New version of the Olight i3 - the i3S EOS

[enki_ck]

http://www.olightworld.com/en/products_show.aspx?ProId=1806&CateId=104

Olight is coming out with the new version of the classic. New Cree XP-G2 LED and they are going back to the old pocketclip design as found on the original ITP A3 version of it. I just wish they'd make them in SS also.

Wonder what made them revert back to the old design. If I remember correctly some people reported the screws kept coming out but I'm not sure it those were isolated cases or a regular occurrence. I hope they use a tighter fitting pocketclip than the original as all mine (3 in total, different generations) kept popping off.

[Gareth]

Interesting that they're changing back to the old clip.  Could be that it's just a little cheaper and easier to make, but the fact you can now reverse the clip is something a lot folks will like.

[Sparky415]

Those are nice, I'm still loving my ITP's 

[Millhouse]

Got an SS A3 on my keyring. Such a handy little item.

[Gareth]

I am going to have to dig out my SS A2 now, very good light that I've not carried for a while now.

[hiljentaa]

The main selling feature of the i3 EOS for me is the awesome clip. I wouldn't buy the new 'upgraded' version.

[N_N_R]

Hm....

So.... what's supposed to be better?

- 10 lumens more on high
- strobe
- reversible clip
- keyCHAIN thingie


If I didn't have two Olights i3 already and had to decide between the older and this version, may be the only thing which would help me choose would be the price Those new features aren't that tempting to me to pay much more (don't remember the price of the old ones and don't see the price of the new ones, though)

[N_N_R]

Okay, I've been rethinking my last message here....

I've been reading the specs.....

And the new version claims 10hrs on med as opposed to the old's 1.5hrs on med. And the new version is a little shorter.

I don't care about the reversible clip, but the longer runtimes are making me think about this little light more and more often....

[Gareth]

I'd not noticed the medium run time claim.  20 lumen for 10 hours; that can't be right can it?  Not from a single AAA cell.   I'd be looking for some independent testing of those run times before I spent my money.

[N_N_R]

I'd not noticed the medium run time claim.  20 lumen for 10 hours; that can't be right can it?  Not from a single AAA cell.   I'd be looking for some independent testing of those run times before I spent my money.

Some specs say 8hrs... which isn't much worse Don't know, we'll see, I've already ordered one 

[Gareth]

in that case you can do some independent testing for us.   What colour did you order?

[Metal Mickey]

This light looks interesting. I am only just starting to get into LED torches - I am of an age when a Maglite was the "bees knees" 

I have a Fenix E01 and and would like to try something with a bit more features ie higher power mode when required and also a lower output/longer battery life mode as well.
The Olight website mentions 10 hrs on medium, but then the manual downloaded from the website claims 8 hours.
I have pasted the graph from the manual...

It looks like the 8 hrs claim is full output and 10hrs could well be to a 50% drop (3dB drop is a common way to specify things). This also ties in with the full power claims as well I think.

[N_N_R]

in that case you can do some independent testing for us.   What colour did you order?

Yellow / Gold I realized I didn't have a single yellow thing around apart from a yellow T-shirt for the summer

As for the runtime.... even if it's half the time mentioned, for me it's ok. I don't have a great deal of experience with flashlights, but I do think that the runtimes mentioned on sites/as advertisement can't be "real". Perhaps they use some special batteries, special environment, etc. Moreover, when you switch between modes all the time, use it on high, then low, then high, med, etc, you can't later expect the light to go for 8hrs since it's previuosly been used on high/low many times. I mean, with all that mixed usage of modes that one will get, with all the playing around with thelight when you don't really need a flashlight, but just fiddle with it (like me), how exactly can you estimate for how long it runs on what mode

What I mean is that, even the 1.5hr mode of the old i3 on med may not be full 1.5hrs just as the 10hrs of the new i3S might not be full 10hrs. The important for me thing is, that, the new version will be with about 10 times longer runtime than the old one

[N_N_R]

Ok, I've just received my new Olight i3s *going to a dark and scary room to test it*

[ducttapetech]

Well.........
How is it?

sent from Ducttapetech's roaming device

[N_N_R]

Well.........
How is it?

sent from Ducttapetech's roaming device

Good

I'll say more later, when I use it in a place I'm used to using the previous version. I dont think it has more spill than the Olight i3, as some people, said though.... I like the fact it comes out on the 20l first as I used to use my i3 on the medium mode the most and the i3S now spares me one twisting. The light is more... yellowish and not so bluish, I think. I'm not sure i'll use the moonlight mode at all... those low modes are useless for me. If you remove the clip often, it's definitely going to scratch the surface and spoil the appearance. We'll see when I use it for a while

[Gareth]

Excellent!  I'm happy to hear this comes on at 20 lumen as well, I think that's a good level for a lot of things I use a keyring light for and, like you, I don't enjoy having to twist past levels that I'm not using.

[Metal Mickey]

Excellent!  I'm happy to hear this comes on at 20 lumen as well, I think that's a good level for a lot of things I use a keyring light for and, like you, I don't enjoy having to twist past levels that I'm not using.

I got one of these a couple of days ago. I only really have a Fenix E01 to compare it to, so probably can't give much of a useful review to the experienced flashaholics (the i3s is about a mm shorter even though it has 3 modes compared to 1).
Interestingly though, the biggest complaint amongst the online reviews seemed to be that it didn't come on in "moon" mode first.
 
The 0.5lm is plenty to navigate to navigate a dark house etc. 

[Gareth]

Ah, you are right in saying a moon mode will navigate you around a totally dark house etc, but what it's no use for whatsoever is adding illumination in poorly lit area.  For example; trying to read a data plate on a piece of machinery in a dingy corner of a plantroom.

[Metal Mickey]

Ah, you are right in saying a moon mode will navigate you around a totally dark house etc, but what it's no use for whatsoever is adding illumination in poorly lit area.  For example; trying to read a data plate on a piece of machinery in a dingy corner of a plantroom.

Different modes for different jobs 
And the mode order just proves the saying about pleasing all the people, all the time....

[N_N_R]

Yeah, may be a moonlight mode is good for a totally totally totally pitch black place... But as here I normally have the PC on, the 0.5lumens get drowned by the PC screen light and I normally need sth brighter....But anyway, it's good to know that in the wooooooooooooooooorst case, this thing will not turn off for about 120hrs on moon mode.

I'm also not experienced/knowledgeable enough, though I do enjoy flashlights. This is why I'm 100000% sure the way I called the beam, yellowish, as opposed to the bluish one of the Oight i3, isn't correct... but I kinda like this colour more.

I pulled out the clip and yes, it does scratch the flashlight. I havent reversed it, as this way it would scratch the other "clip insertion" are too and then when I put the clip back, there would be nothing to cover the scratched area.

The very clip seems to be just as strong and reliable as with the previous version, but because there aren't those screws there, the flashlight seem more elegant to me.

It's a tiny bit shorter than the i3. The keychain attachment can be removed VERY easily with the help of a special.... thing, lol. However, there's that annoying metal triangle, which connects the very flashlight and the keychain, which remains on the flashlight forever. I guess I'll use pliers to remove it one day..

[Metal Mickey]

Ok, ok I give in. the 0.5lm is actually complety useless.



Apart from the times when it isn't. 

[N_N_R]

Ok, a few comparison pictures with the i3 and i3S The blue one is the old i3, the yellow/gold one is the new i3S.










Here i3S on the left, i3 on the right (both on the 20l mode):

[nuphoria]

Always liked their lights, although I don't see this as a massive improvement!

Moonlight mode has never appealed to me as I live in a city. Even the darkest place inside my house is completely drowned in light from outside. I like the 3 lumen low type thing... that's my sneaking around at night light

[Gareth]

so the big question is; does it really last 8-10 hours at 20 lumen.

 

Also can you confirm exactly what the mode sequence is?

[N_N_R]

so the big question is; does it really last 8-10 hours at 20 lumen.

 

Also can you confirm exactly what the mode sequence is?

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo, I won't leave it on for 8hrs, I'll feel pity for it Anyway, for some reason I managed to insert in it my deadest batteries, so they died within one day, lol.


As for the mode sequence, it's exactly as described. It starts with the medium 20l, then 80l, then the moonlight mode. If you do that twice, you go to strobe.  med > high> moon > med > high > moon > strobe

[AimlessWanderer]

I quite like the look of this, and think the moonlight med could be very useful for finding it in the dark, more useful than for illuminating. Imagine you have a power cut and have had to go to bed by torchlight. You can leave the moonlight mode on and be able to find it easier should you need to get up in the night, even if you knock it on the floor and it rolls under the bed a bit. Two functional modes and one "where is it?" mode would work for me I reckon. 

[Gareth]

While this mode sequence sounds great to me, I'm not sure that the real flashaholics out there are going to like it.

[N_N_R]

I quite like the look of this, and think the moonlight med could be very useful for finding it in the dark, more useful than for illuminating. Imagine you have a power cut and have had to go to bed by torchlight. You can leave the moonlight mode on and be able to find it easier should you need to get up in the night, even if you knock it on the floor and it rolls under the bed a bit. Two functional modes and one "where is it?" mode would work for me I reckon. 

LOL, YES, this is what I thought about when I first got it!

In complete darkness, the moonlight mode indeed turns out to be plenty of light, unbelievable. Just my environment isn't normally tooootally dark, just as nuphoria point out above.

While this mode sequence sounds great to me, I'm not sure that the real flashaholics out there are going to like it.

Yeah, I've read the true-flashaholic-opinions and they all regret it doesn't start on the moonlight mode first. But the 20l are usually perfect for me and a light which comes on this and then offers a few extras if you want them is just great

Btw, Do you think the strobe mode in lights requires more energy in the battery than the "ordinary" modes? I'm asking,  because when the batteries are getting low, the first mode to "die" on the light is the strobe. No matter how much you rotate, it just won't turn on strobe. Or the light just eliminates "the useless" modes and leaves the battery juice for the rest?

[AimlessWanderer]

While this mode sequence sounds great to me, I'm not sure that the real flashaholics out there are going to like it.

What do they know anyway  They all like Zebralights. Fools!