User Review: Olight M2R Warrior

This being my first flashlight review, I tried to apply a slightly different methodology than I do for headlamps.Olight M2R Warrior being the latest addition to Olight's Warrior series of flashlights. I believe it's focus is for Military/Tactical and Safety/Self-defence, however every flashlight can be used for pretty much anything. In short, it's a permanent marker sized flashlight with dual button operation that puts out a serious amount of light for it's size.Some quick manufacturer's specs:

• Cree XPH35 LED
• 1500 Lumens max output – 11 modes (7 Constant modes, 1 Strobe)
• 2 button operation: normal(side switch) & tactical(quiet tail switch)
• Warm white / Neutral white options available
• 18650 battery (included)
• Military Spec Anodising (Type-III)
• Magnetic tail cap
• Magnetic USB rechargeable
• Thermal protection/regulation(Turbo modes, step down after 3 mins)
• Slim head design, Orange peel reflector
• 208 meter beam distance
• 1.5m impact resistance
• IPX8 waterproof
• 5 Year Warranty

So let's see what's included:

• The light
• 1x 18650, 3500mah Li-ion battery
• Wrist strap
• Magnetic USB charger
• Removable 2-way reversible pocket clip
• Flashlight holster
• User Manual

First up, loosen the tail cap as the battery is already inside the light, remove the battery isolating film, refit the tailcap and connect the charger to the tail of the light. The charger itself is magnetic and it snaps on quite easily and grabs on fairly tight, so it won't come apart by itself. The tail switch of the light is constructed of metal and serves a double function in that it's a terminal of the charger to connect to also. Once connected, the Red light in the charger lights up to indicate that it's charging, light turns green when finished. Also don't be worried, the rear exposed charging terminals are electrically isolated, so submerging the light will not short out the electronics or the battery and you won't shock yourself using the tail switch. This isn't the only way to charge the battery though, granted you have a separate Li-ion battery charger. You can also use any 18650 Li-*** battery, if it can handle 6Amps for Turbo(1500 Lumen) mode, so take note and take care when using your own 18650 batteries. On that note, I strongly advise using Olight's own batteries for their lights, unless of course you already have your own high quality batteries in hand and they meet the flashlight's requirements.Operation via the two buttons can sound a bit daunting at first, but you quickly get used to it. The tail switch is largely intended for tactical use like law enforcement, personal protection, perhaps a night game of airsoft/paintball, so you only have access to 1 or 2 modes, depending on which Tactical mode you choose. The side button is your main access to the rest of the modes, but rather than try and explain it let me simplify it with diagram below: Brightness and beam:The OP (orange peel) reflector produces a really smooth beam with a "not too tight" hot spot and sufficient spill. The advantage of the OP reflector of course is that there's a smoother transition from the hotspot to the spill. The small reflector did have me question the claimed 208meter throw at first, but after a quick walk to a nearby park I soon realised it's more capable than I'd thought. Very impressed! Modes are nicely spaced to give you a good range of usability. The Moonlight mode is too dim to capture on camera outdoors, it's only really good for up close illumination, like digging around in a tent or backpack, so not really sufficient for walking around a camp site though.Control (Trees are 100meter away from where I'm standing)Turbo(Tactical mode)_1500 Lumen (3mins_the step down to High =2 hours)Turbo(Normal Mode)_1000 Lumen (3mins_the step down to High =2 hours)High_700 Lumen (2 hours)Med 1_250 Lumen (6 hours 15mins)Med 2_60 Lumen (20 hours)Low_15 Lumen (70 hours)Moonlight _1 Lumen (25 days)Took another one at the opposite end of the park., on Turbo only. Trees are 150m Away from me. Very impressive for such a small reflector!Olight did make a worthy effort to provide the light with some heatsink "fins" for cooling, however to keep the light as compact as possible they obviously had to compromise. And that's where the built in thermal protection comes to the party to assist. Upon sensing a predetermined thermal tripping point, the light will step down to allow it to cool a bit and then step back up and cycle like this until the battery is drained or you switch the light off. In the Turbo modes it will automatically step down to High after 3mins, granted it didn't trip the thermal sensor. You can switch the light off and on again On Turbo after the 3 mins, but I wouldn't recommend it...by that time the light body is already crazy hot to the touch.The magnetic tailcap I found is sufficiently strong for attaching the light upside down to a chunk of metal, however in a horizontal application I couldn't get it to stick properly. The light is just a tad too front heavy and keeps on tipping and falling off. It takes quite a balancing act to get it to stick, but only just.The accessories: It's not often that I feel like mentioning the accessories, but the included holster, pocket clip and lanyard really impressed me so I thought I'd touch on that.Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I found that very seldom do manufacturers include a high quality, properly designed holster as part of the purchase, from my experience at least. Most of the holsters I received as part of the package, I found to be just thrown in there to bulk up the packaging make the buy look more appealing. Olight's holster however really had me going when I first took it out of the box, even my Old Man's eyes lit up when he saw it...so naturally I didn't take my eyes off it for even a second. The double belt loops, one fixed, and one with a button latch is easy "rig" up. The buckle is really awesome as you can open and close the holster with just one hand, really neat!, especially for tactical use. And the buckle's button is covered by a strip of webbing, preventing you from getting your skin pinched or getting a glove caught in it.The lanyard is nice and soft to the touch and it even comes with a draw-pin to help you get it through the tiny hole, well thought of Olight! The reversible 2-way pocket clip is just genius. Whichever way you want to clip the light to your belt, a strap, anything, it goes on regardless of the orientation, perfect for a "quick draw/mount". The clip together with the holster kind of makes me feel like a gunslinger.In conclusion, the Olight M2R warrior flashlight is quite the Jack of all trades. The dual switch operation is cleverly designed for a multitude of uses, be it in law enforcement, war games, self-defence, around the house, camping, a construction site, the farm, basically any ware. It's a real good all-rounder of a flashlight, perfect for someone looking to carry or even buy just one light for "everything". The 1500 Lumen with 208meter throw is insane from such a small little light and reflector. And I'm a big fan of the integrated charging feature, together with the magnetic charger. Image your cell phone came without a charger, it just wouldn't make sense. I just wish the magnet in the tailcap was a little stronger.So, if you're looking for a very good all-rounder of a flashlight, have a look at the Olight M2 Warrior. It's the kind of light I want to carry with me everywhere, even just to go get socks from the drawer. I was looking for every excuse in the book to use it.

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Delete - just got my answer from a recent post.

Good read


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Thanks Rekkie for this excellent review, and in particular the very clear UI diagram, I wish this were available for all flashlights.

I've just purchased an M2R, but I might return it because of the tail switch. I find it too difficult to operate with the thumb, first because it is flush with the tail (and even slightly recessed in its center), and because it is somewhat hard to press. I can't manage to keep it halfway pressed to get a stable Turbo in the tactical mode: pressing too hard goes to Strobe (which I may want to use but not always), not pressing enough makes the light flicker.
I've tried to put a small round magnet on the center button, this makes it easier to operate as it now protrudes a bit, but #1 the light is less stable in tailstand mode, and #2 it is still difficult to maintain the correct pressure between unwanted Strobe and flickery Turbo.