Olight Baton 4 EDC Flashlight Review
The Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight has a great feature set including a metal-covered e-switch, high output, and a fancy candy cane colorway! Read on for testing.
Official Specs and Features
Here’s a referral link to the Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight product page.
Versions
Four versions of the non-Premium Edition are available. They differ only in body color, including this one (Candy Cane) that’s a limited edition. Three versions of the Premium Edition are available: Black, Regal Blue, and Forest Green.
Price
This Candy Cane edition sells for the price of $64.99 and can be bought through my referral link. This is a limited edition, too!
What’s Included
- Olight Baton 4 EDC Flashlight
- Cell (customized 16340)
- Charge cable
- Carry case
- Manual and papers
Package and Manual
Build Quality and Disassembly
I have a bunch of Olight Batons (I mean, a bunch of Olight Batons). Some I have reviewed, sure, but I have so many that I haven’t even reviewed. And a few of those batons are just about my most used lights – stock emitter and all. I am a big fan of the Olight Baton series. A big fan. A normal-sized fan with great fervor for the Baton series.
I was immediately a fan of this candy cane colorway, too. It doesn’t have any special meaning or significance to me, but I just love it. It’s very timely and seasonal, being available right here (after) Christmas!
On the outside, not much has changed on the build. It’s still a small 16340 flashlight, with a two-way clip, a TIR optic, and an e-switch. All of these are good things. The old Batons were, by and large, very solid lights. You might have noticed that this version is updated in name and some features. Specifically, the switch is no longer silicone (or rubber or whatever – soft). The Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight has a metal cover!
And not just a metal cover. Beside the switch are indicators, very similar to what we’ve seen on the bigger Olights lately. I appreciate congruity among a brand’s products, and this gets Olight in line!
Whatever else you might say about the lights, they’re good enough. The build quality is great. The user interface is great. The capacity is great (enough for EDC). The output: great, especially on this new edition.
Inside, the Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight is like recent generations. The head has a bunch of contacts so that it can run the proprietary customized 16340. The tail has a spring.
Size and Comps
| Weight | Baton 4 Standard: 1.85oz / 52.5g (Battery Included); Baton 4 Premium: 6.84oz / 194g (Charging Case and Battery Included) |
| Dimension | Flashlight: 2.48 x 0.83 x 0.83 in (63 x 21 x 21 mm); Charging Case: 2.56 x 1.26 x 3.46 in (65 x 32 x 88 mm) |
If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).
Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version you see below is a custom Convoy S2+ host that’s been laser engraved by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Retention and Carry
We can speak about the Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight having two carry methods. First is the pocket clip, which is mostly the same as previous generations, but with small tweaks.
It’s a two-way clip, which I don’t often love, but this is a reasonable implementation – being two-way doesn’t cause too much extra size.
There’s also a lanyard hole in the pocket clip.
Because of the two-way clip, the light can be used on a cap, too.
The non-premium edition does not include a lanyard! There’s the cloth pouch for carry, but really the next option is the magnetic tailcap!
Power and Runtime
The Olight Baton 4 Premium Edition flashlight (and also the not premium edition) is powered by a single lithium-ion cell.
This is a customized 16340, with both positive and negative terminals on the positive end. A “normal” (or “non-customized”) 16340 will not work in this light.
Not only that but the positive terminal is recessed into a plastic shroud. This shroud will prevent charging of the cell in most if not all bay chargers.
Here are a few runtime tests. Pretty incredible output for a 16340 light! This is held for around a minute, which is also nice to see. At around that point, the temperature starts to increase enough that you really shouldn’t want that level of output to continue out of a light this small. The stepdown is to High level. Low voltage protection is observed, with a switch warning (red) and the light finally turning off.
It seems like the light shuts off around 2.6V on bench power, but with a cell I think it’s much higher according to the testing above.
Those new indicators (in this case, the ones on the right side of the switch) display the power level, as follows:
Three green dots: ≥60%
Two green dots: 10-60%
One green dot: 5-10%
One red dot: <5%
Charging
Like many other Olights, the Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight uses Olight’s very common proprietary magnetic charging connector.
Modes and Currents
| Mode | Mode Claimed Output (lm) | Claimed Runtime | Measured Lumens | Tailcap Amps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1300-600-300 | 1.5m-2.5m-73m | 1242 (0s) 1187 (30s) |
2.81 |
| High | 600-300-60 | 7m-72m-16m | 551 | 0.91 |
| Medium | 60 | 8h | 51 | 0.06 |
| Low | 12 | 35h | 12 | 0.01 |
| Moon | 0.5 | 30d | 0.6 | [low] |
Pulse Width Modulation
Nothing really to mention here. None of the modes seem to be using PWM. That wave graph on the second to lowest mode is fun, though.
Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor. Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.
User Interface and Operation
The Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight has an e-switch on the head end of the side of the body. The switch cover is metal, and that’s a massive advance here. Yes, ultimately it’s not that big of a deal, but I still prefer this. Down to my Convoys, and up to my BOSSes, I prefer a metal switch.
The switch area has a couple of indicators, too. These indicators aren’t technically on the switch but in the surrounding bit of black plastic. Above, the left side indicates the output level. The right side indicates the battery level.
This switch is a bit more flush than the slight dome of previous (non-metal) switches. I like it! If you place the light “switch-down” (clip-up, ayy), the switch can not be pressed by mashing the light against a table. (Ie it doesn’t protrude that much or that way.)
Here’s a user interface table! You’ll know this user interface for years. The S1R Baton II (and others, obviously) uses the same UI.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Click | On (mode memory)^ |
| On | Hold (release at desired mode) | Mode cycle (Moon, L, M, H) (no Turbo) |
| Off | Hold | Moonlight |
| Any | Double click | Turbo |
| Any | Triple click | Strobe |
| Strobe | Click | Off |
| Strobe | Hold | Previous Mode |
| Off | Long hold (past Moonlight) | Lockout |
| Lockout | Hold | Unlock to Moonlight |
| On | Click and Hold (quickly)^^ | Timer (Single blink: 3 minutes, Double blink: 9 minutes) |
| Timer | Click and Hold (quickly)^^ | Switch between 3 and 9-minute timers. |
^ Moon, Low, Medium, and High are memorized. Turbo is memorized as High.
^^ The manual states this as “Double click and hold” but I think it should be “click and hold” quickly. Any form of double click ends in Turbo or Strobe. The manual hasn’t been corrected yet, after all these years of this model.
LED and Beam
Olight has gone with the usual setup for the Baton 4: A press-fit bezel, a TIR optic, and a cool white CCT (“6000K-7000K”).
LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)
In practice, the CCT isn’t really over 6000K – that’s great! On the lower modes, it’s even pleasantly neutral (at around 5200K). The output is a bit greenish, though, with the positive Duv demonstrating that.
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.
I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!
Summary and Conclusion
The Olight Baton 4 EDC flashlight is another great iteration of the 16340-sized Baton series of lights. I love the updated switch (I strongly prefer metal covers!) and the indicators beside the switch are welcome too. I don’t care anything about the “wireless charging” (Premium Edition) case but I can see how it’d be useful in a bag or something. So I support it, even though it’s not specifically useful to me. I love this Candy Cane edition, and despite whatever anyone says about all the colorways Olight offers on so many of their lights (especially the popular ones): I am here for it. Even if you don’t collect them, it nearly ensures you’ll be able to get a light you like the look of!
The Big Table
| Olight Baton 4 EDC Flashlight (Candy Cane, 2023) | |
|---|---|
| Emitter: | Luminus SST-40 |
| Price in USD at publication time: | $64.99 |
| Cell: | 1×16340 |
| Runtime Graphs | |
| LVP? | Yes |
| Switch Type: | E-Switch |
| Quiescent Current (mA): | ? |
| On-Board Charging? | Yes |
| Charge Port Type: | Proprietary magnetic |
| Charge Graph | |
| Power off Charge Port | All except Turbo |
| Claimed Lumens (lm) | 1300 |
| Measured Lumens (at 30s) | 1189 (91.5% of claim)^ |
| Candela per Lumen | 5.8 |
| Claimed Throw (m) | 170 |
| Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) | 343lux @ 4.733m = 7684cd |
| Throw (Calculated) (m) | 175.3 (103.1% of claim)^ |
| Claimed CCT | – |
| Measured CCT Range (K) | 5100-5900 Kelvin |
| Item provided for review by: | Olight |
| All my Olight reviews! | |
^ Measurement disclaimer: Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.
What I like
- Build quality is quite good, as usual
- Full package includes charging and cell
- The user interface retains neat features from previous models, like the 3 or 9-minute timer
- Output does hit the claimed specification
What I don’t like
- Proprietary cells don’t work in bay chargers
- Cool white tint
Notes
This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!
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