Over at Olight, their Elite Sale is still going strong. I’m not sure why, but the timer on the orange S1R Baton II LED flashlight and deal bundles looks to end today, rather than tomorrow. No big deal, there was ample time for me to be convinced to buy one.
The deal was too good for me to pass up.
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I already have Olight’s S1R Baton II LED flashlight, in purple. And one with a special red-white-blue stars and stripes pattern. I am pretty certain I have one in black as well, unopened somewhere.
I purchased a longer S2R Baton II flashlight during one of the last flash sales, and now, the S1R Baton II was back on sale and I wanted another one.
I need to share something with you, for context. I’ve been talking with Olight since May, and discussion of their seemingly once-monthly flash sales starts with a “we’re having a flash sale, which flashlight that’s going to be on sale would you like to try?” I am happy to participate, because these deals are so popular with readers, because it gives me an opportunity to test and vet the lights that will be on sale, and because it deepens my experience with the brand.
Why would I buy another copy of a flashlight I already have access to and have been using? Because it’s amazingly useful.
It’s small enough to be easily portable, but large enough to be comfortable to hold. The rechargeable battery is amazingly convenient. The battery and charging method both require proprietary “customized” components, but the convenience is worth it. It has a double-position pocket clip and a magnetic base that has provided for very versatile use. I sometimes put on a cap and grab the light for a quick headlamp configuration when taking the trash or recycling out after dark.
In no uncertain terms, I love this little light. I also find the orange color of the current model appealing, as it’ll help make the light easier to find.
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The S1R Baton II typically sells for $65. At the time of this posting, one retailer has it for $52, another has it for $65 bundled with a free mini light, and Amazon has it at $65 with a 20% clickable coupon that brings it down to $52. That’s for the plain Jane black-finish model.
Now, as part of Olight’s Elite Sale, the S1R Baton II LED flashlight is on sale for $48.97. So, you save a few dollars and also get the freebie keychain flashlight that’s advertised on Olight’s site.
Here’s where things get harder to resist.
Olight also has bundles on sale, where you can get the S1R Baton II plus an i3T EOS in OD green or i5T EOS in purple.
The i3T is a 1xAAA LED flashlight, and the i5T is a 1xAA LED flashlight. Both have tailcap buttons and are a step up compared to the brand’s other mini AA and AAA flashlights.
I already bought an i3T and an i5T for review, but was moved by the olive drab green and purple color schemes. I could always use small AA and AAA flashlights in my EDC rotation, around the home, and to give as gifts. I always like giving LED flashlights because they’re universally useful, and these could stand in for the Fenix E01 lights I typically give.
Here’s the pricing for the two bundles:
Olight S1R Baton II + i3T OD Green: $55.14
Olight S1R Baton II + i5T Purple: $61.74
The i3T is typically priced at $20 (currently $16 at Amazon after coupon), and the i5T is typically priced at $24-25, more for colors other than black.
I bought a tan i3T for $22 from Amazon back in June, and it’s currently $22 minus 20%, or $17.56 after coupon.
So with one bundle, you get the i3T for around $6 more than the sale price for just the S1R Baton II in orange, and with the other you an i5T for around $13 more than the S1R in orange by itself.
These deals mess with your mind – and I know they do – but the added bargain is too hard to pass up.
I ordered 2 bundles of each, because I will be giving some lights away, but would have likely ordered either of the bundles for personal use.
Note: Olight’s website says the S1R Baton II sale will end today, 8/16/20 at 11:59pm ET).
With my order topping $200, I will be receiving a free M1T Plus flashlight (2x CR123), as well as the free mini keychain offer. Shipping is free on $49+ orders.
You can refer to my original deal post for info on the other deals and the freebie flashlight tiers.
If only the Olight S1R Baton II were on sale, I might have still bought one. $48.97 shaves a few dollars off the price of the typical black-finish model, and there’s still the bonus free keychain flashlight thrown in if you “share” about the Elite Sale.
But, next month or the month after that, there will be another S1R II on sale, in a different color scheme.
I do like the orange color scheme, but the green i3T and purple i5T flashlights won me over to the bundles.
A splash of color helps make flashlights easier to find on a cluttered workbench or table surface, plus it’s nice to have options other than typical black anodizing.
If you’d like an Olight S1R Baton II rechargeable flashlight, and find the orange color scheme appealing, and like the i3T or i5T flashlights and their current color options, you might not want to let this sale go.
I have been quite happy with my Olight purchases so far, and the samples I have also been using and testing.
If you’re new to Olight, I’d say take it slow and consider one of the S1R Baton II bundles. My short history with Olight has me convinced that if you miss out on one sale, another will follow in a couple of weeks. The S1R Baton II is an extremely popular model, and so we’re bound to see it on sale again, although not necessarily in this “limited edition” color.
For me, the Olight S1R Baton II bundle pricing was too good to pass up.
The Elite Sale is mostly over, but you can check out details here:
See Olight Elite Sale Items Here
The Elite Sale ends at 11:59pm ET 8/17/20, but the S1R deals look to end tonight, 8/16/20.
Here’s our post about the Elite Sale just before it kicked off:
Olight LED Flashlight Elite Sale: New “Pen Light” and More (Starts 8/13/2020)
John
I need a strong headlamp for use in my crawl space. If I don’t mind donning a cap and clipping this to the brim, is this the best solution for me. Would prefer spending less, but I’ll go for this today if highly recommended for my needs. (My old camping headlamp with 2 AAA batteries would not be bright enough.) Thx for advice.
Stuart
No.
This would be a flexible and bright solution in a compact package. But the best solution would be a dedicated headlamp.
Personally, I like Zebralight’s for compact needs.
The newest models are a little different, but here’s my review from a few years ago: https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/zebralight-h502w-led-headlamp-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
The 16340 Li-ion battery in this flashlight is convenient, but for heavier use I’d look for something with an 18650 battery size, rechargeable AA, or even CR123.
In a crawl space, I’d want something more compact than this on a hat, preferably a headlamp that could also be aimed in different up and down angles.
For occasional use, this might do it, but I’d hesitate to consider it for primary intent as a headlamp.
There are headlamp straps that could increase this light’s versatility, but I’d want to invest money in a different direction upfront, such as a headlamp-specific form factor.
Bill
For me the Coast FL85R, 700 lumen rechargeable headlamp is hard to beat for function and cost (~$60). They are bright, with a quarter turn focus ring for a spot or wide pattern, and two separate red LED lights, if you need to preserve your night vision. I own several Coast headlamps, both AAA and rechargeable type. For a crawl space or attic type space, where things can be tight, I don’t think I would want a hat mounted light. The bill on a hat makes it vulnerable to being knocked off and restricts your upward vision. Overall, headlamps are a great solution to hands free portable lighting. There are many options in this field of lighting, with brightness over 1000 lumens and some with remote battery packs for increased run time.
Koko The Talking Ape
Yeah, headlamps are the way to go if you need to work. Frees your hands and always aimed right where you need it, with no shadows. And they don’t usually have the irritating and pointless flashing mode that a lot of flashlights have. The better ones (for working) have a broad, even beam, with no hotspot. I even use mine indoors, when I’m repairing something while sitting on my couch or poking around in a computer.
frampton
This is not a great choice for a headlight lamp. Olight has a designated headlight lamp and a 90 degree flashlight with a headband, both of which have been on sale previously. If you can, you might want to wait it out for the next sale and hope for one of those. Or, if you’re like me, buy one of these and wait for the next sale for one of those. The S1R II Baton is a really great combination of size, price, output, and battery life. The proprietary charge is not ideal but becomes less inconvenient with each extra light you buy even though you don’t really need.
Paul K
Seriously, is olight a sponsor? Why is there like two+ olight posts a week? I have now figured out that paying full price for an olight flashlight would be stupid cause they have major sales once or twice a month, like kohls or something. So thanks for that but wtf dude, why are you still shilling for them constantly? Covering flashlights is one thing but why so fixated on this brand?
Stuart
No.
They got my interest because 1) they sent over a test sample which meant no-risk to try them out, and 2) they are an affiliate partner.
Two posts in one week because 1) reader impact is very high. Keep in mind I can see how many people read a post and how many people order something through affiliate links, which I take as a measure of interest, and 2) I found the deal to be particularly compelling and this post describes the “why” behind my personal purchase.
Should I not post about promos readers have expressed strong interest in, and ones I find of personal interest as well?
If you’re not interested, skip the post – the title is clear enough to give you a good idea as to what this post is about, does it not? – and write in with requests for other types of deals you’d like me on the lookout for.
Andy
I’ve got to be honest here. I’m personally a little tired of Stuart being accused of treating a brand special because someone thinks they sponsor him. If you think he would push a product to make a buck, fine. Stop reading his site. I don’t always agree with his opinions, but the guy is pretty above board with his reviews. As far as olight, goes, they’re a solid mid tier brand. Do they make the best flashlights? Absolutely not. But bang for your buck, they’re a solid choice.
Stuart
Thank you, I appreciate it!
Honestly, while I sometimes take a little offense to the tone of such inquiries (accusations is too harsh a word), I want to see more questions being asked.
I try to be as transparent as possible, and there are others like me. But for each of us, how many reviewers or influencers are pushing brands or retailers for secret payouts? Skepticism can be healthy. While such inquiries are always a little jarring, if one person says it, others could be thinking the same.
I’m all for sponsorships and partnerships, and have always been selective as to who I and ToolGuyd will work with. But you’ll see clear disclosures and often more more delicate and less enthusiastic language in any posts or ads related to such campaigns.
Skye A Cohen
Fyi you can get very similar flashlights, also with very high quality emitters for quite a bit cheaper if you don’t mind waiting for a few weeks for it to arrive from Grearbest and Banggood. There’s a whole world of this stuff out there and olight is a safe bet but in my opinion overpriced even at the sale prices.
There is a company called On-the-road that makes ones very similar to a lot of olight designs, they are on Grearbest.
I don’t know if it’s okay to post links here but over at budget light forum they have a section for affiliate links where people post coupon codes for flashlights from Grearbest and Banggood, whenever a friend is looking for something I always look there first.
Stuart
There are a lot of brands out there, but for both personal use and for the sake of recommendations I try to focus on brands with strong reputations and known to be reliable and responsive to user feedback.
I bought a lot of lights for an upcoming review series, and although I tried a few new brands, I’m sticking with brands I know to be long-standing and relatively mainstream.
This stance was also shaped by an experience, or rather readers’ experiences with the Nebo brand many years ago.
Skye A Cohen
That certainly sounds reasonable but to be clear Nebo is gas station impulse buy stuff. I wouldnt put them anywhere near the quality level of either Olight or the flashlights I was suggesting that i feel are of better value.
It is certainly true that you can find the same flashlights on those chinese retail websites i mentioned that are sold under the Nebo brand but for much cheaper, but there are also very high end brands available, much higher than what Olight offers, and everything in between, but at a much cheaper price points especially to Olight.
a few brands that i would consider that i put in a similar quality level but usually much cheaper prices than Olight, and available on those websites are: JetBeam, Astrolux, Skilhunt, and Lumintop to name a few that come to mind..
remember that even the best brands of these are made in china, it’s just where the industry is, i think there’s an emitter that’s Japanese and quite expensive called nichiha but as far as i know everthing else comes from china.
Bdub
With this sale you only need $.03 more product to qualify for free shipping. Lol.
A W
I got the i5T and really liked it. The i3T fits my EDC even better, as it’s slim enough to sit next to my wallet in a space that would be otherwise unused. (The i5T was competing for space with a pocket knife and Zebra pen).
We’ll see hope it does after a year, but I’m optimistic.
carl
$50 + for essentially a penlight? Yeah, Ok, sure…..
bobad
You can get small flashlights (~1×4″) that use the 18650 battery. The 16340 can’t possibly run a bright LED very long.
Jim Felt
I’ve never had very much use for flashlights let alone headband lights and yet two points.
One. I own a few nice ones that I indeed occasionally use. Samples mostly.
Two. Toolguyd is a very consistent source of tool related discussions that I’ve always felt were more personal and useful then any mere click bait.
Keep the flashlight info coming. Even though today HD has a Milwaukee Sale that pushed me to spring for a M18 Backpack HEPA filtered Vacuum I’ve always wondered about. With another 12 Ahr battery.
So no flashlight but yet another shop vac…
fred
For those days that I spent tent camping – a flashlight was a necessity. Back when I was a kid – it was often a military-style with D-cells. Years later AA maglites became what I carried – but still had Gasoline lanterns for the campsite. I never would have thought to carry anything very expensive into the rough and tumble camping environment where stuff quite often got misplaced or left behind. Mostly I needed something to avoid tripping in the dark.
In our businesses we had a few requests for flashlights – but not too often. In one business when we got some M12 flashlights (first incandescent – then LED) – I heard some positive things. That was enough that my go to flashlight is now a M12 LED stick.
Flashlights seem a bit like pocket knives for me. I have a few, don’t really use them much, don’t carry them with me on a regular basis – and have no interest in collecting them as some apparently like to do.
Bill
Fred, your post reminds me of the old Rayovac 6v and 12v lantern batteries with threaded posts and the lamp attachments that incorporated a handle with a large reflector dome. Your mention of military-style flashlights bring back memories of the old 90* OD green military flash lights of my youth.
Another jogged memory is of a large, I think black in color, flashlight my dad brought back from Germany in the 1950s (he was stationed in Germany post WW2 and lucky enough to be sent there vs. Korea). It was all metal of course, with a large reflector dome mounted directly over a lead acid battery.
fred
When you mentioned “threaded posts” – I immediately thought about what were call radio or ignition batteries – No.6 was what Eveready and other labeled them. They were 1.5V single cells – sort of like a “D cell” on steroids
Amazon sells a modern equivalent:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B00KWH50AG&i=sporting&ref=nb_sb_noss
High & Mighty
Yeah I’ve never really gotten the point of why someone would want a flashlight instead of a headlamp. Especially in working situations or any instances that require both hands. You can’t set them anywhere to point exactly where you want to see and setting down and picking up constantly is a headache. Even with a hat clip on it, you’re still going to have a hard time in tight spots where there’s no room. Two hands are always better than one. Tire goes flat at 11 o’clock at night and what do you do? It takes two hands to negotiate all steps of the process. This is why auto mechanics use headlamps. It takes two hands to work on vehicles. You’re in a crawlspace and you need to get in between two joists to do some work. What do you do? You’re doing plumbing under the kitchen sink. What do you do? Look at it with your flashlight? Why would you want to use something that renders you to using just one hand? Flashlights are good for looking and not much else. The police carry flashlights that serve not only as a means of light but also as a weapon and a multitude of other purposes. Have you ever been struck by a Maglite? It will get your attention real quick. Military and swat team wears headlamps or they have lights mounted to their weapons. Why do you think that is? Because it takes two hands to negotiate what they carry and if they run out of bullets they have two hands available for hand to hand combat. Plus you can always take a headlamp off of your head and use it as a flashlight if need be. You can’t use a flashlight as a headlamp. So I’m open to any compelling argument for why you would think a flashlight is a good idea. Best part is that you can get a good headlamp for under forty bucks. Rechargeable or replaceable battery operated.