a dark room, looking under a desk, or checking out something in a closet. There isn’t enough range to be effective for nighttime walks or camping per se, but used as a candle light for reading would provide long battery life and adequate light.
The medium mode, as with many lights, seems to be the sweet spot. It provides a nice balance of usable light with decent range and battery life (13 hours). This is ideal if you’re carrying this every day as a pocket light, as you won’t be worried through occasional use that it will die out on you when you need it.
The high and turbo modes put out an impressive amount of light for such a small flashlight. At 10-20 feet the light detail is nice, illuminating a wide arc in front of you with a diffuse appearance (i.e. no defined “hot spot”). It’s not a long-throw light due to the small body and reflector plate, but the intensity is sufficient for many types of tasks, and the quick access to strobe is great for self defense scenarios.
Flashlight Specs for the Olight S2R
5 Modes:
- High/Turbo – 500-1020 lumens, 190-200 minutes battery life
- Medium – 120 lumens for 13 hours
- Low – 12 lumens for 120 hours
- Moonlight – 0.5 lumens for 60 days
- Strobe
IPX-8 water resistant standard with adonized aluminum body. Side switch operation with easy on-off and mode switching. Quick access to Turbo mode with a quick double click, and quick access to strobe with a quick triple click.
Final Thoughts and Special Offer
For a compact flashlight the Olight S2R is a great buy. The easily adjustable 5 brightness modes give it a lot of flexibility for an everyday carry light, and its relatively lightweight body is easy to tote around without being cumbersome.
It can just as easily be thrown in a bag. It doesn’t project a beam as far as larger li-ion lights like the Lumintop TD16, but the much more portable size makes up for that well for common uses.
If you carry it regularly and like to keep the battery from ever being low, the magnetic USB charger is a nice feature that allows you to top it off like you would your phone anywhere you are.