# Olight R50 Seeker (1xXHP 50, 1x26650) Rechargeable Review



## candle lamp (Aug 10, 2016)

The R50 Seeker is the latest member of the R series from Olight. The R50 is an updated version of their R40 seeker, powered by 1x26650. This features a Cree XHP 50 (CW) LED with high output, in-light charging option, and sturdy uni-body design. The light comes in a quite nice thick cardboard box with cutout foam. You can see the important features and specifications on the front and back of the packaging. 
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R50 Seeker comes with micro-USB cable, wall adaptor, warranty card & manual, lanyard, customized Olight 26650 (4500mAh) rechargeable Li-ion battery.
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*Manufacturer Specifications* from Olight's website & manual :

• Features a Cree XLamp XHP50 LED, maximum output of 2500 lumens and runtime up to 50 hours.
• Side switch cycles through three brightness levels. double click access to Turbo while triple click access to Strobe.
• Multi-function side switch featuring a battery power indicator which glows red when battery runs low.
• Automatically returns to your last brightness level from the off position with the built in memory function.
• Built-in rechargeable 26650 (4500mAh) lithium battery with charging cable included.
• Aircraft-grade aluminum body with anti-scratch type III hard anodizing
• Ergonomic design with chamfered edges for a comfortable feel in the hand.
• Lock-out function to prevent accident activation.
• Waterproof up to 2 meters.





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The hard(type III) anodizing is a matte black and no flaws on my sample. The labels are quite minimal, with manufacturer, model name, and serial number on the head. All labels are sharp and clear in bright white against the black background. There is a small raised checkered grid pattern all over the body tube and the tailcap. The light has no tail switch. Fit and finish looks very good.
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The light has 2 parts. The body is one piece with the head (i.e., unibody design). The light opens at the tailcap only.
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The light has a blue flat stainless steel bezel ring and a blue o-ring. The head has a clean looking cylindrical design with nice looking scallops machined around the rear area. There's an electronic side switch just below the cooling fins for on-off and mode changing. The side switch cap is silicone rubber. There is a positive contact in the head, but it's neither spring nor spring-loaded contact.

Note that the positive contact in the head are raised. The light has an over-discharge protection function. True flat-top cells work just fine in the light. My longer Keeppower 26650 (5200mAh) protected cell doesn't work in the light (i.e., can't screw the tailcap down tightly). But Keeppower IMR 26650 (5200mAh) unprotected works fine in the light.
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The light uses AR coating lens where the purple hue is reflected on it. The reflector has an orange peel pattern. The reflector is well polished with no noticeable finishing flaws, and perfectly well-centered XHP 50 LED sits at the bottom of the reflector cup. 
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The switch cap is slightly protruded from a blue metal surround, but quite set lower position than the head. This means that the risk of accidental activation may be reduced. The light has an electronic lockout function as well.
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The R50 Seeker has a red LED under the side switch to serve as a low voltage warning indicator when on. There are two warnings. The first warning shows a steady red light during operation to let you know when the battery power is dropping. It seems the power indicator will show a steady red light when power levels reach about 30%.
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The second warning is that the red LED will blink to indicate when the battery are running very low (i.e., power is less than 30%). This indicates the battery need to be replaced (i.e., nearly drained). 
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The body tube is covered in aggressive raised checkered grid portions. The grip is very good. Some scallops machined and side switch on the head would have helped further too.
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The screw threads are square-cut of good quality. Threads are well machined, and anodized which allows the light to be locked-out when the tailcap is slightly loosened. As supplied, threads are well lubricated. Screw threads action is smooth with no cross-threading or squeaking on my sample. 
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There are two spring loaded contacts on the black insulation board in the tail assembly, being used for charging the custom 26650 cell (which contains positive and negative contacts on the end of the battery). There is an outermost ring which makes the negative current path to the body (sorry this can't be seen from above photo).

One of the distinctive aspects of the light is built-in micro USB charging port for custom 26650. The micro-USB port is hidden behind a cover which seems rubber material. The charging port and charging status indicator are at the end of the tailcap. 

There are a band of raised checkered grid portions and a wrist lanyard attachment. The light can tailstand in its default stock form. 
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All the above were supplied from Olight. The bundled 1m USB charging cable came with the nice USB wall adaptor with a USB plug. You can connect the micro USB cable to the USB port of your PC or to your electric outlet by an USB wall adaptor. 
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Olight supplied a custom high-drain 26650 (4500mAh) rechargeable cell in the light. You will see the description "built-in circuit board prevents overcharging, over-discharging and over-discharge current". This means the custom battery is protected cell. As shown above, the one end of the battery actually has both positive and negative contacts. In other words, the inner contact is negative, and the outer contact is actually positive.

You can use other short 26650s of good quality in the light for operation, but can't charge them in the light. Only a custom Olight 26650 (4500mAh) can be charged in the light.

*[*New 16.08.11*]* The R50 has reverse polarity protection to protect from improper battery installation when using only custome Olight 26650 (4500mAh) (i.e., the electronics of the light has in-built reverse polarity protection). But that function will not work when inserting other normal 26650 cells into the light improperly. *[*New 16.08.11*]*

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The blue light under the small LED indicator of the wall adaptor will light up when you connect it to your electric outlet. 

The LED surrounding the charging port of the tailcap will glow red when charging, and turn green when fully charged. 
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*Charging in the light*

I did charging test with a custom Olight 26650 (4500mAh) protected cell in the light. The voltage before, under and after charging are as follows :











I used the Xtar USB Detector "VI01" to measure charging current and input voltage.
The resting voltage was 3.44V. As shown in the above table, the initial charging and input voltage were respectively 0.90~0.91A and 4.96V. You can see the charging current and input voltage over time. Max. charging current was 1.05A at 3hrs 52mins charge in my test.

After 5hrs 32mins, the current was down to 0.08~0.09A. After 5hrs 33mins, charging was completed and the LED indicator went green. The resting voltage of the cell was 4.17V at this point. It is reasonable and good for charged voltage.

Note that the charging current is 0.00~0.01A when the LED indicator was green. Even if I remove the battery from the light, it is still the same as 0.00~0.01A. So this small current seems to be a standby current to check whether the cells are fully charged or not (i.e., to check the batteries condition), in my view. 

I left the charged 26650 cell in the light to see if the light does charge it continuously once fully charged. After 15hrs 32mins, the resting voltage of the cell was 4.16V. This means the light will not charge the cell after full charge. 
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*User Interface* 

There are two modes (i.e., general mode & strobe mode). 

On-off and output switching is controlled by the electronic side switch. A quick press and release (i.e., click) turns the light on, and another quick click turns the light off.

Holding down the switch will proceed Low -> Med. -> High, in repeating sequence, when on. To select your desired mode or output level, just release the switch. The light has mode memory, and remembers the last output level used when you turn the light off and back on. Note that it turns on in last output even after a battery change. 

A single click from Off will access to the memorized output level.
Note that the light only memorize the last mode for 10 mins when the light is off (i.e., the light will turn on in Med. mode after 10 mins).

Note that a long press will activate Low directly from Off.

A double quick click will activate Turbo, whatever mode the light is on (even Off). Turbo has no memory. Turbo is not available on the main sequence, but by a double quick click only.

A triple quick click will activate Strobe directly, whatever mode the light is on (even Off).
The strobe has no memory. A single sustained press of the switch will return to Med. mode.

The light has an electronic lock-out function to prevent accidental activation. Hold the switch down for more than 1 secs from Off, the light will activate Low mode, keep holding the switch for two secs more, the light will shut off automatically and lock the side switch. Under lock-out state, a quick click make the red indicator last for 2~3 secs. Note that this lock-out function will not be persisted after a battery change. 

To unlock switch, hold the switch down for about 3 secs. The light will active Low mode.
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*Standby Current Drain*

Due to the electronic switch design, the R50 Seeker is drawing a small current when the batteries are installed and the tailcap fully connected. I will measure this current later and describe it in this part.
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From left to right, Keeppower 18650 (3400mAh) protected, Olight M23 Javelot (Dedomed XP-L), Olight R50 Seeker (XHP 50 CW), Olight SR Mini II 2015 (3xXM-L2), SR52UT (Domeless XP-L HI), Fenix TK35 UE (MT-G2). 
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From left to right, Olight R50 Seeker (XHP 50 CW), Olight SR Mini II 2015 (3xXM-L2), SR52UT (Domeless XP-L HI), Fenix TK35 UE (MT-G2). 
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*Measured Dimensions*




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It is fairly compact light. The light has a bit narrow body tube to accommodate 1x26650, comparing other 1x18650 and 2x18650 class lights. The wall thickness of the body is reasonably thick (2.3mm), and the light feel solid. *Overall build quality* is excellent.
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*PWM*





The light shows no sign of flicker by PWM at all output levels. I notice there is no buzzing sound at any levels. The light seems to be current controlled.
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*Runtime*





The runtime to fall to 10% of its initial output from 30 seconds after the point the light is first turned on (i.e., based on ANSI FL-1) for Turbo is as above graph.

The R50 has a timed step-down from Turbo after 3 mins and additional automatic step-downs in output as battery power depletes. Note that there is very slightly difference (1.6% in lux unit) in output between custom Olight 26650 cell and Keeppower IMR 26650 cell after step-down to lower level.
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On High, the light gives a perfectly flat regulation before step-down to Med. output. I assume it will show perfectly flat regulation on Low as well.
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As shown above, you are not be able to see that the light step-downs to Low mode from Turbo (or High), instead the light turns off automatically at voltage of around 2.8V. This menas the R50 has a built-in over-discharge protection function in the light (i.e., my Keeppower IMR 26650 (5200mAh) used in my runtime test is unprotected cell).
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Overall output-runtime efficiency seems very good.
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*Beamshot*
1. White door beamshot (about 50cm from the white door) on max. output on 26650 (4500mAh) Olight protected and IMR 26650 (5200mAh) Keeppower unprotected 
- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/25sec, Auto white balance 














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- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/100sec, Auto white balance














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- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/800sec, Auto white balance














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- ISO125, F/8.0, 1/2000sec, Auto white balance















The light shows a large hot spot and wide spill beam against the other lights at this distance.
The hotspot is well focused and its tint looks slightly greenish yellow on my sample. The spill beam is clean with no noticeable artifacts (i.e., the overall beam profile is very good). Its tint looks whiter than the SR52UT. The overall beam tint is close to cool white in my view. (It seems my camera doesn't catch a tint of the beamshot properly, due to auto white balance.)
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2. 7m Indoor Beamshot on max. output on 26650 (4500mAh) Olight protected and IMR 26650 (5200mAh) Keeppower unprotected 
- ISO125, F/2.8, 1sec, Auto white balance




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4. 85m Outdoor Beamshot on max. output on 26650 (4500mAh) Olight protected and IMR 26650 (5200mAh) Keeppower unprotected 
- ISO125, F/2.8, 1sec, Auto white balance




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The R50 Seeker is not a thrower light, but it gives you high output with wide spill with XHP 50, given the size of the head and reflector. Balance between hot spot and side spill is very good.
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*Overall Impressions*

• Excellent build quality
• Unibody construction
• The light can tailstand 
• No anti-roll indentations on the body
• The possibility of accidental activation from Off is quite small, thanks to lock-out function
• Physical and electronic lock-out function 
• Small standby current drain is inevitable 
• True flat-top batteries work fine
• Charging custom Olight 26650 (4500mAh) cell in the light seems good and safe
• You can use other short 26650s in the light for operation, but can't charge them in the light 
• Good mode spacing
• Mode memory for all output levels except Turbo and Strobe
• Output-runtime efficiency seems very good 
• True Moonlight mode is not available
• Battery warning indication function when on
• Over-discharge protection function in the light
• No sign of PWM flickers at any output modes
• Beam profile is clean
• Good balance between hot spot and side spill
• Overall beam tint is close to cool white

The Olight R50 Seeker provided by Olight for review.


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## akhyar (Aug 10, 2016)

Thanks for the excellent review and beamshot.

Pity that Olight decided to use their customised battery for this light and the charging current is only 1A.
Other 26650 lights such as Manker U21 and Klarus G20 use normal 26650 cell and can charge up to 2A using the built-in chargers to cut down on the charging time.

As the supplied battery is customised 26650, you might want to add if the included battery can be charged using normal charger or can only be charged using the flashlight.
cheers,


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## CelticCross74 (Aug 10, 2016)

outstanding review! I love the building shots where the SR52UT is like a laser cannon compared to the rest lol. R50 is a nice light but a no go for me. One thing about it I really like is that 4500mah proprietary cell I am going to find to fit in my R40. Glad to know the 5200mah Keeppower IMR I got for my R40 really is a solid performer even at such high output levels.


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## tops2 (Aug 10, 2016)

Thanks for the review and the beamshots. Nice to see the light steps down giving you warning of the lowered voltage instead of just cutting the output.


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## tab665 (Aug 10, 2016)

that was a top notch review man. runtime graphs, indoor beamshots, and outdoor beamshots. oh my!


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## kj2 (Aug 11, 2016)

Thanks for the review


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## candle lamp (Aug 11, 2016)

akhyar said:


> Thanks for the excellent review and beamshot.
> 
> Pity that Olight decided to use their customised battery for this light and the charging current is only 1A.
> Other 26650 lights such as Manker U21 and Klarus G20 use normal 26650 cell and can charge up to 2A using the built-in chargers to cut down on the charging time.
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Thanks for your support. akhyar!
There're definite advantages to use custom 26650 bundled with the light, but on the other hand, this form factor light is somewhat limited in using normal batteries.
Personally, I like the light can charge normal cells.



CelticCross74 said:


> outstanding review! I love the building shots where the SR52UT is like a laser cannon compared to the rest lol. R50 is a nice light but a no go for me. One thing about it I really like is that 4500mah proprietary cell I am going to find to fit in my R40. Glad to know the 5200mah Keeppower IMR I got for my R40 really is a solid performer even at such high output levels.



Thanks. CelticCross74!
KP IMR is a really good performer.



tops2 said:


> Thanks for the review and the beamshots. Nice to see the light steps down giving you warning of the lowered voltage instead of just cutting the output.



The two battery warnings before shutting off when the battery protection circuit is reached are nice feature.



tab665 said:


> that was a top notch review man. runtime graphs, indoor beamshots, and outdoor beamshots. oh my!



Thanks for your support. tab665!



kj2 said:


> Thanks for the review



Thanks too. kj2


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## candle lamp (Aug 11, 2016)

I just have updated my review as follows :
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[*New 16.08.11*]* The R50 has reverse polarity protection to protect from improper battery installation when using only custome Olight 26650 (4500mAh) (i.e., the electronics of the light has in-built reverse polarity protection). But that function will not work when inserting other normal 26650 cells into the light improperly. *[*New 16.08.11*]*


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## Toby (Aug 12, 2016)

Nice review, thank you.


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## SG Hall (Aug 16, 2016)

Really good review candle lamp. Thanks [emoji106]


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## candle lamp (Aug 16, 2016)

SG Hall said:


> Really good review candle lamp. Thanks [emoji106]



Thanks. SG Hall!


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## carl (Aug 25, 2016)

Thank you for the nice review and pics!

As a programmable option, I prefer a beacon mode to find a side clicky switch in the dark. Side clicky switches are not easy to find quickly in pitch dark during an emergency. You have to roll the light in your hand and feel for the switch - not ideal. Still, its a nice light.


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## candle lamp (Aug 25, 2016)

carl said:


> Thank you for the nice review and pics!
> 
> As a programmable option, I prefer a beacon mode to find a side clicky switch in the dark. Side clicky switches are not easy to find quickly in pitch dark during an emergency. You have to roll the light in your hand and feel for the switch - not ideal. Still, its a nice light.



Thank you carl!

I think the beacon mode in the side switch would be a nice feature to find both the switch and the light in pitch darkness.


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## KeepingItLight (Aug 25, 2016)

Another fine review! 

I am a numbers guy. Extensive technical data, especially your comprehensive runtime charts and comparisons with other flashlights, are why I think you are one of the top reviewers we have. 

Thanks for the hard work.


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## candle lamp (Aug 26, 2016)

Thank you for your support. KeepingItLight!


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## ChrisDanWell (Jun 23, 2017)

Would u recommend this flash light over the ThruNite TN30?


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## candle lamp (Jun 24, 2017)

ChrisDanWell said:


> Would u recommend this flash light over the ThruNite TN30?



Do you talk about the TN30 (3xXM-L2 U2) version?
It was good and well-made light, but old one. If you want a more compact and rechargeable light with 1x26650 format, I would recommend the R50 seeker.


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## lumen aeternum (Jul 5, 2017)

Can't find any reviews of the SR25UT. Seems to be a thrower.


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## candle lamp (Jul 7, 2017)

lumen aeternum said:


> Can't find any reviews of the SR25UT. Seems to be a thrower.



I can't find SR25UT, but there is the review for the SR52 UT. :naughty:


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