# Olight S2 Baton (1x 18650/2x CR123A, XM-L2 U3) Review



## kj2 (Dec 13, 2015)

The new Olight S2 Baton, is the larger brother of the earlier released S1 Baton. Being a Baton-series light, it's quite compact but still has power enough for those dark places.
A Cree XM-L2 led it fitted behind a PMMA TIR lens, and has a max output of 950 lumens. The S2 shares the same features as other S-series flashlight including a low-profile side switch, removable pocket clip, magnetic tailcap, and timer. The S2 can be the choice for users looking for a flashlight that can take an 18650 battery, and still have an extremely small form factor. 











*The packaging:*The S2 comes in Olight standard translucent packaging. Inside you'll find the S2, manual, lanyard and CR123A battery magazine.





















*Features and Specifications: *_(given by Olight)

_KEY FEATURES:




Cree XM-L2 / U3 LED
Maximum output up to 950 lumens
22 degree emission angle 90% transparent ratio PMMA TIR lens to deliver homogeneous spot light
Stainless steel bezel and switch ring with PVD coating
4 standard modes: 950 lumens, 400 lumens, 80 lumens, 10 lumens
2 special modes: 0.5 lumens and 10Hz strobe mode
Turbo mode has a limit of 2 minutes for constant on, after that the light output will ramp down by 50% within 1 minute
built-in thermal management safety program.
Built-in timer: 3 minutes (short timer)or 9 minutes (long timer)
Flat tail cap design contains a strong magnet providing the ability to place it upside down and use it as a hands-free
work light
Positive polarity end on the battery faces the tail of the flashlight, reverse polarity protection to prevent improper battery installation
Removable pocket clip that is scratch resistant
Low standby current below 10uA

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES:




Lanyard
User Manual
Battery magazine

MSRP: $49.95

The manual gives information on specs, user interface and more. Always handy to read before usage 
This manual is multi-language.





























The compact size of the S2 makes it very suitable for EDC. The clip has good tension and clips tightly. If desired the clip is removable.
The side-switch is located near the head. The switch cover is almost flat which prevents accidental activation when carried. The bezel and switch binder ring are stainless steel processed with a PVD technology
with a good looking blue coating. In the tail of the light is a magnetic. The magnet is also removable. Knurling on the light provides enough grip during use.





















You might have notice the little battery-indication mark on the side of the light. Most flashlight need the positive-end of the battery towards the head. With the S2 it's the other way around.
In the S2, the battery positive-end has to face the tailcap. A reverse polarity protection is present, if the battery is wrongly inserted.






Laser engraving and anodizing is spotless. Threads are well cut and came well lubed.
Threads are square cut and fully anodized. At the side of the tailcap is a hole for lanyard attachment.
















*User Interface:

*Operation of the light is done via the side-switch.

Click the side-switch to turn the light On, in the memorized brightness level, single click again to turn Off.
When On, press and hold to cycle between the modes Low > Med > High > Turbo.
To access Moonlight mode, press and hold for 1 second from Off.
Turbo mode is also directly available from Off. Double click quickly from Off. A triple click will enter Strobe mode.

The light contains two timer settings: long timer (9 minutes) and short timer (3 minutes). Double click the side switch to enter this setting, short timer blink once for 3 minutes, long timer blinks 2 times for 9 minutes.
Double click the side switch to change the timer to the opposite setting. The light will automatically turn Off when the timer is over.

The S2 doesn't have a memory for Moonlight mode. There is only a 10 minutes memory when Turbo is last used.

*Size comparison:

*







Olight S10, Olight S2, Olight S20R, Olight 18650 

*Indoor Beamshots/ Outdoor Beamshots:
*ISO400, f/5.6, 1/50 sec - Canon 500D - Light approx 30cm/ camera 1m in front of wall. Moonlight mode is not included in the beamshots.






























ISO400, f/5.6, 3,2 sec - Canon 500D. Lights were slightly angled towards the ground.









*Pros and Cons:

*+ Size/output ratio
+ Pleased wide-spread beam
+ Pocket clip
+ Timer option

- Different battery polarity then most other flashlights

*Conclusion:
*
Olight offers again a beautiful EDC light. Some may prefer the size of the smaller S1, but with a 18650 battery, the S2 offers much more runtime.
A think to remember is the different battery polarity, but a reverse polarity protection is present to protect the light. The TIR lens provides a clean wide spread beam, which
is very useful with close-up work.

_S2 Baton was supplied by Adola for review, on behalf of Olight._


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## kj2 (Dec 13, 2015)

_Reserved for updates.._


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## manonamission (Dec 13, 2015)

Nice review , and the timing is crazy as i just was looking at battery reviews before i purchased this light this morning and then your review pops up ...Which was Awesome as it went a long way to reinforcing my decision to go for it ...Thanks !


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## kj2 (Dec 13, 2015)

manonamission said:


> Nice review , and the timing is crazy as i just was looking at battery reviews before i purchased this light this morning and then your review pops up ...Which was Awesome as it went a long way to reinforcing my decision to go for it ...Thanks !


Glad I could help 

Thanks for reading.


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## Dimethyl (Dec 13, 2015)

Was the moonlight mode on your S2 really dim? The official spec is 0.5 lumens but I estimate mine to be about 0.03 lumens. It is far more dim than my Olight S15 Baton or ThruNite TN12 (2016) which have official specs of 0.5 and 0.4 lumen moonlights, respectively. I actually find the super-dim moonlight mode quite pleasant when my eyes are fully dark-adapted.

Here is a comparison of my S15 (left), TN12 (middle), and S2 (right):


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## blah9 (Dec 13, 2015)

Nice review! Thank you for sharing!


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## kj2 (Dec 13, 2015)

Dimethyl said:


> Was the moonlight mode on your S2 really dim? The official spec is 0.5 lumens but I estimate mine to be about 0.03 lumens. It is far more dim than my Olight S15 Baton or ThruNite TN12 (2016) which have official specs of 0.5 and 0.4 lumen moonlights, respectively. I actually find the super-dim moonlight mode quite pleasant when my eyes are fully dark-adapted.
> 
> Here is a comparison of my S15 (left), TN12 (middle), and S2 (right):


The moonlight mode is very dim indeed.
Here a photo comparing it with my S15. S15 on the left, S2 on the right.






On a other note. Right before I made that pic, I opened the light to insert a battery, and the black plastic disk that normally surrounds the spring at the head, felt out. This disk is only for protecting the components on the circuit board, but still, it shouldn't fall out.


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## kj2 (Dec 13, 2015)

blah9 said:


> Nice review! Thank you for sharing!


Thanks for reading


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## light36 (Dec 13, 2015)

Thanks for the review kj2


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## snowlover91 (Dec 13, 2015)

Is it me or does the beam pattern seem uneven? It's looks like a diamond in several of the pics instead of a nice circular hotspot.


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## kj2 (Dec 13, 2015)

snowlover91 said:


> Is it me or does the beam pattern seem uneven? It's looks like a diamond in several of the pics instead of a nice circular hotspot.



Is circular, trust me 
It's the angle of the light and camera, what's causing it.


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## cistallus (Dec 14, 2015)

Thanks for the review! I have an older S20vn which is quite similar, but doesn't have the backwards battery, odd that they did that.

I think maybe your photo of the user manual is just the one side of it - I'm guessing there's a flip side with the rest of the English instructions.


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## kj2 (Dec 14, 2015)

cistallus said:


> I think maybe your photo of the user manual is just the one side of it - I'm guessing there's a flip side with the rest of the English instructions.


Indeed. There're about 6-7 languages on it.


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## UnderPar (Dec 14, 2015)

Thank you for this fantastic review kj2! Very helpful for all of us who wants to know the details of this light before deciding to get one... :twothumbs for you!!!


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## kj2 (Dec 14, 2015)

UnderPar said:


> Thank you for this fantastic review kj2! Very helpful for all of us who wants to know the details of this light before deciding to get one... :twothumbs for you!!!



Thanks


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## newbie66 (Dec 14, 2015)

Thanks for the review. The TIR makes the S2 brighter compared to the S20R which uses a reflector.


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## Wet (Dec 14, 2015)

snowlover91 said:


> Is it me or does the beam pattern seem uneven? It's looks like a diamond in several of the pics instead of a nice circular hotspot.


The hotspot is circular but the gradient area around the hotspot looks a bit square shaped to me too. I notice the same in the beam of my S1, but only when shining on a wall from close distance and rotating the light around its symmetry axis to make the square pattern spin. In practical use i won't notice that square shape. It must be caused by the shape of the emitter die. I have noticed similar shape around the hotspot in my other olight S series lights too, and they all have smooth reflectors.


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## jetslipper (Mar 25, 2017)

Hi,

Just a thought. In addition to the shorter runtimes, should I expect a difference in the output when using 2xRCR123A instead of 1x18650? Should there be any difference in the output when using a 7.4V (2x3.7V) compared to the 3.7V from the 18650? Or is a consistent output expected? What can I expect if I use 2xRCR123A in lights that explicitly list that type of battery as supported other than the shorter runtimes?


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## kj2 (Mar 25, 2017)

jetslipper said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just a thought. In addition to the shorter runtimes, should I expect a difference in the output when using 2xRCR123A instead of 1x18650? Should there be any difference in the output when using a 7.4V (2x3.7V) compared to the 3.7V from the 18650? Or is a consistent output expected? What can I expect if I use 2xRCR123A in lights that explicitly list that type of battery as supported other than the shorter runtimes?


Since Olight states the S2 only support 1x 18650 (3.7/4.2) or two CR123 (3V- 6V total), I won't advice to run two RCR's in it. The light is regulated so voltage doesn't matter. Otherwise the output would also be higher with 2x CR123 compared with 1x 18650.


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## jetslipper (Mar 25, 2017)

kj2 said:


> Since Olight states the S2 only support 1x 18650 (3.7/4.2) or two CR123 (3V- 6V total), I won't advice to run two RCR's in it. The light is regulated so voltage doesn't matter. Otherwise the output would also be higher with 2x CR123 compared with 1x 18650.


Thanks for the clarification kj2. I was looking for the S2's supported voltage range but couldn't find any that's why I had to ask. Other Olight models (M1x, S30R, etc) explicitly mention the supported voltage in the user manual.


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## kj2 (Mar 25, 2017)

Voltage isn't mentioned in the S2 manual, but it does stated that it works on 1x 18650 or 2x CR123. Therefore I expect the max voltage is 6V.


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## jetslipper (Mar 25, 2017)

kj2 said:


> Voltage isn't mentioned in the S2 manual, but it does stated that it works on 1x 18650 or 2x CR123. Therefore I expect the max voltage is 6V.


Yes, exactly, that would be the correct conclusion. Thanks!


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## Pilot (Mar 26, 2017)

I have an Olight S30 Baton. I liked the S10 so much, I bought the S30. How does the S30 compare to the S2? Is the S2 the S30's replacement? Thanks.


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## DMS1970 (Mar 26, 2017)

Pilot said:


> I have an Olight S30 Baton. I liked the S10 so much, I bought the S30. How does the S30 compare to the S2? Is the S2 the S30's replacement? Thanks.



I think they are very similar except the s2 has the tir optic for a much more floody beam.

i haven't really figured out Olight naming convention, but ending in zero is throwy eg, s10,20,30 etc. No zero is floody, eg s1, s2, s2a, s1 mini. Not sure how the s15 fell in between.


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## DMS1970 (Mar 26, 2017)

Also, I never had an s30, but ordered an older model. It appears to have the metal button that I love on the s15, while the new one has the familiar rubber button cover.


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## jetslipper (Mar 28, 2017)

kj2 said:


> Voltage isn't mentioned in the S2 manual, but it does stated that it works on 1x 18650 or 2x CR123. Therefore I expect the max voltage is 6V.


Olight just confirmed that RCR123A and 16340 batts are not supported and should not be used in the light [emoji3] .


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## DMS1970 (Mar 29, 2017)

jetslipper said:


> Olight just confirmed that RCR123A and 16340 batts are not supported and should not be used in the light [emoji3] .



I don't think very many lights would support 16340 x 2. Not sure about the RCR123A issue would be. That would be the equivalent of running eneloops in an S2A, which I assume is OK


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## jetslipper (Apr 17, 2017)

DMS1970 said:


> I don't think very many lights would support 16340 x 2. Not sure about the RCR123A issue would be. That would be the equivalent of running eneloops in an S2A, which I assume is OK


The new Olight catalog (2017) lists 2xRCR123A (or 2x16340 for that matter) as one of the supported batts for the Olight S2 [emoji16].


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## wweiss (Apr 18, 2017)

This light is in all ways excellent to me - EXCEPT for the TINT. The light quality makes everything look weird, dead and other-wordly - like Carrie Fischer at the end of Rogue One... I hope they add a NW option that matches the S Mini Baton or the TN12 NW. Both of these are great tints...


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## gunga (Apr 18, 2017)

How about modding it?


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## wweiss (Apr 19, 2017)

I don't have the time or temperament to modify - and yes, I know I'm a piker in this regard. 
Perhaps as I come to know what works for me, I will get into it...


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## DMS1970 (Apr 20, 2017)

Vihn offered S1 mods for a while, so it is doable.


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## gunga (Apr 20, 2017)

Yep. I'm getting one soon. It will be modded.


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## Bozzlite (Dec 15, 2017)

Just ordered one. Hope to use it as a weapon light with WM25 offset mount.


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## TheFlash21 (Jan 8, 2018)

kj2 said:


> The moonlight mode is very dim indeed.
> Here a photo comparing it with my S15. S15 on the left, S2 on the right.
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for the Review. Really enjoyed reading this, I own the Olight S2A Baton. And let me just say that is a mean little light. Pumping 550 lumens from two AA's. I love it and I highly recommend it to anyone.


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