Olight M20 Warrior Premium R2 Review

Uses a Cree XR-E R2 WH Bin. The tint on this light has a slight yellow tint to it's beam. Reminds me of tint that the limited run of Dereelight's R2 Bins had.

3 level light goes from low, medium, high then strobe by turning the bezel back and forth. The UI is very easy to use. Whatever light level is used last the M20 will turn on to that level.

Uses a forward clickie.

The M20 can be be locked out by turning the rear tail cap 180 degrees counter-clockwise,

Can use 2 CR123's, 2 RCR123's, 1 18650 and 1 17670. There is a included Battery Magazine that will hold 2 CR123's to keep the batteries from rattling.

Has a low battery level. Will blink every 20 seconds when battery is low.

The Type III Hard Anodize finish is excellent. I give the grade A.

The fit is good smooth threads. I had an o-ring by the front of the battery tube get cut and the other one is also smashed on one side. I give the grade B.

This M20 came with an OP relfector.


Pros

Uses a forward clickie.

Very easy to use UI.

Finish is top notch.

Comes with a very nice holster and lanyard.

Can accept many different battery sizes.


Cons

Beam is slightly off centered.

Cut o-ring.


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The lettering on the Olight M20 is done very good.









Comes with an operators manual.



Comes with o-rings , rear rubber tailcap, lanyard, Battery Magazine, and holster.

















Uses a Cree XR-E R2 WH Bin.





Rear of the Cree module.



The Strike Bezel can be unscrewed off.



The reflector can be removed. Threads are on the back of the reflector.



Uses a forward clickie.



Inside view of the rear clickie.



Uses 2 o-rings on both sides of the battery tube.









The M20 has a Tactical Ring.




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Size comparsions.

Left to right, Olight M20 Premium R2, JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5, Fenix T1 Q5



Left to right, Olight M20 Premium R2, JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5, Fenix T1 Q5




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I also took lux readings of the lights shown above. These are the lux readings I got. I am using a Meterman LM631 Light Meter measured at 1 meter. I waited 2 minutes before taking the readings. I am using AW's Protected Black 18650 for the JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5. AW's Protected (Black) RCR123's and AW's Protected (Black) RCR123's for the Olight 20 Premium R2. AW's Protected (Black) RCR123's for the Fenix T1 Q5 which were all fully charged.


2 AW's Protected RCR123's

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) - 8670 lux @ 1 meter

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (Medium) - 3530 lux @ 1 meter

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (Low) - 280 lux @ 1 meter


1 AW Protected 18650

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) - 7610 lux @ 1 meter

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (Medium) - 3450 lux @ 1 meter

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (Low) - 290 lux @ 1 meter


JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 - 7340 lux @ 1 meter

Fenix T1 Q5 OP - 5950 lux @ 1 meter


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Olight M20 Premium R2 OP @ 96"



JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 96"



Fenix T1 Q5 OP @ 96"



Left, Olight M20 Premium R2 OP. Right, JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 96"



Left, Olight M20 Premium R2 OP. Right, JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 96" Stepped down exposure



Left, Olight M20 Premium R2 OP. Right, Fenix T1 Q5 OP @ 96"



Left, Olight M20 Premium R2 OP. Right, Fenix T1 Q5 OP @ 96" Stepped down exposure




Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) @ 32'



Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (Medium) @ 32'



Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (Low) @ 32'



In real life the medium and low @ 32' looks a little brighter.


Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) @ 32'



JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 32'



Fenix T1 Q5 OP @ 32'




Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) @ 32' Stepped down exposure



JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 32' Stepped down exposure



Fenix T1 Q5 OP @ 32' Stepped down exposure

Nice review :thumbsup:

Do you have SM reflector to compare?

Nice review on an even nicer light. I also received mine via UPS today. I got the olive one, and couldn't be happier. First thing I did when I got it was unscrew everything and cleaned out the threads and orings with qtips. I then coated all the threads, orings, and electrical contact points (as well as the rim of the GITD switch cover for water tightness) with dielectric grease. I did this to aide in waterproofing it, as well as making all the threads nice and smooth. It worked wonders, and I did not notice any of the orings having any cuts or chips out of them. My last light was the 160lm LumaPower M1-T. This reminds me a lot of that light, but with all the features I wanted which it didn't have. My only complaints about the M20 are the internal springs, which I think should be of a more substantial thickness (gauge) and the orings (which also seem a little thin, altough there are replacements and they are doubled up in most places). Something I really like about lumapower lights is their very heavy and GITD oring selection. Other than those 2 things this light is impressive. I even gave into curiosity of it's durability and tossed it around a little to see if it could take some abuse. I took a shower with it, submerged it in the clean toilet and flushed 3 times, then I went into the kitchen (I live in a garden level apt, so cement floors underneath carpet/tile) and tossed it onto the floor with it on. From about waist height it dropped, It slammed pretty hard and kept running. I changed through it's modes and it worked fine. I then got a little more ballsy and tossed it almost to the ceiling and it slammed onto the floor so hard that I cringed, in fact I had to look away in order to let go of it. It still worked perfectly and not a scratch on it. I know some people love this light, but doubt it's durability. I can tell you.... it's durable. lol. Anyways, I apologize for the rant, but I am on percocet due to recent shoulder surgery and could care less for gramatical ettiquete right now. THankS!

As for light performance. I first had the OP reflector in and was shining it around my place, went out back by some trees and such, and was disappointed, so I put the SMO one in. It definitally throws further with a smaller hotspot. However, when I had traded out the OP for the SMO on my M1-T in order to get good enough throw, I lost a lot of flood. This thing throws and floods perfectly with the OP in place. I came to my senses and realized that this is a 6" long flashlight no bigger than a minimag and not a handheld HID system. I put the OP back in, and after thinking about it... It is very bright, and even with the OP has enough throw to be used in almost any situation I can imagine. With the OP, at about 50-75 meters objects are CLEARLY illuminated by a swath of light that I estimate to be about 10-15 feet in diameter. I have 20/10 vision and I am expecting to see things at 300 meters in pitch black night (get real... I know). Upon further testing, I am extremely happy with this product and it is going to make it hard for me to buy anything that comes out in the near future due to this thing being almost 100% on the money.

IMHO dedicated throw lights like the DBS and Spear are kind of stupid due to the spot being so small. In a real world situation, a light like the M20 buys the farm. I understand if your an old farmer who wants to count all his cattle from his porch without moving, maybe a DBS or spear would be good then, but.... who really does that?

P.S. Big thanks to Jeff at Battery Junction for the M20 and my new pocket light Olight T10 (which is very nice). Jeff also threw in a neat little keychain LED light. These things are only like 2 bucks, but still... it's a nice thought. Great customer service and great products from these guys. I don't think I would buy from anywhere else.

Those are my 2 cents.

Evan

Edit: Also have the R2 Premium. Now all I want is a light with the same form factor, but with 500 lumens instead of 250. With the way things are going, in about 2-3 years that should be a reality.

I always look forward to your reviews ernsanada... Great job as always and Thanks!

hmmm... good looking light. nice warmer tint too!

Nice review as always. :thanks:

One thing I keep noticing whenever I see pics of the M20.... The checkering somehow comes out looking more aggressive in every pic than it actually is. Not a deal-breaker for many folks. But my M20 can sometimes get a bit slick in the hand.

Thank you, very nice review, I am allways waiting for your reviews.

Nice Review! Thanks for sharing

BMF said:

Nice review :thumbsup:

Do you have SM reflector to compare?

Click to expand...

Sorry no SMO to compare.

ginaz said:

hmmm... good looking light. nice warmer tint too!

Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing out the warmer tint.

The M20's beam did remind me a lot of when Deerelight came out with limited run R2's. Dereelight light also used the R2 WH's.

Another nice review!

A good light but I think the OP reflector could be more heavily textured as the beam still has a noticeable cree ring.

Good point about the warmer tint.

I was expecting my M20 R2 to be cooler, it was a pleasant surprise to see that it was just the opposite.

How do you switch modes?

I understand you rotate the bezel, but in which direction, and how far? Does it click when you rotate it? Do you have to move it one way and then back to lock into a level?

etc said:

How do you switch modes?

I understand you rotate the bezel, but in which direction, and how far? Does it click when you rotate it? Do you have to move it one way and then back to lock into a level?

Click to expand...

Rotate the bezel counter-clockwise about 1/8 of a turn. Then rotate back to it's original position.

It does not click.

Whatever level you leave the M20 on and then shut the light off the M20 will turn on to that same level.

etc said:

How do you switch modes?

I understand you rotate the bezel, but in which direction, and how far? Does it click when you rotate it? Do you have to move it one way and then back to lock into a level?

Click to expand...

About a quarter turn counter clockwise and then back moves it up a level -- no clicking. It remembers the last level.

It seems to me like rotating the bezel back and forth is a nuisance, if you have to move up several modes.
I am not sure I like that User Interface vs. Fenix's UI (Even though it has too many modes)

All else seems pretty interesting, even though myself I am most interested in 2xAA Olight.

etc said:

It seems to me like rotating the bezel back and forth is a nuisance, if you have to move up several modes.
I am not sure I like that User Interface vs. Fenix's UI (Even though it has too many modes)

All else seems pretty interesting, even though myself I am most interested in 2xAA Olight.

Click to expand...

if you don't like the M20 UI then you're not going to like Olight 2XAA. The T25-T works similar to the M20 while the T25-R has 5 light levels to twist through. For me its not so bad because I just lock in the light level I favor the most.

Good job as always! and thanks for compared with Fenix T1, will you buy smooth reflector then?

Thanks for the review and the nice photos.

Is it possible that you mixed up the Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) @ 32' and JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 32' photos?

ernsanada said:

Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) @ 32'

...

In real life the medium and low @ 32' looks a little brighter.


Olight M20 Premium R2 OP (High) @ 32'

JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 32'

Click to expand...

In all your other photos the Olight has a greener tint than the other lights.
And, according to my own experience with the Olight M20 and the Jetbeam Jet-III Pro IBS OP, the Olight has a tighter hotspot than the Jetbeam.
That's what makes me think the JetBeam Jet-Pro III IBS Q5 OP 1 18650 @ 32'-photo shows the Olight M20 and not the Jetbeam.

Thanks good review..
Your review tell me almost everything that i was wondering.
But there is one thing i'd like to know.
That is whether the steel bezel of m20 fits to the forehead of jet3 pro.
If it is possible to chage the bezel each other, i will have the light what i really want to.