Olight SR90

hivoltage

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Joined
Apr 9, 2006
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821
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Newark, Ohio
Anybody know if this light is a mix of flood and throw? I originally wanted a throw, but after seeing some beamshots I want a good mix.
 
I don't see a very useful spill from the beamshots available now.

I'm waiting for a good review.

It looks like it's pretty well designed to be ONLY a long range spot/searchlight.

Up close I think it might be annoying, and the tint doesn't help.

The fact that the low power setting is still pretty darn bright confirms my original suspicion that this is a great specific duty light i.e. spot, but fails for anything involving lighting u a wide area, or a close one without losing all night vision.

Of course I am hoping I am wrong and I am basing my perception on very little data.

Someone here on CPF needs to take the plunge and write a good detailed review.

Advertising pics are not helpful.
 
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i asked Matt at BJunction the same question a few days ago. apparently it does have some useful spill, similar to the Catapult rather than the typical XR-E beam profiles. his exact words were "think Catapult on steroids"

i'll know for myself in a couple days and can let you know then if i remember.
 
this is exactly what matt said:
"Yes, it's got plenty of spill. With 2200L on tap it is, of course, tuned as a thrower but massive spill is not avoidable. Think Catapult on steroids."
 
this is exactly what matt said:
"Yes, it's got plenty of spill. With 2200L on tap it is, of course, tuned as a thrower but massive spill is not avoidable. Think Catapult on steroids."
Yea, I hear you guys, but already having a few bright lights I can tell you that a spot with unavoidable spill "on steroids" doesn't necesarily mean a usable or comfortable balance for wide or up close work. Still waiting for more info here.

The problem is that the spot itself is so bright that it would blind you to the spill for closer work and the spot itself probably is too narrow and bright for up close. I'm not saying that this light isn't balanced well, I'm just saying that ya, of course it has some bright spillage, which may or may not be completely useless with the spot in the way.

The advertising shots of the beam were more artisitc than usefull to conclude how good a mix it might be for the OP.

Spill doesn't equal flood mix in cases of too much contrast or too narrowof a profile. We shall see..
 
The problem is that the spot itself is so bright that it would blind you to the spill for closer work and the spot itself probably is too narrow and bright for up close. I'm not saying that this light isn't balanced well, I'm just saying that ya, of course it has some bright spillage, which may or may not be completely useless with the spot in the way.

The advertising shots of the beam were more artisitc than usefull to conclude how good a mix it might be for the OP.

Spill doesn't equal flood mix in cases of too much contrast or too narrowof a profile. We shall see..

i find beamshots are rarely of much use, i've been fooled by them too often, for better or worse. they're a little more useful when used as comparative shots of lights i'm already familiar with.

the Catapult was one of those examples were the beamshot didn't reveal a light nearly as impressive as it is in real life. i didn't anticipate the yellowish tint which i really liked, nor the spill it has. i still have trouble convincing people that the Cat is adequate for use in close so long as you're using the lower modes. can't really do that w/ my Tiablo or DBS (w/ an XR-E). even the Malkoffs, M30 and M60, easily have enough spill for short range use so long as you have the switch ring.

i don't expect the SR90 will have this kind of versatility w/ a "low mode" of 700 lumens.:laughing:
 
What's wrong with the SR90 being specialised as a long range searchlight?

Not sure about others, but for me, the larger the light i have in hand, the brighter I expect it to be, and when i hold something with the size category popular back 30 years ago (Kel-lite/Maglites), I have TREMENDOUS expectations in terms of brightness (which means it's the HID category level of brightness and beyond), and i think i'll be asking for too much if i also asked for a 10 lumens mode, in fact there would be of little need.

I think people have to understand that a light that can achieve a few hundred lumens as well as a few lumens is not the norm here, well i don't think it is at the least.
 
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i find beamshots are rarely of much use, i've been fooled by them too often, for better or worse. they're a little more useful when used as comparative shots of lights i'm already familiar with.

the Catapult was one of those examples were the beamshot didn't reveal a light nearly as impressive as it is in real life. i didn't anticipate the yellowish tint which i really liked, nor the spill it has. i still have trouble convincing people that the Cat is adequate for use in close so long as you're using the lower modes. can't really do that w/ my Tiablo or DBS (w/ an XR-E). even the Malkoffs, M30 and M60, easily have enough spill for short range use so long as you have the switch ring.

i don't expect the SR90 will have this kind of versatility w/ a "low mode" of 700 lumens.:laughing:

I'm glas you warned me about the yellow beam. I hate yellow beamed flashlights.
 
What's wrong with the SR90 being specialised as a long range searchlight?

Not sure about others, but for me, the larger the light i have in hand, the brighter I expect it to be, and when i hold something with the size category popular back 30 years ago (Kel-lite/Maglites), I have TREMENDOUS expectations in terms of brightness (which means it's the HID category level of brightness and beyond), and i think i'll be asking for too much if i also asked for a 10 lumens mode, in fact there would be of little need.

I think people have to understand that a light that can achieve a few hundred lumens as well as a few lumens is not the norm here, well i don't think it is at the least.


I agree. This isn't an EDC. If you're looking to keep your night vision this isn't the right flashlight for the task. You wouldn't use an HID to keep night vision either. In my life I would find this more useful than a Deft but I don't mean to diminish the Deft either. Both are highly specialized for particular tasks. In my case the task of the S90 would be playing with it at the beach! Hey, it's safer than fireworks!
 
the Catapult was one of those examples were the beamshot didn't reveal a light nearly as impressive as it is in real life. i didn't anticipate the yellowish tint which i really liked, nor the spill it has. i still have trouble convincing people that the Cat is adequate for use in close so long as you're using the lower modes. :

Are you referring to the Catapult with a Smooth Reflector or the Orange Peel. The O.P. cuts the Lux on high to 18970 compared to the Smooth's 31240. http://light-reviews.com/thrunite_catapult/

I returned an O.P. because it didn't have the throw I expected, although there was a great deal of spill. I am awaiting the Smooth and hope it's not too much of a spot.
 
Are you referring to the Catapult with a Smooth Reflector or the Orange Peel. The O.P. cuts the Lux on high to 18970 compared to the Smooth's 31240. http://light-reviews.com/thrunite_catapult/

smooth, i had one of the first ones, ordered it from Flashlight Connection when Jay announced he had them. the OP's were still 2 weeks out when i placed the order. i kinda have a rule about always ordering both reflectors for a light if they are available. first time i tried the Cat i realized that the OP wouldn't do anything for me that could be considered beneficial over the SMO. you'll like it just fine.
 
...already having a few bright lights I can tell you that a spot with unavoidable spill "on steroids" doesn't necesarily mean a usable or comfortable balance for wide or up close work...Spill doesn't equal flood mix in cases of too much contrast or too narrowof a profile. We shall see..

This light was designed to compete with the smaller HID offerings in the long range, handheld searchlight category. Engineering a light with this ability around an emitter the size of the SST-90 is no small feat. I'm not sure exactly what it is you're looking for. If it's truly a "more comfortable balance" between the spot and flood portions of the beam, then I would recommend looking at pretty much every other SST based light out there besides this one. Think smaller reflector size. That said, often times when doing close up work with a powerful, long throwing light, folks will simply direct the main beam away from the specific area to be viewed, or do an improvised ceiling bounce to provide even illumination while attenuating the most intense portions of the beam.

Bottom line; if it's "wide" work that most concerns you, I suspect this light will do you just fine. On the other hand, a 2200 lumen light wouldn't be my first choice for dedicated map reading duties. ;)
 
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This light was designed to compete with the smaller HID offerings in the long range, handheld searchlight category. Engineering a light with this ability around an emitter the size of the SST-90 is no small feat. I'm not sure exactly what it is you're looking for. If it's truly a "more comfortable balance" between the spot and flood portions of the beam, then I would recommend looking at pretty much every other SST based light out there besides this one. Think smaller reflector size. That said, often times when doing close up work with a powerful, long throwing light, folks will simply direct the main beam away from the specific area to be viewed, or do an improvised ceiling bounce to provide even illumination while attenuating the most intense portions of the beam.

Bottom line; if it's "wide" work that most concerns you, I suspect this light will do you just fine. On the other hand, a 2200 lumen light wouldn't be my first choice for dedicated map reading duties. ;)
I'm not looking for a darn thing,:naughty: I am addressing the OP's question. I agree with everything you said about the light. As far as what I'm looking for, I'm looking to address the OP's question in this thread.:popcorn:
 
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One of the guys over on BritishBlades got his SR90 in the post this morning and is promising a review with beamshots shortly.

I'll post a link to the review when it's up.
 
Yea, I hear you guys, but already having a few bright lights I can tell you that a spot with unavoidable spill "on steroids" doesn't necesarily mean a usable or comfortable balance for wide or up close work. Still waiting for more info here.
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berry580
What's wrong with the SR90 being specialized as a long range searchlight?
Bronco
This light was designed to compete with the smaller HID offerings in the long range, handheld searchlight category. Engineering a light with this ability around an emitter the size of the SST-90 is no small feat. I'm not sure exactly what it is you're looking for
Thanks Berry and Bronco...

Databyter, I'm not sure what role you anticipated the SR90 was supposed to fill but doesn't the size alone at 13" and 4" diameter provide you some clues? It's not a neck light and it's not a P60 dude. :wave: As Bronco stated, it's the first alternative that we've had for 28W HID lights but with more flexibility and options. I can almost guarantee that had the SR90 turned out to be a flood light without throw capabilities people would have laughed at it.

Like MattK stated in another thread which was reposted here, when you're dealing with with 2000+ lumens large amounts of spill are unavoidable, just like HID. How do HIDers deal with overwhelming hot spot brightness? They add a simple diffuser. Quandary solved.

With relation to the OP's question the answer is obvious from what we know technically and from the few beamshots we've seen. It's a mixture of both, not just a throw light with limited close range capabilities.
 
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