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 Black Friday sale (Nov. 20-27) where this light will be discounted. Here are links to their website, the official product page, and the 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 on sale. All customers can get a free keychain light during the sale as well.
What comes in the box?
Warrior X 4 comes in one of Olight’s premium boxes with high-quality printing all around and a magnetic closure. It’s a whole unboxing experience and is sure to impress if you gift the light to someone.
- The light itself
- Battery (inside the light)
- User manual
- USB A-to-C charging cable (not the typical magnetic cable)
- Belt holster
- Rubber grip ring (preinstalled)
Design & Construction
X 4’s design has been updated from previous generations. There’s a new tailswitch and the thick, steel bezel with glass breakers has been replaced by a low-profile aluminum bezel. I love that Olight decided to make this version a single color. I don’t care for the blue accents they usually put on all their black flashlights. I would have liked some anti-roll cuts but overall I love the design and aesthetics of this light.
Build quality is top-notch. Olights always have a feeling of quality, fit, and finish that you can’t get from budget brands. It feels hefty and durable too, like you could throw it off a roof and it would keep on working.
Size & Measurements
Warrior Nano | Warrior 3S | Olight Warrior X 4 | Acebeam L19 2.0 | Mini Maglite
| Measurement | Measured (mm) |
|---|---|
| Bezel Diameter | 39.5 |
| Maximum Head Diameter | 39.5 |
| Length | 149.6 |
| Switch Diameter | 17.6 |
| Switch Proudness | 0.8-1.3 |
| Lens Thickness | 3.0 |
| Lens Diameter | 35.0 |
| Reflector Hole Diameter | 9.0 |
| Reflector Diameter | 34.9 |
| Reflector Height | 26.0 |
| MCPCB Size | custom |
| Body Tube Diameter (internal) | 21.9 |
| Body Tube Diameter (mode) | 26.0 |
| Tailcap Diameter | 28.2 |
| Tailcap Length | 33.1 |
| Driver Diameter | u/m |
| Included Battery Length | 84.8 |
| Included Battery Diameter | 21.4 |
Weight with included battery & grip ring: 251g
Holster weight: 41g
User Interface
Warrior X 4 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 |
To switch between the two mode groups, turn the light on, unscrew the tailcap until it turns off. When you tighten the tailcap and turn it back on, it’ll be in the other mode group.
| State | Action | Press depth | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | Press-and-release | Full | Momentary Strobe |
| Off | Press-and-hold | Full | Momentary Strobe |
| Off | Press-and-release | Half | Constant Medium |
| Off | Press-and-hold | Half | Momentary Medium |
| 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. I find the “Regular” mode group most useful, but the “Tactical” group is good for users who want sustainable brightness or Strobe mode. There is no electronic lockout, but mechanical lockout (loosening the tailcap a bit) works great. The only thing I’d change about this UI is that you can’t go down from High to Low mode without turning the light off first.
Emitter & Beam
Warrior X 4 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. I was able to unscrew the bezel by hand and that provided easy access to the LED. 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 beam has a relatively narrow hotspot and spill, which makes sense as this is a tactical thrower. The spill has a crisp edge and is perfectly circular, unlike the previous generation Warrior X 3. The hotspot has some flower petal artifacts around it and the center looks faintly brighter than the rest of the hotspot, but you don’t notice those things during normal use. The beam is a joy to use outside and looks crisp and clean at a distance.
In the beamshots below, the basketball goal 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 | Candela | Throw (Meters) | CRI (Ra) | Color Temp. (K) | DUV (Tint) |
| High | 2500 | 112000 | 669 | 67 | 6360 | 0.0058 |
| Medium | 890 | 39872 | 399 | 67 | 6100 | 0.0078 |
| Low | 270 | 12096 | 220 | 65 | 5770 | 0.0105 |
Runtime
Performance: Not groundbreaking but the brightness and runtime are both respectable for a light this size. I’m impressed by the consistency and flat output.
Thermal regulation: There’s a timed stepdown from High after 1 minute, but after that, there’s active thermal regulation that will adjust brightness based on temperature with a cap of 1000 lumens. That’s unusual for Olight as they usually just have a timed stepdown.
LVP (Low Voltage Protection): There’s a low voltage warning in the form of a harsh brightness stepdown and haptic vibrations every 60 seconds when the battery gets low. There is also low voltage shutoff built into the driver and the battery. The driver LVP kicks in first and the light can be re-activated for a short time after you remove and reinstall the tailcap. The haptic motor seems unnecessary to me and a short blink-off every ~30 seconds would suffice. There’s also a battery indicator LED under the charging port cover.
Driver & Regulation
With a 3.6-volt battery and a 6/12-volt LED, Warrior X 4 must be using a boost driver. That should provide great efficiency and regulation. Unfortunately was unable to access the driver to get any photos.
Regulation performance is exactly what I want to see: full performance until the battery starts to get low (3.6V). That shows me that the driver is well regulated and that it’s pulling as much performance out of the LED and battery as possible. If a light has perfect regulation (same performance on a full and near-empty battery) that means it’s not being pushed to its performance limits.
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 Opple, nor audible to my ears. Strobe is 13hz.
Parasitic Drain: I was unable to measure the parasitic drain due to the proprietary battery design.
Switch
Warrior X 4 adopts Olight’s updated tail switch design found on Warrior Mini 3 and Warrior Nano. Both charging contacts are on the moving part of the switch and the whole thing is smooth and slightly concave. That will make cleaning off any magnetic debris much easier.
It’s a two-stage electronic switch that’s almost completely silent. It feels totally different than a rubber-covered mechanical switch that you’ve probably used before. The actuation is very smooth except for a slight detent between the half-press and full-press stages of the switch. I like this switch quite a bit.
The switch is flat so it does allow tailstanding, but it’s not especially stable. If you set it on a table that’s even slightly wobbly, the light will topple.
Carry & Ergonomics
Warrior X 4’s ergonomics are excellent. This light feels great in the hand with plenty of grip but no sharp edges. It works best in a reverse grip or cigar grip. The preinstalled rubberized grip ring makes it extra comfortable and secure, but it can be removed if you desire.
The primary carry method for Warrior X 4 is the included polymer belt holster. It’s dramatically better than your typical nylon and velcro holster. Instead of sliding into the holster from the top, the light rocks and snaps in from the side! It’s a simple and secure mechanism that will let you insert/remove the light from the holster without interfering with whatever is above the holster on your belt, vest, or bag.
The holster attaches via an integrated plastic clip on the back so you can install or remove it quickly and easily. It’s not quite as secure as a solid loop would be, but I’m sure you can just glue it permanently closed if needed. The holster is open on the bottom so you can tell if the light accidentally activates, or use it to clip the light to your backpack/vest shoulder strap for hands-free illumination.
The previous generation (Warrior X 3) came with a Thyrm-Switchback-style “Warrior Ring” that really wasn’t great. It looked like a Switchback but missed most of the key design choices that make a real Switchback work well. In my Warrior X 3 review, I said “I just wish (Olight) had just designed this light to work well with a real Switchback model instead of designing their own.” For Warrior X 4, they did just that.
This light fits a Thyrm Switchback DF perfectly. It’s a little fiddly to install but once it’s on, it’s extremely secure and it sits at just the right height. It even still fits in the holster! I’m ecstatic that I can finally use Olight’s fantastic two-stage tailswitch with a Switchback.
Batteries & Charging
Warrior X 4 uses a proprietary 21700 battery with an extra negative terminal on the traditionally positive end of the cell. No other 21700 batteries will work at all. Replacements are very expensive at $27 each (a basic unprotected flat top 21700 is usually $5-10). I wish I could use standard batteries in my Olights, but their other features (mainly the two-stage electronic tail switch) are worth the tradeoff for me. If you absolutely cannot stand proprietary batteries, read the competition section at the end.
Charging is facilitated by both a USB-C port under a sleeve and magnetic MCC charging contacts on the tail. This is huge because Olight almost never puts USB-C ports directly on their flashlights. Now, users who like the convenience of USB-C can charge without having to bring a separate cable, and users who like the convenience of magnetic charging can use the MCC system!
Olight went a step further and hid the port under a threaded sleeve. That’s a much more durable and elegant solution than the typical rubber port cover. A detent at the closed position keeps it from backing off by accident. I noticed the sleeve wasn’t sealed, but Olight assured me that the USB-C port itself was waterproofed.
In addition to the USB-C port, the sleeve also covers a charging indicator LED. When plugged in, red means charging and green means fully charged. When unplugged and while the light is on, it serves as a battery level indicator. Green means 60-100% remaining, amber means 10-60%, constant red means 5-10%, and blinking red means 0-5%.
The light is fully functional while charging, but you can’t access the switch when an MCC charging puck is connected. You cannot charge the light with a USB-C cable while in the holster, but you can do so with an MCC cable.
Competition
Here are some lights in the same class and how they compare.
Fenix TK20R V2: get this if you hate proprietary batteries
- Similar size, shape, price, and USB-C charging solution
- Marginally higher lumens, marginally less throw distance
- Dual tail switches instead of a single two-stage tail switch
- Accepts standard 21700 batteries but no magnetic charging
- More available modes but no instant-max-brightness
- Included holster is basic/typical but it also includes a pocket clip and lanyard
Cloud Defensive MCH / Modlite PHLV2 / Surefire Fury: get these if you need USA made
- Made in the USA & significantly more expensive
- Smaller 18650 battery or 2xCR123As
- Single basic tail switch only
- Significantly less brightness and throw
- All fit a Thyrm Switchback variant
- No integrated charging
- Smaller & easier to pocket (except the Surefire)
Streamlight Protac 2.0 Handheld:
- Similar size & price
- Single basic tail switch but has 3 mode groups to choose from
- Proprietary battery with similar size and capacity
- Similar charging port cover but the port is built into the battery
- Marginally less brightness, dramatically less throw, significantly wider beam
- Only IP64 water & dust rated
- Pocket clip included but no holster
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
I expected this to be a mild refresh but Olight went back to the drawing board and made some huge improvements to this new Warrior X. The addition of USB-C charging while retaining MCC charging is groundbreaking. The included holster puts almost all others to shame. The updated tailswitch feels better than ever multiple mode groups adds flexibility. My favorite “feature” is that a Thyrm Switchback DF fits so well. It’s expensive so you pay for all those features, but I think it’s worth it.
Thanks to Olight for sending me this light for review!
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