firelord777
Enlightened
What we have here today, is a flashlight that throws like it wants to prove that the sky is in fact, not the limit:naughty:. It's the Olight SR95S-UT. Now, what's special about this flashlight is that it is currently Olight's best thrower. It is claimed to put out 250,000 lux, theoretically having a max ANSI throw range of 1,000 meters, roughly 1 km
. ANSI ranges are based on a .25 lux beam distance, about the light from a full moon, which in reality, puts out a lot of light, and I know this from experience. When me and my brothers play outside with no artificial light, and only have the moon as a light source, with fully adjusted eyes, it seems like we could see just as good as if it were daylight (not really, but we can make out a lot of details). Without veering off topic, I believe that there is a difference between ANSI rated beam distances and effective ranges. I would say the effective range for this flashlight would be around 800 meters, that is, of course, if you have binoculars or something to help you see at such far distances. And trust me, as you will see later on, not even the length of 3 soccer fields allows the light to reach its full potential:thinking:.
Below we have the official specs from Olight - great people over there, very professional and respond to emails within a day):thumbsup:
This is essentially what it comes with:
The charging cable does not go in all the way, this is normal, don't worry about it if it doesn't:
The carrying strap below is, to my surprise, well made and comfortable. It is great to see that the strap wasn't an afterthought, having durable seems and material. The two carabineers at each end of the strap are large and are heavy duty, meaning they're solid and well built. :thumbsup:
Construction:
The Olight SR95S-UT gave me a lasting impression that I'll never forget: "damn, this thing is big". Though, if it had a pocket clip, it would be perfect for Every Day Carry (Not really)
. When I first showed it to my little sister, she thought Olight had shipped me a light made for a giant.
Honestly though, it's not THAT big. Think of it as a 3 D maglite except with a slightly larger head and a sleek, black Type III anodizing (HAIII) finish to it. Oh, and 1000 times more powerful beam wise:devil:.
As far as Olight naming it an "intimidator", well, let's just say they're absolutely right:rock:.
The power button is sort of a mix between a forward and a reverse clicky: when you press it, it turns on, even before you even depress it, as with conventional reverse clickies it turns on only after you pressed and depressed the power button. However, there is no momentary on.
To change modes, you have to press and hold it after you turned it on, and the light will change from low-mid-high at roughly 1 second intervals. I'll have some whitewall beamshots comparing the levels of output, because to tell you guys the truth, they are well spaced, but the low still isn't at a level where you can read maps, low still throws at a slightly longer distance than my Fenix TK41 on turbo, around 50,000 lux.:wow:
But seriously, who is going to use a light of this size and caliber to read maps? It has a hidden strobe mode as well, operating on the turbo output level and is very disorienting, the frequency is 10 Hz (10 flashes per second). So, if you ever find yourself in a "tight situation", remember, when the flashlight is either on or off, click the power button ONLY TWICE to activate the flashing-strobe-of-disorientation
.
The SR95S-UT has symmetrically cut heat fins. This is because, although LEDs produce a lot of light efficiently, without much heat as a byproduct, at these levels, it is still capable of becoming warm and even hot. That, and Olight wanted to cut down on the weight, because previous models had big heatsinks and Olight decided to specially design a heat sink that would cool the LED efficiently, and still be lightweight.
Time to Talk Business
Here is where, well…you-know-what-comes-out-of-and-you-should-never-directly-look-at-if-you-don't-want-to-go-blind::duck:
A perfectly centered SBT-70 LED emitter:
May I just add that this light has such a beautiful, big, deep reflector?
So, what's so special about the SBT-70 that gives the SR95S-UT such outstanding reach? It's basically a round emitter that doesn't have the magnifying dome on conventional LEDs, which allowed Olight to play around with it to bring it to an optimal focusing designed to throw. Here, I'll let the pictures talk for themselves, I bet many of you can't really tell what I'm saying:
Am I in heaven?
The SR95S-UT is well balanced, with the center of gravity being right around the power switch:
Olight claims that its knurling is specially designed to be anti-slip for human hands. I found that it in fact, is very grippy in adverse conditions, cold, hot, wet and dry. Even with minimal grip power exerted on the knurling, the flashlight doesn't slip, as long as your hands or fingers are touching the knurling:
The carabineers that the strap comes with are, as previously mentioned, solid and robust. The two gold pieces on the SR95S-UT serve to act as contact points for the strap, and can spin freely, giving you a wide variety of positions you can carry the flashlight. As you will see below soon, I walked to the park to take a few beamshots, and the strap did a great job at distributing the weight on my shoulders and neck, preventing fatigue in my experience.
One way to prevent confusion on which attachment point to install the strap to the light is to place the strap on you, and then clip on the flashlight to the strap. I had an initial problem figuring out which one should go where, because I wanted the light on my right side.
Anyways, the strap seems like it won't succumb to the elements soon, it's so well made that I can almost bet that it will last for the lifetime of the flashlight:
How Much Fuel Left Bob?
The tailcap of the light contains a meter that lights up 4 LEDs at once, depending on the amount of battery you have left. All you have to do is press the big button at the bottom, and the green LEDs glow green for exactly 3 seconds.
This hole in the middle that was covered by a rubber piece for waterproofing is where you plug in your Olight to charge:
The light can tailstand, but just try not to bump into it or destabilize it, because although it is a durable light (impact resistant for at least 1.5 meters) made for demanding environments, we all know it hurts us on the inside to see a $450 flashlight hit the floor. Yikes!
Battery:
The Olight SR95S-UT has a proprietary battery pack, made up of roughly several 18650 lithium batteries (Li-ion), and provides 7,800 mAh (~8,000) at a 7.4 volts. Unfortunately, the only way to charge the flashlight is by the charger provided. As you will see below, the battery pack is sealed and fully intergraded with the battery meter.
Olight does provide separate battery packs separately, but perhaps for users that have several 18650s available, Olight can sell battery carriers.
Or maybe they made the battery pack specially designed to provide the best performance, but who knows, this is completely debatable:
A quick glance at the inside of the head:
Size Comparison to other lights:
Here is the order, from left to right: Olight SR95S-UT; Dereelight Night Master with EZ650 Extension Tube; Klarus XT20; Fenix TK41; ArmyTek Predator; Black Shadow Terminator (Full review coming soon)
As you can see, the Olight dwarfs even lights previously considered large, such as my Fenix TK41. Everytime I pick up the Fenix I feel like it has shrunk:
Size Comparison to Common Objects:
Multi-tool:
Heavy Duty Carabineer that I found on the floor:
TI-something, all I know is that it's a graphing calculator:
Italian-English Dictionary:
Pair of sunglasses that I also found on the floor:
18650 lithium battery:
AA battery:
Some fighter jets:
Fits on a normal piece of printing paper:
Outdoor Beamshots (BOOYAH!) I still don't have 100% knowledge on cameras, so the pictures don't really do the justice, you should really see this thing in person:
Control (sun was setting)
Dereelight Night Master:
Klarus XT20:
Fenix TK41:
Black Shadow Terminator:
And Olight SR95S-UT (Bam!):
Sky Shots (I bet the astronauts are saying "what the heck are those lights?"):devil:
ArmyTek Predator:
Dereelight Night Master:
Klarus XT20:
Fenix TK41:
Black Shadow Terminator:
Olight SR95S-UT:
Clearly my backyard is a prison for this light:
Control:
SR95S-UT on High:
NASA is probably wondering why the moon got so bright:ironic::
All right guys, showtime
Note: photos were taken right around mid-night, so the pictures would be under the darkest period of the night-
(As mentioned previously, the pictures below don't represent exactly how each flashlight is in real life, I found that the lights put out a lot more light downrange and go much farther than shown in the pictures, keep that in mind):
Control (from where I was to the trees is just over the length of a soccer field:
ArmyTek Predator:
Dereelight Night Master:
Klarus XT20:
Fenix TK41:
Black Shadow Terminator:
Olight SR95S-UT:
Same order as before:
ArmyTek
Dereelight
Klarus
Fenix
Black Shadow
Olight
You can more or less judge the distance from the two goal posts:
Will the SR95S-UT be able to light up objects across the length of 3 soccer fields? (place your bets now):touche:
ArmyTek Predator (fantastic little light that rivals the throw of bigger lights)
Dereelight Night Master (if you're looking for a light to play Star Wars, this is it, the beam is tight like a laser)
Klarus XT20 (same brightness as the SR95S-UT, but its more oriented for flood)
Fenix TK41 (Throws really good for 8 AA batteries)
Black Shadow Terminator (The Terminator name fits it well, it terminates every organisms' eyeballs if you shine it at them)
Olight SR95S-UT:
I hope I didn't wake them up, thinking the police had them surrounded, and the helicopter searchlight was on the scene:
Another setting:
Another setting:
The Olight seems to almost be melting the metal bars of the playground!
Another Setting:
Dereelight head tightened all the way, I call it tactical mode:
Olight SR95S-UT:
I guess I forgot I already used this setting, but who cares:
Sorry guys, I forgot to take a picture of the ArmyTek, we'll just have to start with the Dereelight:
Professional Use:
The Olight SR95S-UT is designed mainly for search and rescue. Typically, these operations require lights that have a far-throwing hotspot and a corona around it for peripheral vision. The Olight is, strictly in my own personal opinion, a good investment for LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers), disaster relief teams, park rangers and related professions. Especially for LEOs, the bad guys will start thinking cops now have alien technology! If they run into the woods or something, the corona will help you detect them and move the hotspot directly at them, rendering them temporarily blinded and ensnared in your Beam-of-the-Law:hahaha:.
Other Olight Models:
There are quite a few Olight Search and Rescue models. From the famed SR90, which held a formidable title in its days, to the eye-searing SR92 wall-of-light handheld stadium light. However, if you want to compare all the models, in terms of throw, the SR95S-UT has the farthest reaching beam. The SR95 (SST-90 emitter) throws really good and is bright, having a max range of a little over 700 meters. The SR95-UT throws even better, having a range of 800 meters. The SR95S-UT, the one reviewed here, though, has a max range of 1000 meters. I know $450 for a flashlight is a lot:thumbsdow, but for what it delivers, I strongly believe it's worth it if you have the funds to get it.
The Runtime Paradox
The Olight SR95S-UT has a feature that I just recently found out. It may be good news for many, but bad for some. Without trying to smother you with anxiety, it's thermal protection. Basically, the fundamental principle of this is that the flashlight will decrease output if it senses the temperature of the LED is becoming too hot. LEDs, with all the benefits and advantages, can still become damaged with too much heat and decrease the lifetime of the LED.
The lifetimes of LEDs are rated until their output reaches 70% of the original output. For example, an XP-G R5 LED emitter is rated at 100,000 hours (If you keep the LED turn on continuously, it will reach 100,000 hours in 11.42 years). This means that after 100,000 hours of burntime, the LED will reach 70% output. Contrary to popular belief (or what I used to believe), LEDs don't just go BOOM after 100,000 hours.
Anyways, the point I am trying to get across is that Olight implemented thermal protection in the SR95S-UT to keep the LED within safe temperatures to prolong the life of the LED. The thermal protection feature will kick in after the LED reaches a certain temperature. I don't know exactly what is that temperature, but I am guessing it's around 50-60 degrees Celsius.
If this happens, the light will decrease output to a safe but still bright level. Eventually, it will become regulated and reach close to the 3 hours of runtime advertised by Olight.
Fortunately, if you provide the flashlight with ample space and air flow to "breathe", then the light will be almost perfectly regulated until the 7,800 mAh lithium battery cannot support the high draw currents (until the battery dies and has to charge)
The down side, is that with this path, the light will be regulated (the LED draws between 10-10.5 amps), which is great, because the flashlight will be just as bright towards the end of the battery life as when it started, but the runtime will be closer to 2 hours rather than the advertised 3 hours.
You can always opt for low and mid output levels, they are superb levels that still have a really far reaching throw, and provide you with a much longer runtime of 8 hours on 500 lumens, and 48 hours (two whole days of continuous runtime) on 150 lumens. I will have beamshots comparing the levels of output, because I think Olight underestimated the brightness on low, to me it seems more like 300 lumens.
Selfbuilt's review here:buddies:, I guess is "evidence" that the Olight SR95S-UT in fact does have more than 250,000 lux in his tables, and a beam distance of at least 1 km. Additionally, if you scroll down to his runtime charts and explanation, you will understand better how the SR95S-UT behaves in different environments.
The Pros:
Super-duper thrower beam:bow:
Can blind a hostile AND beat them up:devil:
Every aspect of the light was well thought out, made to last, and engineered to perform
It's like a pumped up version of the ArmyTek Predator
Has a cool battery meter
Easy to learn UI (User Interface)
Well balanced weight distribution
Fantastic knurling
Can be used to play Star Wars with your friends (Though everyone will probably want to use the flashlight instead)
Nothing will seem out of visible range with this light
SBT-70 LED – Seems to be made of magic apparently.
The red o-ring on the head glows in the dark (I'll take a picture of this soon)
Strobe is easily accessible in the case of an emergency (or a disco party) and at the same time unobtrusive in normal use
It comes with a shiny case:ironic:
Fully regulated on all modes when provided with active cooling such as natural air movements when outside
Thermal Protection Control, when the LED gets too hot, it decreases output – this happens when there is no active cooling, such as keeping it in a confined space or in a stationary position with no air flow
The Cons:
Price is obviously the highest in the list ($450)
Low may not be low enough for some
Proprietary battery pack and charger
It's big
It weighs 1,230 grams
Waterproof to IPX-6 (Why is this bad? The highest IPX rating is IPX-8, but we shall see after I run some brutal waterproofing tests)
It might be so awesome to others that they may try and steal it from you
More to come soon
I will be constantly updating this review with more pictures and tests. Waterproof tests, whitewall beamshots, more outdoor beamshots and even a pictoral thread on the Olight SR95S-UT soon to come.
Also, Italian and Spanish review to come soon!
In accordance with FTC regulations I must inform you that the SR95S-UT was provided by Olight for review, however, this did not make me biased in any way, when I decide to make reviews, I act as if I bought it with my own money and am a normal consumer (booyah!). I would hate to be doing this close knit community a disservice by posting biased reviews. The reason I am clearing this up now compared to my other reviews is because I had never experienced a flashlight of this class nor price point, and I can sympathize with concerns regarding these situations.
Anyways, if you guys have any questions, remember, I will address them with pleasure. No matter how basic or how complicated, feel free to ask me or PM me, seriously, anything.:rock:
Kind Regards,
Alain
. ANSI ranges are based on a .25 lux beam distance, about the light from a full moon, which in reality, puts out a lot of light, and I know this from experience. When me and my brothers play outside with no artificial light, and only have the moon as a light source, with fully adjusted eyes, it seems like we could see just as good as if it were daylight (not really, but we can make out a lot of details). Without veering off topic, I believe that there is a difference between ANSI rated beam distances and effective ranges. I would say the effective range for this flashlight would be around 800 meters, that is, of course, if you have binoculars or something to help you see at such far distances. And trust me, as you will see later on, not even the length of 3 soccer fields allows the light to reach its full potential:thinking:.Below we have the official specs from Olight - great people over there, very professional and respond to emails within a day):thumbsup:
o LED: Luminus SBT-70 LED
o Output/Run Time: High: 1250 Lumens/3 Hours; Medium: 500 Lumens/8 Hours; Low: 150 Lumens/48 Hours
o Beam intensity in center: 250000 candela
o Maximum throw: 1000 meters
o A large capacity 7800mAh 7.4V rechargeable lithium battery pack
o 18mm diameter power button ensures ease of use even using thick gloves or in adverse conditions.
o Material: Aluminum body with anti-scratching type III Hard Anodizing
o Dimensions: Length: 12.8" (325mm), Head Diameter: 3.5" (90mm), Body Diameter: 2" (48.4mm)
o Weight: 2.7 lbs (1230.5g)
o Color: Black
o Charger: AC 100～220V 50~60HZ input. Recharge under constant current and voltage 3A/8.4V
o Reflector: High-efficiency, large diameter smooth reflector
o Lens: Tough ultra-clear tempering glass, with anti-reflective coating
o Striking bezel: Aluminum body with anti-scratching type III Hard Anodizing
o Switch: Side switch
o 2 Gold plated, metal O rings
o Waterproof rating: IPX6
o Impact resistance: 1.5 (meters)
o Integrated power input socket on the tailcap, with four indicators on the tail for indicating the batteries condition
o Included accessories: Carrying strap, AC charger, power cable for charger, user manual, warranty card
o MSRP: $450
The Olight SR95S-UT comes in a nice presentation case:o Output/Run Time: High: 1250 Lumens/3 Hours; Medium: 500 Lumens/8 Hours; Low: 150 Lumens/48 Hours
o Beam intensity in center: 250000 candela
o Maximum throw: 1000 meters
o A large capacity 7800mAh 7.4V rechargeable lithium battery pack
o 18mm diameter power button ensures ease of use even using thick gloves or in adverse conditions.
o Material: Aluminum body with anti-scratching type III Hard Anodizing
o Dimensions: Length: 12.8" (325mm), Head Diameter: 3.5" (90mm), Body Diameter: 2" (48.4mm)
o Weight: 2.7 lbs (1230.5g)
o Color: Black
o Charger: AC 100～220V 50~60HZ input. Recharge under constant current and voltage 3A/8.4V
o Reflector: High-efficiency, large diameter smooth reflector
o Lens: Tough ultra-clear tempering glass, with anti-reflective coating
o Striking bezel: Aluminum body with anti-scratching type III Hard Anodizing
o Switch: Side switch
o 2 Gold plated, metal O rings
o Waterproof rating: IPX6
o Impact resistance: 1.5 (meters)
o Integrated power input socket on the tailcap, with four indicators on the tail for indicating the batteries condition
o Included accessories: Carrying strap, AC charger, power cable for charger, user manual, warranty card
o MSRP: $450
This is essentially what it comes with:
The charging cable does not go in all the way, this is normal, don't worry about it if it doesn't
:
The carrying strap below is, to my surprise, well made and comfortable. It is great to see that the strap wasn't an afterthought, having durable seems and material. The two carabineers at each end of the strap are large and are heavy duty, meaning they're solid and well built. :thumbsup:
Construction:
The Olight SR95S-UT gave me a lasting impression that I'll never forget: "damn, this thing is big". Though, if it had a pocket clip, it would be perfect for Every Day Carry (Not really)
. When I first showed it to my little sister, she thought Olight had shipped me a light made for a giant. Honestly though, it's not THAT big. Think of it as a 3 D maglite except with a slightly larger head and a sleek, black Type III anodizing (HAIII) finish to it. Oh, and 1000 times more powerful beam wise:devil:.
As far as Olight naming it an "intimidator", well, let's just say they're absolutely right:rock:.
The power button is sort of a mix between a forward and a reverse clicky: when you press it, it turns on, even before you even depress it, as with conventional reverse clickies it turns on only after you pressed and depressed the power button. However, there is no momentary on.
To change modes, you have to press and hold it after you turned it on, and the light will change from low-mid-high at roughly 1 second intervals. I'll have some whitewall beamshots comparing the levels of output, because to tell you guys the truth, they are well spaced, but the low still isn't at a level where you can read maps, low still throws at a slightly longer distance than my Fenix TK41 on turbo, around 50,000 lux.:wow:
But seriously, who is going to use a light of this size and caliber to read maps? It has a hidden strobe mode as well, operating on the turbo output level and is very disorienting, the frequency is 10 Hz (10 flashes per second). So, if you ever find yourself in a "tight situation", remember, when the flashlight is either on or off, click the power button ONLY TWICE to activate the flashing-strobe-of-disorientation
.
The SR95S-UT has symmetrically cut heat fins. This is because, although LEDs produce a lot of light efficiently, without much heat as a byproduct, at these levels, it is still capable of becoming warm and even hot. That, and Olight wanted to cut down on the weight, because previous models had big heatsinks and Olight decided to specially design a heat sink that would cool the LED efficiently, and still be lightweight.
Time to Talk Business
Here is where, well…you-know-what-comes-out-of-and-you-should-never-directly-look-at-if-you-don't-want-to-go-blind::duck:
A perfectly centered SBT-70 LED emitter:
May I just add that this light has such a beautiful, big, deep reflector?
So, what's so special about the SBT-70 that gives the SR95S-UT such outstanding reach? It's basically a round emitter that doesn't have the magnifying dome on conventional LEDs, which allowed Olight to play around with it to bring it to an optimal focusing designed to throw. Here, I'll let the pictures talk for themselves, I bet many of you can't really tell what I'm saying:
Am I in heaven?
The SR95S-UT is well balanced, with the center of gravity being right around the power switch:
Olight claims that its knurling is specially designed to be anti-slip for human hands. I found that it in fact, is very grippy in adverse conditions, cold, hot, wet and dry. Even with minimal grip power exerted on the knurling, the flashlight doesn't slip, as long as your hands or fingers are touching the knurling:
The carabineers that the strap comes with are, as previously mentioned, solid and robust. The two gold pieces on the SR95S-UT serve to act as contact points for the strap, and can spin freely, giving you a wide variety of positions you can carry the flashlight. As you will see below soon, I walked to the park to take a few beamshots, and the strap did a great job at distributing the weight on my shoulders and neck, preventing fatigue in my experience.
One way to prevent confusion on which attachment point to install the strap to the light is to place the strap on you, and then clip on the flashlight to the strap. I had an initial problem figuring out which one should go where, because I wanted the light on my right side.
Anyways, the strap seems like it won't succumb to the elements soon, it's so well made that I can almost bet that it will last for the lifetime of the flashlight:
How Much Fuel Left Bob?
The tailcap of the light contains a meter that lights up 4 LEDs at once, depending on the amount of battery you have left. All you have to do is press the big button at the bottom, and the green LEDs glow green for exactly 3 seconds.
This hole in the middle that was covered by a rubber piece for waterproofing is where you plug in your Olight to charge:
The light can tailstand, but just try not to bump into it or destabilize it, because although it is a durable light (impact resistant for at least 1.5 meters) made for demanding environments, we all know it hurts us on the inside to see a $450 flashlight hit the floor. Yikes!
Battery:
The Olight SR95S-UT has a proprietary battery pack, made up of roughly several 18650 lithium batteries (Li-ion), and provides 7,800 mAh (~8,000) at a 7.4 volts. Unfortunately, the only way to charge the flashlight is by the charger provided. As you will see below, the battery pack is sealed and fully intergraded with the battery meter.
Olight does provide separate battery packs separately, but perhaps for users that have several 18650s available, Olight can sell battery carriers.
Or maybe they made the battery pack specially designed to provide the best performance, but who knows, this is completely debatable:
A quick glance at the inside of the head:
Size Comparison to other lights:
Here is the order, from left to right: Olight SR95S-UT; Dereelight Night Master with EZ650 Extension Tube; Klarus XT20; Fenix TK41; ArmyTek Predator; Black Shadow Terminator (Full review coming soon)
As you can see, the Olight dwarfs even lights previously considered large, such as my Fenix TK41. Everytime I pick up the Fenix I feel like it has shrunk:
Size Comparison to Common Objects:
Multi-tool:
Heavy Duty Carabineer that I found on the floor:
TI-something, all I know is that it's a graphing calculator:
Italian-English Dictionary:
Pair of sunglasses that I also found on the floor:
18650 lithium battery:
AA battery:
Some fighter jets:
Fits on a normal piece of printing paper:
Outdoor Beamshots (BOOYAH!) I still don't have 100% knowledge on cameras, so the pictures don't really do the justice, you should really see this thing in person:
Control (sun was setting)
Dereelight Night Master:
Klarus XT20:
Fenix TK41:
Black Shadow Terminator:
And Olight SR95S-UT (Bam!):
Sky Shots (I bet the astronauts are saying "what the heck are those lights?"):devil:
ArmyTek Predator:
Dereelight Night Master:
Klarus XT20:
Fenix TK41:
Black Shadow Terminator:
Olight SR95S-UT:
Clearly my backyard is a prison for this light:
Control:
SR95S-UT on High:
NASA is probably wondering why the moon got so bright:ironic::
All right guys, showtime
Note: photos were taken right around mid-night, so the pictures would be under the darkest period of the night-
(As mentioned previously, the pictures below don't represent exactly how each flashlight is in real life, I found that the lights put out a lot more light downrange and go much farther than shown in the pictures, keep that in mind):
Control (from where I was to the trees is just over the length of a soccer field:
ArmyTek Predator:
Dereelight Night Master:
Klarus XT20:
Fenix TK41:
Black Shadow Terminator:
Olight SR95S-UT:
Same order as before:
ArmyTek
Dereelight
Klarus
Fenix
Black Shadow
Olight
You can more or less judge the distance from the two goal posts:
Will the SR95S-UT be able to light up objects across the length of 3 soccer fields? (place your bets now):touche:
ArmyTek Predator (fantastic little light that rivals the throw of bigger lights)
Dereelight Night Master (if you're looking for a light to play Star Wars, this is it, the beam is tight like a laser)
Klarus XT20 (same brightness as the SR95S-UT, but its more oriented for flood)
Fenix TK41 (Throws really good for 8 AA batteries)
Black Shadow Terminator (The Terminator name fits it well, it terminates every organisms' eyeballs if you shine it at them)
Olight SR95S-UT:
I hope I didn't wake them up, thinking the police had them surrounded, and the helicopter searchlight was on the scene:
Another setting:
Another setting:
The Olight seems to almost be melting the metal bars of the playground!
Another Setting:
Dereelight head tightened all the way, I call it tactical mode:
Olight SR95S-UT:
I guess I forgot I already used this setting, but who cares:
Sorry guys, I forgot to take a picture of the ArmyTek, we'll just have to start with the Dereelight:
Professional Use:
The Olight SR95S-UT is designed mainly for search and rescue. Typically, these operations require lights that have a far-throwing hotspot and a corona around it for peripheral vision. The Olight is, strictly in my own personal opinion, a good investment for LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers), disaster relief teams, park rangers and related professions. Especially for LEOs, the bad guys will start thinking cops now have alien technology! If they run into the woods or something, the corona will help you detect them and move the hotspot directly at them, rendering them temporarily blinded and ensnared in your Beam-of-the-Law:hahaha:.
Other Olight Models:
There are quite a few Olight Search and Rescue models. From the famed SR90, which held a formidable title in its days, to the eye-searing SR92 wall-of-light handheld stadium light. However, if you want to compare all the models, in terms of throw, the SR95S-UT has the farthest reaching beam. The SR95 (SST-90 emitter) throws really good and is bright, having a max range of a little over 700 meters. The SR95-UT throws even better, having a range of 800 meters. The SR95S-UT, the one reviewed here, though, has a max range of 1000 meters. I know $450 for a flashlight is a lot:thumbsdow, but for what it delivers, I strongly believe it's worth it if you have the funds to get it
.The Runtime Paradox
The Olight SR95S-UT has a feature that I just recently found out. It may be good news for many, but bad for some. Without trying to smother you with anxiety, it's thermal protection. Basically, the fundamental principle of this is that the flashlight will decrease output if it senses the temperature of the LED is becoming too hot. LEDs, with all the benefits and advantages, can still become damaged with too much heat and decrease the lifetime of the LED.
The lifetimes of LEDs are rated until their output reaches 70% of the original output. For example, an XP-G R5 LED emitter is rated at 100,000 hours (If you keep the LED turn on continuously, it will reach 100,000 hours in 11.42 years
). This means that after 100,000 hours of burntime, the LED will reach 70% output. Contrary to popular belief (or what I used to believe), LEDs don't just go BOOM after 100,000 hours. Anyways, the point I am trying to get across is that Olight implemented thermal protection in the SR95S-UT to keep the LED within safe temperatures to prolong the life of the LED. The thermal protection feature will kick in after the LED reaches a certain temperature. I don't know exactly what is that temperature, but I am guessing it's around 50-60 degrees Celsius.
If this happens, the light will decrease output to a safe but still bright level. Eventually, it will become regulated and reach close to the 3 hours of runtime advertised by Olight.
Fortunately, if you provide the flashlight with ample space and air flow to "breathe", then the light will be almost perfectly regulated until the 7,800 mAh lithium battery cannot support the high draw currents (until the battery dies and has to charge)
The down side, is that with this path, the light will be regulated (the LED draws between 10-10.5 amps), which is great, because the flashlight will be just as bright towards the end of the battery life as when it started, but the runtime will be closer to 2 hours rather than the advertised 3 hours.
You can always opt for low and mid output levels, they are superb levels that still have a really far reaching throw, and provide you with a much longer runtime of 8 hours on 500 lumens, and 48 hours (two whole days of continuous runtime) on 150 lumens. I will have beamshots comparing the levels of output, because I think Olight underestimated the brightness on low, to me it seems more like 300 lumens.
Selfbuilt's review here:buddies:, I guess is "evidence" that the Olight SR95S-UT in fact does have more than 250,000 lux in his tables, and a beam distance of at least 1 km. Additionally, if you scroll down to his runtime charts and explanation, you will understand better how the SR95S-UT behaves in different environments.
The Pros:
Super-duper thrower beam:bow:
Can blind a hostile AND beat them up:devil:
Every aspect of the light was well thought out, made to last, and engineered to perform
It's like a pumped up version of the ArmyTek Predator
Has a cool battery meter
Easy to learn UI (User Interface)
Well balanced weight distribution
Fantastic knurling
Can be used to play Star Wars with your friends (Though everyone will probably want to use the flashlight instead)
Nothing will seem out of visible range with this light
SBT-70 LED – Seems to be made of magic apparently
.The red o-ring on the head glows in the dark (I'll take a picture of this soon)
Strobe is easily accessible in the case of an emergency (or a disco party) and at the same time unobtrusive in normal use
It comes with a shiny case:ironic:
Fully regulated on all modes when provided with active cooling such as natural air movements when outside
Thermal Protection Control, when the LED gets too hot, it decreases output – this happens when there is no active cooling, such as keeping it in a confined space or in a stationary position with no air flow
The Cons:
Price is obviously the highest in the list ($450)
Low may not be low enough for some
Proprietary battery pack and charger
It's big
It weighs 1,230 grams
Waterproof to IPX-6 (Why is this bad? The highest IPX rating is IPX-8, but we shall see after I run some brutal waterproofing tests)
It might be so awesome to others that they may try and steal it from you
More to come soon
I will be constantly updating this review with more pictures and tests. Waterproof tests, whitewall beamshots, more outdoor beamshots and even a pictoral thread on the Olight SR95S-UT soon to come.
Also, Italian and Spanish review to come soon!
In accordance with FTC regulations I must inform you that the SR95S-UT was provided by Olight for review, however, this did not make me biased in any way, when I decide to make reviews, I act as if I bought it with my own money and am a normal consumer (booyah!). I would hate to be doing this close knit community a disservice by posting biased reviews. The reason I am clearing this up now compared to my other reviews is because I had never experienced a flashlight of this class nor price point, and I can sympathize with concerns regarding these situations.
Anyways, if you guys have any questions, remember, I will address them with pleasure. No matter how basic or how complicated, feel free to ask me or PM me, seriously, anything.:rock:
Kind Regards,
Alain
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