# Review: Olight S1R (2016.10.05 updated with info on new S1R version)



## rookiedaddy (Sep 1, 2016)

Thanks to Olight, received a unit of S1R about 2 days ago for testing and review purpose. 
The first thing that catches my eye is the new printed design on the package. The purplish-blue goes well with the blue PVD coated switch ring and bezel.






The other 3 sides:















Let's take a look at some unboxing pics.




Reminder to remove the insulating film before use.






Upon pulling out the card holding the light, a brown-coloured pouch is the first thing that grab my attention instead of the light. It's a nice gesture... if it's for the charging cable storage then it's a little bulky, and for ladies, they would already have a nice LV, Hermes or Chanel handbag, for us guys, we would have our concealable-tactical-waterproof-indestructible-big.brother.proof.quantum.encryption.dna.locked black-ops case for the cable storage. well, it's still a nice gesture.

Now some steps to remove the flashlight. Olight is not using the rubber o-ring to hold the flashlight in place for this new S1R release, instead, they make use of the clip. 
First, turn over to the back side of the cardboard, and push the Olight S1R downward, follow the arrow direction...





next, push the clip through the opening, follow the arrow direction...





then, gently pull the Olight S1R away from the cardboard, again, follow the arrow direction, remember, g-e-n-t-l-y pull it away as you don't want to hurt the feeling of the cardboard for separating them apart. :nana:





Let's see what's included. A user manual, the brown pouch, a USB magnetic charging cable (MCC for short), a lanyard with threading pin (very thoughtful inclusion! and I promise this will be the last time I'm gonna praise Olight for this coz I think I've save enough threading pins to poke... err... I mean thread any flashlight pin hole for the rest of my flashaholic life!).




oh ya, almost missed it, the S1R Baton flashlight (see, I told you that brown pouch is a distraction!)

The user manual, as a record.




and a higher resolution picture (2048 x 1466) is available at the following link
http://i.imgur.com/GBHmF6Q.jpg

The essential pieces that make up the Olight S1R flashlight





Close-up on the Olight S1R










yup, that's my serial number. feel free to buy a lottery ticket with it if you feel kinda lucky today.

the "550mAh 5C RCR123A Battery", remember that nipple/button facing the butt-end of the flashlight.




the shiny ring surrounding the button top is the negative contact for tail-charging. 

inside of the tail-cap





outside of the tail-cap




note that with the "customized 550mAh 5C RCR123A Battery", you can check the battery voltage without taking the battery out. just touch your multimeter's negative test lead to the round gold-plated button at the center and positive test lead to the silver outer ring and you'll get a voltage reading. Note that this only works with the customized Olight battery ORB-163C05.

Peeking inside the S1R flashlight body, the negative terminal spring contact.





According to the user manual, we should charge the S1R before first use... let's have a look at the charging accessories now.
Connecting the MCC to a USB charger





Attached the MCC to S1R (actually, the MCC snap to the back of the S1R when you move them close enough).




it's drawing ~750mA. indicator turns red while charging.

when finish charging, it draws 0 power from the charger. indicator turns green.




btw, you can still use the flashlight while charging, all modes available.

Let's compare the S1R to other S series.























Now, the modes on the S1R and ways to get to it. check out the UI flowchart below
From off...




From on...




What's new (well, at least to me), is the lockout capability. and it can only be access from Off... obviously...

To lockout the light from accidental switched-on, you will need to switch off your light, press and hold the button and continue to hold after moon-mode comes on, it will turn off in approximately 1 second after moon-mode comes on. That's when you know you have your light in lockout... or... you can try clicking it once and this will happen...




a dim red glow on the S1R button, it will stay on after click for ~4 seconds.
To unlock, press and hold the button for ~2 seconds or until moon-mode comes on (which is a better indicator). 

*Update 2016.09.02: *Mode Memory




The High and Turbo will reset back to Medium mode after 10 minutes of inactivity, meaning if you leave the light off in High or Turbo mode for more than 10 minutes, the light will reset back to Medium mode. As a matter of fact, the S1A, S2A inherit the same mode memory settings too.

For your information, the red glow is also use for another condition, more on that later.

(note: all videos are taken under exposed for easier comparisons)

I'm curious about the 30-second Turbo step down, I recorded a video of the step-down in relative to other flashlights.
Comparing S1R Turbo Runtime with S1A and S2A. From left, Olight S2A, Olight S1A, Olight S1R


20 seconds (the S1R starts at 16th second), you may be able to pickup that Olight S1R gradually increase the brightness to Turbo...





47 seconds




this is where step-down was first detected...

1 minute 9 seconds





1 minute 28 seconds





2 minutes




With my ageing eyesights, I can't really tell in actual usage if there is any difference between the S1A 600 lumens and the S1R 900 lumens, the recorded video feed my curiosity that the S1R is indeed brighter at Turbo 900 lumens.

Although Olight says we should use their battery to get to the Turbo mode, I can't help but wonder if there are other batteries that can support the high current draw... so I venture out...
found some old AW IMR 16340 550mAh battery that I used for my Incan. here is one of them.




however, using this aged battery is like going on a roller coaster ride... 

here is a short video to show that sinking feeling...
Running S1R with aged AW IMR 16340

3 seconds??? what-the-*beep* so I tested other AW IMR cells and none can go above 9 seconds on Turbo. sigh!

oh, did you notice that red glow on the S1R button? I'm guessing it's a warning/alert that the battery cannot support the required high drain. It's could also be an indicator that the battery has aged and time to get a replacement (that is, for the included high-drain Olight ORB-163C05 battery).

not giving up, and since I can't get new AW IMR cell easily now, I turn my search to protected cells...




From top, Olight ORB-163C05 (included with S1R), Olight ORB-163P06 (new), KeepPower P1634C ver. 2015 (new), Fenix ARB-L16-700 (new)











My first surprise, the Olight ORB-163P06 can't deliver the required current draw to power Turbo mode. The light actually switch-off when switching to Turbo mode. And I can't turn the flashlight on until I unscrew/loosen the tail-cap and tighten it back again. I'm guessing the protection circuit kicks in.

My Second surprise, the Fenix ARB-L16-700, although I was told the maximum current draw is 1050mA, but it pulls through going to Turbo mode and stay until the 30 seconds mark admirably. Likewise for the KeepPower P1634C.
Here is another video to show the runtime in Turbo using Fenix ARB-L16-700


and some screen grabs...
10 seconds (S1R using Fenix ARB-L16-700 starts at 6th second in the video)





37 seconds





1 minute





1 minute 30 seconds





2 minutes





All the high drain batteries (Olight ORB-163C05, ARB-L16-700 and P1634C) that I tested, although I can keep going back to Turbo after the step down, the time it stays on Turbo mode is lesser and lesser every time, until I do a full recharge. As such, I anticipate with the battery ageing, we may get lesser than 30 seconds Turbo mode as time passes.

now, how about using primary CR123A? according to Olight, using Primary CR123A, S1R can output 600 lumens, let's see, shall we?














since I do not have an Integrating Sphere to accurately measure, I would say it's almost as bright as the S1R Turbo. 

Before we move on to beamshots, here is the measured current draw for Olight S1R...




*2.8A*! *2.8A* on Turbo! That's almost 5C draw from the battery. O-M-G.

OK, beamshots time... this time round, I've taken the exposure down half a second, so the parameter is f/3.5, ISO-400 and exposure 0.5 second. All taken with Sony RX-100 
The contenders








































In conclusion, this Olight S1R is bright, it's 30-second bright! and due to its size and high lumens, it stand-in pretty nicely as a hand-warmer too. The overall built and finish is good, I especially like the MCC magnetic snap feature. It sometimes feels like the cable has a mind of its own and always seek-out its mating partner! LOL! No doubt about the wow factor for this little guy.

Last but not least, I'll leave you with these...










*Update 2016.09.07:*

*About: when will Red LED glow on the switch button*





*About: how to deep discharge your battery (don't do this unless you think shorten your battery's life is fun)*
If you have a unit of S1R and repeatedly use the impressive 900 lumens, you know that it doesn't stay 30 seconds for long, each time you use that 900 lumens, you have diminishing 30 seconds of usage, and you'll realize very quickly you can no longer mode switch to Turbo, even high mode (or that 300 lumens) doesn't stay on long, and the Red LED will glow (it feels like the Ultraman warning beacon, just without the blinkies and sound), if you are in this situation, there is only one thing you can do if you want to squeeze that last lumen out of the battery (well, short of finding a power source to recharge, that is):

1. Switch off and switch on your light.
2. Mode switch to high mode (that's 300-ish lumens) to drain the battery further.
3. If you have a handy multimeter, you can check if the battery Voltage has drop below 3.5V.
4. Now, with the Voltage drop below 3.5V, quickly switch Off and switch On the flashlight.
5. Voila, your S1R now thinks that you just put in a fresh primary CR123A battery and run it at full 500-600 lumens for a couple of more minutes

Olight says that at <= 3.4V the S1R will run as if primary battery was use. But my unscientific test shows anytime when the Voltage is below 3.5V, it will treat it as primary battery and I'll have the normal S1 mode: moon - low - med - high (500-ish lumens) to play with... errr... I mean to use.

*About: having fun with the tailcap*
hey, since we can measure the Voltage from the tailcap (only with the included Olight ORB-163C05), why not have some fun...

what do you think will happen if we do this...





well, this happened:





an undocumented feature? well, I know I'll be carrying some spare 5mm Red, Green and Blue LED with me (put in the free pouch, remember the brown color pouch?), and... cover the tailcap with something... LOL!

*Update 2016.10.05:
*
*About: the new and updated S1R*
Just received the new S1R, the updated S1R where you have Turbo and Turbo S mode... and here is the new UI...









Olight tuned down the Turbo mode to 600 lumens and renamed the 900 lumens as *Turbo S* where the only way to access to this 900 lumens is:

double-click to access Turbo (600 lumens) mode, then double-click again to access Turbo S (900 lumens)
The old double-click-and-hold to ramp-up to Turbo (when light is on) is now replaced as the way to activate the timer mode, while the old double-click to turn on timer is now taken over by the Turbo and Turbo S modes.
No more memory for Turbo and Turbo S mode.
Olight has also extended the runtime of Turbo (600 lumens) and Turbo S (900 lumens) before the step-down, we can now expect 1.5 minutes of either Turbo or Turbo S before S1R step down the brightness depending on the following condition... (following notes are a direct copy from the new User Manual):
*"Turbo S mode of 900 lumens and Turbo mode of 600 lumens are tested when the battery is full. The maximum output varies as the battery voltage changes. When the battery voltage runs below 3.6V, the Turbo S cannot reach 900 lumens then, and when the voltage goes down to 3.1V, the Turbo S almost performs the same as Turbo mode. When the voltage drops below 3.1V, the maximum output is 300 lumens only."
*
_*** Few words of cautious from yours truly: please do not leave S1R in Turbo S mode unattended as the light gets pretty hot (yes, skin-burning hot). The heat is unbearable on bare hands after 1+ minutes running on Turbo S mode. This light is not suitable for small children nor individual whose skin are too sensitive to heat._

some face-lift at the packaging side...




Left is old, Right is new.

and there is now a small sheet of instruction on how to take S1R out of the holding card. 





The physical look of old S1R and new S1R are identical in every way, as such, to tell if you are getting the new version is to:


depends on the serial number. According to Olight, the old serial number runs from G08220001 ‐ G08228500, while the new S1R has serial number from G09140001 and onwards.
test the UI.


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## d88 (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for taking the time to review the S1r. I already have 2 S1's, I may have to make it 3.


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## Marfenix (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thank you for the very good review! :twothumbs


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## proceed5 (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks rookiedaddy for another great review. 

Could you share with us your thoughts on the S1R's newer output settings of 900lumens for 0.5mins and thereafter drops to 300lumens, would you consider this less useful than the settings set on the S1's ?


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## tops2 (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for the review!
And thanks for taking the time to test with various cells!

I'm kinda wondering why the light is longer than the S1. From the tail to just before the head, from rough eyeballing in the pictures, it looks about the same length. It looks like to me just the head is slightly longer. Maybe its for heatsinking?
But boy, these small Baton series are really impressive (to me anyways) for the size and output ratio! Only gripe/wish is for a neutral white. Otherwise, wow!


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## NorthernStar (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thank you for the great review!

I so far like the light, but i dont like that it drops down from 900 lumens to 300 lumens. It should drop down to 500 lumens like the S1 i think, and then fading slowly down to 300 lumens.

I have some questions. Does the light memorize moonlight and turbomode? For example when turning off the light at turbomode and then single click turning it on, does it starts at turbo mode then? The same goes for moonlight mode? The light is supposed to have a fade gradually feature when turning it on and off according to Goinggear. For how long does this fading process goes on(in seconds)?


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## stubbys (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*






For once the UK price is comparable to the US.


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 1, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



proceed5 said:


> Could you share with us your thoughts on the S1R's newer output settings of 900lumens for 0.5mins and thereafter drops to 300lumens, would you consider this less useful than the settings set on the S1's ?


Honestly, I don't think it's less useful than the settings on the S1. That 900 lumens output is impressive for such a small light, even for 0.5 minute. I too wish the Turbo mode could run longer, but I guess given the heat generated for such a small light with a small capacity high drain power source, Olight had to protect the LED and the circuit.
Although this is a rechargeable light, it also supports running with Primary CR123A battery, and it runs as bright as S1 if not brighter (I did a side-by-side comparison, this S1R is visibly brighter than my S1 when running with Primary CR123A).
I think S1R is Olight's attempt at improving the successful S1-series by giving it a convenient rechargeable option and higher output.
Given the options, I would urban EDC this S1R (with the MCC) while keeping the S1 as backup (ya know, 2 is one and 1 is none). 



tops2 said:


> I'm kinda wondering why the light is longer than the S1. From the tail to just before the head, from rough eyeballing in the pictures, it looks about the same length. It looks like to me just the head is slightly longer. Maybe its for heatsinking?
> But boy, these small Baton series are really impressive (to me anyways) for the size and output ratio! Only gripe/wish is for a neutral white. Otherwise, wow!


here is a pic to show the S1R and S1 side-by-side with tailcap removed.




and yes, I too wish for a High CRI version! That would be so wonderfully sweet! 



NorthernStar said:


> I so far like the light, but i dont like that it drops down from 900 lumens to 300 lumens. It should drop down to 500 lumens like the S1 i think, and then fading slowly down to 300 lumens.
> 
> I have some questions. Does the light memorize moonlight and turbomode? For example when turning off the light at turbomode and then single click turning it on, does it starts at turbo mode then? The same goes for moonlight mode? The light is supposed to have a fade gradually feature when turning it on and off according to Goinggear. For how long does this fading process goes on(in seconds)?


With the help of Giphy.com service, I convert the screen-grab into following gifs, yes, it does drop down slowly.




yes, this Olight S1R does memorize moonlight and turbo mode. when you turn off the light at turbo mode, and then click it back on, it comes on at turbo mode. likewise for all other modes too (moonlight, low, medium and high), except the strobe. Having to say that, do note that the memory are "short-term" for high and turbo, like other recently release S-series.
with my unscientific measurement, it takes approximately 0.5 second for S1R to ramp it up to Turbo (when you double click from Off to activate it), and it takes approximately 1 second to ramp it down when you turn it off. The ramping (or gradually increase and decrease) is more noticeable at high and turbo mode than others.


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## proceed5 (Sep 2, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



rookiedaddy said:


> Honestly, I don't think it's less useful than the settings on the S1. That 900 lumens output is impressive for such a small light, even for 0.5 minute. I too wish the Turbo mode could run longer, but I guess given the heat generated for such a small light with a small capacity high drain power source, Olight had to protect the LED and the circuit.
> Although this is a rechargeable light, it also supports running with Primary CR123A battery, and it runs as bright as S1 if not brighter (I did a side-by-side comparison, this S1R is visibly brighter than my S1 when running with Primary CR123A).
> I think S1R is Olight's attempt at improving the successful S1-series by giving it a convenient rechargeable option and higher output.
> Given the options, I would urban EDC this S1R (with the MCC) while keeping the S1 as backup (ya know, 2 is one and 1 is none).
> ...


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 2, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

First thread now updated with mode memory, copied here for your convenient.

*Update 2016.09.02: *Mode Memory




The High and Turbo will reset back to Medium mode after 10 minutes of inactivity, meaning if you leave the light off in High or Turbo mode for more than 10 minutes, the light will reset back to Medium mode. As a matter of fact, the S1A, S2A inherit the same mode memory settings too.


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## tops2 (Sep 2, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for further tests and pictures. I guess longer tail cap is expected since there's charging. Its really helpful with the grid background separating the tailcap and body! :twothumbs


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## JSTARR (Sep 2, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for the fine review. I'm a S-1 fan; may have to try a S1R now...


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## NorthernStar (Sep 3, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



rookiedaddy said:


> First thread now updated with mode memory, copied here for your convenient.
> 
> *Update 2016.09.02: *Mode Memory
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info!

My S1 was of the first batch that keeps the turbo mode and moonlight mode in memory independent of minutes which i like. I dont like that the S1R resets back to medium after 10 minutes. The best ui of all Olight lights is the S30R,S30RII,and the S30R Javelot. These lights does not have any timing function and remembers moonlight mode and turbomode for indefinitely time.


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## KeepingItLight (Sep 3, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



rookiedaddy said:


> The High and Turbo will reset back to Medium mode after 10 minutes of inactivity, meaning if you leave the light off in High or Turbo mode for more than 10 minutes, the light will reset back to Medium mode. As a matter of fact, the S1A, S2A inherit the same mode memory settings too.



This is like the *Olight S1 Baton*, except the S1 resets to Low, rather than medium. One advantage to the reset pertains to accidental activation. It won't leave you with burned pockets or a dead battery.

In addition, the S1 does not store Moonlight or High in mode memory when they have been activated (from off) via a shortcut. The S1 also keeps Moonlight off the main sequence. Press-and-hold gets you Low-Medium-High; Moonlight is not part of the sequence.

All in all, I have a preference for the S1 user interface, rather than that of the S1R.

Edit: More than anything, I think Olight needs to stop changing its interface. One of the strengths of ZebraLight is that for several years now it has had the same user interface on every model in its lineup. Olight seems to change the Baton interface on each new iteration.


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 7, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

First post updated with more info... copied here for your reading convenient...

*Update 2016.09.07:*

*About: when will Red LED glow on the switch button*





*About: how to deep discharge your battery (don't do this unless you think shorten your battery's life is fun)*
If you have a unit of S1R and repeatedly use the impressive 900 lumens, you know that it doesn't stay 30 seconds for long, each time you use that 900 lumens, you have diminishing 30 seconds of usage, and you'll realize very quickly you can no longer mode switch to Turbo, even high mode (or that 300 lumens) doesn't stay on long, and the Red LED will glow (it feels like the Ultraman warning beacon, just without the blinkies and sound), if you are in this situation, there is only one thing you can do if you want to squeeze that last lumen out of the battery (well, short of finding a power source to recharge, that is):

1. Switch off and switch on your light.
2. Mode switch to high mode (that's 300-ish lumens) to drain the battery further.
3. If you have a handy multimeter, you can check if the battery Voltage has drop below 3.5V.
4. Now, with the Voltage drop below 3.5V, quickly switch Off and switch On the flashlight.
5. Voila, your S1R now thinks that you just put in a fresh primary CR123A battery and run it at full 500-600 lumens for a couple of more minutes

Olight says that at <= 3.4V the S1R will run as if primary battery was use. But my unscientific test shows anytime when the Voltage is below 3.5V, it will treat it as primary battery and I'll have the normal S1 mode: moon - low - med - high (500-ish lumens) to play with... errr... I mean to use.

*About: having fun with the tailcap*
hey, since we can measure the Voltage from the tailcap (only with the included Olight ORB-163C05), why not have some fun...

what do you think will happen if we do this...





well, this happened:





an undocumented feature? well, I know I'll be carrying some spare 5mm Red, Green and Blue LED with me (put in the free pouch, remember the brown color pouch?), and... cover the tailcap with something... LOL!

will continue to update as and when I have more info or changes...


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## CelticCross74 (Sep 8, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

have this light on order as well as some new AW 750mah cells. Think Ill be alright.


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## TJZ (Sep 8, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Is the IMR battery that comes with the flashlight a protected battery?
The IMR batteries on the market that I have seen are not protected, they say due to the chemistry they can't be overcharged, but what about over-discharge?
I read some of the flashlights on the market will ramp down when the voltage of the battery gets too low, is this enough to protect the battery from over-discharge and does the S1R
have this protection also? I have always had protected batteries in all of my flashlights so I'm just wondering about unprotected batteries. I know if you run them down to low you can ruin them.


I am still thinking of getting the SR1 and I'm watching the reviews on them. This will be my first EDC flashlight with a switch. Always have had twisty head flashlights.
I like that the SR1 it will run on 300 Lumens for about an hour without ramping down.
I also like the magnetic base and charging. And the moonlight setting can come in handy.


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 9, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



TJZ said:


> Is the IMR battery that comes with the flashlight a protected battery?


According to Olight, they are... well, somewhat. The specification table I received says that the Olight IMR battery has a max constant discharging current of 2.75A, and a protective discharging current of 5A. However, I would still treat them as unprotected regardless.



TJZ said:


> The IMR batteries on the market that I have seen are not protected, they say due to the chemistry they can't be overcharged, but what about over-discharge?


IMR can be overcharged. In fact, using the supplied MCC charger, I measure the fully charge battery to be slightly more than 4.2V, well, that could be my multimeter accuracy ±% that is different than that of the Olight's engineer. Although the light do "attempt" to protect the IMR/RCR battery from over-discharge. I however, tested that if I wanted to, I could actually deep discharge the battery further due to S1R supports running primary CR123A (LiMnO2) when it detected that inserted battery have a Voltage of less than 3.5V. :shrug:



TJZ said:


> I read some of the flashlights on the market will ramp down when the voltage of the battery gets too low, is this enough to protect the battery from over-discharge and does the S1R
> have this protection also? I have always had protected batteries in all of my flashlights so I'm just wondering about unprotected batteries. I know if you run them down to low you can ruin them.


S1R does have protection, but as I said in my reply above, there are chances that you could still deep discharge the battery further if you wanted to.

In my experience of playing... err.. I mean "testing" (yup, that sounded more unscientific) with Protected (ICR) vs Unprotected (ICR) vs IMR cells, I found that IMR has a higher tolerant to abuse or torture... but having to say that... the *best protection* is still *between our ears*.



use a multimeter to check the cell Voltage when in doubts (use one anyway when we are not, seriously)
get to know our flashlight "behavior", like what happen when the battery is low? any warning signs (note that S1R give you a red glow at the switch button)?
in the case of S1R, my advise is recharge your battery as soon as S1R can no longer sustain even the high mode and/or brightness constantly drops to low, I would recommended to keep it top-up without waiting for it to happen

psssst... personally, I do not rely on the protection circuit of the battery, I use unprotected ICR and IMR whenever possible, not only cheaper to acquire, the self-discharge is lower too. :devil:


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## TJZ (Sep 9, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for detailed answers and great job on your review! :twothumbs

I was surprised to see the Fenix ARB-L16-700 battery powered the S1R in turbo mode. I have that battery also for my Fenix E15 (2016). So if I get the S1R I can use it as a backup battery (even though it can't be charged in the S1R) until Olight releases the IMR battery for sale.


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## HIDSGT (Sep 11, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

wow great freakn review awesome! Olight shud hire u to promote their dam lights lol


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 15, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

It's mid-autumn festival here, have a bit of time on hand, dug out an old can of plasti-dip to cover the butt-end of the light...

















ugly yellow cover, and once again, proving that I have no molding skill... :sick2:

Update 2016.09.16:
Using moldable plastic, did the following...





and it doubles as diffuser too... LOL...


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## bartonjd (Sep 20, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Do you find it inconvenient to have to carry the proprietary USB cable for charging rather than brig able to use micro USB ?


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## L.N. (Sep 20, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

The Olight S1 is one of my favourite lights and this one is even better. The charging dock is an improved version of the ones shipped with the Olight S30R II and S10R II. The only drawback i can think is that you can only charge the Olight battery and not other 16340 batteries. Now i have to decide to buy the S1R or the S2R.....


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 20, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Just discover something new about the MCC charging light color, there is a third color... it glows an "*orange*" color too! How? well... it started a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....... oops... sorry, that was Star Wars! ok, ok, while back on Earth, I left S1R on my table for a few days collecting dust and whatnot, and today, decided to do a top-up charging, upon having the MCC snapping to the tailcap, it started charging in "*orange*" color, now that's new and checking the USB meter, it shows 0.08A being drawn, that's unusual. So the next logical step is to disconnect and reconnect, same "*orange*" color and reading. Next, I frantically rotate the light against the MCC hoping for better contact... no luck, same "*orange*" color and reading. So I remove the MCC and use my man-size (yes, it has to be man-size doesn't it), salivary sanitized thumb to wipe across the contact surface of the tail-cap, reconnect the MCC, voila... err... sigh! same "*orange*" color and reading. Finally, I break-open a piece of alcohol swap/pad (70% Isopropyl Alcohol) and rigorously wipe the tail-cap contact surface, a quick blow-dry, and reconnect the MCC... HAH! the "Red" color is back and USB meter start reading the normal 0.76A. 



bartonjd said:


> Do you find it inconvenient to have to carry the proprietary USB cable for charging rather than brig able to use micro USB ?


it's a personal choice. 
a friend of mine suggested an idea, Olight could actually offer the Magnetic charging disc without the cable, in turn, have a micro USB port on the disc itself, and that would be more compact and flexible. I think that's a great idea, wouldn't you say so?

I think Olight's product is still evolving and they are going through the adaptation experience on what works and what doesn't. One day, they may actually offer "*true*" wireless charging instead of the typo on their product description. LOL!


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## bartonjd (Sep 20, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

That does sound like a great charging solution !


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## rookiedaddy (Oct 5, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

First post now updated with information on new S1R version. Copied here for your reading convenient.

*Update 2016.10.05:*
*About: the new and updated S1R*
Just received the new S1R, the updated S1R where you have Turbo and Turbo S mode... and here is the new UI...










Olight tuned down the Turbo mode to 600 lumens and renamed the 900 lumens as *Turbo S* where the only way to access to this 900 lumens is:


double-click to access Turbo (600 lumens) mode, then double-click again to access Turbo S (900 lumens)

The old double-click-and-hold to ramp-up to Turbo (when light is on) is now replaced as the way to activate the timer mode, while the old double-click to turn on timer is now taken over by the Turbo and Turbo S modes.
No more memory for Turbo and Turbo S mode.
Olight has also extended the runtime of Turbo (600 lumens) and Turbo S (900 lumens) before the step-down, we can now expect 1.5 minutes of either Turbo or Turbo S before S1R step down the brightness depending on the following condition... (following notes are a direct copy from the new User Manual):
*"Turbo S mode of 900 lumens and Turbo mode of 600 lumens are tested when the battery is full. The maximum output varies as the battery voltage changes. When the battery voltage runs below 3.6V, the Turbo S cannot reach 900 lumens then, and when the voltage goes down to 3.1V, the Turbo S almost performs the same as Turbo mode. When the voltage drops below 3.1V, the maximum output is 300 lumens only."
*
_*** Few words of cautious from yours truly: please do not leave S1R in Turbo S mode unattended as the light gets pretty hot (yes, skin-burning hot). The heat is unbearable on bare hands after 1+ minutes running on Turbo S mode. This light is not suitable for small children nor individual whose skin are too sensitive to heat._

some face-lift at the packaging side...




Left is old, Right is new.


and there is now a small sheet of instruction on how to take S1R out of the holding card. 






The physical look of old S1R and new S1R are identical in every way, as such, to tell if you are getting the new version is to:




depends on the serial number. According to Olight, the old serial number runs from G08220001 ‐ G08228500, while the new S1R has serial number from G09140001 and onwards.
test the UI.


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## Oztorchfreak (Oct 5, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Is the LED in the S1R de-domed?


CHEERS


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## rookiedaddy (Oct 5, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



Oztorchfreak said:


> Is the LED in the S1R de-domed?


Haven't popped the lens to check, but so far Olight S1/S2 series LED are not de-domed.


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## andydviking (Oct 15, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

So if you already have the original S1R would you get the Turbo S? I like that it has a 600 lumen option.


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## rookiedaddy (Oct 15, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



andydviking said:


> So if you already have the original S1R would you get the Turbo S? I like that it has a 600 lumen option.


I'm guessing you have already made up your mind.  Well, to push you one step closer and possibly over the edge... YES! YES! YES! :devil:
Stop reading now and click that "Add To Cart" button. Seriously, stop reading now... coz the following words might just change your mind...

here's a pic taking the back of the box of both version, the difference is in the runtime and UI... left is old version S1R, right is new version S1R (Turbo S version)...





Honestly, in-my-not-always-so-humble-opinion, I like that the old version allows me to directly access the 900 lumens without much fiddling with the UI, and no worries about the heat if I hand it over to someone uninitiated. The new version UI is more complicated and heat is one of the major concern for me (as I've raised a few posts up). I was asked by a fellow flashaholic on whether he should buy the old or the new S1R, I responded with the following:
"If you are buying for yourself, then go with the new S1R because, as a fellow flashaholic, you know when to stop if and when it gets too hot. But if you are buying for someone else, then the older S1R is a better choice because it has a simpler UI relatively speaking, and no worries about the heat as it step down pretty fast."

and again honestly, I thought Olight was only changing the step-down from 900 to 600 then to 300 when I first heard they are coming out with a new version a week after they release the older S1R, and later was told they go a different route by adding a new 600 lumens and move and rename the 900 lumens. The newer UI also essentially make the 600 and 900 lumens "hidden" from normal access as you can no longer mode cycle to Turbo nor the Turbo S, but double-click for Turbo and double-click again for Turbo S.

now, and again, in all honesty, let's put the S1A into the mix, if given the choice to choose one and only one between older S1R, newer S1R and the S1A, I'll go with the S1A, for reasons non other than the S1A has a longer runtime and more common battery choices -- single AA in LiIon rechargeable or LiFeS2 Primary or NiMH rechargeable or Alkaline. Overall, S1A is more utilitarian.


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## andydviking (Oct 15, 2016)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



rookiedaddy said:


> I'm guessing you have already made up your mind.  Well, to push you one step closer and possibly over the edge... YES! YES! YES![emoji317]Stop reading now and click that "Add To Cart" button. Seriously, stop reading now... coz the following words might just change your mind...
> 
> here's a pic taking the back of the box of both version, the difference is in the runtime and UI... left is old version S1R, right is new version S1R (Turbo S version)...
> 
> ...


Thanks! Lol and you're right I'll probably go and get the new S1R. In your opinion is the 600 noticeably brighter than the 300? Between my S2 and my S1R I couldn't see a huge difference between the S2 at 500 lumens and the S1R at 300.

I actually love the idea of the S1R turbo S interface because you don't have to go through turbo in normal use saving battery life. But I would love to have that 600 lumens if it makes a noticeable difference. I won't get the S1A because I just invested in a spare battery and the dock from Olight. So I'm gonna stick to Olight rechargable for a while. 

Curious enough on my dock it mentioned compatibility with the S30R III and S10R III. So they may be coming out soon. Dunno if I should wait or not. The S1R is the perfect size for my EDC uses. The S2 gets in the way of my other stuff in my pockets. The S1R has a handy holster.

Thanks for your awesome and detailed review of both versions and a great reply to my questions.


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## major_works (Nov 4, 2016)

Thank you for the comprehensive review of the S1R Turbo S. For years, my evening dog-walking light has been an old Fenix LD01, which I still have and still works great. However, my family and I just moved recently and the streets in our new town are a lot darker. So I felt compelled to seek out a new EDC light with a little more (OK, a LOT more) oomph and settled on the S1R Turbo S.

As a newbie to rechargeable cells that don't say Eneloop, I have a basic question. The light came with the one Olight ORB-163C05 RCR123A battery, which the documentation refers to as "customized." However, I note that online battery vendors carry an Olight battery with the same model number. 

So finally, my question: Is there in fact something different or "customized" about the ORB-163C05 that came with the S1R, or can I assume that the batteries I can buy from online vendors with the same model number will perform the same way in the light as the one that came with it?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

David


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## rookiedaddy (Nov 4, 2016)

major_works said:


> ...
> So finally, my question: Is there in fact something different or "customized" about the ORB-163C05 that came with the S1R, or can I assume that the batteries I can buy from online vendors with the same model number will perform the same way in the light as the one that came with it?
> ...


Hello David, as long as it's the same model: ORB-163C05, you can expect it to perform the same way in S1R. Olight "customized" an IMR battery (ORB-163C05) so that it can be charge inside the light without taking it out. Since photobucket is down for maintenance, allow me to link you to a few US online retailer sites for the pictures:

OlightStore: http://www.olightstore.com/batteries-and-chargers/olight-550mah-16340-imr-battery
BatteryJunction: http://www.batteryjunction.com/olight-imr-16340.html
GoingGear: http://goinggear.com/flashlights/ba...340-rcr123-for-s1r-baton-550-mah-battery.html

You can see from their pictures that the difference between Olight's IMR 16340 (ORB-163C05) and a normal 16340 is the extra negative(-) terminal ring around the positive terminal button, this is to make contact with the tail-cap to enable charging thru their included Magnetic Charging Cable (MCC) or the optional Micro-dok.

FWIW, other high discharge 16340 batteries (either protected or non-protected, e.g. AW IMR, KeepPower, Fenix, etc.) can work in S1R too, but you will not be able charge these normal 16340 cells inside S1R.

Since not all retailers using the same model number: *ORB-16305* as their SKU/Product Code as Olight, it may be worth noting that Olight also has a normal, protected 16340 with the model number ORB-163P06 for which will tripped the protection circuit when used in S1R (when you switch on to 900 lumens mode).

Hope this helps.


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## PTT (Dec 15, 2016)

Is this correct - To get into Moonlight mode, from Off you Press & Hold, and then release, and it stays on in Moonlight. Then a single Click turns it off, and then a single Click turns it On in Moonlight (because it is the last memorized mode)?

Once in Moonlight, can you Press & Hold to cycle through Low Medium High, and then double Click to go to Turbo & Turbo S?

Thanks.


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## rookiedaddy (Dec 15, 2016)

PTT said:


> Is this correct - To get into ... ?
> 
> Once in Moonlight, can you Press & Hold to cycle through Low Medium High, and then double Click to go to Turbo & Turbo S?


Yes, and yes. You are correct.


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## radiopej (Aug 20, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for writing such a good review. 

I remember writing a review on this light also, but I can't find it for some reason. 

I wanted to ask, does your light turn on without fail every time? I was trying to find my review to add a note after a long period of use, but then I found yours and thought I'd check. 

I find that even after cleaning with isopropanol, sometimes it won't turn on (fairly often). I have to unscrew the tailcap, screw it back on and then it works.


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## rookiedaddy (Aug 21, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



radiopej said:


> I wanted to ask, does your light turn on without fail every time? ...
> I find that even after cleaning with isopropanol, sometimes it won't turn on (fairly often). I have to unscrew the tailcap, screw it back on and then it works.


Similar queries I had with S1R and S1R Turbo S with regards to lights needing to break and reconnect continuity (unscrew and screw back the tailcap) has to do with either Olight 163C05 battery or the magnetic recharging tailcap.
If you are still using the original Olight 163C05 battery that comes with the light, it may be time to replace the battery. You can test by using known good RCR123 (e.g. Fenix ARB-L16-700 or new AW IMR 16340) and see if the issue persists. Due to the high drain requirements, battery used in S1R/TurboS seems to aged faster when we put the Turbo/S mode to work often.
There were tailcaps that develop continuity issue after some time (check with your multimeter if there is continuity by touching the gold-plated button and the silver outer ring (not the golden ring, but the silver ring where you can use your tweezers to disassemble), if you have intermittent connectivity, then you need warranty service to replace your tailcap.


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## CelticCross74 (Aug 23, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Damn good review thanks for posting OP! I have the S1R V2 NW. The magnetic built in charging feature is still kind of odd to me as the magnetic connection point is just laid bare with no protective rubber cover for example. Besides that my only other caveat is that all modes up to high mode the tint is a nice NW. Throttle up to turbo and turbo S and the tint is suddenly cool white. Do not know why that happens. Have been keeping an eye out for a higher capacity cell that also is 5 amps. The stock Olight cell is nice and all but it is low capacity...


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## rookiedaddy (Aug 25, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

@CelticCross74, thank you very much and I'm humbled by your kind words.
fwiw, a protective cover was in play as an idea in the design of the magnetic charging system but was discarded due to overall aesthetic of the product(s).
not sure about the NW tint shift on Turbo and Turbo S as I only have the cool white version, perhaps other users with S1R NW can chime in here... I do not detect any drastic tint shift to cool white on my SMini Ti NW and H1R NW at their max mode of 550 lumens and 600 lumens respectively, but both are not design to go the 900 lumens of S1R so I can't give a fair assessment here, sorry mate...
I actually wish they would have a model that supports 18350 cell size instead of the smaller 16340 in S1R, but with the shelving of their M1R, I can only continue to wish... :mecry:


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## CelticCross74 (Aug 25, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

hey you are more than welcome man! That was a genuinely solid review. I still use my S1R V2 NW quite a bit despite the strange extreme tint shift at the top two modes as a light this small with this wide a range of output is extremely useful for my work.


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## sbslider (Dec 16, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Wow, what a great review. It satisfied one itch of mine, which is to know how much current is demanded from the battery in the various modes. But it also raised another, how did you go about measuring the current? I know with the DVM I have, trying to measure the current ALWAYS changes the performance of the light, as the impedance of the meter is so high. In general I resort to using a laboratory type power supply at work. I would be curious to know how you accomplished this here.


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## rookiedaddy (Dec 17, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

@sbslider, thank you for the kind words.
Allow me to point you to the excellent thread of hkj's DMM guide:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Simple-guide-to-using-a-DMM-for-measurements


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## sbslider (Dec 17, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thank you for the reference, I have read that and find it informative. But it does not answer the question, which is how did YOU go about measuring the current? 

Measuring from 0.002A to 2.8A is a large range, and could be accomplished in several ways. When I have made current measurements on lights I have used a calibrated laboratory DC power supply. This allows me to vary the input to the light (simulating the various battery voltages encountered during use) and can be done with just two hands. It lacks resolution at the low current end, that is I could never resolve 1.8mA due to the measurement resolution of my power supply. I could add a current meter in series, but have never bothered.


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## rookiedaddy (Dec 17, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

my meter supports measurement in μA to 10A range. Not ultra accurate tho, but I get by with multiple meters reading to cross check the results.
I record the measurement as soon as I can get a stable reading from the meter, don't have any bench meter nor any sophisticated setup to do plot reading of Voltage vs Current or to simulate Time vs Voltage vs Current, tho I wish I have.


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## sbslider (Dec 17, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thanks for the details. I have a similar type meter, and got measurements that are in the ball park with what you got. Some of mine were a bit lower, others a bit higher. For S1R Turbo S users, I did measure the 600 lumen current at about 1.8A. Guessing that, along with the 2.8A reading you got for 900 lumens, are a bit on the high side due to the meter impedance lowering the voltage to the light. 

Making a measurement with a laboratory DC power supply like I described above could be a bit tricky due to the access to the negative terminal being down inside the light, but I may give it a try next week at work.


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## Boris74 (Dec 17, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



sbslider said:


> Thanks for the details. I have a similar type meter, and got measurements that are in the ball park with what you got. Some of mine were a bit lower, others a bit higher. For S1R Turbo S users, I did measure the 600 lumen current at about 1.8A. Guessing that, along with the 2.8A reading you got for 900 lumens, are a bit on the high side due to the meter impedance lowering the voltage to the light.
> 
> Making a measurement with a laboratory DC power supply like I described above could be a bit tricky due to the access to the negative terminal being down inside the light, but I may give it a try next week at work.



S1R has negative and positive on the same side. So you don’t have to dig deep, just use the - on the top around the +


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## sbslider (Dec 17, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*



Boris74 said:


> S1R has negative and positive on the same side. So you don’t have to dig deep, just use the - on the top around the +



Well, I was planning on using my laboratory DC power supply to provide power to the light, not the RCR 16340 battery. But you make a good point. I can access the negative input to the light through the battery, and apply the positive side to the exposed aluminum . This could make applying the voltage a lot easier then trying to connect down inside the body as I had originally planned.

Thanks for the suggestion!! I just tried this out with an older power supply I have at home in low mode and it worked just fine.


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## weez82 (Dec 23, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Does anyone know if I can use a regular charger to charge the battery? Like the Xtar MC1 Plus?


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## sbslider (Dec 23, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Definitely


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## sbslider (Dec 23, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

So, if you want to put a bit of charge into your life, and you are willing to take a chance, see what you feel like when you put your tongue on the tail of a S1R. Reminiscent of the 9V alkaline trick . . . :nana:


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## surefire7 (Dec 25, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Sorry for the question, I'm a newb to this light. Can I use the charger that came with my mini (two magnetic caps that attach to the battery) to charge this S1R? It was a Christmas present. Thanks for the info!


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## sbslider (Dec 25, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

I would say 98% chance that you can charge your ORB 163C05 battery outside the S1R with your mini charger. So long as the charger you reference does not short out the + and - terminals on the + end of the battery you should be good. 

I think it is high unlikely you could charge the referenced battery inside your S1R.


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## sbslider (Dec 25, 2017)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Thought I would post this also, just a reference for those who use the S1R and have access to a volt meter, you can estimate remaining battery capacity by measuring the resting voltage of the battery. Resting voltage would be the light has not been turned on to a mode higher than moonlight for say 20-30 minutes or more. 

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-IMR-RCR123A&p=5166812&viewfull=1#post5166812


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## rookiedaddy (Sep 14, 2018)

*Re: Review: Olight S1R*

Just received this teaser pic from Olight... 





they said there are changes/improvements from knurling to battery system... can't wait to test this one... :nana:


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