[Review] Olight I1R Keychain Light ... 130 lm + USB + TIR

CivilGear

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 29, 2016
Messages
103
Hi All! Olight sent me the I1R to test and I wanted to share my thoughts with you here.
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The I1R is a USB-rechargeable key chain light from Olight which boasts 130 lumens and at a super affordable price point of around $19 USD, you should pick one up and try it on for size.

olight-i1r-keychain-light-review-civilgear-013.jpg

Link to manufacture product page: https://www.olightstore.com/olight-i1r-eos

OVERVIEW


Overall, I'm impressed with the beam pattern (thanks to the TIR lens) and the fine knurling all over the body. Some things to consider is that the head has to come all the way off to recharge, so don't loose it.

QUICK SPECS


Copied from Olight Store product page.
Beam Distance (ft)177
Beam Distance (m)54
Max. Performance (lumens)130
Charge typeMicro-USB
Compatible BatteriesCustomised Li-ion Battery
Light Intensity (candela)730
Light FormWide/broad hotspot. Perfect for up close illumination.
Lens / Reflector TypeTIR reflector (big, defined wide hotspot)
Mode OperationNo Switch
Form/Size FactorSmall size (Car key / Zippo Lighter)
SeriesSeries I (Keychain)
Unique Characteristics
  • Lightweight and Tiny. The entire light is slimmer than a pinky finger with the length shorter than a AAA battery and weight at only 0.42 oz/12g.
  • Features a high-performance Philips LUXEON TX LED paired with a TIR optic lens producing a soft and balanced beam.
  • Rechargeable through a built-in Micro-USB charging port. Fully charged within 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  • ON/OFF and output changes are controlled through twisting the flashlight head. Twist it slightly to turn it on at 5 lumens and a bit further for 130 lumens.
LIGHTING LEVELS
LEVEL 1 (lumens)130
Run-time LEVEL 1
  • 20m
LEVEL 2 (lumens)5
Run-time LEVEL 2
  • 7h
StrobeNo
SOS / BEACONNo
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
WaterproofIPX8
Weight (g / oz)12 / 0.42
Length (mm / in)41 / 1.61
Head Diameter (mm / in)14 / 0.55
Body Diameter (mm / in)14 / 0.55
LedPhilips LUXEON TX

INCLUDED



  • i1R keychain light
  • Decorative micro USB cable
  • Manual


olight-i1r-keychain-light-review-civilgear-004.jpg


OPTIONS


Only one option currently.

PRICE


Current price is about $19 USD

LOOK & FEEL


OUTSIDE

The knurling is very fine but covers a large are which helps with grip. The size overall is pretty small but usable. The light uses a TIR optical lens for a smooth beam profile. The light comes with a single small key ring.





INSIDE

The light is easy to open and there is a number of threads so it's not likely it will come off by itself. I get a little anxious when I have to have exposed my threads to the world during charging as I don't want them to get dirty and bind when I'm putting it back together.





ACCESSORIES

This beautiful, but short, micro-USB cable also comes with the light.





OPTICS

LED SPECS

The light uses a Philips LUXEON TX which I've never heard of before.
img-e31a5980575e10ddb80f431a0cc021ab1.jpg

BEAM PROFILE

Olight does not advertise the angle of main LED but from what I've collected it seems to be a 100 total degrees spill with a 40 total degree spot.

The first rectangular graph is cut across the beam and helps a bit better to see what angle the spill starts at as usually it is quite a bit dimmer then the center. It's quite possible that a very low lumen outer spill might not register using these methods. The percentage is a relative comparison to the brightest light recorded (generally, in the center).

The second, polar graph, is a simulation of the light along the beam.

Currently, these readings are strictly sensor recorded, and are not adjusted based on human perception of light but may be an interesting idea for the future.









TINT

The i1R (left) is a bit cooler and a little yellow compared to the Nichia 219B (right) (in the Nitecore MT06MD)



OUTPUT LEVELS


Low and High





POWER

BATTERY

The light has a built in rechargeable 80mAh 3.7V Li-ion Battery. I tested and confirmed the capacity by observing the charging current over time, as shown below.

CHARGING


The light took about 1h 17m to fully charge. Summing the current over time, I calculated at cell capacity of about 82 mAh.

olight-i1r-usb.png

INDICATORS

While charging, the indicator light will be steady red, when complete will be steady green. To be considerate to color blind people, Olight may want to consider adopting a blinking red and a steady green scheme.

PERFORMANCE


NOTES ON METHODS

I measured the light output in relative LUX and I have not spent time yet to calibrated for lumens or factored % of max output. The charts I've provided, while are literally quantitative, I suggest using as a qualitative reference for how the output may behave over time; typically lights aren't left on this long and the max output can be reset.
PWM check using a 50 millisecond test period with a sampling rate of 3,000 times per second.

Temperature measurement condition is at room temp and currently no fan cooling.

I am still very new at doing these types of measurements so I am no authority on on this subject, but please let me know if things don't look right or you see anything that I could do to improve for next time.

RUNTIMES


Pretty much as advertised, the light runs on High for 20 min. Soon after, I did a manual reset (turn the light off then on again) but the reset did not return the output to 100% output.
olight-i1r-high.png

TEMPERATURE

A very mild max body temp of 84°F and max 'out-the-front' temp of 93°F was observed for HIGH.

PWM CHECK


There appears to be no significant PWM on any constant mode. For comparison, the second graph shows PWM varying from 0 to 120 lx on the LOW mode on the Nitecore R25 flashlight.





USER INTERFACE

Very simple 2-stage twist interface. As you tighten the head, the light will turn on into LOW and as you continue to tighten, the light will jump up to HIGH. Loosen the head to reverse back to LOW; continue to loosen to OFF.

CONCLUSIONS


HIGHLIGHTS


  • Small and bright
  • TIR optic lens
  • USB Charging
  • Fine but tactile knurling
  • Traditional twist interface with an upgrade
  • No PWM

COMMENTS



  • Have to completely remove head to charge (exposes thread and chance of loosing head)
  • A little bigger battery would be nice, I wouldn't mind it having to be a little longer

NOTES


Disclaimers:

  • CivilGear Reviews received this product for testing and providing an honest review.
  • CivilGear Reviews was not paid for writing this review.
 
Last edited:

xevious

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
1,028
Location
Hoboken, NJ
How has been your long term ownership experience? Light holding up well?

I'm curious to know if function is flicker-free. After not much use, I'm finding mine flickers while twisting and sometimes I have to fiddle with it to get it to keep a smooth beam in either high or low modes.
 
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