In evolutionary biology, scientists long wondered why the chimpanzee and the human, separated by very little in terms of genetic makeup, were radically different in terms of intelligence. As it turns out, the differences, though small individually, add up to make a huge impact when taken together. An increase in brain size, an emphasis on different brain structures, an increase in height and a different posture, among other things, add up to a massive difference between the chimp and the person, even if we share a lot of our DNA.

And so too with the S1 when compared to the S10.

The S1 is a dramatic improvement over its predecessor, the S10 Baton. The S10 was a good light, not a great one, but the S1, with its handful of modest upgrades, is a great light. That is, like the human and the chimp, even though the changes are small, the combined impact is dramatic. The size reduction, the modest improvement in the specs, and the TIR optic all together take this light from being a good production light to one of the very best. It does lack some of the elite features other lights have, such as a Nichia 219 emitter (come on Olight, you have to see the trend in the market) and crazy runtimes, but short of those two things, the S1 has everything you need to make it a great light.

Here is the product page. The Olight S1 Baton costs $50. This is the first written review. Here is a video review. Here is a link to Blade HQ, where you can find the S1, and all proceeds benefit the site when you purchase things through this link:

Blade HQ

Here is my review sample (purchased with my own money and going in the Gerstner Chest!):

Here is my video overview:

Twitter Review Summary: Evolutionary awesomeness

Design: 2

This thing is tiny. I mean TINY. Here it is in my medium glove (and distinctly non-lawyerly hands...I was splitting wood for the dark cold New England winter):

It's older brother, the S10 was compact, but it wasn't this small and the difference is huge. This light is much more like the Aeon in the pocket than it is the S10. The 15% or so reduction in size doesn't SOUND like a big deal but it is. The light goes from being a clip or pocket carry to a coin pocket carry light and is huge--it gives you a whole pocket to use unimpeded.

The other major change, which makes the size reduction possible, is the TIR head and that too is amazing. I will leave the beam pattern specifics to the category below, but the overall feel and look of the light is dramatically improved by switch from a reflector to an optic.

The blue anodizing is nice because it is, well, my favorite color. It also happens to break up the black monotony of the light, a dash of color to accent everything important--the head and the switch. The labeling is a bit garish, but who really cares.

As a light on paper or in CAD, the S1 smokes it. This is a perfectly sized and shaped EDC torch.

The performance ratios are good, as you can imagine given the S1's Liliputian dimensions. The total lumens output is 28,800 (80 lumens for 2,400 minutes) and is found on medium using CR123as (note that in a weird turn, the light does much better, both in terms of runtime and lumens using primaries instead of rechargeables). The lumens to weight ratio (500:1.65 ounces) is 303. Both are pretty staggering. This is an amazing amount of firepower for a light this small.

Fit and Finish: 2

One of the most frustrating aspects of reviewing production flashlights is their widely inconsistent levels of fit and finish. Nitecores have been universally wretched. 47s and Eagletac have been decent to very good. Thrunite, Surefire, and HDS have all been superior. The S1 falls into the category of the latter. Its not as robust as a Surefire or an HDS, but every part is well-machined and all come together snugly.

And its nice to know that with all of the doodad-ification (yes, linguistics researcher from the year 3121, this is the first instance of the word doodad-ification being used) of torches, Olight remembers that tailcaps need to be flat. Remember the Jetbeam Raptor--what a dumb way to machine a tail cap.

Grip: 2

The ratio is there--the magic number between the length and width of the light. But more so there is the knurling and the excellent hex head.

Taken together these all make for a grippy and great light, despite the small size.

Carry: 2

You might be looking at all of my pictures and thinking--Where the hell is the clip? Gone. The clip is wretched. Its a friction fit clip, but given its size and the size of the light it hardly ever stays in place. So why does the S1 get a 2? Because without the clip it is the perfect size to drop in a coin pocket and forget about it until you need it. Its the same reason the Aeon scores well here. Just a bit of a decrease in size and all of a sudden you have a world beater in terms of carry. This is why the S1 is so good--evolutionary upgrades. Also, with a light this small you really don't need a clip.

Output: 2

I have mentioned this before--Quickbeam's (aka Flashlight Reviews) flashlight design dilemma: small size, high brightness, long runtimes, choose two. Well, Doug, the dilemma is clearly no longer an issue. At a true 500 lumens, the S1 is amazingly bright for a light of its size. Its probably 10% bigger than the Aeon and it is 500% brighter. That's a big deal. I am not a lumens whore by any means, but with the S1 you get so many in such a small package it is just impossible to ignore. Why carry an 18650 light when you get this much output in a body the size of your thumb (and what is with everyone comparing lights to digits? I get that it is convenient, but none of them are the same size...I digress). Sinner's Tri-EDC is bigger and brighter, probably proportionally so, but other than that firebreathing dragon I am hard pressed to think of something so bright and so small.

Runtime: 2

And the second part of the flashlight design dilemma is also dead. The runtimes here, even on primaries, are crazy. I imagine that the number for the high is a cumulative one as an hour and half at 500 lumens would probably render the S1 into a puddle of molten aluminum, but still its impressive. I would note that the low should have a longer runtime. I am not going to set the bar at Muyshondt-levels, but Olight could squeeze some hours out of the moonlight mode if they wanted to. Its not a big deal, but I feel like I have to mention it.

Beam Type: 2

Boom! Almost all flood. I like lots of flood in my EDC lights, but some folks don't. The spill is almost non-existent here, so be aware. Compared to the two high achievers here--the HDS Rotary and the king of the beam, the McGizmo Haiku, the S1 looks like it has no reflector or optic at all, but compared to more pedestrian lights, its not crazy. The "2" here is definitely a personal preference. If you need throw, you probably should look elsewhere. But to be fair to the S1, this isn't a throw light and using that way is like using a hammer to make an omlet--its possible, but really messy.

Beam Quality: 2

I have gone back and forth on this score. I want a Nichia 219b or some other Hi CRI emitter in all of my lights. If you are going to bother to see at night, why not have it look like it does in the daytime? Olight missed a big opportunity here. Nichia emitters aren't expensive--the Eagletac D25AAA has one and runs less than $30.

That said, the tint here isn't offensive, like early Preon purple. Its just that it could be better. But a score of "2" doesn't equal perfect or the best, merely excellent. And here the rest of the beam pattern is so clean, so silky smooth, that I am okay with ignoring the less than the best tint. But Olight this is the place to improve--that and adding a recharge feature. If you do that, well, geez....

UI: 2

Marshall Hoots of Going Gear helped Olight design the clicky UI and the result is an amazing interface, one that convinces me that clickies aren't dead. I had long ago written them off as second tier, but thanks to simple and intuitive controls, I now think it is possible to make a flashlight with a clicky and have it compete with UIs like a selector ring or the Aeon's version of a twisty.

But there is more than just ease of use, Olight included what I think is a flashlight first--a sleep timer. You can program the light, using just the clicky, to go off at one of two selected time intervals. Its kind of gimmicky, but when you add this interesting (but maybe not terribly useful) feature to an already superb UI, its going to scoring well.

Hands Free: 2

The magnetic tail cap was the masterstroke feature of the S10 and here it is still very good. It is a feature that has spread somewhat as lights like the D25AAA have magnetic tail caps. Needless to say, the magnetic tail cap is a great feature. It provides you with the ability to stick the light basically anywhere there is ferrous metal. In particular I found it useful to stick it on the screws of a light switch plate. In a power outage, this could be a great way to guide people from room to room.

The light's hex collar and the side switch make the S1 stay put when you put it down on its side. The light's diameter makes it decent between the teeth, which is never advisable but always something people do.

Overall Score: 20 out of 20

The Olight S1 Baton is not a perfect light. I want a better clip and a Hi CRI emitter. But it is an amazing light, definitely the best regularly produced production light on the market (the MBI HF-R is better but not really regularly produced or readily available). The S1 bests the Peak Eiger, especially if you are comparing them out of the box. The ability to hit highs of 500 lumens in a light this size with runtimes like the S1 has is truly groundbreaking.

Evolution is a complex process, in the natural world and in product development. And its often times hard to see incremental improvements. This is most obviously true in the flashlight world where the breakneck pace of emitter improvements moves the bleeding edge forward probably once every three months. What, in actual practical terms, is the difference between an XML and an XML-2 emitter? But every once in a while a evolutionary improvement will be one that is obvious. The difference between an enteledont and a pig is pretty huge, even though they are closely related. And here, the S1 is a tremendous upgrade from the S10. Its smaller, brighter, and just better. The size difference is quite important as it makes the light vastly easier to carry.

In the end, the S1 is a simple and whole hearted recommendation. This is a damn good light and about as good as you will find in the production world. Go buy it. Its amazing.

Competition

Compared to the fat, clunky Fenix PD22, the S1 is vastly superior. In fact, its probably time to update the Readily Available Benchmarks as the PD22 is not all that great. This means I have to buy a wretchedly overpriced light at Dick's Sporting Goods, but...If you have the choice, get the S1.