# Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and more!



## selfbuilt

*Warning: pic heavy, as usual. *
_
*UPDATE September 7, 2013*: FYI, this model has been replaced by the S10 2013 (aka the S10 L2). See my full review of it here. 

*UPDATE October 12, 2012:* Olight has revised the S10/S20 tailcap design, which now features a removable magnet and spring. Scrol down for details_











The S10 is the latest addition to the Olight Baton series of flashlights – a series that look like, well, batons . The S10 is the smallest member of the family, and takes one CR123A or RCR cell. For a comparison to the other Baton lights, see my S35/S65 and S80 reviews.

Let's see how it compares to others in its respective class – as well as what has changed from its larger Baton predecessors. 

*Manufacturer Reported Specifications:* (note: as always, these are simply what the manufacturer provides – scroll down to see my actual testing results).


LED: Cree XM-L LED
Four outputs: Three in regular operation; the moonlight mode can be accessed directly when the flashlight is off; double click the on/off button to activate strobe mode
Hi: 320 lumens / 1hr30min
Med: 70 lumens / 7hr30min
Lo: 5 lumens / 4d12hr
Moonlight: 0.5 lumens / 15d
Strobe 10Hz / 3hr
High efficiency constant current drive circuit; perfectly compatible with CR123A and RCR123 batteries
Peak Intensity: 1800cd
Beam distance: 85m
Waterproof: IPX8, 2m
Equipped with auto memory function and a side switch 
Strong magnet in the tail, the flashlight can be attached vertically on any ferrous surface
Two-direction invertible pocket clip
Stainless steel bezel
Flat tail cap allows tail standing
Battery reverse polarity protection
Dimensions: 70.5mm (2.7") length by 23mm (0.9") depth
Weight 52g (1.47 oz) excluding battery.
Included accessories: lanyard, o-ring
MSRP: ~$50










My other Baton-series reviews were often based on early samples, so full retail packaging generally wasn't available. Olight did send me a shipping S10 for this review, so you can see the compact packaging up above. Olight includes a belt clip (attached), simple lanyard strap, extra o-rings, split ring, and manual. 













From left to right: Duracell CR123A; Olight S10; Sunwayman C10R; Eagletac D25C Clicky; Sunwayman M11R; Nitecore EC1; Jetbeam PC10.

Here is how it compares to the other Olight Baton-series lights:





From left to right: Duracell CR123A; Olight S10, S35, S65, S85; Duracell AA NiMH.

All dimensions are given with no batteries installed:

*Olight S10*: Weight 41.1g, Length: 70.6mm, Width (bezel): 23.0mm
*Sunwayman C10R*: Weight: 57.3g, Length: 76.2mm (no lanyard plug), 82.3mm (with plug), Width (bezel): 25.6mm, Width (head at widest part): 28.6mm
*Sunwayman M11R*: Weight 45.8g, Length: 76.4mm, Width (bezel): 23.1mm
*Sunwayman V11R*: Weight 50.5g, Length: 84.3mm, Width (bezel): 23.1mm
*Eagletac D25C Clicky*: Weight: 30g, Length: 76.0mm, Width (bezel): 20.0mm
*Jetbeam PC10*: Weight: 50.5g, Length: 93.6mm, Width (bezel): 22.6mm


















Note: Olight initially sent me an engineering sample to test, so many of the pics above are from that original sample. Externally, the final shipping version differed only in a few body labels, shown in the close-ups below.










_*UPDATE October 12, 2012:* Labels have changed again - on the currently shipping tailcap with the removable spring, there is no longer the "N" or "S" label on the tail. Scroll down for details_

The S10 is quite petite for the class. Overall build is similar to the earlier cylindrical Baton lights, but with a few upgrades. Like the other Batons, the S10 features black anodizing (matte finish now), with bright white labels. Although still without typical knurling, the fine ridges of the other Batons has been replaced by a raised checkered pattern on the S10. With the pocket clip attached, I'd say grip is reasonably good.

New to this model is the pocket clip. Although only of the clip-on style, it seems to hold onto the light fairly securely. It is also reversible, allowing you both bezel-up or bezel-down carry options. 

Light can tailstand, and there is a split-ring/lanyard attachment hole on the side of the tail cap. There is also a fairly strong magnet on the tailcap, allowing the light to stand firmly on any metal surface. In fact, on the original tailcap, this the magnetic pull is so strong that it could even hold onto the battery through the spring, as shown here:






_*UPDATE October 12, 2012:* Note that this is no longer the case with the currently shipping tailcap. The removable spring is no longer in direct contact with the magnet, so magnetic pull through the spring is greatly reduced. Scroll down for details._

As before, the light uses an electronic switch, located near the head. There is a textured power logo on the switch now (the earlier model Batons were smooth white). Also, there doesn't seem to be a low-voltage warning LED under the switch anymore (at least, I saw no evidence of a sensor on my sample).

Like the other Batons, the S10 uses square-cut screw threads as before – but now anodized for tail lock-out. :thumbsup: 










As before, the light has a flat stainless steel bezel ring with a red o-ring, and a textured (orange peel) reflector. The reflector isn't very deep, so I would expect a wide spill beam. Emitter was well centered on my sample. 

*Tailcap Design Update (October 12, 2012): *

_As shown above, the original batch of S10s had a non-user-removable magnet. More recent shipping versions have a modified spring design that allows the user to remove the magnet. For those of you with the original tailcap, you can contact your dealer to obtain a free replacement version with the removable spring. Alternatively, Olight is offering a free diffuser wand to those with the original tailcap who are happy to keep it. More details on this "Compensatory Scheme" are available on the Olight website.

You can tell which version you have from the pics below (original shipping is on the left, current version is on the right).










There is a Olight instruction manual on their website, which will explain how to swap out the magnet in the current design. I also have prepared a video showing you how to do it. As always, you are likely to want to run this video at the higher 720p resolution for more detail.



In addition to the ability to now swap out the magnet, there are two signficant factors I've noticed with the new tailcap design (explained in the video). The first is that the new spring design introduces a slight rattle when handling the light (with the magnet installed). Secondly, while the magnetic pull is just as strong out the back of the tailcap, you can no longer pick up a battery by the spring on the inside of the cap. 

Both of these are likely due to the spring not being as deeply/securely fastened inside the tailcap (i.e., it no longer seems to make direct contact with the magnet, hence the reduced magnetic pull through the spring). The rattle issue disappears if you swap the magnet out - the bundled o-ring is thicker than the magnet, and makes direct contact with the spring (dampening any movement). If you want to keep the magnet installed with the new design, I'm sure you could fully dampen the rattle with a thinner o-ring inserted under spring. An extra thin o-ring from a 1xAAA keychain light would probably do the trick. _

*User Interface*

Like the other Baton lights, the S10 uses an electronic switch for on/off and mode control. As before, a quick press and release turns the light on. 

Mode switching is controlled by holding down the electronic switch. The light will cycle between Lo – Med – Hi - Med, in repeating sequence. This differs from the other Baton lights which were Lo – Med – Hi (i.e., in this case, the S10 steps down after stepping up in outputs). Simply release the switch to select your desired mode. The light has mode memory – if you turn it off/on, the light returns to your previous level.

Note that if you memorize the light in Med, when next you turn it back on, it will always be in the first Med in the sequence. In other words, the next level in the sequence will always be Hi when re-activating in Med mode from Off. 

The S10 features a new innovation – a "Moonlight" low mode that is directly accessed from off by a sustained press of the switch. This is an excellent adaptation, as you can always turn the light on in the lowest possible mode if you want. Mode cycling and memory works as before, once on.

There is still a "hidden" strobe mode, accessed by double-clicking the switch when on. Double-click again to return to constant on.

The S10 no longer features the typical Olight "soft lock-out." :shrug: Holding the switch down when on simply continues cycling between output modes indefinitely. To lock out the light, I recommend you twist the tailcap. 

For information on the light, including the build and user interface, please see my new video overview:



Video was recorded in 720p, but YouTube typically defaults to 360p. Once the video is running, you can click on the configuration settings icon and select the higher 480p to 720p options. You can also run full-screen. 

*PWM*

There is no sign of PWM that I can see, at any output level – I presume the light is current-controlled, as claimed.  






Strobe is a standard "tactical" high frequency strobe, measured at 9.7 Hz. 

*Standby Drain*

As the switch is an electronic one, a standby current drain is always present when a battery is installed. 

I measured this standby drain at 5.7uA for 1xCR123A, and 5.8uA on 1xRCR. For a standard 1400mAh CR123A and 750mAh RCR, that would translate into over 28 years and 14 years, respectively, before a battery would be fully drained. Hardly a concern – although I do recommend you lock out the switch at the tailcap to prevent accidental activation.

*Beamshots:*

And now, the white-wall beamshots.  All lights are on Max output on the identified battery type. Lights are about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). Automatic white balance on the camera, to minimize tint differences. 

1xRCR (AW Protected 750mAh) Li-ion Comparison:





























































1xCR123A Comparison:





























































Beam pattern is as you would expect for a XM-L light with this size textured reflector – a fairly big hotspot and decent sized spillbeam. Scroll down for full output details in my tables.

*Testing Method:* 

All my output numbers are relative for my home-made light box setup, a la Quickbeam's flashlightreviews.com method. You can directly compare all my relative output values from different reviews - i.e. an output value of "10" in one graph is the same as "10" in another. All runtimes are done under a cooling fan, except for any extended run Lo/Min modes (i.e. >12 hours) which are done without cooling.

I have devised a method for converting my lightbox relative output values (ROV) to estimated Lumens. See my How to convert Selfbuilt's Lightbox values to Lumens thread for more info. 

*Throw/Output Summary Chart:*

My summary tables are reported in a manner consistent with the ANSI FL-1 standard for flashlight testing. Please see http://www.flashlightreviews.ca/FL1.htm for a discussion, and a description of all the terms used in these tables. Effective July 2012, I have updated all my Peak Intensity/Beam Distance measures with a NIST-certified Extech EA31 lightmeter (orange highlights).











The S10 has a balanced overall output pattern, with a good spacing of levels. Reported Olight ANSI FL-1 output and beam intensity specs seem accurate. 

*Output/Runtime Comparison:*



















The S10 has a somewhat distinctive step-down pattern on Hi: after 5 mins, the light steps down to a slightly lower level – but gradually, over a period of two minutes. This differs from most lights that have an abrupt step. As a result, you are not likely to be able to perceive the gradual dimming here. 

Efficiency seems excellent on the S10, especially on primary CR123A. :thumbsup:

_*UPDATE October 10, 2012:* Here is a summary table showing what my ANSI FL-1 lumen estimates are for the S10:






As you can see, my results are very closely in-line with Olight's published specs on 1xCR123A. :thumbsup: Max output increased slightly on 1xRCR, but the difference is barely noticeable in real life._

*Potential Issues*

Baton lights all use an electronic switch, and therefore require a small stand-by current when fully connected. However, you can lock out the S10 at the tailcap, and the standby drain is so low (<6 uA) as to be negligible on the lifespan of the battery (i.e. many decades). But note that the S10 no longer uses the "soft" electronic lock-out feature of its predecessors.

Mode sequence has been changed from a consistent repeating Lo > Med > Hi on the other Baton lights to a repeating Lo > Med > Hi > Med. Originally, I felt this would could be potentially annoying (i.e., you may have forgotten where it is in the sequence after leaving it off for ahile). But on further testing, I see now that it always comes on in the first Med in the sequence (i.e., Hi will always follow Med after a re-activation).

There is no low-voltage warning sensor on the S10, as there was on the S35/S65/S80 (previously located under the power switch).

*Preliminary Observations*

The S10 is a nice addition to the Baton series of Olight lights. :wave:

I like most of the updates to this model, including the good clip (reversible), keychain attachment point, and revised knurling. The S10 is quite comfortable to carry and use, with good ergonomics in my opinion. Personally, I'm not crazy about magnetic tailcaps – but they do have their uses, and some people really like them. In this case, it is certainly strong enough to hold the light horizontally off a metal surface. And magnets can always be permanently disabled by the local application of high heat. In this case, a typical butane lighter was only able to diminish it slightly on my sample, but as suggested in the discussions below, a soldering iron would be a lot more effective (and certainly safer).

_*UPDATE October 12, 2012:* Olight has revised the tailcap design, which now features a removable magnet. :thumbsup: See my updated build section for an overview and video on how to swap out the magnet. _

The user interface updates are generally goood – the "hidden" Moonlight mode accessed from Off is brilliant, and a great addition to the interface. :twothumbs The Lo > Med > Hi > Med is a little unusual, but the light always re-activates on the first Med mode from Off (i.e., Hi will always be next in the sequence upon re-activation).

Nice to see they have kept the standby current at a completely negligible low uA current. I am not sure why the "soft" electronic lock-out mode was ditched on this model, but I don't really miss it given that a physical lock-out is now possible at the tailcap. This is my preferred way to prevent accidental activations anyway. 

Output mode spacings remain good – better in fact, with the new Moonlight mode on the S10. And the performance of the light is excellent in my testing, in keeping with the good current-control circuitry (i.e. very long relative runtimes). It is a particularly thoughtful idea to have the gradual drop-off in the Hi mode step-down, so that you won't notice the dimming. 

The S10 is a nice update and extension to the Baton line of lights. I like most of the light tweaks and updates, and am impressed with how Olight handled the magnetic tailcap issue (i.e. offering free updates to those with the original permanently-installed version). The S10 stands out as another good potential option in the defined-level 1xCR123A/RCR space. A very strong contender. 

_*UPDATE September 7, 2013*: FYI, this model has been replaced by the S10 2013 (aka the S10 L2). See my full review of it here._ 

----

S10 was supplied by Olight for review.


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## F. Premens

Looks really nice, good review. :thumbsup:


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## Dubois

Good review - thanks. Sorry to be a pedant, but in the last Output/Runtime chart,for Primary CR123 at Medium, the number of hours (4) for the S10 is missing from the box.


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## selfbuilt

Dubois said:


> Good review - thanks. Sorry to be a pedant, but in the last Output/Runtime chart,for Primary CR123 at Medium, the number of hours (4) for the S10 is missing from the box.


Thanks, I'll fix that.


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## MattSPL

Great review. Thanks :thumbsup:


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## Fireclaw18

The magnet can be disabled with a candleflame? I didn't know that.

EDIT: Just checked online. Assuming its a standard n-grade Neodymium magnet, then the magnet will start to lose its strength at 176 degrees F (80 degrees C) and completely demagnetize at 590 degrees F (310 C). Doesn't sound like a candleflame is going to be hot enough to completely demagnetize the magnet, but it might be enough to weaken it.


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## Badbeams3

As always, great review. Can you tell us a little more about the red battery warning light in the switch...does it start to blink while on? does it blink while off? Did you happen to notice at about what voltage the warning started or can you give a guess? Is it bright enough to be noticeable? Does the blink rate increase as the battery drops down?


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## ZRXBILL

Great review as always. I gotta believe that low-med-high-med-low set up would drive me nuts if I left off in med. since you wouldn't know if low of high was coming next.:thumbsdow


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## Badbeams3

ZRXBILL said:


> Great review as always. I gotta believe that low-med-high-med-low set up would drive me nuts if I left off in med. since you wouldn't know if low of high was coming next.:thumbsdow



Don`t think thats right...watch the video from around 3 minutes forward and keep track...at 3:42 he shuts it off in medium after coming down from high, at 4:10ish he presses to change and it goes up...would have gone down under your concept. I noticed playing with one last night, that if you shut it off in medium, turn it back on, starts back on medium and it always goes up by default (does not matter which way you were going before shutting it off). It does not do this if kept on...you need to remember which way you were going...a problem for me...but thats my memory problem , not the lights...


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## ZRXBILL

Badbeams3 said:


> Don`t think thats right...watch the video from around 3 minutes forward and keep track...at 3:42 he shuts it off in medium after coming down from high, at 4:10ish he presses to change and it goes up...would have gone down under your concept. I noticed playing with one last night, that if you shut it off in medium, turn it back on, starts back on medium and it always goes up by default (does not matter which way you were going before shutting it off). It does not do this if kept on...you need to remember which way you were going...a problem for me...but thats my memory problem , not the lights...



He even specifically complains about the low-med-high-med-low interface in the video.


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## Badbeams3

ZRXBILL said:


> He even specifically complains about the low-med-high-med-low interface in the video.



Yes, but just wanted to clarify...does not matter which way you were going before shutting it off...will always go up when turned back on, then pressed, by default...no guessing from off....last level then up (unless last level was high of course...then down, only way it can go). Selfbuilt perhaps, might wish to correct/clarify that video...it is a little misleading...


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## GordoJones88

i1 > S10


Somebody had to say it.


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## Badbeams3

GordoJones88 said:


> i1 > S10
> 
> 
> Somebody had to say it.


 
In what way?


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## KuanR

Badbeams3 said:


> Yes, but just wanted to clarify...does not matter which way you were going before shutting it off...will always go up when turned back on, then pressed, by default...no guessing from off....last level then up (unless last level was high of course...then down, only way it can go). Selfbuilt perhaps, might wish to correct/clarify that video...it is a little misleading...



I just got mine in the mail and you are right, no matter if you're going up or down, once turned off and on, it will always begin going up when you cycle through the power levels

I have an i1 ss and I definitely like the s10 levels and side switch more, but it obviously does not feel as robust or well built as the i1 ss


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## jamjam

Another excellent review from Selfbulit!

I did a runtime test on med (70lm) with a no-name brand CR123A. When the battery voltage drop to 2.0v after 6.5 hours, the light start to flicker (My Zebralight H51w did the same thing). If I switch to low mode the flickering stops, and it will continue on low for another 30 minutes and then auto shut-off at 1.9v. And it can still turn back on moon mode and last for a very long time.

So did your S10 share the same behavior? In term of the flickering and the auto shut-off voltage.


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## selfbuilt

Away traveling, so will double check the Med activation when I am back and have the light in front me. Same goes for the red LED low voltage warning - I will post more details when I have time to interrogate.

As for the candle flame, I havent tested it, but I know others reported it worked on the foursevens Preon P0.

Sent from my handheld device


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## jamjam

To nuetralize a magnet, you can also use a soldering iron to do that, and its a lot safer and easier to control than using cadle fire.


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## biglights

Nice review as always Selfbuilt!


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## NorthernStar

Great Review! 



selfbuilt said:


> The S10 has a somewhat distinctive step-down pattern on Hi: after 5 mins, the light steps down to a slightly lower level – but gradually, over a period of two minutes. This differs from most lights that have an abrupt step. As a result, you are not likely to be able to perceive the gradual dimming here.



When the light has steped down in effect after 5 minuters,can one turn of the light then immediately turn it on again and it starts at the highest mode again? Is there a risk that the light get permanently damaged by doing so? Is the clip removable?


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## selfbuilt

I double-checked, and the light always comes on in the first "Med" mode upon re-activation (i.e., always advances to Hi next). So no matter which Med you leave it, you can predict what will happen upon re-activation - I will update the review and video.

As for the magnet, my comments were based on the principle that magnets can be permanently disabled by the local application of high heat. I have just gone and tested it, and a typical butane lighter was only able to diminish it on my sample. Basically, after a few secs with the lighter, the magnet would no longer hold the battery by the tailcap spring (as shown in the pic and video), but the you could still mount the whole light stably to a metal surface.



jamjam said:


> So did your S10 share the same behavior? In term of the flickering and the auto shut-off voltage.


No flickering on mine, but I still need to interogate the specific voltages for the warning sensor.



jamjam said:


> To nuetralize a magnet, you can also use a soldering iron to do that, and its a lot safer and easier to control than using cadle fire.


Good tip! That should definitely do it.



NorthernStar said:


> When the light has steped down in effect after 5 minuters,can one turn of the light then immediately turn it on again and it starts at the highest mode again? Is there a risk that the light get permanently damaged by doing so? Is the clip removable?


If you turn it off and back on, it comes back on at max output again. Whether it is "safe" to do so repeatedly is hard to say. It is not what the manufacturer intended. But I've certainly seen more heavily driven lights that don't step down, so hard to say what long-term effect could be. I would recommend common sense be applied - if the light is feeling really warm by hand, let it step down, or manually drop down to Med.

And yes, the clip is removable.


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## jamjam

selfbuilt said:


> No flickering on mine, but I still need to interogate the specific voltages for the warning sensor.



Let me know after you test it, may be its just my sample. I had the same problem with another light (Not H51w) after exchanged it, the replacement doesn't have this problem anymore. Thanks.


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## Badbeams3

Looking at the run time charts, this light really has very impressive RCR regulation...very flat to the 3 volt cutoff. The Eagletac D25C beats the pants out of it at the start, but seems to suffer a heart attack soon after leaving the gate. Medium level, 70 LM RCR performance is especially superb. None of the others come close. The Sunwayman V11R (blue line) does best it...but appears to be drinking heavily along the way. Of the ones tested in the charts, the S10 appears to me to be the all around RCR performance champ.

I wish they had picked a brighter low...say 15 lumen.


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## selfbuilt

Badbeams3 said:


> Looking at the run time charts, this light really has very impressive RCR regulation...very flat to the 3 volt cutoff. The Eagletac D25C beats the pants out of it at the start, but seems to suffer a heart attack soon after leaving the gate. Medium level, 70 LM RCR performance is especially superb. None of the others come close. The Sunwayman V11R (blue line) does best it...but appears to be drinking heavily along the way. Of the ones tested in the charts, the S10 appears to me to be the all around RCR performance champ.


That has to be the funniest descriptions of a runtime graph that I have ever read. :laughing:

While all quite true, the "drunken staggers" of the V11R would not be visible to the naked eye. The time course for most of these graphs is so long that you cannot see these small variations in real life.

The S10 is definitely a great performer.


Sent from my handheld device


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## NorthernStar

selfbuilt said:


> If you turn it off and back on, it comes back on at max output again. Whether it is "safe" to do so repeatedly is hard to say. It is not what the manufacturer intended. But I've certainly seen more heavily driven lights that don't step down, so hard to say what long-term effect could be. I would recommend common sense be applied - if the light is feeling really warm by hand, let it step down, or manually drop down to Med.
> 
> And yes, the clip is removable.



Thank´s for the info! 

Like you say,it´s probably not good for the light to be reactivated again at the highest mode after it has automatically steped down in effect. I was just curious if it was possible to do so.


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## selfbuilt

Badbeams3 said:


> As always, great review. Can you tell us a little more about the red battery warning light in the switch...does it start to blink while on? does it blink while off? Did you happen to notice at about what voltage the warning started or can you give a guess? Is it bright enough to be noticeable? Does the blink rate increase as the battery drops down?


Well, this is interesting - there doesn't actually seem to be a low voltage warning on the S10. Sorry for the confusion. 

That review text was left-over from my earlier Baton series reviews - I hadn't actually tested for the sensor here. And since my runtimes are largely automated, I don't typicaly notice sensor functioning until I explicitly set out to examine it. This is what I get for posting a review while I am away travelling.  

I note in the specs there is no mention of a sensor, and I found no evidence of it on either RCR or CR123A. I will confirm with Olight.



jamjam said:


> I did a runtime test on med (70lm) with a no-name brand CR123A. When the battery voltage drop to 2.0v after 6.5 hours, the light start to flicker (My Zebralight H51w did the same thing). If I switch to low mode the flickering stops, and it will continue on low for another 30 minutes and then auto shut-off at 1.9v. And it can still turn back on moon mode and last for a very long time.


I saw no sign of flickering in my initial testing, on AW RCR or Titanium Innovations CR123A. But I just tested an old Ultrafire protected RCR, and got high-speed flickering (kind of like a strobe) on Hi, <3.8V or so. 

I don't see this on any of my AW cells, so I can only assume it's the circuit's response to a poor quality battery that can't reliably provide the required power.


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## jamjam

selfbuilt said:


> I saw no sign of flickering in my initial testing, on AW RCR or Titanium Innovations CR123A. But I just tested an old Ultrafire protected RCR, and got high-speed flickering (kind of like a strobe) on Hi, <3.8V or so.
> 
> I don't see this on any of my AW cells, so I can only assume it's the circuit's response to a poor quality battery that can't reliably provide the required power.



Thanks for the reply. Its probably my cheap 0.40 USD CR123A which are acting-up. But 4 hours of steady 70lm for 0.40 USD is a steal. Surefire and Panasonic CR123A are so damn expensive here, and yes, the AW 16340 cost 14 USD here in China.


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## amaretto

Hi Selfbuilt, thank you for reviewing. I wonder why i measured exactly the same lumens wether (Panasonic) CR123A or RCR123 (AW). Both 323 lumens. :thinking:


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## selfbuilt

amaretto said:


> Hi Selfbuilt, thank you for reviewing. I wonder why i measured exactly the same lumens wether (Panasonic) CR123A or RCR123 (AW). Both 323 lumens. :thinking:


Hmmm, was the RCR freshly charged? In my case, my independent ceiling bounce, lightbox and throw measures (all done with different meters) all agree that my sample is ~20% brighter initially on RCR.


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## dts71

Does the low battery warning work properly with both cr123 and 16340?
How far from pitch black does it light up and has the light by then already started to dim noticeably on the higher levels?


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## selfbuilt

dts71 said:


> Does the low battery warning work properly with both cr123 and 16340?


I see no evidence of a low battery warning on my sample ... I will confirm with Olight.


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## MattSPL

I tested my S10 today on high, and it starts to flicker when the voltage reaches 2.5v


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## jamjam

MattSPL said:


> I tested my S10 today on high, and it starts to flicker when the voltage reaches 2.5v



Thanks for confirming that the S10 do flicker when voltage is low. Are you using CR123A or RCR123?


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## MattSPL

jamjam said:


> Thanks for confirming that the S10 do flicker when voltage is low. Are you using CR123A or RCR123?



That was with an AW IMR16340. It ran for approximately 47 minutes before flickering.
I'm just testing an AW 3.2v LifeP04 at the moment.
Edit: The AW LifeP04 lasted 31 minutes, and the light shut off completely this time. I removed the cell, and its voltage was at 2.3v


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## selfbuilt

MattSPL said:


> That was with an AW IMR16340. It ran for approximately 47 minutes before flickering.
> I'm just testing an AW 3.2v LifeP04 at the moment.
> Edit: The AW LifeP04 lasted 31 minutes, and the light shut off completely this time. I removed the cell, and its voltage was at 2.3v


Yeah, those voltages are below the typical cut-off threshold for a protected cell. That's likely why I didn't notice any flickering on any of my protected AW RCR cells - the cell's internal protection circuits were reached before the S10 could "flicker".

That said, my one old Ultrafire protected cell (which I keep around only to test the effect of old, poor quality cells) started to flicker ~3.8V. :shrug:


----------



## MattSPL

selfbuilt said:


> Yeah, those voltages are below the typical cut-off threshold for a protected cell. That's likely why I didn't notice any flickering on any of my protected AW RCR cells - the cell's internal protection circuits were reached before the S10 could "flicker".
> 
> That said, my one old Ultrafire protected cell (which I keep around only to test the effect of old, poor quality cells) started to flicker ~3.8V. :shrug:



Ill post here again when i have tested a Yezl RCR123. Their PCB voltage protection is 2.45v, so it will be interesting to see if the light reacts first, or the cells PCB.


----------



## jamjam

selfbuilt said:


> Yeah, those voltages are below the typical cut-off threshold for a protected cell. That's likely why I didn't notice any flickering on any of my protected AW RCR cells - the cell's internal protection circuits were reached before the S10 could "flicker".
> 
> That said, my one old Ultrafire protected cell (which I keep around only to test the effect of old, poor quality cells) started to flicker ~3.8V. :shrug:



So we can assume that the flickering is some kind of low voltage indications? But isn't it a bit too low for an RCR battery? But its good if using CR123A so that we could drain the battery completely.


----------



## MattSPL

Whats interesting is that i tested 2 AW IMR's, and both flickered at 2.5v which is their discharge limit.
The LifeP04 measured 2.3v when the light completely shut off, and its discharge limit is 2.2v. It's almost like the light knows exactly when the cell is completely drained, regardless of cell type, but it might also just be coincidence.
I'll try another LifeP04, and then a couple of protected cells.


----------



## Badbeams3

Sounds almost like it a reaction from the battery more than the light. But either way, I thought the light was suppose to cut out at 3 volts to protect the batt. Looks like this is not the case. Wish it did have a low battery warning light like Selfbuilt first thought...


----------



## MattSPL

It would be good if it cut at 3v, but probably couldn't due to needing to get the most out of a primary.


----------



## MattSPL

Here's my results from testing a few different cells with the Olight S10. I just tested with the light on high mode.

Ultracell 3.2v LifeP04 - 26 minutes before the light switched off - cell voltage at end was 2.4v
Aw 3.2v LifeP04 - 31 minutes before the light switched off - cell voltage at end was 2.3v
AW IMR16340 - 47 minutes before light started to flicker - cell voltage at end was 2.5v
Yezl 3.7v 16340 - 1hr 11 minutes before light started to flicker - cell voltage at end was 2.8v


----------



## dts71

MattSPL said:


> Yezl 3.7v 16340 - 1hr 11 minutes before light started to flicker - cell voltage at end was 2.8v



Impressive! I just ordered a S10 - do you have any source for Yezl 16340 you can recommend?


----------



## MattSPL

dts71 said:


> Impressive! I just ordered a S10 - do you have any source for Yezl 16340 you can recommend?



I live in Ireland, so ordered them off a UK ebay vendor. They ship worldwide though. I can pm you details if you like.

Cheers
Matt


----------



## Badbeams3

MattSPL said:


> I live in Ireland, so ordered them off a UK ebay vendor. They ship worldwide though. I can pm you details if you like.
> 
> Cheers
> Matt



What it the voltage of those Yezi batts? The reason I ask is I just was looking at a rechargeable 800mh *3.2 volt* 16340 batt (not 3.7) Wondering if it might be something like that...


----------



## MattSPL

The Yezl's are 3.7v


----------



## Badbeams3

MattSPL said:


> The Yezl's are 3.7v




Selfbuilts high run time test on an AW showed 55 minutes. 71 minutes is very good...speaks well for the Yezl brand...


----------



## MattSPL

Badbeams3 said:


> Selfbuilts high run time test on an AW showed 55 minutes. 71 minutes is very good...speaks well for the Yezl brand...



Yeah, the eBay seller does a test on all the batteries he sell, similar to HKJ. The Yezl came out on top with 706mAh capacity @ 1A discharge.


----------



## MattSPL

I got the soldering iron onto the tailcap of my S10 today. I couldn't completely neutralize the magnet, but i'd say its strength is only about 10% of what it was before, so its not very strong, and only effective when placed very close to a metal object.


----------



## jamjam

MattSPL said:


> Yeah, the eBay seller does a test on all the batteries he sell, similar to HKJ. The Yezl came out on top with 706mAh capacity @ 1A discharge.



Good to hear that Yezl 16340 is doing good. I am currently working in China and Yezl's brand is "not" really a very respectable brand here, since they always over-hype their product specifications. Wonder what is inside the Yezl 16340? A rebrand of a famous battery manufacturer?


----------



## jamjam

MattSPL said:


> I got the soldering iron onto the tailcap of my S10 today. I couldn't completely neutralize the magnet, but i'd say its strength is only about 10% of what it was before, so its not very strong, and only effective when placed very close to a metal object.



I think 10% is quite safe to be near any magnetic card or key.


----------



## MattSPL

jamjam said:


> Good to hear that Yezl 16340 is doing good. I am currently working in China and Yezl's brand is "not" really a very respectable brand here, since they always over-hype their product specifications. Wonder what is inside the Yezl 16340? A rebrand of a famous battery manufacturer?



The Yezl 16340 seems to be the highest capacity cell currently available. Although the cell states 880mAh, I have seen a test result of 706mAh @ 1A discharge which is higher than any other 16340, and my results with the S10 are very good.
They also work very well at higher discharge currents in my Trustfire mini-01, pulling upto 2.4A from the Yezl.

It would be interesting to know what cell is under the wrapper.
Any way of finding out other than taking one appart?


----------



## MattSPL

jamjam said:


> I think 10% is quite safe to be near any magnetic card or key.



Ok, should be good then. You need to place the tail right next to something now, whereas before, the magnet was so strong it would pull things towards it.


----------



## jamjam

MattSPL said:


> The Yezl 16340 seems to be the highest capacity cell currently available. Although the cell states 880mAh, I have seen a test result of 706mAh @ 1A discharge which is higher than any other 16340, and my results with the S10 are very good.
> They also work very well at higher discharge currents in my Trustfire mini-01, pulling upto 2.4A from the Yezl.
> 
> It would be interesting to know what cell is under the wrapper.
> Any way of finding out other than taking one appart?



The only way to know that without taking apart the battery is compare it to other well-known good battery like AW etc, and see which one has the closest discharge curve and characteristic. Capacity is not the only consideration when choosing a battery, longevity and safety are also equally important.


----------



## MattSPL

jamjam said:


> The only way to know that without taking apart the battery is compare it to other well-known good battery like AW etc, and see which one has the closest discharge curve and characteristic. Capacity is not the only consideration when choosing a battery, longevity and safety are also equally important.



Hopefully HKJ will get hold of some Yezl 16340's to test because i can only do basic comparisons at home in a couple of different lights, but from what i can tell, the Yezl is a very high quality cell.


----------



## HKJ

MattSPL said:


> Hopefully HKJ will get hold of some Yezl 16340's to test because i can only do basic comparisons at home in a couple of different lights, but from what i can tell, the Yezl is a very high quality cell.



I have some on order.


----------



## MattSPL

HKJ said:


> I have some on order.



Great news


----------



## awsom50

With what type of battery the Olight s10 will be the most powerful?
Another question - do the LiFePo4 batteries give more juice than ordinary 3.0v RCR?


----------



## MattSPL

awsom50 said:


> With what type of battery the Olight s10 will be the most powerful?
> Another question - do the LiFePo4 batteries give more juice than ordinary 3.0v RCR?



From Selfbuilts results, a 3.7v rcr will give the most output.
3v rcr123's aren't very popular. I have some cheap GTL 3v's, and they gave roughly the same runtime as a 3.2v LifeP04. 
If you want to go the rechargeable route, then some good quality 3.7v rcr123's are best for the S10.


----------



## srvctec

Great review as usual, selfbuilt! I didn't even know this light existed until I got an email from Battery Junction today. Just when I *thought* I had the perfect light in my V11R, now *THIS* light seems perfect to me. Off to BJ to order one at 10% off. This disease will never go away!!


----------



## NewlandPhotography

srvctec said:


> Great review as usual, selfbuilt! I didn't even know this light existed until I got an email from Battery Junction today. Just when I *thought* I had the perfect light in my V11R, now *THIS* light seems perfect to me. Off to BJ to order one at 10% off. This disease will never go away!!




i did the same thing, i got an email from them, searched it on here for reviews, the bought it with the coupon code! i order everything from them!


----------



## eh123456

3.7V RCR123's give the most output, but also the most heat 




MattSPL said:


> From Selfbuilts results, a 3.7v rcr will give the most output.
> 3v rcr123's aren't very popular. I have some cheap GTL 3v's, and they gave roughly the same runtime as a 3.2v LifeP04.
> If you want to go the rechargeable route, then some good quality 3.7v rcr123's are best for the S10.


----------



## MattSPL

eh123456 said:


> 3.7V RCR123's give the most output, but also the most heat



The light doesn't get too hot though, and steps down its output after 5 minutes.


----------



## srvctec

selfbuilt,

I was wondering if you could clear something up for me. I notice you have the S10 listed as "LED: Cree XM-L LED" under the heading "*Manufacturer Reported Specifications:"*. It's also listed as an XM-L in all the runtime charts, but it's listed under the "*Throw/Output Summary Chart:"* as an XM-L U2. I'm guessing the XM-L U2 reference is just a typo as every where else I can find any info, the XM-L is what's listed.


----------



## selfbuilt

srvctec said:


> I was wondering if you could clear something up for me. I notice you have the S10 listed as "LED: Cree XM-L LED" under the heading "*Manufacturer Reported Specifications:"*. It's also listed as an XM-L in all the runtime charts, but it's listed under the "*Throw/Output Summary Chart:"* as an XM-L U2. I'm guessing the XM-L U2 reference is just a typo as every where else I can find any info, the XM-L is what's listed.


Yes, it's a typo on my part - Olight has not specified the output bin anywhere that I have noticed. I'll correct the table reference the next time I'm uploading more results.


----------



## sspc

Question about moonlight mode and memory. If the light was last used on Hi mode and turned off and then turned back on in moonlight mode and then truned back off, would it turn back on in Hi mode with the next normal quick click turn on?

This light is one of the few recent CR123 lights that can be left on the highest setting using a RCR123 without issue (at least that appears to be the case). That gets my attention as CR123 lights are a great form factor but I don't like the usual option of running it on non rechargeables or running on rechargeables but having to monitor the Hi mode.


----------



## MattSPL

sspc said:


> Question about moonlight mode and memory. If the light was last used on Hi mode and turned off and then turned back on in moonlight mode and then truned back off, would it turn back on in Hi mode with the next normal quick click turn on?
> 
> This light is one of the few recent CR123 lights that can be left on the highest setting using a RCR123 without issue (at least that appears to be the case). That gets my attention as CR123 lights are a great form factor but I don't like the usual option of running it on non rechargeables or running on rechargeables but having to monitor the Hi mode.



If your in any mode, and switch the light off, then back on in moonlight mode, it will memorize moonlight mode as the last used mode.

The light works perfectly on cr123 or rcr123, but steps down its output after about 5 minutes.


----------



## sspc

MattSPL said:


> If your in any mode, and switch the light off, then back on in moonlight mode, it will memorize moonlight mode as the last used mode.
> 
> The light works perfectly on cr123 or rcr123, but steps down its output after about 5 minutes.



Thank you. I would prefer that it didnt't remember moonlight mode since there is a shortcode to that mode in the interface. This way, I could leave memory mode on high and easily access high or moonlight mode from off.


----------



## MattSPL

Yeah, it would be nice if it didn't memorise moonlight mode.

Cheers
Matt


----------



## selfbuilt

sspc said:


> Thank you. I would prefer that it didnt't remember moonlight mode since there is a shortcode to that mode in the interface.


Yes, it is quite common for lights that memorize modes to always memorize the last one (even if there is a shortcut to it from off). It just seems to be the simplest way to design the circuit. :shrug:


----------



## sspc

selfbuilt said:


> Yes, it is quite common for lights that memorize modes to always memorize the last one (even if there is a shortcut to it from off). It just seems to be
> the simplest way to design the circuit. :shrug:



I think this is a lot of light for under $50. I may not be able to resist much longer


----------



## TweakMDS

I'm also seriously considering this one. It seems to have the best mode spacing I've seen so far, but I recently came across a titanium announcement of it. Any word on that?


----------



## TOJ

Could someone elaborate on the UI?

Low - medium - high - medium - low - medium - etc etc? But if you turn it off and back on, it goes to medium? OR, if you turn it off on medium, it goes back to medium heading upward? But if you turn it off on low it comes back on on low? The OP is worded like it always turns on on medium. Good review though!

How quickly do the modes switch when you hold the switch? <-- answered this question with the video.

EDIT: I think I've answered all my questions with the video. I have no sound on this computer. If you turn it off on low, it comes back on on low. But if you turn it off on medium, medium heading upward comes on.


----------



## selfbuilt

TOJ said:


> EDIT: I think I've answered all my questions with the video. I have no sound on this computer. If you turn it off on low, it comes back on on low. But if you turn it off on medium, medium heading upward comes on.


That's right. Sorry if it wasn't clear in the text, I've just revised it to make this point clearer.


----------



## TOJ

I have one more noob question: Is the 320 lumen rating OTF or at the LED? I don't really know what I'm looking at with all the graphs/charts.


----------



## ZRXBILL

TOJ said:


> I have one more noob question: Is the 320 lumen rating OTF or at the LED? I don't really know what I'm looking at with all the graphs/charts.



His chart shows he's getting 350 lumens with a CR123 battery & 430 lumens with a rechargable RCR battery.


----------



## selfbuilt

ZRXBILL said:


> His chart shows he's getting 350 lumens with a CR123 battery & 430 lumens with a rechargable RCR battery.


That's right. The tables report ANSI FL-1 standard time points for the various measures (e.g., peak intensity and output over the 30secs - 2mins time period). I use a lumen estimation method to approximate output for these tables, as described in the links in the review.

The runtime graphs are presented in the raw relative output values from my lightbox. These do not linearly relate to absolute lumens, but they serve well enough as general relative approximations.


----------



## Oztorchfreak

I have the Olight S10 as well and I think it is a great little 123 type pocket light and accessing Moonlight is a breeze.

The S10 is a good example of how to use Mode Memory.

The Moonlight feature is good and the I did some runtime testing on it just recently.


*I ran the S10 on HIGH unattended and no fan blowing on it to give the Olight S10 an EXTREME TEST.*

Firstly I ran it on one Protected Soshine RCR123 700mah battery for 55 minutes on HIGH until it just stopped completely but I found the Soshine RCR123 battery low voltage internal protection had shut the battery off. 

It measured 0 volts as expected because the internal low voltage protection circuit inside the battery had turned the battery off.

I then ran the S10 again after it cooled down using an Olight CR123 1500mah Lithium battery continuously again on HIGH as before and it went for 1hr 42mins before flickering and then at 1hr 52mins it stopped completely as the CR123 had been depleted.

On finishing the test using the CR123 I measured the voltage of the battery and it was around 2.35 volts.

I am not sure if the S10 has the ability to shut down a CR123 for battery under-voltage protection thinking it was an RCR123.

Can anyone verify that the S10 has this under-voltage battery protection feature or not and what the voltage is set at?

*The S10 got very warm bordering on HOT* during this test and was functioning well after the two* EXTREME TESTS*.

My friend tested his S10 using a CR123 1500mah Lithium and he switched it on and off and at different brightness levels as in normal use and it probably went for well over two hours or more and after a few hours of being OFF it still could still run on low for a while.


Cheers


----------



## lumen aeternum

Selfbuilt, your output v runtime graphs are very useful. Could you put an X on each line at the point where the output on high drops to the starting output on medium? Ditto med to lo.


----------



## selfbuilt

lumen aeternum said:


> Selfbuilt, your output v runtime graphs are very useful. Could you put an X on each line at the point where the output on high drops to the starting output on medium? Ditto med to lo.


Hmmm, that would probably look a little cluttered. But something I've done in a couple of my recent reviews is put a table of estimated ANSI FL-1 lumen values for each level. I'll see about setting one up for this review (and future ones).


----------



## lumen aeternum

I wonder how many people actually use these 1 battery lights for more than 5-10-15 minutes at a time? I would find it useful to see graphs that only go out to say 15 minutes, so I can find which lights actually maintain a constant illumination level for that long. THAT level is what I would call the "real world" maximum.

Similarly for lights with more battery power-- I would want at to know the 60-180 minute constant level for "full size" lights, and maybe 15-45 minutes for "belt carry" size.


----------



## Bullzeyebill

Welcome to CPF. Use google cpf only, at the top of every CPF page, to check out some of the threads that may help you with your questions. Also, read some of selfbuild's threads from beginning to end for some of your answers. Your are asking for info that may be posted here on CPF already. Please do some research before asking questions.

Bill


----------



## selfbuilt

FYI, just heard from Olight - they are sending me a revised S10 with a removable tail magnet. Looking forward to playing with the new tailcap - I'll update the review once it arrives. :wave:


----------



## MattSPL

selfbuilt said:


> FYI, just heard from Olight - they are sending me a revised S10 with a removable tail magnet. Looking forward to playing with the new tailcap - I'll update the review once it arrives. :wave:



Good news


----------



## lumen aeternum

Bullzeyebill said:


> Welcome to CPF. Use google cpf only, at the top of every CPF page, to check out some of the threads that may help you with your questions. Also, read some of selfbuild's threads from beginning to end for some of your answers. Your are asking for info that may be posted here on CPF already. Please do some research before asking questions.
> 
> Bill



Doing EXTENSIVE reading. Problem is that so many of the threads are out of date due to changes in technology. Also threads sidetrack (oooh, I have the same light & here's my HID mod on it...) and those sidetracks devolve into sub-discussions that don't have much to do with the actual Subject Line.


----------



## not a fighter

That was funny, seeing the initial pictures of the light, expecting a somewhat bigger unit... and then realizing the actual tiny size. Thanks for the great review.


----------



## selfbuilt

not a fighter said:


> That was funny, seeing the initial pictures of the light, expecting a somewhat bigger unit... and then realizing the actual tiny size. Thanks for the great review.


Yes, that's why the hand/battery shots are always so important - to give the right sense of scale. Especially so with the Olight Baton lights I think, because their overall cylindrical shape can mask relative size (i.e., less cues to go by, when doing close-ups).


----------



## jhc37013

Thanks to your review it has convinced me to buy the S10 especially the output to runtime on RCR, almost an hour of high regulated brightness.


----------



## selfbuilt

Based on popular request, I've updated the review with a summary table showing what my ANSI FL-1 lumen estimates are for the S10:







As you can see, my results are very closely in-line with Olight's published specs on 1xCR123A. :thumbsup: Max output increased slightly on 1xRCR, but the difference is barely noticeable in real life.

I'll post further updates once the tailcap version arrives (with the removable magnet).



jhc37013 said:


> Thanks to your review it has convinced me to buy the S10 especially the output to runtime on RCR, almost an hour of high regulated brightness.


Yes, because of the reasonable drive level (including the phased step-down), the S10 has unusually long runtime on 1xRCR on max. A thoughtful design - you will not notice the gradual dimming in practice, and it provides extended runtime.


----------



## jhc37013

A .3 lumen moonlight now that's what I like to hear and even better it's still .3 with RCR, it seems lately to many new light's are left without a true low-low so it's nice to see it on this one.


----------



## tikket

hello there!!i'm a new member and already flashaholic...
i'm waiting to get the s10 in my hands and i'd like to know
has anyone try it with imr18350?does it fits?has this ability 
the EagleTac D25C clicky?


----------



## MattSPL

tikket said:


> hello there!!i'm a new member and already flashaholic...
> i'm waiting to get the s10 in my hands and i'd like to know
> has anyone try it with imr18350?does it fits?has this ability
> the EagleTac D25C clicky?



18350's won't fit either light, but I have used IMR16340's in my S10.


----------



## jhc37013

tikket said:


> hello there!!i'm a new member and already flashaholic...
> i'm waiting to get the s10 in my hands and i'd like to know
> has anyone try it with imr18350?does it fits?has this ability
> the EagleTac D25C clicky?



Hello tikket and :welcome:

I'm in the same boat as you waiting on a S10 and it's to bad 18350's don't fit but at least RCR123 seems to run long and bright in the S10, I can't recall which light's run the brightest longest on RCR but this S10 has to be right up there at the top of the list.


----------



## sspc

jhc37013 said:


> Hello tikket and :welcome:
> 
> I'm in the same boat as you waiting on a S10 and it's to bad 18350's don't fit but at least RCR123 seems to run long and bright in the S10, I can't recall which light's run the brightest longest on RCR but this S10 has to be right up there at the top of the list.


This is what ineterests me about this light. Is this the first CR123 sized light with XM-L emiiter that can run on a RCR123 on the highest setting without worrying about how long you've been in that mode? 

I decided earlier this year that I would not buy any light that has to be monitored in the highest mode when using rechargeables...so most all of the recent cr123 sized lights have been off limits for me (until now).


----------



## sspc

MattSPL said:


> 18350's won't fit either light, but I have used IMR16340's in my S10.



Is the benefit of IMR16340s over a standard 16340 increased output (at the expense of runtime)?


----------



## MattSPL

sspc said:


> Is the benefit of IMR16340s over a standard 16340 increased output (at the expense of runtime)?



I don't think the IMR gives any more output over a regular RCR123. I think I measured just under 1A at the tail with either cell type.


----------



## lumen aeternum

>you will not notice the gradual dimming in practice, and it provides extended runtime.

People seem to frequently excuse lights by saying that. But the statement is pure bafflegab. Either the light is bright enough to perform the task, or not. If you "don't notice" that its gotten dimmer, then it was too bright to begin with, and you should have been using a lower level to start with, to ensure adequate runtime to complete your task.

Lumens output at a given setting determine if that brightness is the minimum required for your task, and you need to know how many minutes it will remain adequate.


----------



## tikket

jhc37013 said:


> Hello tikket and :welcome:
> 
> I'm in the same boat as you waiting on a S10 and it's to bad 18350's don't fit but at least RCR123 seems to run long and bright in the S10, I can't recall which light's run the brightest longest on RCR but this S10 has to be right up there at the top of the list.



s10 seems to be at the top of the list for pocket - rocket flashlights. Has full RCR123 support, no overheating problems and very good runtimes



. i can't wait to have it in my hands for personal test..


----------



## selfbuilt

tikket said:


> i'm waiting to get the s10 in my hands and i'd like to know
> has anyone try it with imr18350?does it fits?has this ability
> the EagleTac D25C clicky?


No, 18350 will not fit in the S10 or Eagletac D25C clicky. Very few single CR123A-sized lights are able to take 18350 (really designed to be used in 2x configuration in 18650-sized lights).


----------



## selfbuilt

jhc37013 said:


> I can't recall which light's run the brightest longest on RCR but this S10 has to be right up there at the top of the list.








The S10 certainly fairly bright on Hi, at least initially.



sspc said:


> This is what ineterests me about this light. Is this the first CR123 sized light with XM-L emiiter that can run on a RCR123 on the highest setting without worrying about how long you've been in that mode?


Well, it certainly gives you longer on RCR on Hi above. But that is because the light is not as heavily-driven as some others, and it does have a distinctive gradual step-down beginning at 5 mins into the run (taking another 5 mins to drop down to about ~30% lower output). As previously mentioned, this is gradual enough that you will not be perceptually aware of the dimming over this time period. The light then continues with very flat regulation for the rest of the run. An interesting way to extend the regulated runtime, fairly unique to Olight in this space.

Note that re-starting the light will bring you back to the initial output. So frequent on/off on Hi will drain a RCR faster you might think (i.e., it will likely be similar to other lights driven at the same initial levels). Olight typically has excellent current-controlled efficiencies, though.



sspc said:


> Is the benefit of IMR16340s over a standard 16340 increased output (at the expense of runtime)?


No, the main advantage of IMR chemistry (over standard ICR) is the ability to support higher discharge rates. So it is only required in extremely highly-driven lights (of which the S10 is not one). There is no real capacity advantage in this size, and you lose the built-in protection circuits possible on 16340-sized ICR cells.

IMR is not generally recommended in lights that don't have circuit over-discharge protection (rare on standard consumer lights). You are much better off using standard protected ICR cells in the S10.


----------



## jhc37013

I carried the S10 tonight and like it it's very tiny, like the pictures suggest it is like a small clone of a larger light. Before getting it I had some small doubts about the UI but it works well. I'm very surprised I actually like the pocket clip, it holds the light firm in my pocket and it seems to hold tight to the light requiring some force to pull off so I don't worry about the clip coming off and losing my light.

The fit and finish is nice I see no missing ano and the reflector is completely free of debris, also the lens is nice and clear with no debris (under the lens) or clouding.

Tint can be subjective and of course can vary from different samples but I'd say mine is average XM-L tint, on a white wall it has a little yellow in it so it's not completely white but outside it looks great.

If you want a small bright cr123 light that seems to perform well on RCR or want a small light because you have thin pockets (dress pants) than this is a good choice.


----------



## selfbuilt

jhc37013 said:


> I'm very surprised I actually like the pocket clip, it holds the light firm in my pocket and it seems to hold tight to the light requiring some force to pull off so I don't worry about the clip coming off and losing my light.


A good point. I've seen a fair number of negative comments regarding the clip, but I've found that it works well too. :shrug: It holds on to the light strongly, and is stiff/rigid (i.e. the metal is thicker than most, doesn't give). These are things I like, as it gives me greater confidence that the light will actually hold on to whatever I clip it to - I find it is definitely above average compare to most other clip-on style clips.


----------



## Oztorchfreak

MattSPL said:


> I got the soldering iron onto the tailcap of my S10 today. I couldn't completely neutralize the magnet, but i'd say its strength is only about 10% of what it was before, so its not very strong, and only effective when placed very close to a metal object.



In case some of you guys don't know, I posted a link just recently where I emailed *Olightworld* about the Magnet Removal issue and they responded by telling me it is now on their website after a little prodding by myself in an email to them.

This solves all of the mysteries of the Magnet Removal Issue.

The link for this PDF file is available when you click on the right lower area where it states -

*How to remove the magnet of S10 BATON---OLIGHT(2012.10.10)*

Or just click on this link below.

http://olightworld.com/Upload/S10Baton-04394676259.pdf

*
Also there are details on the Olight Compensatory Scheme to get an Olight S10 tailcap with magnet removal abilities or an S10 White Traffic Wand from their local distributor.*

*Just click on this area and you will be taken to the Detailed explanation of the two options Olight is offering to its customers.*

 



Cheers


----------



## selfbuilt

Oztorchfreak said:


> The link for this PDF file is available when you click on the right lower area where it states -
> *How to remove the magnet of S10 BATON---OLIGHT(2012.10.10)*


Thanks for the link Oztorchfreak.

I have been in recent correspondence with Olight on the tailcap magnet issue. To clarify, the original batch of S10s had a non-user-removable magnet. More recent shipping versions have a modified spring design that allows the user to remove the magnet. 

Olight has sent me a revised sample to examine. You can tell which version you have from the pics below (original shipping is on the left, current version is on the right).











In addition to the Olight instruction manual on their website, I have prepared a video showing you how to swap the magnet out. As always, you are likely to want to run this video at the higher 720p resolution for more detail.



In addition to the ability to now swap out the magnet, there are two signficant factors I've noticed with the new tailcap design (explained in the video). The first is that the new spring design introduces a slight rattle when handling the light (with the magnet installed). Secondly. while the magnetic pull is just as strong out the back of the tailcap, you can no longer pick up a battery by the spring on the inside of the cap. 

Both of these are likely due to the spring not being as deeply/securely fastened inside the tailcap (i.e., it no longer seems to make direct contact with the magnet, hence the reduced magnetic pull through the spring). The rattle issue disappears if you swap the magnet out - the bundled o-ring is thicker than the magnet, and makes direct contact with the spring (dampening any movement). If you want to keep the magnet installed with the new design, I'm sure you could fully dampen the rattle with a thinner o-ring inserted under spring. An extra thin o-ring from a 1xAAA keychain light would probably do the trick. 

For those of you with the original tailcap, you can contact your dealer to obtain a free replacement version with the removable spring. Alternatively, Olight is offering a free diffuser wand to those with the original tailcap who are happy to keep it. More details on this "Compensatory Scheme" are available on the Olight website.

Personally, I'm happy to see Olight's rapid response to this perceived issue. Hopefully the information (and video) above will help users decide how they want to proceed with the light. :wave:


----------



## sspc

Thanks selfbuilt for the IMR v. ICR info and the updates on the tailcap magnet. Now that I can be assured of getting the magnet out, there's nothing to stop me from buying this light.


----------



## NewlandPhotography

Does anyone elses S10 make a loud pitch noise when on? Mine does and it is really loud and annoying. If i smack the head a bit it stops.


----------



## MattSPL

NewlandPhotography said:


> Does anyone elses S10 make a loud pitch noise when on? Mine does and it is really loud and annoying. If i smack the head a bit it stops.



Mine does when the battery is nearly gone. It doesn't make a noise for long before an rcr123 runs out, but on a primary, it makes a noise for a lot longer.


----------



## selfbuilt

MattSPL said:


> Mine does when the battery is nearly gone. It doesn't make a noise for long before an rcr123 runs out, but on a primary, it makes a noise for a lot longer.


Interesting. I just checked, and my S10 does make a high-pitched whine on Hi on a nearly dead CR123A. It is not very loud, but it is present. There is no noise on Lo/Med, or on any level on a fresh battery.

I suspect it is some sort of inductor whine. Inductor whine/hum is highly variable, and it is generally only noticeable at certain combinations of voltage and current draw (i.e., it's a resonance effect, so it depends on specific frequencies).


----------



## MattSPL

selfbuilt said:


> Interesting. I just checked, and my S10 does make a high-pitched whine on Hi on a nearly dead CR123A. It is not very loud, but it is present. There is no noise on Lo/Med, on any level on a fresh battery.
> 
> I suspect it is some sort of inductor whine. Inductor whine/hum is highly variable, and it is generally only noticeable at certain combinations of voltage and current draw (i.e., it's a resonance effect, so it depends on specific frequencies).



That's interesting that it only happens on high. It's quite handy for knowing when to turn off, or switch down to a lower level.


----------



## IronMac

Hi there,

Lot of good info here! I've just received my S10 and it has an "N" on the bottom rather than it being an "S" or simply blank.

What does that mean? Thanks!


----------



## MattSPL

IronMac said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Lot of good info here! I've just received my S10 and it has an "N" on the bottom rather than it being an "S" or simply blank.
> 
> What does that mean? Thanks!



Mine has an 'N' also. I think that means that you can't remove your magnet, but if you read a few posts above, you can get a new tailcap from Olight.


----------



## jayflash

The S10 has become my new pocket carry, replacing the unreliable (and already "repaired") 4/7 Q Mini123, too large HDS U60, and Nitecore EX10. The only small complaint I have is my ability to quickly locate and properly press the switch. My fingers are numb and calloused and my thumb is arthritic, so sometimes it takes a couple attempts. The tail cap switch on the others is an advantage in this one area. 

The Baton consumes only 20mA on low, 200mA on medium (my most used level) and an amp on high. I'm impressed with the run time of an ordinary CR123 cell when used at the high level. The light - like a spider - sucks most of the juice from a primary cell, even on high.


----------



## MattSPL

Another great thing about the S10, i used it the other day on my mountain bike with a Lock block handle bar mount. It was raining very heavily, and me, my friend and the S10 would have been dryer swimming. The S10 performed flawlessly throughout.


----------



## IronMac

MattSPL said:


> Mine has an 'N' also. I think that means that you can't remove your magnet, but if you read a few posts above, you can get a new tailcap from Olight.



Whew! Thanks for your reply. I was worried that I had rec'd some sort of knock-off that no one else had. I also listened to the video posted by Selfbuilt with regards to changing the magnet out and he mentioned the "N" being on some units.

To give a little back, this little light is quite "floody". I have a Jetbeam BA10(?) AA light which has a decent throw but nowhere near the amount of flood as the S10.


----------



## MattSPL

I just ran a Yezl rcr123 in the S10 until the light switched itself off. The cell voltage was 3.1v when I removed it. I'm quite happy with this, knowing I don't need to worry about running the cells too low, or tripping the protection circuit.


----------



## tikket

finally s10 came today.its very tiny. the pocket clip holds the light firm in my pocket but is so hard and makes scratches when you try to remove it.
The light is floody, very nice.Tint it has a little yellow or greenish i can't decide but looks great.
i ran a Yezl rcr123 about 10 minutes the light wasn't hot. It looks great!!
A very nice tiny light for every pocket!!very good choice.


----------



## selfbuilt

tikket said:


> finally s10 came today.its very tiny. the pocket clip holds the light firm in my pocket but is so hard and makes scratches when you try to remove it.


Yes, that can be an issue with lights with very tight clips (like the S10). Something I do when worried this might happen is I coat the clip attachment point with teflon oil, and work it around a bit. When you go to pull the clip off, this minimizes the risk of scratching (although may not prevent it).



> The light is floody, very nice.Tint it has a little yellow or greenish i can't decide but looks great.


Yes, both of my shipping samples were also at the green-yellow end of cool white. Not sure if there is a trend yet, or if it just variable. :shrug:



> i ran a Yezl rcr123 about 10 minutes the light wasn't hot. It looks great!!


Yes, the S10 could be considered a good choice to run RCR in, as it keeps a nice regulated level (i.e., doesn't over-drive to much higher levels than CR123A). Of course, it also doesn't give you as much of an output boost, so it depends what you want in a light this size.


----------



## tikket

selfbuilt said:


> Yes, the S10 could be considered a good choice to run RCR in, as it keeps a nice regulated level (i.e., doesn't over-drive to much higher levels than CR123A). Of course, it also doesn't give you as much of an output boost, so it depends what you want in a light this size.



yes it has great runtimes with rcr and very good output for EDC use.is everithing you need.and very useful mooonlight mode.
I'm looking forward for another addition in my collection something higher not for EDC (hard to replace S10) but same size...i'm thinking PC10 or JetBeam RRT-01 or SWM V11R or Niteye eye10....and definetly need your help here...:naughty:


----------



## selfbuilt

tikket said:


> yes it has great runtimes with rcr and very good output for EDC use.is everithing you need.and very useful mooonlight mode.
> I'm looking forward for another addition in my collection something higher not for EDC (hard to replace S10) but same size...i'm thinking PC10 or JetBeam RRT-01 or SWM V11R or Niteye eye10....and definetly need your help here...:naughty:


Well, it's hard to find signficantly brighter in this size. The Eagletac D25C clicky with XM-L is the brightest direct-drive style RCR light I've tested so far. :shrug:


----------



## tikket

selfbuilt said:


> Well, it's hard to find signficantly brighter in this size. The Eagletac D25C clicky with XM-L is the brightest direct-drive style RCR light I've tested so far. :shrug:



But with Eagletac D25C clicky you loose high-med mode with rcr.you loose functionality. i'm thinking only one of 4 i mensioned above.


----------



## Southpaw1925

tikket said:


> But with Eagletac D25C clicky you loose high-med mode with rcr.you loose functionality. i'm thinking only one of 4 i mensioned above.



But lowest mode is still there right??


----------



## tikket

Southpaw1925 said:


> But lowest mode is still there right??



yes the low is still there..


----------



## selfbuilt

tikket said:


> But with Eagletac D25C clicky you loose high-med mode with rcr.you loose functionality. i'm thinking only one of 4 i mensioned above.


Yes, the Eagletac D25C looses all the med-hi modes on RCR, but keeps Lo and Turbo.

In terms of the other lights you mentioned, note that that the PC10 looses the defined Hi mode on RCR (but keeps Lo, Med and Turbo). It is a fairly common occurence on lights with defined levels to loose the med-hi levels, at least initially.

The continuously-variable lights you mentioned keep a full range of modes, although the relative spacing along the control ring will change (i.e., on RCR, you may find the outputs condensed around the higher levels).


----------



## tikket

selfbuilt said:


> Yes, the Eagletac D25C looses all the med-hi modes on RCR, but keeps Lo and Turbo.
> 
> In terms of the other lights you mentioned, note that that the PC10 looses the defined Hi mode on RCR (but keeps Lo, Med and Turbo). It is a fairly common occurence on lights with defined levels to loose the med-hi levels, at least initially.
> 
> The continuously-variable lights you mentioned keep a full range of modes, although the relative spacing along the control ring will change (i.e., on RCR, you may find the outputs condensed around the higher levels).



Is a price you have to pay for max output:shrug:.
The more modes you have the better is.
One thing i forgot to tell about s10 is the magnet tail cap.i just put it on a metal surface near my bed and one click moonlight is on without blind my self at the middle of the night.very useful


----------



## loquutis79

Sold! I can pick one up local to my Ontario location, and will asap. I have been looking for something with a true moonlight mode that will retain all the other settings while running RCR123's, what else could I ask for. Oh yes, I could ask for a very tiny light with a good quality build and great lumens also...and here it is.

One question Selfbuilt, my local supply of RCR123's are 3.0V. What will I loose from the 3.7V batteries you tested with?


----------



## selfbuilt

loquutis79 said:


> One question Selfbuilt, my local supply of RCR123's are 3.0V. What will I loose from the 3.7V batteries you tested with?


I haven't tested 3.0V RCR, but I would expect they would performing similar to CR123A in terms of output.


----------



## loquutis79

So running 3.7V or 3.0V is no problem with this light? I didn't see a suggested working voltage range anywhere? I have e-mailed OlightUSA with this question and am waiting for a reply.


----------



## MattSPL

Olight specifies cr123 or rcr123(which generally means 3.7v).
I have also used 3.2v lifep04 cells.

One thing that will probably suffer with 3v rcr123's is runtime. 
I get about 50% runtime from a 3.2v lifep04 compared to a good 3.7v rcr123.


----------



## selfbuilt

MattSPL said:


> Olight specifies cr123 or rcr123(which generally means 3.7v).
> I have also used 3.2v lifep04 cells.One thing that will probably suffer with 3v rcr123's is runtime.


Yes, that sounds about right. I don't see much advantage of the lower voltage/capacity LiFePO4 in this model, which is well regulated with 3.7V Li-ion.


----------



## MattSPL

selfbuilt said:


> Yes, that sounds about right. I don't see much advantage of the lower voltage/capacity LiFePO4 in this model, which is well regulated with 3.7V Li-ion.



Yeah, the S10 is great on 3.7v Li-ion's


----------



## IronMac

MattSPL said:


> Yeah, the S10 is great on 3.7v Li-ion's



Yep, have to concur on that. Been using one pretty often for the past two weeks.

Am still looking for a XM-G2 EDC light that can handle RCR123As as a backup, not that critical now. All of the ones on the market seems to have some sort of issue of one sort or another.


----------



## MattSPL

IronMac said:


> Yep, have to concur on that. Been using one pretty often for the past two weeks.
> 
> Am still looking for a XM-G2 EDC light that can handle RCR123As as a backup, not that critical now. All of the ones on the market seems to have some sort of issue of one sort or another.



Yeah, i've been using my S10 as a bike light. Its perfect for road biking, and ok for off road once your not going too fast, or its not bright enough.

I think the Eagletac D25c Clicky is out with xp-g2.


----------



## IronMac

MattSPL said:


> Yeah, i've been using my S10 as a bike light. Its perfect for road biking, and ok for off road once your not going too fast, or its not bright enough.
> 
> I think the Eagletac D25c Clicky is out with xp-g2.



I am a fanatic when it comes to bike lights so I have a Dinotte 400 series handlebar and helmet light and a dynamo driven Supernova light right at the top of the fork.

Thanks for the Eagletac suggestion but it does not play so well with RCR123As.


----------



## MattSPL

IronMac said:


> I am a fanatic when it comes to bike lights so I have a Dinotte 400 series handlebar and helmet light and a dynamo driven Supernova light right at the top of the fork.
> 
> Thanks for the Eagletac suggestion but it does not play so well with RCR123As.



That sounds like a good setup you have for the bike. I usually give up cycling for the winter, except the odd weekend when I go in daylight, but we are going to try and keep it up through the winter this year, so I'm saving for a decent light.

I'll definitely keep the s10 on the handlebars on medium mode. Great runtimes, and perfect for being seen.

Cheers
Matt


----------



## loquutis79

So I just got a reply from OlightUSA. They state that the recommended battery is a CR123A. They do not suggest to use 3.7V as they claim that the runtime will be much less. Which the above tested data also shows. But they did not say a 3.7V would be bad, in fact. So I am still confused.
The s10 is on its way from Light Junction but I really don't know what to power it with yet. And a charger is another thing all together. I will use up some primary 123's I have for now, and then....I am not sure.


----------



## dts71

loquutis79 said:


> So I just got a reply from OlightUSA. They state that the recommended battery is a CR123A. They do not suggest to use 3.7V as they claim that the runtime will be much less. Which the above tested data also shows. But they did not say a 3.7V would be bad, in fact. So I am still confused.
> The s10 is on its way from Light Junction but I really don't know what to power it with yet. And a charger is another thing all together. I will use up some primary 123's I have for now, and then....I am not sure.



What are you confused about?
The S10 is one of few lights that works really well with RCR123 - it retains its' levels and don't overheat.
Surely 55min on full is less than 72min and 3:17 < 5:04. But that is for a new CR123. 
With RCR123 you can top of the charge regularly and if you compare a full RCR123 to a half full CR123, it would have longer run-time.

It all comes down to how you will use the light and if you want to keep it simple with CR123 or add recharging to your routines.
Personally I rarely use up an RCR123 but usually keep some CR123 with me on a trip as a backup. 

The best thing though is that you can change between CR123 and RCR123 as you like depending on the situation 
It's a fantastic light and I am sure you will be happy with it regardless of what you feed it with!


----------



## loquutis79

Part of my confusion is that here I assume we are talking about the 3.7V RCR123. Having been using 18650's for some time now I am use to one voltage. Not so much that I'm confused, but I want to get a good charger for either 3.0V or most likely the 3.7V. And that seems to be a much more difficult thing than when I settled on the Pila.
Sorry to be taking this into the "batteries" zone. I did not intend to high jack the thread.
But yes, I will probably go for the 3.7V. I don't really mind topping up. I do so now.
Anyway, can't wait for the light as it looks like a good one


----------



## Ozgeardo

*Re: Olight S10 Baton Thanks for the review.*

Based on all the reviews here over the last couple of months I bit the bullet on a S10. I am a hard core user (abuser :devil::devil::devil: )of my lights in the field and I am looking at down sizing (lightening up my field load). Now that my S10 has arrived and I have had a good session giving it all manner of practical tests I am looking forward to going into the field with it. It certainly will not replace any of my throwers of which I have too many and I doubt it will replace my headlamp but as my first line spare dark sucker in the field, I definitely will be using it to replace my Fenix P2D (which has given me several years faithful service but the lack of RCR compatibility lets it down).
I am quite impressed with the beam spill and throw considering the size.
My only criticism would be:
The lanyard hole is too small to fit a heavy duty split ring (sorry the supplied ring bent just trying to get it in the hole).
Neither is the hole large enough to take a decent cord. the supplied wrist cord would not last very long with my abuse. Probably fine for most other users.
Not the end of the world as I have had many lights over the years that have not had a suitable lanyard attachment point so I just whip knot some quality cord around the body to anchor a lanyard. Also serves double duty as spare cord when required.
I am impressed with the reversible pocket clip, I am even thinking of fixing the lanyard to the clip (I am still out to lunch on this idea though).
The user interface is perfect for me. Yes PERFECT! :twothumbs
I was thinking of ditching the magnet but I am kind of finding it useful, I think this will be my new training aid when teaching effects of a magnet on a compass.
Overall very impressed, sorry I can not add to all the technical info (I understand some of it ) but for me it seems to be a winner. Will be heading off into the field this weekend for a real test.


----------



## selfbuilt

*Re: Olight S10 Baton Thanks for the review.*



Ozgeardo said:


> The lanyard hole is too small to fit a heavy duty split ring (sorry the supplied ring bent just trying to get it in the hole). ... Not the end of the world as I have had many lights over the years that have not had a suitable lanyard attachment point so I just whip knot some quality cord around the body to anchor a lanyard. Also serves double duty as spare cord when required.
> I am impressed with the reversible pocket clip, I am even thinking of fixing the lanyard to the clip (I am still out to lunch on this idea though).


Thanks for the observations and comments. I agree, split ring holes are often too thin and narrow on most lights, especially small pocket lights like this one. They are clearly not meant for heavy-duty use.

I also agree on the useability of the reversable pocket clip. I never understood the early negative comments around this clip - I find it a good design with firm hold, better than most other lights this size that I've tested.


----------



## CrazyHighVoltage

*Re: Olight S10 Baton Thanks for the review.*

hi. 

very nice review selfbuilt very detaild.
just got this light (beacause of ur review) its very nice and also has a gitd buton and o ring around the lens wich is a nice feature.
and the value for money is :thumbsup:


----------



## srvctec

*Re: Olight S10 Baton*

I've carried this light daily (purchased after reading selfbuilt's review here) for a little over a month now and love everything about it except for one thing, which I'll mention shortly.

The clip is one of the best on any light I've ever owned, simply because one doesn't have to actually reverse it to use it in both directions. I carry mine bezel down in my pocket, but with the design of this clip, I can slide the light onto the brim of my hat between the light and the rear of the clip.

I absolutely LOVE the fact I can access moonlight mode from off- ingenious implementation of this feature.

I'm finding the magnet extremely useful in my profession of working on copiers since there's always a place for it to adhere to allowing hands free use.

The ONLY thing I don't love about this light is that low mode is a bit too low compared to medium. I find medium a bit too bright for close-up work and low a bit too dim but definitely not a deal breaker.

edit: One thing I forgot to mention- I was concerned at first about this style of light with a side switch being accidentally turned on while clipped to my pocket. It hasn't been accidentally turned on once, to my surprise, another huge plus for me.

Sent from my Samsung GT 2 7.0 using Tapatalk 2.


----------



## naiter

*Re: Olight S10 Baton*

Is it safe to run it on max non-stop? Putting it on my bike inside a Velcro strap? Does it have an auto off @ certain temp? Night time still hot in AZ. Or should it just never really overheat?

I have yet to get it too hot to touch so I figured its ok, but just wanted to ask the experts. 

Actual use this S10 will be on strobe with diffuser, but if my other bike light died, i'd like to not worry about this guy on max nonstop.

EDIT:
*Awesome light BTW!! great EDC.
*Only tiny thing I might change would be UI timing and moonlight as a memory mode. The awesome hold for moonlight UI makes me like the UI, way more than most UIs.(im an anti "twisty+btn" for mode changes guy) but I'd prefer that moonlight wasn't remembered as one of the memory modes. ie if on high last, hold to moonlight, press off, press on goes back to moonlight (but i'd prefer it be high/memory). wish moonlight always hold to activate. also maybe shorten the time it takes between level changes closer to what Zerbalight has. I'm waiting just a tad bit too long. but I'm just being too picky, others probably like moonlight as memory, and mode changing speed (its not too slow, i'm just not patient) Great light! *UI is great!*


----------



## blackFFM

Does the light use a XM-L T6 or U2?


----------



## selfbuilt

naiter said:


> Only tiny thing I might change would be UI timing and moonlight as a memory mode. The awesome hold for moonlight UI makes me like the UI, way more than most UIs.(im an anti "twisty+btn" for mode changes guy) but I'd prefer that moonlight wasn't remembered as one of the memory modes. ie if on high last, hold to moonlight, press off, press on goes back to moonlight (but i'd prefer it be high/memory).


It's a good point - given that Moonlight can always be accessed from off, there is no advantage to having it memorized (i.e., you would be better having the non-moonlight mode memorized).

I recall wishing the same thing on some of the early Nitecore lights (e.g. D10/EX10 series and variants). I gather this is more complicated to do in the circuit when "shortcuts" are used (and the press-hold-from-off here is kind of like a shortcut). The simplest thing for a memory mode is to simply remember the last state, no matter how you got there. 

But it can definitely be done differently, with a bit more work in the circuit design. This was something Liteflux was quite good at, back in the day they were still producing lights. It's one of the reasons why I switched from the D10 to the LF3XT as my EDC for a good while. Hopefully Olight gives it some though.



blackFFM said:


> Does the light use a XM-L T6 or U2?


I don't believe Olight specifies the tint bin. At least, it wasn't on any of the documentation I saw when I wrote up the review.


----------



## Oztorchfreak

*The Olight S10 Beam Tint is "YELLOWY" (I don't like it)..*



selfbuilt said:


> It's a good point - given that Moonlight can always be accessed from off, there is no advantage to having it memorized (i.e., you would be better having the non-moonlight mode memorized).
> 
> I recall wishing the same thing on some of the early Nitecore lights (e.g. D10/EX10 series and variants). I gather this is more complicated to do in the circuit when "shortcuts" are used (and the press-hold-from-off here is kind of like a shortcut). The simplest thing for a memory mode is to simply remember the last state, no matter how you got there.
> 
> But it can definitely be done differently, with a bit more work in the circuit design. This was something Liteflux was quite good at, back in the day they were still producing lights. It's one of the reasons why I switched from the D10 to the LF3XT as my EDC for a good while. Hopefully Olight gives it some though.
> 
> 
> I don't believe Olight specifies the tint bin. At least, it wasn't on any of the documentation I saw when I wrote up the review.




*The tint on my S10 and other S10 owners that I have seen is on the "YELLOWY" side(more neutral as typical in some other Olight products)* which I think should have been be printed in the specs for this light as I would have liked *the option of a "COOL WHITE" version* of my S10 than what I have now.

A lot of light manufacturers offer a *"COOL WHITE" *or* "NEUTRAL"* as options as many users like to have these days.

This would keep more users happy and probably Olight would have sold more S10 lights if the word gets around that a lot of buyers do not like the beam tint just as I don't like it. 



*
CHEERS*


----------



## MattSPL

naiter said:


> Is it safe to run it on max non-stop? Putting it on my bike inside a Velcro strap? Does it have an auto off @ certain temp? Night time still hot in AZ. Or should it just never really overheat?
> 
> I have yet to get it too hot to touch so I figured its ok, but just wanted to ask the experts.
> 
> Actual use this S10 will be on strobe with diffuser, but if my other bike light died, i'd like to not worry about this guy on max nonstop.
> 
> EDIT:
> *Awesome light BTW!! great EDC.
> *Only tiny thing I might change would be UI timing and moonlight as a memory mode. The awesome hold for moonlight UI makes me like the UI, way more than most UIs.(im an anti "twisty+btn" for mode changes guy) but I'd prefer that moonlight wasn't remembered as one of the memory modes. ie if on high last, hold to moonlight, press off, press on goes back to moonlight (but i'd prefer it be high/memory). wish moonlight always hold to activate. also maybe shorten the time it takes between level changes closer to what Zerbalight has. I'm waiting just a tad bit too long. but I'm just being too picky, others probably like moonlight as memory, and mode changing speed (its not too slow, i'm just not patient) Great light! *UI is great!*



I also use my S10 as a bike light using a Velcro handle bar mount, although I usually keep mine on medium most of the time. 

I have done runtime tests on high for the full duration of different cells. The longest was 1hr and 11 minutes. 
Due to the light stepping down to 60% after 5 minutes, heat doesn't become a problem.


----------



## Oztorchfreak

MattSPL said:


> I also use my S10 as a bike light using a Velcro handle bar mount, although I usually keep mine on medium most of the time.
> 
> I have done runtime tests on high for the full duration of different cells. The longest was 1hr and 11 minutes.
> Due to the light stepping down to 60% after 5 minutes, heat doesn't become a problem.




*I did not know that my S10 had a "stepdown" at all.*

Does it drop down suddenly or ramp down to the *LOWER* level of *60%*?

I just thought that running at 320 lumens it would be ok with that.

*Is that fact documented in any review, spec or wherever you noticed it?*

I will have to check mine now that you have got me thinking about it.

I didn't like the *beam tint* being rather *"YELLOWY"* and not having a proper *"COOL WHITE"* optional as my main gripe, but now I think you have just *added* another one to my *"LIST"*.


*


CHEERS*


----------



## MattSPL

Oztorchfreak said:


> *I did not know that my S10 had a "stepdown" at all.*
> 
> I just thought that running at 320 lumens it would be ok with that.
> 
> I will have to check mine now that you have got me thinking about it.
> 
> I ddn't like the *beam tint* being rather *"YELLOWY"* and not having a proper *"COOL WHITE"* optional as my main gripe, but now I think you have just *added* another one to my *"LIST"*.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> 
> 
> CHEERS*



It gradually steps down over the space of a few minutes, after about 5 minutes on high, so you don't notice it happening. 
If you switch it off then on again, it will return to 100% high mode.
I guess Olight did this to stop the light getting hot, and to maintain a good runtime on high.

The tint is a bit yellow, but i like it as colours look good when using it outside at night.
I got my S10-Ti the other day, and it uses a neutral emitter. See the pic below. S10 on the left, S10-Ti on the right.
The normal S10 looks like a very cool white in comparison.











Cheers
Matt


----------



## Oztorchfreak

MattSPL said:


> It gradually steps down over the space of a few minutes, after about 5 minutes on high, so you don't notice it happening.
> If you switch it off then on again, it will return to 100% high mode.
> I guess Olight did this to stop the light getting hot, and to maintain a good runtime on high.
> 
> The tint is a bit yellow, but i like it as colours look good when using it outside at night.
> I got my S10-Ti the other day, and it uses a neutral emitter. See the pic below. S10 on the left, S10-Ti on the right.
> The normal S10 looks like a very cool white in comparison.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers
> Matt




*Hi Matt.*


*
Thanks for that info on the S10 as it was news to me!*

I never saw that fact documented anywhere and especially not by Olight.

*Is it documented anywhere or did you just discover that fact "OUT OF THE BLUE" during your runtime test?*

I bought the *"Beaded Blasted" Titanium S10* recently not realising that it was only available with a *Neutral beam tint*.

When I received it I was shocked by the* "PINKY"* beam tint as I already did not like the *"YELLOWY"* look of the original beam tint.

I mainly do not like a very *Neutral High CRI tint* except on some of my lights.

I have never seen that *"PINKY" tint *ever before and do not want one in my collection.

I returned the light and got a refund.



*
CHEERS*


----------



## MattSPL

Hi Oztorchfreak

Selfbuilt mentioned the step down in his first post of this review thread


> The S10 has a somewhat distinctive step-down pattern on Hi: after 5 mins, the light steps down to a slightly lower level – but gradually, over a period of two minutes. This differs from most lights that have an abrupt step. As a result, you are not likely to be able to perceive the gradual dimming here.



Would you consider modding your S10, or an S10-Ti with a cool white emitter? I've heard its a simple swap. You could get a new XM-L U3 put into one of them 
I haven't used my S10-Ti, other than to take a couple of pics because its an xmas present i bought from my girlfriend to me, just to make sure i got one 

Cheers
Matt


----------



## Oztorchfreak

MattSPL said:


> Hi Oztorchfreak
> 
> Selfbuilt mentioned the step down in his first post of this review thread
> 
> 
> Would you consider modding your S10, or an S10-Ti with a cool white emitter? I've heard its a simple swap. You could get a new XM-L U3 put into one of them
> I haven't used my S10-Ti, other than to take a couple of pics because its an xmas present i bought from my girlfriend to me, just to make sure i got one
> 
> Cheers
> Matt




How did I miss that one? 

It went clean right out of my head!

Thanks again for your help on the S10.




*CHEERS*


----------



## MattSPL

No problem :thumbsup:
Let me know if you get tempted to do an emitter swap in the S10. I'd be interested to see how you get on  I'll wait to get some use on my S10-Ti, and if i decide to swap the emitter(if i can get the courage to open it), i'll post pics.

Cheers
Matt


----------



## CrazyHighVoltage

an emiter swap is realy easy on this light if u can solder and reflow a led.

step 1: get a pair pf needle nose pliers to unsrew the bezel. (wich is prety loose)
step 2: take a battery and push it in the battery tube till the lens pops out. 
step 3: push the reflector back in with the battery to get the red o ring out 
step 4: push out the "drop in" using the same methode as step 2.
step 5: unscrew the reflector and take out the anoying piece of black plastic (wich centers the led and is a pain to get back in) and unsolder the 2 wires from the pcb and take the pcb out.

hope this helps good luck

CrazyHighVoltage


----------



## MattSPL

CrazyHighVoltage said:


> an emiter swap is realy easy on this light if u can solder and reflow a led.
> 
> step 1: get a pair pf needle nose pliers to unsrew the bezel. (wich is prety loose)
> step 2: take a battery and push it in the battery tube till the lens pops out.
> step 3: push the reflector back in with the battery to get the red o ring out
> step 4: push out the "drop in" using the same methode as step 2.
> step 5: unscrew the reflector and take out the anoying piece of black plastic (wich centers the led and is a pain to get back in) and unsolder the 2 wires from the pcb and take the pcb out.
> 
> hope this helps good luck
> 
> CrazyHighVoltage



Thanks for that :twothumbs

What size pcb is the led on?
I'm thinking a U3 XM-L might be nice in the S10 

Cheers
Matt


----------



## naiter

Thanks for the great replies.
Do we know if the step down still happens on strobe? I haven't been able to get it to overheat yet but its not summer.


----------



## CrazyHighVoltage

hi

the pcb isnt entirely round it has 2 flat sides wich is 13 mm.
and if i want to measure the other side i have to remove the anoying piece of plastic(wich centers the led)
but i think u should just swap the led not the pcb just wat i did

CrazyHighVoltage


----------



## MattSPL

CrazyHighVoltage said:


> hi
> 
> the pcb isnt entirely round it has 2 flat sides wich is 13 mm.
> and if i want to measure the other side i have to remove the anoying piece of plastic(wich centers the led)
> but i think u should just swap the led not the pcb just wat i did
> 
> CrazyHighVoltage



Ok, thanks for your help 
I might look into doing a swap.

Cheers
Matt


----------



## CrazyHighVoltage

matt no problem im glad i could help u
good luck and dont make it go 

CrazyHighVoltage


----------



## MattSPL

CrazyHighVoltage said:


> matt no problem im glad i could help u
> good luck and dont make it go
> 
> CrazyHighVoltage



 ill do my best


----------



## djdawg

I just recieved a Baton and it came with two o-rings in the box. One is for the threads I know if I ever wear one out.
But theres also one small , short fat little o-ring in the box too....... what is this one for ????
Thanks dj


----------



## loquutis79

if you have the version where you can remove the magnet then this o ring is used in place of the magnet to prevent rattle.
i just recieved mine also after a overly long shipping from Battery Junction. ! I love it. what a great tiny light


----------



## selfbuilt

djdawg said:


> But theres also one small , short fat little o-ring in the box too....... what is this one for ????
> Thanks dj





loquutis79 said:


> if you have the version where you can remove the magnet then this o ring is used in place of the magnet to prevent rattle.


That's right, the small thick o-ring is a replacement for the magnet in the tailcap, should you choose to remove it. See my magnet swapping video below:


----------



## loquutis79

So I found one thing I don't like about the s10 and thats the clip.

It is very tightly held against the light body, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. But there is a 90 degree corner or step, if you will, right at the point where the actual clip clips the light tube body. This, along with a tightly sprung metal, makes it VERY difficult to clip onto my pants pocket.

And I thought my D25LC2 was a clothes shredder

Also, I find that the clip does not sit well on the light should you want to reverse it for a lens down orientation, as all lights should be in my humble opinion


----------



## djdawg

Thanks for the answers , I really appreciate them all ...........
This is a great place. Costly , but great place all the same .....LOL


----------



## GehenSienachlinks

You can use leather gloves to unscew s10 bezel .

Does anyone know what version of xm-l led the s10 uses and bin / colour tempreature ? 
I sent email to olight but no reply.


----------



## selfbuilt

GehenSienachlinks said:


> Does anyone know what version of xm-l led the s10 uses and bin / colour tempreature ?


I don't believe Olight publishes an output bin for this light, and defined tint bins are relatively rare on commercial lights.

But for what it's worth, all of my S10 samples have had a noticeable green tint. :shrug:


----------



## Albert56

This light is a perfect backup at work and is small and light enough to hold in my lips if I need both hands free for something (Warning: the CDC and Surgeon General recommend against this practice, as well as eating food off the floor after 5 seconds). Impressive max output for a such a small flashlight.

I find nothing wrong with the clip. I think it works just fine and frankly don't know what all the fuss is about. It's _far_ more robust than the flimsy ones that come with most lights of this type and makes it easy to clip the flashlight _securely_ to a bill cap, etc. Also, the magnet has come in handy in the car, etc, and makes for easy storage of the light on the refrigerator door, so I don't misplace it.

I really like the instant moonlight mode access, too. I keep it in this mode by default and ramp it up from there if needed.

The only issue I've had is it accidentally being turned on if something else is in a pants pocket with it and pushes against the switch. But, this is easy enough to overcome by locking it out or carrying it alone. Additionally, if you have keys in the same pocket as the flashlight, it may stick to the key ring and get pulled out with them, possibly falling off in the process and getting lost.

Overall, a very nice flashlight at a reasonable price.


----------



## Oztorchfreak

Albert56 said:


> This light is a perfect backup at work and is small and light enough to hold in my lips if I need both hands free for something (Warning: the CDC and Surgeon General recommend against this practice, as well as eating food off the floor after 5 seconds). Impressive max output for a such a small flashlight.
> 
> I find nothing wrong with the clip. I think it works just fine and frankly don't know what all the fuss is about. It's _far_ more robust than the flimsy ones that come with most lights of this type and makes it easy to clip the flashlight _securely_ to a bill cap, etc. Also, the magnet has come in handy in the car, etc, and makes for easy storage of the light on the refrigerator door, so I don't misplace it.
> 
> I really like the instant moonlight mode access, too. I keep it in this mode by default and ramp it up from there if needed.
> 
> The only issue I've had is it accidentally being turned on if something else is in a pants pocket with it and pushes against the switch. But, this is easy enough to overcome by locking it out or carrying it alone. Additionally, if you have keys in the same pocket as the flashlight, it may stick to the key ring and get pulled out with them, possibly falling off in the process and getting lost.
> 
> Overall, a very nice flashlight at a reasonable price.




*I could not have said it better myself if I tried!* :twothumbs

I really like the *Olight S10* *except* for the *LED tint* that looks like a yellowy/greenish tint that nobody seems to know much about.

I just remembered recently that the S10 does have a "*step-down"* designed into it but I have not really noticed it for the *short runs *of this light that I mainly use it for.

For quite a while I usually carried my *Olight A1* with an *RCR123 (16340)* in it to save on *battery costs* and it works very brightly on *"HIGH*" but it will *get a little hot *and I used it *"sparingly" on HIGH* most of the time.

*Good one "Olight".

You have nearly made the "perfect EDC" in my book at least.* 



*
CHEERS*


----------



## Albert56

Oztorchfreak said:


> *I could not have said it better myself if I tried!* :twothumbs
> 
> I really like the *Olight S10* *except* for the *LED tint* that looks like a yellowy/greenish tint that nobody seems to know much about.*
> CHEERS*



I personally don't see any overt green or yellow tint in my sample. Maybe you got an odd one (or maybe I did). I'd say the balance on mine is more to the warm side, but not drastically tinted to my eye, even on the lowest mode. My SR51 Olight on the other hand has a distinct greenish fringe around the hot spot, most pronounced in the low mode. I've read that this is might be due to the way the OP reflector diffracts the light from LED.


----------



## djdawg

I love my S10 ....... it has a greenish tint too but I dont care. I love the size an output of this little sucker...........LOL
I cant explain it ........I just like it.


----------



## Labradford

When I recieved my S10, I was horrifed at the green tint. However, after taking it on a few night walks and such, I have grown to accept it..rather embrace it ! Yup, This light is so cool that it might as well have some unusual tint as well.


----------



## loquutis79

It does have a horrific green tint to it! 

The tints that people have always mentioned in other brands which I have, have never bothered me in the least. A very mild shift to green on the lowest setting of a 500 or 1000 plus lumen light would never bother me. But hell ya, this s10 is GREEN on all power levels.

I got it for the moonbeam level for in house night time roaming anyway, and the cute factor.

Well o.k., and an excuse to get into RCR123's


----------



## DrtyD

First, on my initial post to this forum (although I'm pretty regular over at the Marketplace), I would really like to thank the assembled genious and expertise over here. I've been a long time reader, and the reviews and information the big guns post here are invaluable and truly appreciated (although often lightyears beyond any skill level I might have!). 

That said, a note in response to the above posts on my current favorite EDC, the S10 - particularly on that "tight" pocket clip. My team mates and I have found that aspect of the clip to be really nice. We had one clipped on to an A7A strap, and another clipped to the cargo netting on a UH-53 helicopter, in some really bad conditions - and they both stayed put and focused throughout the trip. The one hand UI has also proved it's worth numerous times (and I'm looking forward to the S20 for similar reasons). I agree the clip is tough to use on pockets - but for us at least it is well worth that hassle in order to allow the light to stay secured on other fabrics (rucksacks, belts, etc.).


----------



## Ralls

I just got my S10 last week after losing my main EDC. I really like it - the UI, for me, is just about perfect and I like that it has a really low low - one of the most useful features in a light, in my opinion. The only complaint that I have is that sometimes when I set it on a hard surface the light will extinguish and I have to loosen and re-tighten the tail-cap before it will turn on again. Has anybody else noticed this kind of behavior on theirs? Should I return it and get a replacement?


----------



## MattSPL

Ralls said:


> I just got my S10 last week after losing my main EDC. I really like it - the UI, for me, is just about perfect and I like that it has a really low low - one of the most useful features in a light, in my opinion. The only complaint that I have is that sometimes when I set it on a hard surface the light will extinguish and I have to loosen and re-tighten the tail-cap before it will turn on again. Has anybody else noticed this kind of behavior on theirs? Should I return it and get a replacement?



Sounds strange. Have you cleaned the positive contact in the light with a cotton bud and alcohol? Might solve the problem.


----------



## Ralls

MattSPL said:


> Sounds strange. Have you cleaned the positive contact in the light with a cotton bud and alcohol? Might solve the problem.



Thanks for the advice! I'm currently away from home so I used a cotton swab and some hand sanitizer (63% ethyl alcohol) and it seems to have done the trick. When I get home, I'll use something better.

I wanted to add that while some have complained about the moonlight mode memorizing, I quite like the feature - I don't like to lock out the light via unscrewing the tail-cap, as it's a two-handed operation. Instead, I would prefer to have moonlight memorized and then if it comes on in the pocket, it's not a big deal. 

Also, some don't like the clip and I understand where they're coming from, but for me it has pretty good utility, though it can be fiddly trying to clip it to my pocket. I like that it secures nice and tight and that it carries deep - I had a Quark before and I don't like the fact that their clips don't allow you to carry it deep. I got to thinking that if anybody wanted to carry it bezel-down, the clip could be bent a bit at the end so that it doesn't bulge out. Has anybody tried this? Perhaps it would break the clip?


----------



## MattSPL

I used MAF sensor cleaner on my light, let it dry, then applied some silicone spray lubricant to another cotton bud and applied a small amount of that.


----------



## blackFFM

Really nice little light especially for the price. However the tint on mine is very green as well. It's bearable on high but pretty annoying on low and medium.
Although I like this kind of two-way pocket clips I got rid of mine. It's too stiff and doesn't go easily in and out of the pocket.


----------



## Bumble

well this light is my first led flaslight! im a late starter i know , i agree that the green tint on the beam isnt going to everyones cup of tea, but overall i really like this powerful/small flashlight and i highly recommended it as one to stick in your pocket


----------



## Ned-L

*Re: Olight S10 Baton Thanks for the review.*



Ozgeardo said:


> My only criticism would be:
> The lanyard hole is too small to fit a heavy duty split ring (sorry the supplied ring bent just trying to get it in the hole).
> Neither is the hole large enough to take a decent cord. the supplied wrist cord would not last very long with my abuse. Probably fine for most other users.
> Not the end of the world as I have had many lights over the years that have not had a suitable lanyard attachment point so I just whip knot some quality cord around the body to anchor a lanyard. Also serves double duty as spare cord when required.


I purchased the S10 Satin Titanium version - thanks to Selfbuilt for the great review. The lanyard hole is my main criticism. I think I ruined 3 split rings trying to get a standard weight ring installed. I really don't like the light weight split rings like the one included with the flashlight. I finally got the idea to cut part of a standard/heavy weight split ring as can sort of be seen in the photo. I used a ceramic cutting disk on a Dremel tool to cut a small section of the split ring. I am reasonably pleased with the results. Otherwise I love this light. It has most of my ideal EDC light characteristics: 1 RCR123, shorter than 75mm, long runtime, bright, high quality build, good user interface - almost perfect, but the small split ring hole almost drove me crazy!


----------



## MattSPL

Ned-L said:


> I purchased the S10 Satin Titanium version - thanks to Selfbuilt for the great review. The lanyard hole is my main criticism. I think I ruined 3 split rings trying to get a standard weight ring installed. I really don't like the light weight split rings like the one included with the flashlight. I finally got the idea to cut part of a standard/heavy weight split ring as can sort of be seen in the photo. I used a ceramic cutting disk on a Dremel tool to cut a small section of the split ring. I am reasonably pleased with the results. Otherwise I love this light. It has most of my ideal EDC light characteristics: 1 RCR123, shorter than 75mm, long runtime, bright, high quality build, good user interface - almost perfect, but the small split ring hole almost drove me crazy!



Good choice, I have the Satin version also 

How is the finish holding up?
Taking the very tight fitting clip off mine put some nasty scratches on my light, but, at least it's scratched now and I won't be so worried about using it.


----------



## Ned-L

MattSPL said:


> Good choice, I have the Satin version also
> 
> How is the finish holding up?
> Taking the very tight fitting clip off mine put some nasty scratches on my light, but, at least it's scratched now and I won't be so worried about using it.



Of course the worst wear is around the split ring attachment hole and the tail cap where I managed to add a minor scratch or two while struggling to complete a satisfactory split ring installation. There are other minor signs of wear on the body, but hardly noticeable - that is why I purchased the satin version despite the cool factor of the polished version.


----------



## MattSPL

Ned-L said:


> Of course the worst wear is around the split ring attachment hole and the tail cap where I managed to add a minor scratch or two while struggling to complete a satisfactory split ring installation. There are other minor signs of wear on the body, but hardly noticeable - that is why I purchased the satin version despite the cool factor of the polished version.



I just read somewhere that a custom matte finish can be made to a polished Ti light using a scotch brite pad. And the finish can be touched up at any time using the scotch brite again. I'd nearly buy a polished S10-Ti and have a go


----------



## fedcas

WHAAAAT??!?!?!









i was considering buying the S10 as un upgrade to my (ex, since it was stolen ) i1... is the s10 really less bright than the i1???


----------



## selfbuilt

fedcas said:


> i was considering buying the S10 as un upgrade to my (ex, since it was stolen ) i1... is the s10 really less bright than the i1???


It's really about the same initially (i.e. that's only a ~6-7% difference between my sample runs). The difference is the S10 steps-down gradually, until it reaches a lower regulated level for extended runtime. See the runtime graphs in the review for more info.


----------



## kzb

I've got one of these now. I knew the dimensions of it before I ordered it, but when you see it in the flesh it seems really small. It's only one step up from a key chain light. BUT it is easily the brightest flashlight I own, including my (much larger) LL P7.

It's also a great feature that the moonlight mode is accessible directly from "off" (other manufacturers please note). The other great feature is that both CR123A and RCR123 batteries can be used. Unlike say the Eagletac and Nitecore equivalent products. OK you CAN use the RCR123 in the Eagletac, but it seems it does not handle it in a proper fashion to me.

Not being a true flashlight guru, I have not noticed this green tint, and there is no tint issue that detracts from the flashlight experience IMHO.


----------



## dts71

kzb said:


> Not being a true flashlight guru, I have not noticed this green tint, and there is no tint issue that detracts from the flashlight experience IMHO.



Tint is one big lottery even though some vendors tend to be better or worse. My S10 is flawless in regards of tint and yours might be as well - congratulations on receiving a good sample!


----------



## topnode

My S10 has finally arrived. I immediately removed the magnet as I don't want it to endanger the data on my flash drives. I'm now just waiting for the RCR123s I ordered. Can't wait to try this light out.


----------



## Norm

topnode said:


> I immediately removed the magnet as I don't want it to endanger the data on my flash drives.



A magnet won't damaged the data on your flash drive, I think you may be confusing it with data being destroyed on a floppy disk

Norm


----------



## topnode

Norm said:


> A magnet won't damaged the data on your flash drive, I think you may be confusing it with data being destroyed on a floppy disk
> 
> Norm



What about external drives? I carry one in my bag sometimes.


----------



## mvyrmnd

topnode said:


> What about external drives? I carry one in my bag sometimes.



I'd be very surprised. Remember the the read/write head is actuated by two strong magnets and an electromagnet, positioned millimeters from the platters. A small magnet outside the case, and the external enclosure would pose no thread.


----------



## topnode

mvyrmnd said:


> I'd be very surprised. Remember the the read/write head is actuated by two strong magnets and an electromagnet, positioned millimeters from the platters. A small magnet outside the case, and the external enclosure would pose no thread.



Anyone willing to test this theory? The S10's magnet might become useful one day...


----------



## mvyrmnd

*Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*



topnode said:


> Anyone willing to test this theory? The S10's magnet might become useful one day...








My S10 stuck to a portable drive I was booted from. System stayed stable for 10 mins.


----------



## topnode

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*

I'm putting the magnet back. thanks *mvyrmnd!*


----------



## TBuddha

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*

I just got an S10 Ti today, and so far I like it very much. I have one observation, though. It does not lock out by twisting the tail cap. In fact, I can completely unscrew the tail, and just hold the two parts together, and the light will still activate. It seems like it has a pretty positive on switch, but it remains to be seen how it does in a pocket full of stuff.


----------



## djdawg

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*

I have two S-10 batons ........one I can turn a quarter turn and it wont light up.
The other a Titanium version is like the one you describe ......


----------



## selfbuilt

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*



djdawg said:


> I have two S-10 batons ........one I can turn a quarter turn and it wont light up.
> The other a Titanium version is like the one you describe ......


I haven't seen the S10 Ti, but that would not be surprising. You can't anodize titanium the way you can aluminum, so it would be difficult to find a way to maintain tail lock out with that substrate.


----------



## loquutis79

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*

I turn and turn and turn my end cap...but the light is still an ugly yellow.


----------



## TBuddha

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*

After due consideration, I decided to return the light, which I purchased through Amazon. As I said above, I basically liked it. The UI worked for me, and i liked the spacing of the levels. I also liked that you could hold down the "on" button, and go directly into moonlight mode. I liked the magnet, and also the fact I could remove it if I wanted. I also found the pocket clip to be very good. Just stiff enough. I had purchased the bead blasted Titanium Edition, and frankly after living with it for a few days did not care for the look all that much. However, my big objection to the light was the fact that you could not lock it out at the tail cap (or any other way), like you apparently can with the standard version. With a light this small, I know I would just throw it in my pocket, and I think it would certainly get accidentally activated sooner or later. So, back it went. I will probable get a regular black one sometime in the future.


----------



## Oztorchfreak

Norm said:


> A magnet won't damaged the data on your flash drive, I think you may be confusing it with data being destroyed on a floppy disk
> 
> Norm




*+1.*

Good and correct comment Norm.

Silcone wafers used in a flash drive and floppy disks made of plastic (basically) using a coating of iron oxide are vastly two different things!

MAGNETS and FLASH MEMORY STICKS go ok together without any worries at all.


*CHEERS*


----------



## tallboybass

Hi there, first post here at CPF!

I just got an S-10, looking for a compact, lightweight light to put on my ballcap when necessary (night-mowing, biking) and it's very impressive. It is MUCH smaller than I thought it would be, and not quite as powerful as my Expilion 250 lumen bike light (why would that be?). Also, the color tint is quite green...I don't feel like a 'tint-snob', but it's noticeably green. All in all, a most powerful, tiny light that really delivers! Thank you Selfbuilt, for your excellent reviews!!


----------



## srvctec

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



tallboybass said:


> Hi there, first post here at CPF!
> 
> I just got an S-10, looking for a compact, lightweight light to put on my ballcap when necessary (night-mowing, biking) and it's very impressive. It is MUCH smaller than I thought it would be, and not quite as powerful as my Expilion 250 lumen bike light (why would that be?). Also, the color tint is quite green...I don't feel like a 'tint-snob', but it's noticeably green. All in all, a most powerful, tiny light that really delivers! Thank you Selfbuilt, for your excellent reviews!!



Welcome to CPF! Selfbuilt's reviews are superb and have been for YEARS. Whenever I need to buy a new light, I come to CPF and look for his reviews before purchasing anything.

I love my S10 baton as well and won't find a suitable replacement as my EDC for quite some time because of its small size and high output coupled with the magnet in the tailcap- it's surprising how handy that magnet is. 

I just wish Olight would make an infinitely variable brightness light in the same basic *small* package as this S10 Baton- THAT would be my perfect EDC.

Sent from my Samsung GT 2 7.0 using Tapatalk 2.


----------



## tallboybass

So I got my RCR123A's in, is it theoretically brighter with them, as opposed to the CR123A? They show about 4.2v after being charged. Guess I can't really see a difference, was hoping for a bit more brightness. Thanks CPF!


----------



## blackFFM

I wonder if the s10 will get an update with an XM-L2 and a tint that is not green.


----------



## tallboybass

blackFFM said:


> I wonder if the s10 will get an update with an XM-L2 and a tint that is not green.


That would be VERY cool! Also, if they could keep the moonlight setting out of the memory, it would be nice. Still, a great light as is.


----------



## AmperSand

Yeah pretty cool indeed 

*resized*


----------



## tallboybass

WOW, AmperSand...Nice!! Is your beam a more neutral color?


----------



## AmperSand

Well the Ti ver is a neutral (5000k) emittet anyway, but i didnt care for how yellow it was (think cat pee). Wasnt anything like my other neutral lights.
So i grabbed a few XM-L2 U2 binned emitters from cutter to give it way more output (few bin jumps there) and move away from neutral on this one.
Boy was I annoyed when I got another cat-pee yellow hue. Its not the emitter either, i tested it before installing it.
Put the 5000k XM-L T6 in my nitecore d10 and in there its one of my best tinted neutrals, second only to my Xeno E03 with nichia 219.
Have a feeling the tint problem may stem from the AR coating on the lens. 
Will have to do some testing when I get time.
Either way the tint is a LOT better than before and a bump in output too.


----------



## selfbuilt

AmperSand said:


> Boy was I annoyed when I got another cat-pee yellow hue. Its not the emitter either, i tested it before installing it.Put the 5000k XM-L T6 in my nitecore d10 and in there its one of my best tinted neutrals, second only to my Xeno E03 with nichia 219.
> Have a feeling the tint problem may stem from the AR coating on the lens.


That's an interesting speculation, given the generally perceived "green" tints on this model (including the neutral white versions). The S10 and S20 do have among the most prominent AR lens coatings I've seen (as illustrated by my pics and commentary about the purple fringing at the spillbeam periphery). It is certainly possible that this is accentuating the greenish tint overall .... Would be interesting to compare with another lens in place (i.e. without the coating).


----------



## AmperSand

selfbuilt said:


> That's an interesting speculation, given the generally perceived "green" tints on this model (including the neutral white versions). The S10 and S20 do have among the most prominent AR lens coatings I've seen (as illustrated by my pics and commentary about the purple fringing at the spillbeam periphery). It is certainly possible that this is accentuating the greenish tint overall .... Would be interesting to compare with another lens in place (i.e. without the coating).



I just confirmed it.
Took lens out, without it in its a lovely white tint, while turned on, I put the lens over it by hand. Instant cat pee.
Perhaps all the bad press about tint issues has been nothing more than an overdone AR coating.


----------



## AmperSand

Taken with galaxy s3 camera.
Whitebalance: daylight
ISO: 800

Sorry not the best shots, but shows pretty much the comparison of tint change.

With lens:





Without lens:





Resized also.. sorry Norm


----------



## AmperSand

Another update. 

Using the lens from my thrunite archer 1c, retains the tint colour of having no lens. Definately the AR coating. Simple lens swap will make a LOT of people happier with their purchase.


----------



## LiteHead

OK. I want to remove the lens on mine (maybe carry it with no lens and just be more careful). But there isn't enough lip on the bezel to grab with pliers. I don't have the special tool to go into the notches. Any suggestions on how to get the bezel off?


----------



## AmperSand

Press it into the palm of your hand hard and twist. Or do the same thing on a rubber surface.
Mine was pretty easy to get apart.


----------



## Norm

AmperSand said:


> Or do the same thing on a rubber surface.



The back of a mouse mat works well.

Just ordered a shiny TI neutral version after playing with mvyrmnd's TI, hopefully it's not too warm

Norm


----------



## Bumble

where do we get a new lens from to swap on the s10 ?


----------



## LiteHead

I did what you guys suggested with a mouse pad. With a lot of pressure I got it started. However, after removing the lens I did some white wall testing holding the lens in front, then not. The difference in my particular S10 is not nearly as significant as the posted pics show. Probably just mine. I then held the lens over my PD30 (same size lens on it, no real green tint problem), there didn't seem to be a green tint added to the beam of the PD30, just a slight purple tint in the spill. Same with the PD32UE.

So, I put it back into the S10. I guess this is one of those "your mileage may vary" things. Wish they'd put a T6 XM-L2 in the S10. I'd buy another if they did.


----------



## Bumble

LiteHead said:


> I did what you guys suggested with a mouse pad. With a lot of pressure I got it started. However, after removing the lens I did some white wall testing holding the lens in front, then not. The difference in my particular S10 is not nearly as significant as the posted pics show. Probably just mine. I then held the lens over my PD30 (same size lens on it, no real green tint problem), there didn't seem to be a green tint added to the beam of the PD30, just a slight purple tint in the spill. Same with the PD32UE.
> 
> So, I put it back into the S10. I guess this is one of those "your mileage may vary" things. Wish they'd put a T6 XM-L2 in the S10. I'd buy another if they did.



oh  sorry to hear that.. mines a way different tint without the lens.. its even a lot better on the low mode.


----------



## selfbuilt

AmperSand said:


> I just confirmed it. Took lens out, without it in its a lovely white tint, while turned on, I put the lens over it by hand. Instant cat pee.
> Perhaps all the bad press about tint issues has been nothing more than an overdone AR coating.


I just experimented with mine, and I can confirm it does make a difference - but the effect is not huge.

To confirm, I brought in a pair of fresh eyes - Mrs Selfbuilt.  Without prompting, I took the removed lens and repeatedly passed it in fron the beam (on med, which is fairly green on my sample). When I asked if she saw a tint difference, her immediate response: the lens makes the spill look more purple and the hotspot look more green. 

Again, the effect is not huge - but it is enough that a naive pair of eyes picked it up immediately. It therefore stands to reason that the pronounced AR coating is indeed a signficant contributing factor to the generally green-shifted perception. Thanks for the heads up AmperSand. 

P.S.: It's hard to see the effect on Hi - try it out at Lo or Med (depending on the background light levels around you).


----------



## AmperSand

I had to either take comparison pics or compare against another light to notice the difference. Although the biggest indicator was when I pushed the lens back against it while it was on. 
Keep in mind on my sample I had already swapped to a premium tinted xm-l2.
Also the diff between the tint of the original xm-l while in my s10 compared to how it looks in my d10 is very different which is what made me question it all to begin with.
Guess YMMV with this one but in my sample it was quite significant across 2 different LED's and was also tested on the Ti model only


----------



## xevious

AmperSand said:


> Using the lens from my thrunite archer 1c, retains the tint colour of having no lens. Definately the AR coating. Simple lens swap will make a LOT of people happier with their purchase.


This is rather spectacular! I wonder how many other lights may be suffering from yellowish tints due to the AR lens coating.

I just picked up a new S10 for a really good deal. I am LOVING this light. The UI is superb in my book. The big problem with memory is that sometimes you may leave the light on high and then not want to start in high--the S10 allows you to override with moonlight. Also, the moonlight is just about spot-on for what I use. Lastly, lock-out is achieved by barely a quarter turn. This is excellent, because water resistance is not compromised.

Anyway, I've never seen such a small 1xCR123 light, let alone one with such a well thought out UI. I hope Olight keeps this as a staple light in their line-up. A few more emitter choices would be nice. And I sure hope they wise up about the AR coating problem.


Incidentally, anyone know what the lens diameter is and where is a good source for a quality replacement?


----------



## selfbuilt

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and*

I think the S10 and S20 are special cases. The AR coating is much more pronounced than on other lights I have tested.


----------



## Kabible

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and*

Flashlightlens.com


----------



## tallboybass

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and*

I took mine apart and compared with and without lens. Seemed like where most of that funny tint is coming from to me. Would love to find a lens that just lets the natural light out of this little beauty! I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than me will point us in the right direction for a replacement, as far as size, coating, material, etc.


----------



## xevious

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and*

^ Well, if you have a ruler handy just measure your lens. Someone already pointed out "flashlightlens.com".


----------



## tallboybass

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and*



xevious said:


> ^ Well, if you have a ruler handy just measure your lens. Someone already pointed out "flashlightlens.com".


Gotcha, I just know nothing about the different coatings and materials. Any help would be appreciated.


----------



## xevious

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and*

^ Basically, you want an anti-reflective coating, preferably both sides. There's different types of glass available. UCL is recognized as one of the best. You can also go with polymer/plastic, for better shatter resistance but more scratch prone.

Sapphire would be the best, but it's extremely expensive (hence why you tend to find them only in the more expensive custom flashlights).


----------



## srvctec

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



xevious said:


> ^ Basically, you want an anti-reflective coating, preferably both sides. There's different types of glass available. UCL is recognized as one of the best. You can also go with polymer/plastic, for better shatter resistance but more scratch prone.
> 
> Sapphire would be the best, but it's extremely expensive (hence why you tend to find them only in the more expensive custom flashlights).



BUT, how do we know if the anti-reflective coatings on the new lens will be any different than what's on the stock S10 lens? My S10 tint sure looks better without the lens. With the lens, it's a yellowish/greenish tint. Without the lens, it's basically white.

I measured the lens on my S10 and its 19mm diameter. It was thicker than 1mm but not 2mm, so I'm guessing 1.5mm thick.


Sent from my Samsung GT 2 7.0 using Tapatalk 2.


*

edit: I guess the dimensions don't matter since there is no UCL that is 19mm. Oh well, it was nice dreaming of a white light coming out of my S10 instead of the puke yellow.*


----------



## AmperSand

*Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*

I'd take a lens with no coating over the standard over-AR coated lens TBH.
The thing to consider is if it is altering the tint so dramatically could there also be a lumen loss associated with that anyway? Does that then render the purpose of the AR coating useless by introducing tint altering losses while eliminating reflective losses?
I'm using a thrunite archer 1c lens in mine and the fit is fine, and fixes the colour issues. (I believe it has a far less obtrusive AR coating)


----------



## xevious

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



srvctec said:


> BUT, how do we know if the anti-reflective coatings on the new lens will be any different than what's on the stock S10 lens? My S10 tint sure looks better without the lens. With the lens, it's a yellowish/greenish tint. Without the lens, it's basically white. I measured the lens on my S10 and its 19mm diameter. It was thicker than 1mm but not 2mm, so I'm guessing 1.5mm thick.


Flashlightlens has an excellent reputation, so I'd trust that the tint will be mostly neutral. But anyway, I didn't know that the S10 lens is 19mm... you're right, that size isn't available through Flashlightlens. There are other channels, though. I just did a quick Google search and found one at Kai Domain (19mm X 1.5mm). Or perhaps Thrunite sells spare lenses for the Archer 1C.


----------



## blackFFM

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*








Olight S10 with XM-L2 T6 3C. Guess what! The tint is almost as bas as before. Now it's yellow and ugly. The lens is not the stock one though. Somebody here with a NW stock S10 named this tint "cat **** like". Same here. I have the same XM-L2 T6 3C in my Xeno E03 and it's completely different. The Xeno looks almost cool compared to the S10 and even more to a Eagletac D25A T6 NW 4300K which is really warm and orange. But in the Xeno it's a really nice NW.

Without lens the tint of the S10 is still bad, even with the lens of the Xeno there is no noticeable difference. There must be something wrong with this light. :duh2:


----------



## sticktodrum

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*

Well, I went ahead and tried some lens swapping on my S10's. I have a standard and two Ti neutrals. Both the neutrals are greenish, but one more prominently than the other. I took the lens of the Ti first, and tried the light out on a white wall. I have no beamshots now, but it was a night and day difference. I also had it shining on the wall and moved the lens over the beam to see it change from white to green. I put the lens down on the table and saw a very obvious purple hue from the reflections kicking off of it. 

I then took the lens from my standard S10, and aid it down next to the Ti's lens. No purple hue or much of a reflection. I popped that lens onto the Ti light and it was a pretty noticeable difference. Not entirely white, but most of the green was gone from the low and medium modes. The Ti's lens added a nice cat **** tone to my standard S10. So, as of now, that's what I'm running in the Ti light, and the standard S10 is resting in a the drawer.

I saw on Flashlightlens.com that they will custom cut hard coated acrylic lenses, so I sent them an email about it with the dimensions of the lens. If they can cut that size, then I'll see what the pricing is and perhaps pick up a decent batch if it'll help any of you guys out. I'm unsure of their pricing structure for an order like that, but we'll see.

I also ordered the 19mm x 1.5mm lens from Kai Domain after finding it myself through a Google search. They were cheap enough, so I ordered a couple. I'll also see how that turns out.

I'm contemplating ordering a couple more S10s to see how their lenses are....


----------



## srvctec

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



sticktodrum said:


> I also ordered the 19mm x 1.5mm lens from Kai Domain after finding it myself through a Google search. They were cheap enough, so I ordered a couple. I'll also see how that turns out.



I'd definitely be interested in how these perform. Please update with your results after you try them.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Bumble

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



srvctec said:


> I'd definitely be interested in how these perform. Please update with your results after you try them.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2



+1


----------



## sticktodrum

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*

Update I shall. I'm determined to get some decent tint out of this light if it kills me! The tint on my regular S10 with its stock lens is pretty much a perfect cool white, so I'm going to put that back on and just fiddle with the Ti S10. 

That being said, I actually ordered three new S10's. I want to see the variation in the glass and try some combinations.


----------



## Bauer

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*

I replaced s10's green xml with a 219 and the color is great.


----------



## mvyrmnd

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*

My S10 has a 219 as well, and it's spot on.

My problem is: I carry it with my kays and one of them sliced up the rubber button! Has anyone else had this happen?


----------



## Robertesq1

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*

They are on sale at battery junction for $44 bucks is this good for a non tactical (hunting, not self-defense) weapon light? Are they more rugged than a Zebra light?


----------



## sticktodrum

I believe Amazon has them for $38 shipped at the moment. They're a great light, especially for the price. My standard S10 is perfect.


----------



## TronPlayer

CrazyHighVoltage said:


> an emiter swap is realy easy on this light if u can solder and reflow a led.
> 
> step 1: get a pair pf needle nose pliers to unsrew the bezel. (wich is prety loose)
> step 2: take a battery and push it in the battery tube till the lens pops out.
> step 3: push the reflector back in with the battery to get the red o ring out
> step 4: push out the "drop in" using the same methode as step 2.
> step 5: unscrew the reflector and take out the anoying piece of black plastic (wich centers the led and is a pain to get back in) and unsolder the 2 wires from the pcb and take the pcb out.
> 
> hope this helps good luck
> 
> CrazyHighVoltage




I'm looking for a more warm tint on my S10 as well. I think I might try the LED swap, do you have any recommendations and a link to the LED you used? Also, how were lumens/runtimes affected?

EDIT: I was thinking of swapping for the Nichia 291 like the one found at illuminationsupply. How might this effect output and runtime?


----------



## Fireclaw18

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



mvyrmnd said:


> My S10 has a 219 as well, and it's spot on.
> 
> My problem is: I carry it with my kays and one of them sliced up the rubber button! Has anyone else had this happen?



I tried a 219 in my S10, but found it too dim. Love the tint... but the 219 just doesn't output enough light for me.

I replaced the emitter in mine with a 5,000k NW XML2. I also replaced the lens with one that wasn't tinted yellow. The tint is much better now. It's still yellow, but much less so. I think part of the problem is that at 1.5 amps, there just isn't enough current to drive an XML or XML2 hard enough to get to the point where the tint looks pure white. Underdriven XMLs just have ugly tints.

I'm considering trying to mod my S10 into a triple 219. Checking the light, a 20mm Carclo TIR optic fits. It looks like a 20mm triple star would also fit if the edges were filed down a mm. I think I could also make a Nanjg 105c fit with a little filing. I have a spare one with custom programmed driver on it programmed for an electronic switch. I'd somehow need to get the driver onto the end of the pill and get the extra wire to the switch.

I think I can do it, but it would take some effort. I'm not sure I want to risk destroying my S10 though. It's not my EDC, but I do like the light. It's my favorite "hold in the mouth" light for use when doing hobby stuff.

I might buy an S15 and try the triple 219 mod on that. I assume the pill and head has the same dimensions.


----------



## dts71

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



Fireclaw18 said:


> The tint is much better now. It's still yellow, but much less so. I think part of the problem is that at 1.5 amps, there just isn't enough current to drive an XML or XML2 hard enough to get to the point where the tint looks pure white. Underdriven XMLs just have ugly tints.



Thats the price we pay for all the unnecessary bashing of PWM. I'd prefer high frequency PWM and consistent color through the different modes.


----------



## TronPlayer

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



dts71 said:


> Thats the price we pay for all the unnecessary bashing of PWM. I'd prefer high frequency PWM and consistent color through the different modes.



PWM makes me nauseous, literally :thumbsdow


----------



## selfbuilt

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



dts71 said:


> Thats the price we pay for all the unnecessary bashing of PWM. I'd prefer high frequency PWM and consistent color through the different modes.





TronPlayer said:


> PWM makes me nauseous, literally :thumbsdow


I am personally sensitive to PWM, so agree it needs to be in a non-visible range to be practically useful to me. But as dts71 points out, it does allow for consistent color tint. 

There is a slight efficiency hit as you go up to really high frequencies, but in practical terms I have never been able to visually detect >3kHz PWM. How I miss the excellent feature set and consistent tints of the Liteflux lights (and their undetectable 7.8kHz PWM).


----------



## dts71

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



selfbuilt said:


> I am personally sensitive to PWM, so agree it needs to be in a non-visible range to be practically useful to me. But as dts71 points out, it does allow for consistent color tint.
> 
> There is a slight efficiency hit as you go up to really high frequencies, but in practical terms I have never been able to visually detect >3kHz PWM. How I miss the excellent feature set and consistent tints of the Liteflux lights (and their undetectable 7.8kHz PWM).



Well I agree that the early Jetbeam C-LE at 73Hz was a bit annoying :shakehead, but >1kHz and I really don't mind it in practical use.


----------



## selfbuilt

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



dts71 said:


> Well I agree that the early Jetbeam C-LE at 73Hz was a bit annoying :shakehead, but >1kHz and I really don't mind it in practical use.


Yeah, a bit off topic, but I think the original v1.0 of the C-LE was a record low for my oscilloscope, at 73 Hz. :laughing: To be fair, later versions were at the less cringe-inducing 317Hz (although that was still pretty bad by modern standards).

More recently, I find it rare to see <1 kHz PWM (although ~500 Hz still pops up from time to time, usually limited to budget lights). That said, I can still detect ~1 kHz visually quite readily (i.e., detectable, but not overly distracting). I would probably consider this the minimum acceptable level, for modern lights. Personally, it's only once we get closer to ~3 kHz that I can no longer see it.

All this to say, I personally like the current-controlled circuits on the Baton series.


----------



## dts71

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR)*



selfbuilt said:


> All this to say, I personally like the current-controlled circuits on the Baton series.



I only have the S10, but it's really a little gem. Do you have the S15 incoming for review?


----------



## selfbuilt

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*



dts71 said:


> I only have the S10, but it's really a little gem. Do you have the S15 incoming for review?


I will be reviewing the S15, but don't have an exact timeframe yet.


----------



## Nordicflash

I tried the runtimes on my S10 on max brightness with a RCR123 650 mh and measured it with stopwatch to only 25 mins, isnt that abit weird?
What could be wrong? Its rated for 1.5 hours.
Best Regards, NordicFlash


----------



## selfbuilt

Nordicflash said:


> I tried the runtimes on my S10 on max brightness with a RCR123 650 mh and measured it with stopwatch to only 25 mins, isnt that abit weird?
> What could be wrong? Its rated for 1.5 hours.


It sounds like a battery issue. Is the cell old? Was it fully charged to ~4.2V before the start of the run? I would recommend trying another battery.


----------



## papershredder

blackFFM said:


> I wonder if the s10 will get an update with an XM-L2 and a tint that is not green.



GoingGear has the new (not sure when) S10-L2 baton in stock.


----------



## blackFFM

papershredder said:


> GoingGear has the new (not sure when) S10-L2 baton in stock.



I know. My S10 already has a XM-L2 and the tint is still bad. As long as they only changed the LED there is not much hope that the tint will get any better.


----------



## Badbeams3

blackFFM said:


> I know. My S10 already has a XM-L2 and the tint is still bad. As long as they only changed the LED there is not much hope that the tint will get any better.



I hope Olight took the upgrade as an opportunity to improve the tint as well...really like the S line of lights...no reason there needs to be so many green tinted ones.


----------



## AngryDaddyBird

*Re: Olight S10 Baton (XM-L, 1xCR123A/RCR) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO and mo*



selfbuilt said:


> I will be reviewing the S15, but don't have an exact timeframe yet.



I will be looking forward to that one! I like mine but wonder how the runtimes differ with each extention?love your reviews!


----------



## jeffsf

First off, thanks for all the time and effort in the reviews here! You've made the nearly impossible task of moving from a c. 1980 Maglight into the 21st century merely daunting.

A couple questions related to the use of Li-Ion rechargables, if someone has time. 

From what I gather from posts on this thread, the 18350 cells won't fit, but the "RCR123A" or 16340 ones will. When I look at AW's threads, the RCR123As have a 2C limit on discharge current, or 1.5 A for AW's "black" RCR123As. Is the current draw for the S10-L2 low enough that this isn't an issue? I was concerned as http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650BatterySelection UK.html suggests "a XM-L led will need 3A."

For those interested, http://olightworld.com has PDFs of the instruction sheets for the S10-L2 and S2-L2 up that clearly describe the new mode-switch functionality, as well as the new soft-lock-out feature. From what I can gather from those sheets, apparently _neither _of the models has a low-battery indicator in the -L2 incarnation.

For anyone that has tried both the S10 and the S10-L2, is there a significant difference between the two? 

Again, thanks for all the great information!


----------



## selfbuilt

jeffsf said:


> From what I gather from posts on this thread, the 18350 cells won't fit, but the "RCR123A" or 16340 ones will. When I look at AW's threads, the RCR123As have a 2C limit on discharge current, or 1.5 A for AW's "black" RCR123As. Is the current draw for the S10-L2 low enough that this isn't an issue? I was concerned as http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650BatterySelection UK.html suggests "a XM-L led will need 3A."


Not to worry, the S10 is not driven that hard on max. Regular AW cells are fine. I believe HKJ was referring to the typical max current draw on larger 1x18650 lights in that link.



> From what I can gather from those sheets, apparently _neither _of the models has a low-battery indicator in the -L2 incarnation.


No, the S20 XM-L2 still has the low voltage indicator. But the S10 XM-L2 does not. I'm working on that review right now, should be up by the end of the week.

And :welcome:


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## fedcas

i made this when i was in doubt between s10 and s1  i've merged two different photos, but the result should be quite accurate in size


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## radiopej

I like my S10 for the features, but I really hate the greenish tint it puts out.


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## selfbuilt

FYI, this model has been replaced by the S10 2013 (aka the S10 L2). See my full review of it here.


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## BDD

Bought mine last year. Hope it's the 2013 and not the 2912 if there is this green tint.


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## Swedpat

I recently bought this light, grabbed it at 50% sale. I like the S15 and S10 is very nice as well. S10 is not as good in the hand as S15 because of the shorter length. I think this is the latest S10 version, it has a recessed switch probably intended to avoid accidental activation(it may be to protect the switch also). The switch can be a bit tricky to use compared to the blue protruding switch of my a few years old S15.
The tint is whiter than my S15 which is slightly greenish(though not at all annoying greenish)
Mode spacing is good and the hidden ultralow mode is very good to have, perfect in darkness with dark adapted eyes. I consider these Batons to be very good EDC lights. And the magnets is a good feature. One advantage with S10 compared to S15 is that it holds more secure on an iron surface because of the shorter body(shorter leverage).


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