Olight S1 Mini Baton (Post #1 is now updated as review)

[JeJe.us]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

I absolutely love this light. It is small, compact and great for everyday activities. I carry one with me all the time. Along with my smaller ThorFire TS3A that I have in my collection. The Boton is extremely resilient to drops and damage as it has fallen various times and I am now approaching a year with mine. Love the light I would highly recommend it.

 

[mightysparrow]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

The magnetic cap will be a go for normal users. If I were in a situation where I am carrying a card that is magnetic sensitive I'm smart enough to move it to a different pocket.

This is an example of why I am not participating in the CPF discussions much anymore. Boris: your rude and unnecessary suggestion about my intelligence level notwithstanding, it did occur to me that I could keep the light in a different pocket than my access cards. However, the risk of them coming into close proximity is still too great to take for me. I hope that clarifies my comments above sufficiently for you to better understand them.

 

[Boris74]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

This is an example of why I am not participating in the CPF discussions much anymore. Boris: your rude and unnecessary suggestion about my intelligence level notwithstanding, it did occur to me that I could keep the light in a different pocket than my access cards. However, the risk of them coming into close proximity is still too great to take for me. I hope that clarifies my comments above sufficiently for you to better understand them.

I go beyond magnets around my cards. I don't keep anything electronic around them. Phone or light without a magnet and everything in between. I treat them like a compass. Even though I left my S1R on a smart chip card I rarely use and it did nothing to it after 30 minutes I won't take the risk. I understood what you were saying. I just take it a notch up and keep awareness of what I'm doing and keep everything magnetic or electronic away from them.

 

[moshow9]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

It doesn't make sense to me. Because why they choose cree for CRI they know we want nichia.

Not everyone wants Nichia though. I personally wouldn't on a light like this.

 

[ZMZ67]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

This is an example of why I am not participating in the CPF discussions much anymore. Boris: your rude and unnecessary suggestion about my intelligence level notwithstanding, it did occur to me that I could keep the light in a different pocket than my access cards. However, the risk of them coming into close proximity is still too great to take for me. I hope that clarifies my comments above sufficiently for you to better understand them.

I am still hopeful that the magnet is going to be removable like it is on the original S1.If the magnet is permanently affixed then I will pass on this light.

 

[maukka]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

They're clearly using different emitters for the low and high cri lights. Otherwise the lumen - candela difference would be linear and the HCRI would have 1875cd, not 1220cd.

 

[jon_slider]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

there is no evidence that cells with usb chargers built in are more fragile, and no evidence that most people want a magnet

there is no evidence that the neutral LED in the SMini Ti is as good at color rendering as a High CRI LED.

this is what the neutral LED in the Ti Mini looks like (click pic for full review)
focus on the red R9 bar, note it is a negative number

this is what an N219c 5000k High CRI looks like, again note the red R9 bar:

 

[jorn]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

I am still hopeful that the magnet is going to be removable like it is on the original S1.If the magnet is permanently affixed then I will pass on this light.

Phones got a cople of magnets
Killing a magnet is a easy task, just heat it up to above 176° Fahrenheit (80° Celsius) and the magnet dies for good. Tailstanding it in a frying pan on low heat, tailstanding it in boiling water, put a lighter to it. It's a really simple task to kill that magnet if the magnet is your only drawback on this light

I dont use my olight, im too used to the zebralight ui. So for me, the ui is the drawback.. Or not the ui itself, but my muscle memory from years of using my beloved zebras ruins the olight

 

[Skaaphaas]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

It always amazes me how finicky people can be about lights.

For example, I put my S1's pocket clip at 90 degrees to the button. With this one that won't be possible. While it will be a slight bother it won't prevent me from buying one, though.

I would want the CRI version, simply because I have no hi-CRI LED lights, and my other S1 fulfils my other need. Hopefully the tint isn't green as the guys are predicting, that would really be a bother for me.

 

[jon_slider]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

my bet is the magnet is removable, like in this Pineapple inspired $50 Klarus version of a "USB rechargeable 16340" light. The Olight wins in the CRI department, but if you watch the video you will recognize many similar features as the smini...

 

[ZMZ67]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

Phones got a cople of magnets
Killing a magnet is a easy task, just heat it up to above 176° Fahrenheit (80° Celsius) and the magnet dies for good. Tailstanding it in a frying pan on low heat, tailstanding it in boiling water, put a lighter to it. It's a really simple task to kill that magnet if the magnet is your only drawback on this light

I dont use my olight, im too used to the zebralight ui. So for me, the ui is the drawback.. Or not the ui itself, but my muscle memory from years of using my beloved zebras ruins the olight

I thought about trying the heat method before on a 4Sevens Atom but didn't want to damage the light or discolor the finish. Maybe the boiling water trick would be worth a try but I am not interested enough in the S1 Mini that I will spend the money and have to boil the tailcap.

 

[ZMZ67]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

It always amazes me how finicky people can be about lights.

For example, I put my S1's pocket clip at 90 degrees to the button. With this one that won't be possible. While it will be a slight bother it won't prevent me from buying one, though.

I would want the CRI version, simply because I have no hi-CRI LED lights, and my other S1 fulfils my other need. Hopefully the tint isn't green as the guys are predicting, that would really be a bother for me.

I think after using quite a few different lights many of us just start to get picky after a while.

 

[jon_slider]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

I am not interested enough in the S1 Mini that I will spend the money and have to boil the tailcap.

don't worry, the magnet is easily removed, its under the tail spring, as in this video
https://youtu.be/1WM18cy_DzY?t=1m01s

After Turkey edit.. that was wishful thinking, see post #36 for reality check

 

[CelticCross74]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

Strange, none of my S Mini Baton's came with a magnet in the tail like the regular S1 Baton does. Even in the standard S1 Baton's case all you have to do is pull out the spring in the tail and the magnet should drop right out.

As for high Cri, I am chalking up the fact that any "high cri"(nichia 219)looks 100% unnatural to me as being due to my pretty bad color blindness to a very specific portion of the visual light spectrum-RED, and any colors close to it. Whenever I have tried to use a Nichia LED "High Cri" light it looks so unnatural to me I end up turning them off pretty quickly. But hey that is my problem.

I still do NOT trust any rechargeable cell with "built in micro USB recharging". Time will have to pass for that one. I already have all the S Mini's anyways and all are still 100% bite sized, specialty metal micro wonders. Sure who does not like a bi-directional clip but the S Mini is already so darn small I am kind of at a loss at what difference a bi-directional clip would add.

The official Olight belt holster for all S1 Batons as well as any S Mini Baton is available on GG. It is tiny but works.

 

[amanichen]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

Any word on the TIR optic being revised?

I found the original SMini beam far too narrow for close up usage, and even at medium distances it felt tunnel-ish. Maybe I'm just too used to the typical Zebralight beam spread.

It's a shame because the SMini was an otherwise a great light, but I couldn't get past the unusable beam.

 

[rookiedaddy]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

now... about that magnetic tailcap... I asked and they responded...
1. it's glued (superglued/epoxy).
2. if you don't want the magnetic function, heat it up and it will loose its magnetism.

from pics they shared, the inside tailcap looks similar to H1 Nova.

 

[maukka]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

They're clearly using different emitters for the low and high cri lights. Otherwise the lumen - candela difference would be linear and the HCRI would have 1875cd, not 1220cd.

Here's some spec sheets. They use different emitters (XM-L2 for the normal, XP-G3 for the high CRI). There's also a frosted TIR on the high CRI which will hopefully get rid of the Cree rainbow. It doesn't show up yet on their site, but I'm told it will be available later today at olightstore.com with a 10% discount (click here for a tracking link they provided).

What I don't understand is that the spec sheet says:
"This product is developed in response to the appeal of OLIGHT fans looking for the perfect warm LED tint."

But the high CRI light is listed as cool white anyway.

 

[rookiedaddy]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

...
What I don't understand is that the spec sheet says:
"This product is developed in response to the appeal of OLIGHT fans looking for the perfect warm LED tint."

But the high CRI light is listed as cool white anyway.
...

Exactly! Don't know why they refuse to change it... suggested they can use "Neutral" instead of warm... and the original Chinese language version did not mention anything about the "warm" LED tint neither. :shrug:

 

[Tachead]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

Exactly! Don't know why they refuse to change it... suggested they can use "Neutral" instead of warm... and the original Chinese language version did not mention anything about the "warm" LED tint neither. :shrug:

I really don't understand why they would go with 2 cool white options. Why not neutral or warm white for the high CRI version? Or better yet, why not a cool white and a neutral or warm white both in high CRI? It's like they totally ignored the "appeal" made by Olight fans. I bet they will sell far less lights now. It sure seems like a terrible decision.

 

[Boris74]

Re: Olight S1 Mini Baton

I really don't understand why they would go with 2 cool white options. Why not neutral or warm white for the high CRI version? Or better yet, why not a cool white and a neutral or warm white both in high CRI? It's like they totally ignored the "appeal" made by Olight fans. I bet they will sell far less lights now. It sure seems like a terrible decision.

There are maybe two dozen potential customers in the flashlight market who care about white wall tints. Everyone else will either choose NW or CW and be happy. White wall tint tests don't exactly match use on multi colored objects. I don't know what the new NW will be like but my s mini is extremely good, forget the tint test on white walls and graphs, I'm talking actual use on multi color settings inside the light beam. The fact people are passing judgement on text in advertisements and speculated graphs is just preconceived reasons to justify not liking something because they just don't want to like it. Who will like it are those looking for a decent run time great useful beam of light with a good tint in either choice in a small easy to carry package. Being made from recycled beer cans will keep cost down from the exotic material SMini models, extra bonus.

Their lights are great quality for the price compared to other brands and thats what looks like what is going on to me. It'll potentially be better than a different choice someone made so they bad mouth it without ever using one or by parroting what they read someone say about actual use. Nothing anyone says will remove the S1R or S Mini from my pocket. I also won't try to convince anyone what they have needs to be replaced with my choice. I like an easy UI and useable lumens with great run times on full (not progressively fading) brightness lights. Olight makes them so I use them. So will many others. Hardly anyone gets caught up in the lumen race or whitewall tint or graph comparisons. That kind of stuff don't help when the lights go out or you drop something in complete darkness and you need to find it.

"Oh man, someone on CPF posted a chart online, I will never find my keys now that I just dropped, maybe I'll do a whitewall tint test to make sure" isn't what someone thinks when they drop keys in tall grass in total darkness. Or need to shoot a raccoon that's raiding a pole barn in the middle of the night so they can shoot it.