AardvarkSagus
Flashlight Enthusiast
Olight S35 Baton - Submitted for consideration for the review forum
With so many lights following the same basic formulae for success, its good to see someone look in a different direction. The S35 Baton is definitely not the status quo, but are these alternate concepts all for the better?
Olight S35 Baton
Meat and Potatoes
The Olight S35 Baton is something outside of the norm for lights in this general size range. Most of them I have been seeing lately are 18650 powered duty lights with a tailcap switch and a "tactical" cigar grip ring. This new Baton series changes that. In spite of sharing a very similar reflector diameter and length, it is powered by 3 of the more common AA cells instead. These cells live inside a quality battery magazine attached to the tailcap in a very similar manner to that found on the 4Sevens Maelstrom S18, though in miniature.
Olight S35 Baton
Occupying the business end of the S35 is Cree's current top dog LED, the XM-L. This torch combines the wonderful wide angle emission pattern of this large die with a larger diameter orange peel textured reflector very similar to that found in other recent Olights. As such, the beam is also quite familiar. There is a fairly focused center spot with a good transition to a still-bright spillbeam that results in a very usable multi-purpose beam that is balanced neither as flood or throw, but with elements of each.
Olight S35 Baton
This battery configuration allows it to maintain a virtually cylindrical body that is extremely comfortable to hold. It likely would not be as comfortable to use however with the standard tailcap switch, however Olight has given us a very nice soft-touch electronic side switch. The UI of such a switch is quite similar to that utilized in the Olight SR series with a L-M-H sequence accessed by pressing and holding the switch. The S35 is capable of producing a very impressive 380 lumens on high, down to a miserly 20 lumens on low. A quick double press will give you a strobe mode if you feel the need, but thankfully it is hidden away from general use quite adequately. Also nice to have, but out of the way is a hidden lockout mode. Pressing and holding the button for around 9 seconds will deactivate the switch until an intentional triple click is used. This helps to eliminate battery drain by accidental activation for times such as when the S35 baton is simply riding along packed in a bag.
Fit and finish are simply superb. From the crisp lettering surrounding the unique recessed tri-wing tail lug, to the astoundingly grippy fine lateral knurling (for lack of a better term) the S35 is an exercise in precision. Olight has even included a beautiful red accent oring beneath the stainless steel bezel that even glows in the dark to some degree after the lighthas been activated for a while. I find this "feature" to be of dubious real world use, but a very nice touch none the less. Even the heat sink fins are smoothed to remove any rough edges before a flawless thick appearing black anodizing was applied.
Olight S35 Baton
Constructive Criticism
For as comfortable of a size this light is to hold, it does make it a little uncomfortable to carry. I did not receive any accessories with this review sample so I can't comment on that at all, but i do know that it really needs to have a holster of some sort. It is definitely on the large side for any kind of pocket carry, but its output is a little low for your typical mega-light these days. Being such a strange intermediate size does cause some consternation as to its intended use, but that's really one of those areas where "your mileage may vary".
Conclusions
Quite honestly, there is very little I can suggest for improvement on this light. It is just a very nice finished product all the way around. You can tell that Olight took their time designing this one. It is a joy to use, if a slight burden to carry. And its finish is so nice, its almost a work of art at the same time.
Provided for review by the kind folks at 4Sevens.
With so many lights following the same basic formulae for success, its good to see someone look in a different direction. The S35 Baton is definitely not the status quo, but are these alternate concepts all for the better?
Olight S35 Baton
Meat and Potatoes
The Olight S35 Baton is something outside of the norm for lights in this general size range. Most of them I have been seeing lately are 18650 powered duty lights with a tailcap switch and a "tactical" cigar grip ring. This new Baton series changes that. In spite of sharing a very similar reflector diameter and length, it is powered by 3 of the more common AA cells instead. These cells live inside a quality battery magazine attached to the tailcap in a very similar manner to that found on the 4Sevens Maelstrom S18, though in miniature.
Olight S35 Baton
Occupying the business end of the S35 is Cree's current top dog LED, the XM-L. This torch combines the wonderful wide angle emission pattern of this large die with a larger diameter orange peel textured reflector very similar to that found in other recent Olights. As such, the beam is also quite familiar. There is a fairly focused center spot with a good transition to a still-bright spillbeam that results in a very usable multi-purpose beam that is balanced neither as flood or throw, but with elements of each.
Olight S35 Baton
This battery configuration allows it to maintain a virtually cylindrical body that is extremely comfortable to hold. It likely would not be as comfortable to use however with the standard tailcap switch, however Olight has given us a very nice soft-touch electronic side switch. The UI of such a switch is quite similar to that utilized in the Olight SR series with a L-M-H sequence accessed by pressing and holding the switch. The S35 is capable of producing a very impressive 380 lumens on high, down to a miserly 20 lumens on low. A quick double press will give you a strobe mode if you feel the need, but thankfully it is hidden away from general use quite adequately. Also nice to have, but out of the way is a hidden lockout mode. Pressing and holding the button for around 9 seconds will deactivate the switch until an intentional triple click is used. This helps to eliminate battery drain by accidental activation for times such as when the S35 baton is simply riding along packed in a bag.
Fit and finish are simply superb. From the crisp lettering surrounding the unique recessed tri-wing tail lug, to the astoundingly grippy fine lateral knurling (for lack of a better term) the S35 is an exercise in precision. Olight has even included a beautiful red accent oring beneath the stainless steel bezel that even glows in the dark to some degree after the lighthas been activated for a while. I find this "feature" to be of dubious real world use, but a very nice touch none the less. Even the heat sink fins are smoothed to remove any rough edges before a flawless thick appearing black anodizing was applied.
Olight S35 Baton
Constructive Criticism
For as comfortable of a size this light is to hold, it does make it a little uncomfortable to carry. I did not receive any accessories with this review sample so I can't comment on that at all, but i do know that it really needs to have a holster of some sort. It is definitely on the large side for any kind of pocket carry, but its output is a little low for your typical mega-light these days. Being such a strange intermediate size does cause some consternation as to its intended use, but that's really one of those areas where "your mileage may vary".
Conclusions
Quite honestly, there is very little I can suggest for improvement on this light. It is just a very nice finished product all the way around. You can tell that Olight took their time designing this one. It is a joy to use, if a slight burden to carry. And its finish is so nice, its almost a work of art at the same time.
Provided for review by the kind folks at 4Sevens.