AardvarkSagus
Flashlight Enthusiast
Olight SR90 - Posted for consideration for the review forum
The SR90 by Olight is a flashlight so massive, both in power and size that it elicits a solitary, unified response from everyone who sees it. "What is its purpose?" is echoed in varying forms from every viewer. My answer is similarly repetitious.
Olight SR90
Meat and Potatoes
"It's designed and marketed for Search and Rescue" I always say, pointing out the prominent SR even in it's name badging. While I am certain that this light would not only prove capable, but likely excel at such tasks, I personally only have occasion to use this light as an enormous bucket-o-fun. I am the type of hardcore urban explorer to whom an excursion of search and rescue generally revolves around finding where my keys fell in the grass when I was outside taking a night hike or grilling in the back yard. However, whether you are looking for a wrecked rowboat on the Mississippi river or just lighting up the back 40 from your lawn chair, the Olight SR90 will simply astound you with the sheer volume of light it proves possible from a single LED.
To say that the SR90 is a big light, is severely understating the facts. It is, hands down the largest flashlight I have ever used that can still even pretend to call itself portable illumination. It absolutely dwarfs even the old 3 D-cell lights that are considered giants by today's standards. It even comes with its own shoulder strap, which I definitely recommend if you are planning on carrying it for any length of time. This light is very large and as a result, quite heavy.
All of that volume though is necessary to support both the enormous power drain and heat dissipation requirements of the new-kid-on-the-block Luminous Phlatlight SST-90 LED. This single die LED is probably the largest and most powerful single chip LED on the general market today. It's 3mm x 3mm size appears absolutely proportional to the huge reflector it is situated in. Perfectly centered in a beautifully crafted smooth reflector, the SR90 puts out a fantastically flawless beam that is very tightly focused and able to illuminate incredibly long distances.
Luminous Phlatlight SST-90
With its short lived "High" mode lasting such an abbreviated 80 minutes, Olight has graciously included a still bright, and only relatively named "Low" mode that still emits a searing 700 lumens compared to the mind-blowing 2,200 lumens on the top end. It indiscriminately outpaces every other light I had previously considered bright, illuminating with aplomb. The proprietary 6 cell rechargeable battery pack is able to feed the LED for an incredible 9 hours at the still impressive lower level.
Constructive Criticism
The fit and finish of the SR90 was absolutely exquisite in nearly all regards. Uniformly thick anodizing covered every corner without mar and every piece was obviously made to fit and fit well. The only portion of this light that presented itself as sub-par was the two shoulder strap attachment points. These were merely coarsely stamped out of sheet metal, apparently brass. I didn't feel the edges of these rings were tended to nearly well enough to comply with the superior standards set by the remainder of the light. A minor flaw, to be sure, but better would be appreciated.
The best part of this torch in my opinion is the fact that it has absolutely no aspirations to be anything other than what it is. Because of this, I can find very little to critique. Sure, it could be smaller, but that would sacrifice power, longevity and tight beam focus. It could be lighter, at the expense of heat dissipation and durability. This light is what it is and is unapologetic about it. If you don't like it, there is probably another light out there for you.
Olight SR90
Conclusions
Once again, I dole out high marks for being unpretentious. This gargantuan behemoth however has exceptional quality to boot. If you genuinely need to see absolutely everything, and size is of no concern, then the SR90 is definitely a worthy contender. If your desire is for "illumination overkill" then your quest has met its finale.
Olight SR90
Spiffy Carrying Case
Included Contents
Olight SR90
Olight SR90
Olight SR90
Luminous Phlatlight SST-90
Olight SR90
Battery Guage
Provided for the duration of the review by 4Sevens.
The SR90 by Olight is a flashlight so massive, both in power and size that it elicits a solitary, unified response from everyone who sees it. "What is its purpose?" is echoed in varying forms from every viewer. My answer is similarly repetitious.
Olight SR90
Meat and Potatoes
"It's designed and marketed for Search and Rescue" I always say, pointing out the prominent SR even in it's name badging. While I am certain that this light would not only prove capable, but likely excel at such tasks, I personally only have occasion to use this light as an enormous bucket-o-fun. I am the type of hardcore urban explorer to whom an excursion of search and rescue generally revolves around finding where my keys fell in the grass when I was outside taking a night hike or grilling in the back yard. However, whether you are looking for a wrecked rowboat on the Mississippi river or just lighting up the back 40 from your lawn chair, the Olight SR90 will simply astound you with the sheer volume of light it proves possible from a single LED.
To say that the SR90 is a big light, is severely understating the facts. It is, hands down the largest flashlight I have ever used that can still even pretend to call itself portable illumination. It absolutely dwarfs even the old 3 D-cell lights that are considered giants by today's standards. It even comes with its own shoulder strap, which I definitely recommend if you are planning on carrying it for any length of time. This light is very large and as a result, quite heavy.
All of that volume though is necessary to support both the enormous power drain and heat dissipation requirements of the new-kid-on-the-block Luminous Phlatlight SST-90 LED. This single die LED is probably the largest and most powerful single chip LED on the general market today. It's 3mm x 3mm size appears absolutely proportional to the huge reflector it is situated in. Perfectly centered in a beautifully crafted smooth reflector, the SR90 puts out a fantastically flawless beam that is very tightly focused and able to illuminate incredibly long distances.
Luminous Phlatlight SST-90
With its short lived "High" mode lasting such an abbreviated 80 minutes, Olight has graciously included a still bright, and only relatively named "Low" mode that still emits a searing 700 lumens compared to the mind-blowing 2,200 lumens on the top end. It indiscriminately outpaces every other light I had previously considered bright, illuminating with aplomb. The proprietary 6 cell rechargeable battery pack is able to feed the LED for an incredible 9 hours at the still impressive lower level.
Constructive Criticism
The fit and finish of the SR90 was absolutely exquisite in nearly all regards. Uniformly thick anodizing covered every corner without mar and every piece was obviously made to fit and fit well. The only portion of this light that presented itself as sub-par was the two shoulder strap attachment points. These were merely coarsely stamped out of sheet metal, apparently brass. I didn't feel the edges of these rings were tended to nearly well enough to comply with the superior standards set by the remainder of the light. A minor flaw, to be sure, but better would be appreciated.
The best part of this torch in my opinion is the fact that it has absolutely no aspirations to be anything other than what it is. Because of this, I can find very little to critique. Sure, it could be smaller, but that would sacrifice power, longevity and tight beam focus. It could be lighter, at the expense of heat dissipation and durability. This light is what it is and is unapologetic about it. If you don't like it, there is probably another light out there for you.
Olight SR90
Conclusions
Once again, I dole out high marks for being unpretentious. This gargantuan behemoth however has exceptional quality to boot. If you genuinely need to see absolutely everything, and size is of no concern, then the SR90 is definitely a worthy contender. If your desire is for "illumination overkill" then your quest has met its finale.
Olight SR90
Spiffy Carrying Case
Included Contents
Olight SR90
Olight SR90
Olight SR90
Luminous Phlatlight SST-90
Olight SR90
Battery Guage
Provided for the duration of the review by 4Sevens.
