We need to talk about Olight

[Brokenarrow]

Ya they suck but I do have about 6 of them. Tint is crap but otherwise great lights and sometimes I dont care about tint just need some light.

 

[defloyd77]

Randomly turning on in your pocket is a common occurrence over many brands of lights. Lockout exists for a reason. That's 100% user error.
The exploding light had nothing to do with magnetic charging contacts. Also user error.
Shilling? Like trying to advertise their product? First time with advertising? Ya I get emails sometimes too.

They randomly turn on due to a piece of metal? That's not user error, that's bad design. Any light worth carrying will be designed in a way that lockout isn't necessary, otherwise it might as well be a twisty. A flashlight can be needed in a moment's notice and in those situations, there is no time to fumble around with a lockout due to crap design.

I've been EDCing flashlights for 20 years now. Guess how many of my lights have turned on due to a random piece of metal. Hell, I can probably count on 1 hand the amount of lights I've had turn on in my pocket and of those, only the Olight has gone straight into pocket melting turbo.

Don't make excuses for bad design.

As far as shilling, it goes way beyond emails and basic advertising. YouTube is flooded with shills doing so called reviews by people that have no business discussing flashlights with any sort of authority.

 

[ghostguy6]

But that will not cause a cell to blow up. Lithium ions don't just detonate when they're shorted. It's possible. But not just the norm

It shouldn't but but these are proprietary cells so who knows what Olight as done to them. If they issued a recall then there must be some possibility of it happening.

 

[vicv]

What piece of metal? It went on in your pocket because you accidentally clicked the button. If there was a chip of metal in the threads or something, that's bad maintenance by the user. And as far as reviewers, lot of companies pay for reviews by giving the reviewer free stuff
The proprietary batteries are good cells. All they do is put the negative at the top beside the positive. That's it. There's nothing wrong with them except being overpriced

 

[defloyd77]

What piece of metal? It went on in your pocket because you accidentally clicked the button. If there was a chip of metal in the threads or something, that's bad maintenance by the user. And as far as reviewers, lot of companies pay for reviews by giving the reviewer free stuff
The proprietary batteries are good cells. All they do is put the negative at the top beside the positive. That's it. There's nothing wrong with them except being overpriced

A paperclip. Don't know where it came from, but it happened at a doctor's office.

If you don't know anything about the light or it's problems, (you clearly don't) keep quiet.

 

[vicv]

A paperclip. Don't know where it came from, but it happened at a doctor's office.

If you don't know anything about the light or it's problems, (you clearly don't) keep quiet.

I see. Well enjoy whatever light you like friend

 

[rwolfenstein]

Here is my grief with Olight. I hate proprietary cells and lack of dual fuel compatibility. I personally prefer a USB C charging socket over a magnetic charging because of it being attracted to metals. Do I still buy them? Yes. They are good kick around lights that if you break it, it is cheap enough to not break the bank to get a new one.

 

[bigburly912]

This is going to sound random to some but man I miss Marshall Hoots at goinggear.

 

[Monocrom]

some good points. Disagree on the magnetic charging though. For regular folks they can just snap their light on the charger when they get home. It's effortless and convenient. Like the cradle charging of old. But this also gives a magnetic base to stick the light on things. More utility. I doubt that those magnets will lose magnetism unless something drastic happens that would otherwise probably destroy the light. Like a house burning down. That rare earth magnets are robust. And that way they always have a charged battery, and no need to take it out and put in a cradle charger. Armytek does it too.
Proprietary cells sucks. But I've already outlined the advantages.
It also seems most of your animosity should be directed at nitecore in this case and their unsuitable u.i. Btw, olight has excellent u.i. Nice and simple with good shortcuts. Your choice of a floody light is your mistake, not theirs. It's well known extremely floody lights aren't good for longer distances. It's kinda in the description, floody. They told you in the name of the product, but you still bought it.
I do like your last sentence though. Really lets us know, unequivocally, how you feel. And I respect the shortcomings you find in their offerings

You'd be surprised at how easy it is to de-magnitize items. If those magnetic charging cables were as common as USB-C cables, I wouldn't mind. Also, it barely takes any effort at all to plug in a USB-C cable into a light. If the process was complicated or headache-inducing, I could see the appeal of magnetic charging. And, please don't remind me of ArmyTek. Their Doberman model should be sitting in my work-bag right now. I wanted one so badly.... Just like Olight and the new LED Lenser models, the magnetic charging was a deal-breaker for me.

I own several Olights, and am happy with them. But regardless of brand, proprietary batteries offer zero real advantages. With one HUGE negative one.... The light has a shelf-life. In some cases, right around 5 years. Meanwhile, numerous members on CPF (myself included) own lights older than they are; which still work thanks to not needing proprietary batteries. Have yet to see any company come out with a proprietary battery that was so incredibly good that both runtime and output blows the competition out of the water, and off-sets the light's incredibly short lifespan.

Also, yes; I knew what I was buying with the P10iX. But every review made it seem that it was realistically good for at least over 100 meters of throw. Not right around 6 feet. Plus, I still have my SureFire L4 pocket Flood monster from back in the day. Compared to theP10iX, my L4 it looks like a long-distance search light. I wasn't expecting much in the way of throw with the P10iX. But you have to admit a max beam distance of 6 feet is ridiculous! Even for a light marketed as having massive flood. I'm not even exaggerating about how weak the beam gets beyond 6 feet.

EDIT: Clarification.

 

[Monocrom]

Randomly turning on in your pocket is a common occurrence over many brands of lights.

I'm sorry but no, it's not that common at all. Not if the flashlight is designed properly. Doesn't matter which company it is. All of my handful of Olight models, including my loved M1T Raider that is actually part of my EDC rotation, have never accidentally switched on in my pocket. Will admit, none of the ones I own use Olight's magnetic charging system.

 

[defloyd77]

I have to give Olight credit where it's due, they use some really nice optics and their lights that use a standard clicky like the i3T, I5R and the like are pretty good lights. It'd be great if they offered high CRI emitters in more than just the i5R.

 

[vicv]

I'm sorry but no, it's not that common at all. Not if the flashlight is designed properly. Doesn't matter which company it is. All of my handful of Olight models, including my loved M1T Raider that is actually part of my EDC rotation, have never accidentally switched on in my pocket. Will admit, none of the ones I own use Olight's magnetic charging system.

Agreed. I've never had a light come on in my pocket. But there is a reason why lockout exists. I still don't think his problem is because Olight is garbage. He either had a bad one off, or he did something wrong. As I originally said, I don't like their lights. But one thing is they're well made

 

[defloyd77]

Agreed. I've never had a light come on in my pocket. But there is a reason why lockout exists. I still don't think his problem is because Olight is garbage. He either had a bad one off, or he did something wrong. As I originally said, I don't like their lights. But one thing is they're well made

You continue to talk about things you know nothing about and don't seem to read too well. I clearly said before there was a recall. That's not my mistake or a one off, that's 2 entire flashlight lines.

 

[ScotchWhisky]

They do offer torches that have USB C charging. I recently bought the Maurader 2. It has a USB-C charging port which allows fast charging and reverse charging, The same USB-C port can also be used to charge external devices, such a mobile phones. 30w fast charging is pretty decent. I also have the seeker 4 Pro, that offers 2 charging options. Type-C charging with holster, or magnetic charging with an optional MCC3.

 

[LRJ88]

Agreed. I've never had a light come on in my pocket. But there is a reason why lockout exists. I still don't think his problem is because Olight is garbage. He either had a bad one off, or he did something wrong. As I originally said, I don't like their lights. But one thing is they're well made

I'm sorry, but this is objectively wrong. Olight has had many issues over the years, such as having the charging contacts being live all the time and causing major issues since the tail is magnetic and attracts some metals. Even with lockout that helps little if the contacts are still live. Add to that the issue of locking out something which is supposed to be a flashlight able to be used with pure muscle memory, it's purely poor design.

Olight Ecommerce Technology Recalls Flashlights Due to Burn Hazard

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled flashlights and contact Olight for a full refund in the form of a store credit or for a free replacement flashlight. The firm is reaching out to all known purchasers directly.

www.cpsc.gov

Olight has been made aware of issues with the design time and time again, but instead of dealing with the actual problem they throw some cash at the victims and that's enough to have people defend them.

To put this into perspective, if i own a Spyderco knife and they have issues with several of their models that just don't lock up, ending up with people getting cut from the knife just not staying open during normal use or even the knife opening itself in their pockets that doesn't mean that it's just user error if the blade shuts itself over my fingers either and it'd be asinine to blame the people who've been hurt from doing something wrong, claiming that Spyderco makes good knives so it can't be a fault on their end. That being said all my Spydercos are good, it's just an example using a well-known manufacturer.

 

[Toulouse42]

I have a few Olights but I don't EDC any of them. They're all compromised in ways that I don't like. The i3T and i5T are fine lights and I would pass them onto non flashaholics with the instruction "just keep clicking". No complex UI to bother with. But the tail switch is not shrouded nor do I like the attachment point for a lanyard. The S1A Baton (and S2A Baton) have a tiny side switch and I don't like the UI. Again, attaching a lanyard is not easy on the S1A Baton.

My only flashlight with a lockout function is the Klarus Mi7 with a silly side mounted switch that is too easy to accidentally turn on. It has a lockout function but as an EDC it takes too long to get light when I might need it urgently. You click the switch 3 times, then the light flashes 3 times, then goes out. Then you switch it on again. By that time whatever I'm worried about already has its teeth in me! It seems to me that a lockout function is the answer to the wrong question.

My EDC is a Maratac AAA (twisty) that has never come on in my pocket. Other than that I often pocket carry a Lumintop Tool AA or an Eagtac D25A. Both have a shrouded tail switch, have a decent attachment point for a lanyard and can use a 14500. Instant 600 ish lumens when I want it. No need for a lockout function.

The only flashlight that I actually hated was a older Maglite 2C with a flaky switch. Oddly enough after I threw it to the ground in disgust, it worked fine apart from a few scratches.

 

[vicv]

you can always twist the tail so and 1/8th turn to lockout. The best lights in the old days, surefires, had mechanical lockouts. Regardless, if a light has a badly designed switch that will activate itself, I wouldn't carry it either. But I don't think every olight will if left non-locked out. As long as you don't have that one particular model that's been recalled already and a paper clip in your pocket
Ya, maglites tend to do that. More than likely, there was a chunk of something in the switch and your throw in disgust dislodged it

 

[Bob_McBob]

Olight has a lot going for it. Their lights are well made, have good drivers, interesting designs, and often come in a wide selection of colours and materials. Warranty service is generally very good. The UI is simple but effective, and many models even have a good moonlight level. Built-in charging is convenient. They are one of my default recommendations for non-enthusiasts who aren't going want to mess around with an Anduril light and Li-ion charging.

The negatives are well-known. Most of the LEDs they use are hideously green, low CRI cool white, primarily useful for maximum output. Most current models require proprietary cells that are expensive and can't even be charged externally without modification. Moreoever, their marketing machine is very off-putting, constantly encouraging people to spend vast sums of money to reach ever-increasing membership levels, and get access to new products faster or special limited editions for high-ranking members. In some sales, they literally have official competitions for who can spend the most. It's just kind of gross.

I don't put much weight on past issues. The "exploding light" story is wildly misleading, caused by misuse, and can and has happened with similar designs from other companies. The issues with live charging contacts on the Warrior Mini and some other designs were addressed by a recall, and won't happen again with the way their charging system now works. Accidental activation is hardly unique to Olight, and they have taken steps to address it with proximity sensors on some models.

For me, I still think they make some great lights, and I will happily gift them to friends and family and keep some around for myself. But I can mod them to whatever I want, so the ugly LEDs aren't really an issue for me. I feel pretty strongly about the importance of high CRI and good tint, so it is a lot harder to recommend unmodified Olights just on that basis alone. But they are undeniably pretty decent lights for the most part.

 

[vicv]

Moreoever, their marketing machine is very off-putting, constantly encouraging people to spend vast sums of money to reach ever-increasing membership levels, and get access to new products faster or special limited editions for high-ranking members. In some sales, they literally have official competitions for who can spend the most. It's just kind of gross.

Is this what everyone means about the bad marketing? I don't hang out on Facebook, but I hear they are pretty rabid over there. But you are right, that is pretty gross. But at the same time it doesn't really bother me. They are taking advantage of people, but those people are stupid. " A fool and his money is soon parted." if people can fall for the scam of needing to one up other people on the Internet that they have never met, then I don't feel sorry for them losing their money.
But you are right it is pretty shady

 

[ghostguy6]

I'm sorry but no, it's not that common at all. Not if the flashlight is designed properly. Doesn't matter which company it is. All of my handful of Olight models, including my loved M1T Raider that is actually part of my EDC rotation, have never accidentally switched on in my pocket. Will admit, none of the ones I own use Olight's magnetic charging system.

I have had several of my lights turn on in my pocket, holsters and in my vehicle. Mostly I would like to think its because something came into contact with the switch or it was able to twist on due to something moving. I tend to be on the move a lot with full pockets. I found this with all brands of lights, pelican, surefire, acebeam, nitecore, maglite ect. I did have one Acebeam M10 that would turn on and cycle through the brightness levels with the slightest bump. My 25 lbs beagle walking on the floor while the light was sitting on the coffee table was able to turn it on.