Gear Review: Olight S1 Baton Flashlight

Over the years, I have tested out numerous flashlights and headlamps. I am always looking to better my hunting experience and want the best lights I can afford without breaking the bank. When Olight contacted me to review the Olight S1 Baton I looked over the tech specs and agreed to a review. After using it for a couple months, I can say the Olight S1 Baton is the most compact, ultra-bright flashlight I have ever used. I think I have finally found the flashlight I have been searching for!

Here is a short list of specifications (you can find the rest here). 

• Cree XM-L2 LED. Maximum light output up to 500 lumens.
• 3 standard modes: 8 lumens, 80 lumens and 500 lumens.
• 2 special modes: 0.5 lumen moonlight mode and a 10Hz strobe mode.
• 6061-T6 aluminum alloy body with anti-scratch Type-III hard anodizing
• Body material:  6061-T6 aluminum alloy structure, Type III hard anodizing
• Stainless steel pocket clip, stainless steel flashlight bezel, stainless steel binder ring
• Dimensions:    Length: 61mm, Diameter: 21mm
• Weight :  30g (excluding batteries)
• Max beam distance:  110 meters
• Waterproof:   IPX8

The first thing I encountered when looking over the flashlight were that you needed special batteries. Basically, you need a CR123A photo/camera battery to operate it. Most stores around me don’t carry them. I had to resort to buying a pack of ten online for around $18.00. Pretty good deal, but I wish I had known that from the start. The great thing about the battery size is that you can pack extras and they don’t take up too much space or add much weight. 

Operating the flashlight is very simple. The only drawback I found is that at first, you really have to play with the timing of the buttons for the strobe and moonlight mode to get the timing right.

• Single click — Turn ON / Turn OFF
• Click and hold — High brightness, select timer, or activate moon light mode
• Quick double click — Turbo brightness, or enter setting
• Quick triple click — strobe mode

The S1 Baton is very small. Smaller than a roll of pennies! So small, in fact, that it fell out of my hands and fell on concrete. Yet it still works fine! Other lights I have dropped have failed miserably. Everything stayed intact and in the proper place.

Let’s talk about the brightness factor. I think the Mars Rover was getting signals from me when I turned this thing on to 500 lumens. Even Darth Vader might think I had a light sabre and challenge me to a duel. The moonlight mode is awesome for looking at a map or using a subtle light. The mid-range light is incredibly bright and the high range is super bright! DO NOT look directly into the light! It is common sense, but I see people do it and this will hurt your eyes! The strobe is a great feature for those emergency situations (or is you like to disco).

The S1 Baton has some awesome features like the magnetic back. You can place in on car hoods, metal tables, the stabilizer of your bow, and many more places, provided they have a magnetic surface. It also come with a lanyard and threading pin. This is handy to use to get the lanyard through the eyelet. You’ll want to hang on to that pin though. If you want to use the hat clip for mounting to the brim of your hat, the lanyard is going to be in the way and you’ll want to remove it. When I did use the Baton on my hat (less the lanyard) I found that I absolutely loved it! It works better than my headlamp and if I want to use it as a flashlight I can just take it off the brim.

The Olight S1 Baton retails for $49.99 and while it seems expensive, it really isn’t. You get so much with this little powerhouse. In fact, I have already shared my findings with my friends and hunting buddies and they are all looking at purchasing one. This is seriously one of the coolest gadgets I have had the opportunity to field test and review. This definitely gets a two thumbs up from me.