Olight hex body design

I like the Olights I have, including the S10R. But I see on some of the new lights as well, they're continuing with the hexagonal body profile around the switch. I'm not sure why it doesn't get mentioned more but it essentially makes the light very annoying to use by touch when you need to use it without seeing it, like say, oh I dunno, in the dark! How the hell can they have this large an oversight in design?

At least it stops the light from rolling away!

stephenk said:

At least it stops the light from rolling away!

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Well certainly not on the S10R anyway. It provides a tiny bit of resistance - not enuf to be very useful though.

To each their own.......
I like the design and feel.

Lateck,

But I'm not talking preference or aesthetics. Unless you are telepathic you can't humanly quickly find the button by touch because the button facet is nearly the same as the others. If that doesn't matter to you, that's ok too. It's bad design from a usability perspective tho.

Try the R50 seeker! There is nothing to stop the light from rolling away, but the hex side opposite the switch has a nice big scallop cut into it and makes it easy to find the switch.

DMS1970 said:

Try the R50 seeker! There is nothing to stop the light from rolling away, but the hex side opposite the switch has a nice big scallop cut into it and makes it easy to find the switch.

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Interesting, altho it has that machined area on two sides! Oh well at least it increases your chances. Would be nice to see products that are actually thoughtfully designed...

Beckler said:

Interesting, altho it has that machined area on two sides! Oh well at least it increases your chances. Would be nice to see products that are actually thoughtfully designed...

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It is machined on both sides, but 1 side has the switch, so very easy to manipulate.

I am in total agreement regarding the placement of the switch. Recently, I purchased the S1 Baton and found that in the dark it is extremely difficult to find the little round switch pad. I no longer have
the sensitivity in my fingertips that I once did as a younger man. When you work with your hands with tools and hot things and all sorts of things you lose tip sensitivity. I have tried several methods to
access the switch in the dark and nothing is coming up 100% workable. Would I purchase another OLIGHT? No I would not. Nor would I recommend it to anyone else. The magnet in the tail was handy
last week working under a kitchen sink. But it is not a light I want to have with me when it is pitch black dark and I need a light to turn off and on when needed.

LightInDarkness said:

I am in total agreement regarding the placement of the switch. Recently, I purchased the S1 Baton and found that in the dark it is extremely difficult to find the little round switch pad. I no longer have
the sensitivity in my fingertips that I once did as a younger man. When you work with your hands with tools and hot things and all sorts of things you lose tip sensitivity. I have tried several methods to
access the switch in the dark and nothing is coming up 100% workable. Would I purchase another OLIGHT? No I would not. Nor would I recommend it to anyone else. The magnet in the tail was handy
last week working under a kitchen sink. But it is not a light I want to have with me when it is pitch black dark and I need a light to turn off and on when needed.

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There is an easy trick, as I do not disagree with anything you stated. On all my olights and zebralights that the clip can be spun around the light, I ALWAYS position the clip OPPOSITE the switch. Problem solved. If your worried about something more permanent, add a drop of glue to anchor the clip. The S1 is a very handy little light, I find it hard to get away from the nice large hot spot.

OP,you are so right. I think it's annoying also,so it sits in a drawer for now.Fenix rc-09 a bit more user friendly.

DMS1970 said:

There is an easy trick, as I do not disagree with anything you stated. On all my olights and zebralights that the clip can be spun around the light, I ALWAYS position the clip OPPOSITE the switch. Problem solved. If your worried about something more permanent, add a drop of glue to anchor the clip. The S1 is a very handy little light, I find it hard to get away from the nice large hot spot.

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How do people Not do this with every light? I thought it was pretty common sense. Good post!

Interesting. My 4 Olights dont roll away and I have no issue with the hex shape. Thinking about it it is actually good heat sinking as well.

I put the clip just to the left of the swithch. My thumb can easily find the clip in the dark, slide right, and there's the swithch. Just a common sense thing to me. Quite frankly, if you want a "perfect" light, build it. Otherwise learn to use the tool you have. The old M16 A2 rifle isn't perfect by any means, but folks like me learned to use that tool flawlessly. Adapt and overcome!

DMS1970 said:

There is an easy trick, as I do not disagree with anything you stated. On all my olights and zebralights that the clip can be spun around the light, I ALWAYS position the clip OPPOSITE the switch. Problem solved. If your worried about something more permanent, add a drop of glue to anchor the clip. The S1 is a very handy little light, I find it hard to get away from the nice large hot spot.

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I use a clip as a reference point as well. I am right handed, so I place a clip to the left of a button. When my finger tips on a clip, my thumb is right over a button. No problems in finding it at all:



And one more moment: with this clip position there is no chance to have button pressed accidentally.

I have the R40, and I certainly noticed this issue, though I see it as minor. The button could be much more pronounced, with a much stronger force required to activate.
I never use those nasty clip fangs, however!
The R50 is right at the top of my list, but I'm not hoping for much different.

I agree the clip would make a good reference point. However, in my case I prefer to remove the clip. Therefore, I am going to have to come up with a solution sans the clip. I tried affixing a small silicon pad to the switch but it was not flexible enough to conform to the slightly domed surface of the switch pad and would fall off. I am looking for something that will work in this manner. For me this could be the solution.

Ok. For me it is not a light for tactical application i.e. law enforcement, military, etc. If indexing your firearm or knife were as luck of the draw as activating this flashlight one might not see tomorrow's sunrise. The switch should be prominent and unmistakable as the switch-no guesswork. Sure, the clip can be set to facilitate finding the switch but why should this have to be. What happens when and if the clip moves? Could happen. Despite all the ways you can index the switch with special clip adjustments the switch should be EASY to find in the DARK when you more often need a flashlight. This is a poor design. A design flaw. One Olight for me and nary another. As bad hooch to alcoholic this is bad light to the flasholholic.

I am still in totaly disbelief at how small my new S1 is! It has one great clip though. Have it lined up 90 degrees from the switch so I I can easily feel where I am in the dark. I have and love the R40 as well but there is no excuse for a light even the R40's size to not have a great clip. Have a hard time finding the switch in the dark. My Javelots? Forget about it perfect tail switch action and impressive holsters.

To those of you actually complaining, you DO realize that this very complaint is the reason SF placed the switch at the tail...where no matter the orientation of the round light you could always find it in the dark. Do you? Of course you do.

It's not really Olight's fault as it is a fault of the design.

A friend and I were discussing this very topic once and she made the point that if the light was grabbed upside down then how would I know where the switch was. I laughed and pointed out that all of my lights had a design that made it immediately clear where the head of the light was by feel. She conceded that in a "tactical" situation it was good to have the switch at the tail...but in any other there was no real necessity to find the switch fast to turn on the light, simply don't move until you do. I agreed.

Personally I don't use any lights with a side power switch, other than my headlight.

Edit: I was going to say originally that Surefire was the ~first~ company to place the switch at the tail...but then I remembered my little Garrity 2xAA rubber armored light that had one...and this was, if I recall correctly, before the Surefire hit the market.

position the pocket clip on the opposite side of the switch, it will guide you with the position of the switch and will help finding it more quickly in the dark. this way I can locate the side switch faster than tail cliky tube type light because sometime I've to check both front-end or tail-end to find the cliky switch.
ps. sorry, small phone screen! I didn't read through whole thread, someone already answered.