Contents
- Pricing & Availability
- What comes in the box?
- Design & Construction
- Size & Measurements
- User Interface
- Emitter & Beam
- Mode Chart
- Runtime
- Driver & Regulation
- Switch
- Carry & Ergonomics
- Batteries & Charging
- Charging Case
- Competition
- Conclusion
Pricing & Availability
Olight sent me this light in exchange for an honest review. Here’s the official product page where it and other products will be on sale at for a couple of days following the posting of this review. That’s a tracked link so they know I sent you, but I’ve chosen not to earn any commission. You can also use discount code “tgreviews” for 10% off most products that aren’t otherwise on sale.
What comes in the box?
The box lives up to the “Premium” name. It’s very nice with a magnetic closure and high quality printing all around. It’s one of the nicest flashlight boxes I’ve ever opened. The following items are included in the box:
- The light itself
- Proprietary 16340 battery (inside the light)
- Charging case
- USB A-to-C cable (with reusable cable tie)
- User manual
- Safety warning booklet
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
Design & Construction
Baton 3’s design is great. It’s an attractive little tube light with some tasteful machining on the body tube for grip. This winter camo version is particularly attractive with the expertly applied blue and silver anodizing pattern.
The light’s build quality is excellent. It feels solid and dense. The machining is flawless and all the edges have been broken so it’s not sharp anywhere. The threads are super smooth, un-anodized, and lubricated, but that doesn’t matter much since you probably won’t be removing the battery often (if ever). The only quality-issue is the lack of a glass lens over the optic (more on that later).
Size & Measurements
Olight Baton 3 | Acebeam Pokelit AA | Olight Arkfeld UV | Lumintop FW3A | Convoy M1
| Measurement | Measured (mm) |
|---|---|
| Bezel Diameter | 21.1 |
| Maximum Head Diameter | 22.5 |
| Length | 63.0 |
| Switch Diameter | 8.3 |
| Switch Proudness | 0.6 |
| Body Tube Diameter (internal) | 17.1 |
| Body Tube Diameter (maximum) | 21.0 |
| Body Tube Diameter (mode) | 20.4 |
| Body Tube Length | 41.4 |
| Ride Height (sticking out of pocket, bezel up) | 5.3 |
| Pocket Clip Space (for pants material) | 3.3 |
| Pocket Clip Space (at mouth, bezel up) | 2.8 |
| Pocket Clip Width | 7.0 |
| Pocket Clip Thickness | 0.8 |
| Pocket Clip Slot Width | 4 |
| Pocket Clip Slot Diameter | 19.4 |
| Included Battery Length | 34.3 |
| Included Battery Diameter | 16.7 |
| Measurement | Measured (mm) |
|---|---|
| Height | 83.3 |
| Width | 51.3 |
| Thicnkess | 29.3 |
| Light-cavity diameter | 22.2 |
| Light-cavity depth | 63.7 |
Flashlight weight (with battery): 53g
Charging case weight: 113g
User Interface
Olight has their UI pretty nailed down. It’s advanced enough to have all the functions most people will want but it’s still simple enough that you can hand it to someone and they can figure it out without much explanation. I do have a few minor critiques though.
The actions are # of presses followed by a hold (H) or a release (C). So, “1C” is one click and release. “2H” is two clicks but you hold down the last one.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | 1C | On (mode memory, mostly*) |
| Off | 1H (short) | Moonlight (memorized) |
| Off | 1H (long) | Lockout |
| Lockout | 1C | Battery indicator glows red |
| Lockout | 1H (long) | Unlock (to Moonlight) |
| Any | 3C | Strobe |
| Any | 2C | Turbo (not memorized) |
| Turbo | 2C | No change |
| On | 1H | Cycle mode (low-med-high) |
| On | 2H | Enable timer (and cycle between 3/9 minutes) |
What they got right:
- 1C on/off and 1H to cycle modes (this is the basis of most good e-switch UI’s)
- Dedicated shortcuts for Moonlight, Turbo, and Strobe that provide quick access. It’s great that they are shared with most other manufacturers so there’s no learning curve when switching lights.
- 5 brightness levels (having more is cumbersome in a small light like this)
- Turbo isn’t memorized. It has a dedicated shortcut so it doesn’t need to be memorized and using it won’t over-ride your memorized mode.
- The timer function is handy and it’s well hidden so casual users won’t stumble upon it and be confused.
What they got wrong (all minor nitpicks):
- * High Mode Memory: If you turn it off High mode and then wait a few minutes it will forget the mode memory and go to Medium the next time you turn it on. I really don’t like this because I want High mode to be memorized but it forgets and turns on in Medium. Medium & Low modes are memorized normally.
- Moonlight is memorized and it should not be. There’s a dedicated shortcut for Moonlight so you can always access it when needed without relying on memory. As it is, accessing moonlight will override your memorized mode.
- Lockout: 1H to escape lockout is too easily done by accident when a light is in a bag or pocket. Lockout should require multiple clicks to unlock. A few other manufacturers are using 4 clicks to unlock and that works well.
- Fade on/off on Turbo: When you turn Turbo mode on or off it takes a several milliseconds to fade on and fade off. The rest of the UI responds pretty much instantly but this slow fade on/off for Turbo makes the light feel unresponsive and slow. That makes this feature more annoying than helpful.
- No shortcut from Turbo: I was surprised to find that 2C from Turbo does not return you to the previously used mode. That’s a feature I really like on Olight Arkfeld and many other lights.
Emitter & Beam
Baton 3 uses what I believe to be a a Luminus SST40 emitter in “cool white” (it barely qualifies as cool if you look at the mode chart section though). At the time of writing there are no other emitter options from Olight. It’s a very bright and efficient emitter but it doesn’t have the prettiest color properties. I think it’s a fine choice for a tiny light like this where you really need to maximize battery life. With that said, it would be nice if Olight also offered a nice-tinted high-CRI emitter in a neutral/warm color temperature like a Nichia 519A in 4000K.
This emitter sits behind a plastic TIR optic with no glass lens protecting it. As a result, it can get scratched if you carry this light in the same pocket as your keys. Scratches shouldn’t affect performance noticeably but I’d still prefer a glass lens on top.
It’s worth noting that many Olight models include a gimmick proximity sensor that can cause problems with the light functioning properly. Fortunately Baton 3 does not have one. Hooray!
The TIR optic focuses the beam into a wide hotspot with crisp edges. It’s a great beam for EDC and I love how well defined the hotspot is. Around the hotspot is dimmer spill that slowly fades out to the sides so there’s no harsh cutoff there. Olight always does a fantastic job creating the perfect beam shape in their lights.
In the beamshots below, the basketball goal to the right of the hotspot is 39M away and the pole in the power pole in the center is 185M away.
Mode Chart
Disclaimer: All of my measurements are taken at turn-on. Lumen measurements were taken on a Texas Ace 3.5″ Lumen Tube. A candela measurement was taken at 10 meters with an Opple Light Master III on the highest brightness, and other candela figures were calculated relative to that. CRI, CCT, & DUV data was taken for each mode from a few feet away at the center of the hotspot with the Opple Light Master and Waveform DUV Calculator. Runtime tests were performed with the Ceilingbounce app on my smartphone. All of these tests were performed with a fully charged included battery unless otherwise specified. I cannot measure moonlight directly, so moonlight readings are calculated based on the brightness relative to the next-lowest mode. None of this is professional equipment, so take all of these measurements with a grain of salt.
Above are the official specs, followed by my own measurements below.
| Level | Lumens | Candela | Throw (Meters) | CRI (Ra) | Color Temp. (K) | DUV (Tint) |
| Turbo | 1175 | 7500 | 173 | 64 | 5680 | 0.0100 |
| High | 270 | 1723 | 83 | 61 | 5500 | 0.0126 |
| Medium | 55 | 351 | 37 | 60 | 5390 | 0.0142 |
| Low | 8 | 51 | 14 | 60 | 5330 | 0.0150 |
| Moonlight | 0.4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Moonlight: I find that ~0.5lm is just right for moonlight. 0.1lm and below is too dim to be useful and above 1.0lm is too bright for some situations.
Mode Spacing: is good. There are no weirdly small or large jumps.
Runtime
Performance: is great for such a small light. Turbo lasts for 1 minute before stepdown. The highest sustainable output is a little over 250 lumens, which is very impressive for a small light. That’s plenty bright for most situations, even outdoors.
Thermal regulation: The cooled and un-cooled Turbo runtime tests are identical, which means this light has zero thermal active thermal regulation. It’s just a 1-minute timed stepdown from Turbo to High and that’s it. That makes it very predictable but it also means it’s possible for it to overheat in adverse conditions or to leave some performance on the table in ideal conditions.
LVP: When the light shut off, the battery still had voltage so it appears to have LVP built into the driver. That doesn’t really matter though because you have to use Olight’s proprietary protected battery for the light to function at all. When battery voltage gets low, the switch LED will turn red.
Driver & Regulation
I was unable to determine exactly what kind of driver Olight is using in Baton 3, but my guess is it’s a Buck driver because it appears to be well regulated and efficient.
Regulation is fairly good. Only Turbo is affected by battery voltage, and even then it’s only when the cell starts to get fairly low. I like that Turbo goes straight to high mode at 3.3V and straight to medium at 3.0V instead of just being a dimmer Turbo. This gives you an immediate indication that your battery is low. Some other lights don’t make it that obvious.
Note: All regulation measurements are taken at turn-on so they do not necessarily reflect any thermal or low voltage stepdowns that may occur. A value of 0 indicates low voltage shutoff immediately upon activation.
PWM: No PWM is visible to my eyes nor audible to my ears, but I can pick it up on Moonlight mode with my phone camera.
Parasitic Drain: I was unable to measure parasitic drain due to the proprietary battery.
Switch
The switch is Olight’s typical electronic side switch. It’s a small black rubber boot with a clear section in the middle to let the battery indicator LED show through. It’s not recessed but the switch requires a fairly deliberate press to actuate so I doubt pocket activation will be an issue unless you’re carrying it next to something pointy. The switch is easy enough to locate in the dark, especially with the pocket clip fixed in place on the opposite side of the light. It’s a good switch that Olight’s had several years to perfect.
Carry & Ergonomics
Ergonomically Baton 3 is fairly good despite its small size. The clip being fixed in place directly opposite the button makes finding the button very easy even in the dark. It also indexes nicely in the bends of my fingers when I hold the light, providing a surprisingly solid grip. The milling on the body tube is grippy but not aggressive and my thumb lands naturally on the button. Both a forward grip and a pencil grip work equally well here.
Baton 3 is fairly easy to carry since it’s so small. The clip is attached at the head which keeps it from rotating, but it also makes it a little fiddly to carry bezel-down. The clip will support that but it takes some lining-up when you insert the light into the pocket. If you carry it bezel-up then the clip slides right over the pocket like you’d expect.
Tailstand: works great and is very stable
Magnet: is not super strong but it’s strong enough to hold the light up on vertical surfaces
Hat/Headlamp function: You can clip the light to a ball cap to be used as a headlamp. That works really well and it’s secure enough for most situations. You can fling the light off the hat if you shake your head fast enough though.
Batteries & Charging
Baton 3 uses one of Olight’s proprietary 16340 cells with an extra negative terminal on the traditionally positive end of the cell. This proprietary cell allows for magnetic charging through the tailcap without the need for a secondary body tube, keeping the light smaller. That does mean that if your battery ever wears out or if you want extras, they must be purchased from Olight.
Standard 16340 cells will not work at all in this light, which is a real shame. Its predecessors S1R and S1R II were both fully functional (except the magnetic charging) when using standard cells.
Charging is facilitated by magnetic contacts on the tailcap. They will magnetically connect to a typical Olight magnetic charging cable (not included) or to the included charging case. Charging inside the case took just short of an hour. The light is fully functional while charging, but if you’re using it while it’s inside the case you have to leave the lid open and you can’t change the mode without pulling the light out of the case again. Notably, closing the case while the light is on inside of it will turn the light off.
Charging Case
The “Premium Edition” of Olight Baton 3 includes a “Wireless Charging Case”. It’s a bulky plastic case that hinges open at the top like a Zippo lighter. The light drops in for charging and is held in place magnetically. There’s a 3500mah non-removable 18650 cell inside the case so that it can charge your light even when the case is not plugged in, just like wireless earbuds. There’s a USB-C port on the front of the case to charge it (and the flashlight) up.
The case is neat, but that’s about it. I don’t think it actually provides any extra utility for the user and I don’t think it makes sense to buy except as a novelty. It’s similar in size to a traditional ~10,000mah power bank but with only 3500mah of capacity and it can only charge one device (Baton 3). The USB-C port is for power input only, not output. If you don’t need a power bank but you want your light to last longer, a Baton 3 Pro will provide similar total runtime at a little more than half the weight and without needing to recharge. If you’re concerned about being able to recharge your light on the go, a spare Olight MCC charging cable is cheaper, smaller, and lighter than this case.
It also surprised me how much higher quality the light is compared to the case. Based on the product photos I expected the case to be made of Aluminum and anodized to match the light. In reality, it’s entirely plastic and the pattern is just painted on. The colors don’t even match the flashlight very well.
If you have a situation where this charging case is the best solution, I’d love to hear it in the comments on Reddit or BLF where I post this review!
Competition
Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare.
Olight Baton 3 Pro: virtually identical but longer with a larger battery, more performance, and no charging case
Thrunite T1S: marginally larger, larger battery, same LED, similar UI, worse clip, worse driver, no fancy color options
Sofirn SC21 (Pro): very similar size and layout with a fancier UI (Pro version only), USB-C charging, nicer LED, worse performance, worse driver, and a lower price
This section is not comprehensive. If I didn’t include a particular light here, it doesn’t mean it’s bad or doesn’t deserve to be here. I simply cannot list every possible competitor.
Conclusion
Baton 3 is a fantastic EDC light. Olight’s been producing and perfecting this line of small EDC lights for several years and it shows. It’s extremely well built, performs well for its size, and has a good UI. The only major thing I don’t like about it is gimmick charging case. I highly recommend the regular Baton 3 (not the “Premium edition” with the case) if you’re looking for a great, compact EDC light.
Thanks to Olight for sending me this light for review!
