Olight i3S Review - A Layman's Perspective

Olight i3S

Olight's latest keychain torch, updated and improved. Are we looking at beneficial additions or unnecessary complexity?

Meat and Potatoes

Olight has a long and rich tradition in their EOS line of torches. Their keychain flashlights especially have long been heralded as cream of the crop. This latest iteration follows that time honored heritage with some incremental changes alongside more ostentatious alterations.

The i3S follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessor, the i3. Powered by a single AAA cell, this torch is a tiny powerhouse. Through the use of Cree's more powerful XP-G2 LED, the maximum output of the i3S has been boosted to 80 lumens. This is still quite conservative compared to what this LED is capable of, but it is very well matched to the capabilities of an alkaline AAA cell. Still sporting a miniscule textured reflector, the i3S manages a beautifully smooth beam that is appropriately floody for the kind of short range work generally seen by a keychain light. The LED is apparently driven by constant current regulation, since I can't spot even a hint of PWM. This is still something of a novelty with single AAA lights because of the diminutive size and reduced output capabilities. The "S" moniker indicates the presence of a warning strobe mode, accessed by quickly cycling through the 3 primary modes twice within a few seconds (more about those in a bit). This bears a strong resemblance to the old Preon lights. Thankfully this is tucked far enough out of the way to not be a nuisance at all. It's definitely not tactical in capabilities, but would serve as an adequate hazard signal in a pinch.

Build quality doesn't appear to have changed one bit between my last EOS reviews and now. Thankfully this is a good thing. Olight is now a mature flashlight manufacturer and they really seem to have worked almost all the kinks out of their production lines. Fit and finish of most of their lights, and the i3S is no exception, are exquisite. They have even heard and addressed some of the complaints I (and others) had about the last generation of i3. One of my biggest complaints was the structure of the keyring attachment. Previously it did not have the freedom and range of motion that I really thought it needed. The i3S seems to be completely free from this malady. The split rings have been upgraded to quality lobster claw attachments allowing quicker disconnects, and the actual attachment lug machining has been altered to now allow the chain to swing completely to vertical, eliminating much of the potential for tangled keys in your pocket. The previous bolted-on pocket clip is missing from this model, replaced instead with a simple tension fit clip, but it is still very sturdy and I haven't had any trouble with it yet.

Also gone appears to be the problems with mode skipping. I know this issue has the potential to exist within any twisty based light, but in the i3S I have been carrying for a while now, it hasn't shown its ugly head even once. Apparently the threads are tight enough to prevent too much play. This doesn't seem to have any negative effect on how smoothly they travel either. My sample has been smooth as butter one hand capable from day one.

Constructive Criticism

The i3S might not be a mode skipper, but Olight's choice of UI might make you wish it was a little bit. Instead of more traditional mode orders, this torch uses a Medium-High-Low(moon) order that takes a little getting used to. This change is not without merit, since 90% of the time Medium mode will likely be the mode of choice, but people really wishing to preserve their night vision have to transit from Med, through High before they get to the extended runtime level of choice. This seems like a bit of a questionable order to me. This is the type of light where I would personally prefer to see a mode memory or basic L-M-H order in place. It just makes more sense to me to have small pocket lights start at the lowest level and manually increase as necessary to preserve both night vision and battery life.

Conclusions

I have really grown accustomed to carrying a keychain light of some sort as a backup over the last few years. It's a natural place to keep a quality tool like this because it's almost always going to be near you or even on your person. Olight's i3S has really started to blur the line between simply being a backup light, and actually being a fairly capable primary torch. I'm still not ready to surrender myself to an AAA cell as my one and only light, but I know many people that wouldn't have that quandary once they experience what this torch has to offer.

Provided for review by the kind folks at GoingGear.

Concise review - thank you.

I prefer L>M>H because I don't mind switching modes to get more light. I don't like getting blinded. The M>H>L sequence is odd. It is OK for the masses - they'll turn it on, say, Nice, and probably never know there are other modes. On the positive side, the runtime on M is quite good and starting on M is not such a bad option. The L is very low and it is a shame that by putting it at the end of the sequence, it gets little use.

I find the little triangle on the tail a little weak, especially compared to the rest of the high quality build of the light (square threads are great). And the tiny lobster claw on the chain isn't too secure either.

There are some reports about the i3S having problems switching modes when it is cold. I have not experienced this problem with my light. Perhaps you will update your review this winter.

Awesome review! I agree with everything you've said I like its UI, though, this was one of the reasons for me to buy the new version as well, as I mostly use the medium and was annoyed by having to twist twice to get to it with the i3.

Yeah I haven't had the freezing/cold problems either yet. We'll see in the winter, lol

i haven't read your review but thanks for your efforts anyway

I wish the UI was Low - Medium - High ,, Thanks for a very nice Review

tnx for the posting, review, photos, etc - just stumbled across this thread via another ITP EOS thread.

Noticed the comment about PWM.
So, how do the different "techniques" compare - adopt linear current regulation technology, vs PWM

ps56k said:

tnx for the posting, review, photos, etc - just stumbled across this thread via another ITP EOS thread.

Noticed the comment about PWM.
So, how do the different "techniques" compare - adopt linear current regulation technology, vs PWM

Click to expand...

Both are ways of achieving different drive levels. PWM is basically a very fast switching technique where the LED is turn on and off very rapidly, the amount of time it spends on versus off dictates how bright it appears. Typically a PWM light will be current controlled on the brightest mode and then PWM is used to make the lower modes some fraction of that maximum level.

For true current regulated levels, each setting has an individual current level, the LED is steadily on at a lower current rather than intermittantly off and on with a higher current. This is is advantageous because LEDs have higher efficacy at lower currents and it removes losses related to the PWM circuit. Additionally, PWM has the disadvantage that it can produce visible flickering. This occurs moreso with older lights based on slower switching frequencies though it can still appear in newer lights, mostly lower cost ones.

The only real disadvantage to current controlled levels can be the effect of lower drive levels on tint. Some LEDs (XM-L in particular in my experience) have a tendency to look somewhat green at low drive levels. PWM tends to preserve the tint of the high level even at lower settings.

You can see very significant gains, especially in medium on the new gen i3s and O'pen compared to the older i3/Preon 1 and Preon 2 which used PWM. Some of this may be due to the upgrade from XP-G to XP-G2 but the majority is likely from the current regulation.

^Very nicely put. Almost diplomatic. PWM is very polarizing. Some people like it and call it constant color. Some people hate it and won't consider a light that uses PWM. As Wiggle pointed out, as long as the frequency is high enough, the flickering is not visible or annoying. I don't know - can't quantify - the efficiency gains of current controlled levels, but it is an interesting point, especially when looking at the new, higher efficiency emitters these lights use.

Thank you for this thorough review. I have been looking for a new keychain light. I have a couple other Olights (M22, and a s10) that I have been VERY happy with but I was sceptical about the i3S as it seems like when china makes things smaller they are made cheaper. I will probably long into the ole Ebay account and Order me one of these. See if I can't snag one of those 99 cent auctions i keep watching

I've had this same one from Going Gear since May. Carried it every day. The nice burnt orange paint was starting to wear off (not surprised by this). Lost it sometime this weekend when the small crab claw snapped. I have the rest of the chain, but no Olight i3s. I hope someone else is enjoying it. Now I am using the much less expensive Tank007 E09. My spouse still has the Olight i3s but thinks she may like the light color on the Tank better. The i3s has somewhat smoother operation. I liked it a lot, but I think I will stick with the Tank.

That's strange what you say about the paint wearing. I've had mine for 3 months, a little longer than you, but the paint is still like brand new. But, on the other hand, mine's the gold version and maybe the scratches aren't so visible.

No reviwe but my overview, having just received mime I am impressed!

I3sEoS, only a cheapy but for the price it is very well made! And I can't believe how small it is! I excepected it to be slightly smaller than a LL P3! But no is lots lots thinner (only just wider than AAA and just under 3/4 the lenth of the LLP3 And very bright for its size, I'd say for its size it will be a very good conversation starter!

Some pics!

Size really dose matter!



In order from back to left to right then front.

Fosters can / I3sEoS / LLP3 / LLP4 / Duracell alkileak / SWM D40A / LLP14 / Cheap electronic lighter.

(I forgot to include my LLP7 / LLH7 / LLH14 ) but hopefully you get the idea!



Quick beam shot, in order I3s High / LLP3 Single output mode 12 lumens / P4 single output mode 14 lumens.

As you can see the smallest of the three, is the brightest and by a LARGE margin!

Well worth the wait from China.

I just figured out the clip of the Olight i3S fits well the Fenix E05 .... I'm not sure how stable it is yet, it feels stable now, but I'll carry it for some time and see, lol.

Ok, in regards to the post above, I just broke the clip of the Olight i3S *facepalm*

N_N_R said:

Ok, in regards to the post above, I just broke the clip of the Olight i3S *facepalm*

Click to expand...

I found the chain not even as good as useless,dont know why they dont make them strong enough,especially as designed to go with keys............

I originally used this mini shackle for it,now has the knife on,i3s just uses small key ring to attach


I did buy a few mini shackles,may use another for light instead of the spring clasp thats weak..............nearly lost the light twice because of chain links
but the actual clasp has been OK so far........

Its an awesome cheap little light,i find it does chip easy but living with keys its expected tbh,but advise for any future buyers to use something else to attach to keys with,its not IF its WHEN! it will snap..........

Well, the clip's been very very strong if used appropriately... it's entirely my fault that it broke - I was trying it out on other lights and it got a little loose for the i3S. So I squeezed it between my fingers to "narrow it" and give it its original shape back and half of the "circle" part of the clip that attaches to the light broke.