Olight S2A Baton Flashlight Review
The Olight S2A Baton flashlight operates on two AA cells and has a Cree XM-L2 emitter. The body has a glow-in-the-dark feature, too!
Official Specs
Here’s a link to the Olight S2A Baton flashlight product page.
- Cree XM-L2 LED
- Powered by two AA batteries
- Flashlight body wrapped with skin-safe silicon material of various colors for better hand grip
- High light transmission rate TIR lens resulting in a balanced beam
- Eco-friendly AL6061-T6 aluminum alloy body with anti-scratch Milspec type-III hard-anodized finish
- Controlled by a thermal protection program. the turbo mode is limited to 3 minutes. The brightness will gradually step down to the next level. The flashlight will need to cool down to access the turbo mode again.
- Built-in timer: Short timer (3 minutes) or Long timer (9 minutes)
| Spec | – |
|---|---|
| Max Output (lumens) | 550 |
| Low (lumens) | 0.5 |
| Max Run Time (hours) | 50 days |
| Beam Distance | 110 m |
| Peak Beam Intensity (candela units) | 3,000 cd |
| Water Resistance | IPX8 (up to 2 meters) |
| Impact Resistance | 1 m |
| Head Diameter | 0.91 in. / 23 mm |
| Length | 5.2 in. / 132 mm |
| Battery Type | 14500 |
| Mode | Output (lm) | Runtime AA Lithium Primary | Runtime AA Alkaline Primary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 550 | 3m | 3m |
| →Stepdown | 260 | 240m | 80m |
| High | 260 | 250m | 105m |
| Medium | 120 | 10h | 5.3h |
| Low | 20 | 80h | 60h |
| Moonlight | 0.5 | 50d | 35d |
Versions
There are a few versions but they differ only in the handle color. Those handle colors are: Black, Blue, Gray, Yellow.
Short Review
Another in the Baton series, with little surprise. The S2A works well and handles very nicely. It’s a great choice if you’re married to using AA cells.
Long Review
What’s Included
- Olight S2A
- Spare o-ring
- Lanyard
- Pocket clip
- Manual
- Olight Lithium primary cells
Package and Manual
This is a typical Olight package, but it’s a step down from the S1R/S2R packaging. It’s very complete but (fortunately, IMO) does away with the huge sheet of manual, and the holding–my-hand-through-package-opening notes. I like that. I know how to open a box, so I don’t need all the other stuff from those newer packages. That said, everything you need is included in the package.
The manual is more succinct and smaller than the new manuals – that’s because there are many fewer languages included. As our primary audience here speaks English, I’ll unapologetically call that a good thing.
Build Quality, Disassembly, and Durability
I’ve said it before about the Olight Batons: There are no surprises here. It’s a high-quality light, with everything working like it’s supposed to. If you’ve handled any other of the current generation Baton series (and even some of the recently replaced models, this will feel the same. My one concern when I saw this released was that silicone-colored handle. I was afraid it’d have edges begging to peel. I can safely say now that those edges are nicely flush with the body of the light and I don’t expect they’ll peel or roll or anything. Also, I truly like that grippy bit more than I expected, and wouldn’t mind seeing that in some smaller models. Particularly because it’s GITD. 🙂
Look at those big ol’ square-cut, well lubed, anodized threads!
And the tailcap has a nice, thick spring. The head also has a small but thick spring, keeping those cells nice and snug.
I tend to keep the spare o-ring on the head of the light. I’m not sure this is the best place, but I can say I know where it is (unlike many other spare o-rings I have.)
One minor thing I like about the SxA series is that the tailcap is slightly longer (than the SxR), making it much easier to screw on.
These Batons aren’t to be disassembled. They can be but so can Macbook Airs. Do you feel me?
Size
Quoted size is 132mm in length, and 23mm in diameter. Note how long and slender this light is. It feels ok in the pocket but it’s just a touch long in my opinion. However it’s thin enough that it still carries well.
Here you can see the S2A compared to other similar lights.
Retention
There’s a clip and a lanyard. This Baton has no magnet. I doubt it’d work anyway. The lanyard includes a little pin to help with installation, and it connects on the tailcap. The pocket clip can only connect on the head side, right under the activation switch. The clip is a deep carry, putting the head of the light right at the edge of a pocket.
Power
The S2A Baton requires two cells, AA-sized. It ships with 2 Olight brand AA lithium primary cells. I have used exclusively Eneloop AA’s for shots and tests etc, and that’s what I recommend (but you do you). The manual only mentions accepting Lithium and Alkaline. These cells are of course, in series, which puts the working voltage in the ~3V range. I would not recommend using 14500 cells in this light, as I don’t imagine the driver can handle the ~7V they’d supply (and isn’t reported to be able to in the manual).
User Interface and Operation
Very standard Baton series user interface on this S2A. There’s just one silicone side switch. It’s kind of small and the bezel makes the reveal of the button kind of low, but it’s a nice clicky. I’ll admit, I often have trouble finding these buttons without actually putting my eyeballs on them. And in that vein, it’d be nice if they were something that wasn’t black. (GITD, anyone??)
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (Mode memory^) |
| Off | Double Click | Turbo |
| On | Hold | Mode cycle (L>M>H>Turbo)^^ |
| Off | Hold | Moonlight |
| Off/On | Triple Click | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click | Off |
| Strobe | Hold | Mode Memory |
| On | Double Click | Timer^^^ |
^ Memory is for any mode, but Turbo bounces down to Medium after 10 minutes.
^^ Moonlight isn’t included in normal mode cycle.
^^^ Double click to switch between 3m and 9m timer. Light will flash 1x for 3m and 2x for 9m.
LED and Beam
The emitter is a Cree XM-L2, and it’s behind a TIR optic. The tint is green to my eye. The beam shape is fantastic for the Baton size – a ‘flat spot’ with little roll off. I really like TIR beam profiles.
Beamshots
These beamshots always have the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level, and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.
Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)
I keep the test flashlight on the left and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right.
Random Comparisons and Competitive Options
I’m surprised to say that there are quite a few competitive options in this AA, XM-L2 category. None of those options seem truly exceptional, and they’re all in the same price range as this Baton. So my edge goes to the S2A because I do actually like the GITD silicone handle.
Conclusion
What I like
- Uses AA cells
- GITD handle
- Olight quality
- Works pretty well in the pocket
- TIR
What I don’t like
- It’s kind of long but… it uses 2xAA – so it is what it is
- 550 lumen Turbo seems a bit low for the Baton series
Final Thoughts
This is more or less an iterative Olight Baton. If you’re married to AA cells, then this is a great option. Most of the Batons are great, though, so give them all a look and a test to see which one is right for you.
Parting Shot
Can’t tell if the S2A is jumping in this pic or not. Maybe.
Notes
- This light was provided by Olight for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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