Olight I3 vs Olight I3S (A personal overview)

Olight is a flashlight manufacturer. They used to retail lights under both the Olight and the ITP brands.
Under the latter brand they had a highly regarded single cell AAA light flashlight called the ITP A3 EOS.
In the latter half of 2011 Olight merged the two brands. The ITP A3 EOS was modified and relaunched
as the Olight I3. The Olight I3 has the ability to tailstand which the ITP A3 EOS did not.
Latter versions of the ITP A3 EOS used the Cree XP-G R5 led. This was carried over to the Olight I3.

I bought the Original Olight I3 last summer after reading some fab reviews.
It's a super light but there were a couple of things that I didn't like. The new version is called the Olight I3S
and this addresses the two things I felt could be improved (for me ). There is an additional feature which
I really like. There are other improvements which certainly add to the light but which I personally wasn't
too bothered about.

What's in the box?

.. ................. ...[I3S box.............. I3 pack]....................................................... [I3S]

The Olight I3 comes in a clamshell plastic pack. A small split ring is attached to the bases of the light for attachment to a keyring.
There is an instruction pamphlet, two spare 'O' rings, a Duracell AAA cell and a small hex key whose purpose is to allow you to
remove the two hex bolts which secure the pocket clip in place.
The Olight I3S comes in a rather smart looking plastic box with a foam insert. There is an instruction pamphlet,
two spare 'O' rings and a Duracell AAA cell. The Olight I3S also has an attached chain and lobster claw for easy keyring attachment.
This is an excellent addition.
Here is a size comparison of the Olight I3, Olight I3S and a AAA cell.
(The I3S is slightly shorter than the I3)


And here are some pics of the inside bits of the two lights and the LED's.
(Olight I3S on the bottom & left).


In use
To turn the light on you just tighten the Head. To cycle through the modes you loosen the head and immediately re-tighten, continuing till the desired output is reached.
The I3 sequence is: low > med > high
The I3S sequence is: med > high > low > med > high > low > strobe

The principle changes that I'm aware of are:

• A lobster claw keychain on the I3S (instead of the split ring on the I3)
• A new LED. The I3 has an XP-G R5 LED. The I3S has a CREE XP-G2 LED which increases the maximum output, from 70 to 80 lumens. I was surprised to see a noticeable difference, the I3S appearing significantly brighter. These shots were taken from about 150cm from the wall.
  The I3S in these pics looks creamy. It appears noticeably brighter than the I3 to my eyes.

................................. I3 ........................ ........................................................... I3S

• Pocket Clips The pocket clip on the Olight I3 is retained by two hex screws and is not reversible.Various reviews criticised this, as the ITP A3 EOS pocket clip was reversible. The pocket clip on the Olight I3S is similar to the clip on the original ITP A3 EOS. It is a push-on/pull-off design. The pocket clip can be reversed and placed at the other end of the main body of the light. This gives you the ability to attach the I3S to a baseball cap, as an improvised head light. The Olight I3S is on the left.

• Strobe The I3S now has a strobe mode. To get to the strobe, go through the sequence: med high low med high low strobe by tightening and loosening the head for each mode change. If you don't want a strobe, it's sufficiently well hidden. If you do want a strobe, you've got one! Perfect! Personally I like the option
• Lower 'low' output The I3 puts out 3 lumens. The I3S puts out 0.5 lumens. I really like this lower 'low' as it doesn't ruin night vision. I found the low on the I3 too bright so for me, this is a welcome improvement.
• A better design for use with keyrings The I3 has a split ring which attaches to a fixing point in the main body, just above the base. This facilitated tail-staning, which was a shortcoming of the ITP A3 EOS. The problem with this feature is that the body of the I3 does not hang vertically but at an angle. This is a design shortcoming which should have been addressed prior to production. The I3S addresses this shortcoming with an elegant redesign which allows tailstanding without compromising carriage on a keyring.

Specs



..............................................I3 ..................................................................................I3S
In Summary
A well thought through redesign.
If you preferred the higher low output of 3 lumen of the Olight I3, then this is still a good light. If the shortcomings of the Olight I3 bug you and the 0.5 lumen output of the Olight I3S meet your needs, then like me, I think you'll love the redesign!

Readers should note I'm very limited on flashlight knowledge or experience.

Great review. You should do comparison beam shots with 10440 batteries. I know the manufacturer does not list this as an option, but the results are awsome, particularly for the XPG-2.

its a nice review.
with the new case and m h l UI, it looks like a good gift item. i wouldn't say it's a loss. i would never buy this for myself as i don't mind twisting and would like low as the start.
but maybe this is marketed towards gift giving then they succeeded.

i like that it hangs better
i like the clip design, i think most people would just keychain carry where a clip is just in the way.
xpg2 upgrade is nice
color selection is nice.



most people do just twist to the first level and don't bother with modes. maybe there will be a flashaholic version later.
for this UI and output level i would explain to the person there is normal output, burst, and emergency long lasting. if you explain the lowest is for nightvision saving/bathroom runs/ etc they will be confused why it's at the very end.

Note the square cut threads on the i3S. They have a very nice feel.

The only thing that makes me want the new version is may be the much longer runtime on the medium mode... and the fact the light's shorter. And the new one also looks a little more elegant....

Picked up one of these a few days ago to replace my lost Thrunite Ti on the keychain. Of course I found it 2 days later in my jacket pocket...:ironic: Anyway after extensive research, having been out of the AAA market for a while, I settled on this. The redesigned constant-current circuit caught my eye (I absolutely despise PWM) as well as the XP-G2 (mine turned out to be a colder tint sadly, but a very smooth beam). My Thrunite is poorly regulated so I was really looking forward to the runtimes on this. 8 hours at 20 lumens! That's crazy off a AAA... Output on a 10440 is nuts as well. Gets pretty warm after about 15-20 seconds so I don't run it on those much. Plus you pretty much lose the medium mode which gets bumped up to about 100 lumens. Curious how long that will run for... Also love the reversible clip.

If there was anything I wanted to change it would be to 1) add mode-memory. Stays on low if you want low, stays on high if you want high first. Personally I like the 20 lumen mode first as its quite right for 90% of the time I use it, but I'd love the option. 2) I like throw so I'd love a neutral XP-E2 version. I wonder how difficult an emitter swap would be... My Ti still out-throws this due to it's XP-E and deeper reflector, despite clearly putting out less light. Of course I could easily fix that with a 10440 :devil:

Hello,
Is the circuit suitable for using Energiser disposable AAA batteries?
Thank you!!!

very excited to test mine out tonight. I had a hard time deciding between both myself and I ended up with the i3s due to the longer runtime on medium. Has anyone changed their lobster claw and put a split ring on theirs?

I have one that should arrive Monday. I actually got it for my fiance. I've EDC'd an ITP A3 for about two years now. That's a great light, but I think I'll soon have flashlight envy.

bmel17 said:

very excited to test mine out tonight. I had a hard time deciding between both myself and I ended up with the i3s due to the longer runtime on medium. Has anyone changed their lobster claw and put a split ring on theirs?

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I'm thinking of removing it, but I doubt I'll put a split ring there. I'll use the clip/

Nice, this review is exactly what I was looking for on this forum.

Does anybody have any feedback on how this thing stacks up against similar single-AAA low-profile keychain lights?

I just got mines. I didn't know that .5 lumens would be so useful and enough in the middle of the night or in really dark spots. Love it!

aspectr said:

Nice, this review is exactly what I was looking for on this forum.

Does anybody have any feedback on how this thing stacks up against similar single-AAA low-profile keychain lights?

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I looked at the fenix and stream light competition. olight to me was the best choice with price, modes, runtimes and lumens. I also liked the color choices better as the others had a single color vs 5. I picked the gold color as it is much easier to find when I look for it. HTH