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
- Competition
- Conclusion
Pricing & Availability
Olight sent me this light in exchange for making an honest review of it and including some information about their upcoming Father’s Day sale (June 6-8) where this light will be discounted. Here is the official product page and temporary bundle page where you can see current pricing. Those are affiliate links that let them know I sent you, but I’ve chosen not to earn any commission. Code “tgreviews” is 10% off most items that aren’t otherwise on sale. All customers will get a free i3E EOS keychain light during the sale as well.
What comes in the box?
The box is one of Olight’s high-quality boxes made of dense cardboard with a magnetic closure. It’s really an unboxing experience with multiple layers (magnet, quick-start flap, belt holster, and interior boxes). This is the kind of box that impresses you when you open it and makes the product feel premium. I’m sure it contributes to the high price tag. The following items are included in the box:
- The light itself
- Batteries (inside the light)
- Warrior Ring (preinstalled)
- Tactical Grip Ring
- Belt holster
- Magnetic USB charging cable
- User manual
Design & Construction
The design is aggressive with crenelations and glass breakers in the bezel, large cooling fins on the head, and Warrior Ring sticking out to the side. I think it looks more modern than many other tactical/duty lights I love it. This Gunmetal Grey color looks particularly good in person.
Build quality is excellent as usual from Olight. It feels solid and heavy with high-quality anodizing and immaculate machining. The threads are square cut, lubricated, and anodized so they’re super smooth. I have no qualms with the build quality whatsoever.
Size & Measurements
Lumintop FW3A | Olight Warrior 3S | Olight Warrior X 3 | Convoy M1 | Mini Maglite
| Measurement | Measured (mm) |
|---|---|
| Bezel Diameter | 39.0 |
| Maximum Head Diameter | 39.0 |
| Length | 149.4 |
| Switch Diameter | ~14.5 |
| Switch Proudness | -0.2-1.6 |
| Lens Diameter | 32.3 |
| Lens Thickness | 3.0 |
| Reflector Hole Diameter | 9.2 |
| Reflector Diameter | 33.0 |
| Reflector Height | 26.0 |
| MCPCB Size | Custom |
| Body Tube Diameter (internal) | 22.0 |
| Body Tube Diameter (maximum) | 26.0 |
| Body Tube Diameter (mode) | 26.0 |
| Tailcap Diameter | 28.2 |
| Tailcap Length | 31.8 |
| Driver Diameter | U/M |
| Included Battery Length | 75.2 |
| Included Battery Diameter | 21.5 |
Weight with battery, no tactical rings: 222g
Holster weight: 66g
Warrior Ring weight: 33g
Tactical Grip Ring weight: 6g
User Interface & Switch
Warrior X 3 has a two-stage electronic switch on the tail with a dead simple UI, and it might be this light’s best feature. The switch can tell the difference between a half-press and a full-press for different functions. There’s a detent between the two stages so it’s easy to do a half-press without accidentally pushing too hard and getting a full-press.
| State | Action | Press depth | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | Press-and-release | Full | Constant High |
| Off | Press-and-hold | Full | Momentary High |
| Off | Press-and-release | Half | Constant Low |
| Off | Press-and-hold | Half | Momentary Low |
| On | Press-and-release | Any | Off |
This is a dedicated tactical/duty light, so it’s missing a lot of features you’d find in a utility-style flashlight like a variety of modes, mode memory, timers, battery check, etc. That keeps the UI simple and easy to use even in high-stress situations. The lack of a Strobe mode is particularly noteworthy in a tactical/duty light. Some users will appreciate that and others will have a problem with it. There is no electronic lockout, but mechanical lockout (loosening the tailcap a bit) works great.
Emitter & Beam
Warrior X 3 uses a Luminus SFT70 LED. That’s a great emitter choice for high efficiency, high brightness, and high intensity. I think the chosen LED suits this light’s intended use case perfectly. It’s a 5050 footprint with a 6V/12V pad setup so if you do want to do an emitter swap, your options will be limited to Cree XHP50 and similar. The bezel is not glued but I had to use a super grippy glove to get it loose.
Most lights have an o-ring sealing the front of the light. In Warrior X 3, Olight chose to go a step further and include a full gasket that seals all the way around the thick glass lens. It glows in the dark for a short time after the light has been used, but it’s fairly dim. I find the blue color clashes a bit with the rest of the light and I wish Olight didn’t include blue accents in most of their color options.
Beam: As you can see below, the hotspot and spill are both quite narrow thanks to the deep reflector. The hotspot is fairly crisp but there are a few artifacts in the corona around the hotspot. The crenelated bezel casts some shadows that make the spill vaguely triangular and it takes some getting used to. Overall it’s a fine beam for a tactical/duty light.
In the beamshots below, the concrete to the right of the hotspot is 39M away and 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 were 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.
| Level | Lumens (measured) | Lumens (advertised) | Candela (measured) | Candela (advertised) | Throw (Meters) |
| High | 2500 | 2500 | 90000 | 78000 | 600 |
| Low | 280 | 300 | 10080 | N/A | 201 |
Runtime
Performance: X 3 provides just over one minute of High before it steps down to a thermally sustainable level, which is average. That thermally sustainable level is an impressive ~950 lumens. That’s the maximum output of some tactical/duty lights from recent years. Low mode is a stable 280lm for nearly 8 hours.
Thermal regulation: This is the first Olight I’ve ever seen with any hint of active thermal regulation. It’s not the full active regulation I’d like to see, but it’s a start! The stepdown from High mode appears to be timed, but after that stepdown it appears to actively adjust the brightness based on temperature. Unfortunately, there seems to be some kind of upper limit (~1150lm) because the light didn’t exceed that despite being only mildly warm. I’m thrilled to see Olight attempting to implement this feature and I hope they’ll ditch timed stepdowns entirely in the future, opting for full active thermal regulation instead.
LVP (Low Voltage Protection): This light relies on the protection circuit in the battery to shut off when the battery is empty. The battery is already proprietary so you couldn’t use an unprotected cell here even if you wanted to. The light will vibrate every 30 seconds when the battery is low to warn the user. That’s neat, but I would have preferred the light briefly blink off periodically instead. A vibration motor adds complexity and weight and you won’t notice it unless you’re holding the light.
Driver & Regulation
With a 3.6-volt battery and a 6/12-volt LED, Warrior 3 X must be using a boost driver. That should provide great efficiency and regulation.
Regulation is poor. The highest brightness is only accessible when the battery is more than half charged. Below that, you only get a measly ~500 lumens, barely more than Low mode. When the light advertises 2500lm I expect to be able to reach that or get close to it until the battery is nearly empty, especially on such an expensive light from such a reputable maker. This effectively cuts the useful battery capacity in half for me, because as soon as I notice it won’t go into High mode I’m going to recharge it.
Note: All regulation measurements are taken at turn-on so they do not 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 or camera, nor audible to my ears.
Parasitic Drain: I was unable to measure the parasitic drain due to the proprietary battery design.
Carry & Ergonomics
Ergonomics: Warrior X 3 fits well in the hand. There’s a lot of milling on the body for grip, but it’s not sharp. It’s most at-home in a reverse grip, but a cigar grip on the Tactical Grip Ring works well too.
Holster: The main carry method included in the box is a high-quality belt holster. It has a strong magnetic closure and fairly rigid construction. There are two belt loops; one fixed and one that can be opened with a velcro and a snap. There’s a D-ring up top and a large drain hole on the bottom that should prevent any issues if the light gets activated inside the holster. That hole does not allow you to charge the light while inside the holster, which could have been a neat feature. There’s even a slightly narrower portion in the middle of the holster to act like a detent and hold the light in place extra securely. I don’t think anyone who uses a holster for their light would be disappointed.
Warrior Ring: In addition to the holster, Olight includes a “Warrior Ring” that comes pre-installed. The Warrior Ring is clearly inspired by my favorite flashlight accessory, the Thyrm Switchback. Olight’s version lacks the excellent pocket clip, safety breakaway loop, and better positioning of a real switchback though.
I tried a Switchback DF on my sample (shown above) and it’s usable but it’s not a particularly secure fit. I’m glad Olight sees the popularity and/or importance of Switchback-like accessories. I just wish they had just designed this light to work well with a real Switchback model instead of designing their own.
Tactical Grip Ring: This is the final carry-related accessory in the box and you can install it by removing the tailcap and Warrior Ring. The inside is machined aluminum so it won’t slide off the light by accident and the outside is rubberized for grip. It makes the light very comfortable and secure in a cigar grip.
Tailstanding is doable, but not particularly easy or stable. The three points on the tailcap act like a very small tripod and the light can tip over easily because the head is large and heavy.
Batteries & Charging
Warrior X 3 uses a proprietary 21700 battery with an extra negative terminal on the traditionally positive end of the cell. Warrior X 3 will only accept this proprietary cell. No other 21700 batteries will work at all. Replacements are very expensive at $27 each (a basic unprotected flat top 21700 is usually around $5).
This proprietary cell may or may not work with other lights or chargers. Its proprietary positive end with a raised plastic ring between the contacts makes it picky. It’s also longer than a standard 21700 cell.
Charging is facilitated by Olight’s proprietary magnetic charging system. The included cable has a USB-A plug on one and a magnetic puck on the other. That puck magnets to the tailcap to charge the light. It has an LED indicator that glows red while charging and green when not charging. The indicator is easy to see but it’s a little too bright to have on your nightstand at night.
This magnetic charging system is tremendously convenient if you have a designated spot where you always charge your light. You can just wave the light near the charger and it will connect. When you’re finished, just grab the light and pull. It’s tremendously inconvenient if you like to charge in different locations or on-the-go, because you have to have that proprietary charging cable. The light can be used while charging but you have to take the charging puck off to be able to access the switch and turn it on/off.
Competition
Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare.
Fenix TK20R V2: dual tail switches, same LED, similar size, pocket clip included, no glass breakers, standard 21700 battery, USB-C charging on light, no magnet, no rings
Fenix TK16 V2: similar size, pocket clip included, standard 21700 battery, USB-C charging on battery, no magnet, no rings, wider hotspot, less throw, a little less expensive
Convoy M21B: way cheaper (and it shows), standard 21700 battery (not included), slow shipping, basic reverse clicky tail switch, no integrated charging, programmable UI, more throw, fewer lumens, no magnet, no rings
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
Warrior X 3 is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I love the two-stage switch, simple UI, brightness, throw, sustained output, build quality, and convenient charging. However the poor regulation, lack of a pocket clip, unimpressive Warrior Ring, and weight were all let-downs for me. It’s also really expensive unless you get it on sale and the proprietary battery is a shame. If you’re looking for the best performance and value in a tactical/duty light then you should consider some competitors. But, if you’re someone who values the Olight-exclusive features like the two-stage switch and magnetic charging then you’ll love Warrior X 3.
Thanks to Olight for sending me this light for review!
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