Olight Warrior Mini Controversy... Am I Crazy Here?

[GearedForwards]

So there's a controversy at the moment with the Olight Warrior Mini, where people are claiming it's dangerous because it can turn on in the pocket and proceed to burn through pocket fabric and melt the lense on the light. I learned about this 'issue' through CutleryLover's channel and who boy, does he not know what the hell he is talking about, but that is an aside.

My thoughts on this 'problem'

-Olights offer two forms of lockout usually on models like that, software and hardware (the slightest turn will disengage the battery)

-The clip is bezel up only, and the bezel slightly protrudes above the top arch of the clip

I'm not seeing the design flaw here, at all. If you're carrying a powerful flashlight without some form of lockout, then you are actively taking the risk of it turning on. Even then, this is only an issue on the higher settings, which the side button won't take you to unless you accidentally double tap it or left it in a high mode last use (not turbo, Olight UI doesn't memorise turbo). If it does turn on this is only a 'danger' if the lense is covered by fabric (in CL's 'test' he used an elastic band to wrap denim around the head of the light). If carrying the light as it is intended to be, the closest you'll come to that is maybe a pocket flap? Which wouldn't sit flush on the lense and would make you start to bleed light everywhere.

Olight has reacted to all of this by starting up a program to offer refunds, if you want to keep your light they are handing out silicon tal covers and a Obulb (I don't know what that is). Great response from them, but honestly frustrating that so many people are blaming them for an issue that... isn't one? I've owned my Armytek Wizard Pro for over 4 years, on high it will happily set fabric on fire and melt synthetics. The switch is also rather pronounced, yet that never even entered my head as a concern because I know full well that I'm carrying a powerful tool and that it should be treated as such. Some people want all of the power of modern technology with the convenience of ignoring best practices 

[Gareth]

I hadn't heard of this one but does indeed sounds very contrived from what you've said.  A logic along the lines of "this knife is really dangerous because it is sharp and, if I leave it open and put it in my pocket, I could cut myself". 

[chip]

I have not tried it myself  but the way that I understand it is if you carry it loose in your pocket with other metal items. You can  create a connection between the the two charge points on the tail switch  and it comes on on turbo, hence the silicone switch covers.

[chip]

Also the electronic lock out simply requires the button to be held down for a couple of seconds to disengage, much easier to accidentally turn off than my fenix light that requires the buttons to be pressed three times in quick succession. And the warrior can’t be made safe by simply unscrewing it a quarter of a turn like my Surefire. I unscrewed it several turns and the switch still works.

[GearedForwards]

Are you talking about the Warrior Mini Chip? I have the original Warrior M2R with the same style metal tailswitch/charging point, after seeing this I intentionally tried to short it with coins, split rings and knife blades but couldn't. Maybe the design changed? Sticking a bunch of metal objects in with a magnet seems like a lifestyle choice that would sort itself out though...

I'll take your word on the mechanical lockout not working, every Olight I own besides the i3T EOS cuts out with a fraction of a turn. Though we disagree on the software lockout. If you're in a postion where you are depressing the side switch long enough to turn off lock out mode, then you'll end up in moonlight mode... or just locking it back out. That kind of button activation seems unlikely unless it's a user problem like carrying it clipped next to a knife where the button is basically smashing up against the handle all day.

That still leaves the issue of it being a besel up only carry and imo still leaves this squarely in the ball park of user error rather than design fault. Even in the comments on the CutleryLover video and in the video itself people just didn't want to lock out the light and it hadn't even happened to the vast majority of them (accidental activation that is, the melting thing being far, far rarer).

[chip]

Yes the warrior mini, have been a couple of people on the british Facebook group who have had it melt there clothing, one badly burnt themselves.


Also saying you have to pocket carry with the clip otherwise you risk melting your clothing is not user error but an unsafe product.
Plenty of people carry torches just tossed in their kit bag. If I came home and put my bag away and it accidentally came on? Burning a hole in my coat pocket is one thing, potentially causing a house fire is another.

[Dan B]

I'm not sure about the mini. I have the older M2R that I modded to remove constant on from the tailcap. It makes a great tactical/EDC light.

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

[chip]

And yes unscrewing the head does not disable the switch

[chip]

I just tried turning mine on by shorting the switch. It does not turn on. The original m2r had a flush tail switch and people complained it was hard to turn on with thick gloves. So the warrior minis switch the made protruding  slighty. So this may be the reason why they are turning on.  As there were never these problems reported with the sr baton torches which are very similar just without the tail switch.

[chip]

One of the people on the British Facebook group who had the warrior mini come on burning a hole in the clothing was wearing a onesie 

[Dan B]

I just tried turning mine on by shorting the switch. It does not turn on. The original m2r had a flush tail switch and people complained it was hard to turn on with thick gloves. So the warrior minis switch the made protruding  slighty. So this may be the reason why they are turning on.  As there were never these problems reported with the sr baton torches which are very similar just without the tail switch.

I suspect that had something to do with it but even my M2R before the mod would turn on inadvertently. After I modded it I've only had a couple of times that it turned on and those were when I had to crawl under something.

I wonder how the mini would do with a momentary only rear switch.

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

[chip]

Well olight are offering refunds to everyone who wants one and have suspended sales on there website with all warrior minis showing as out of stock .
So I think they are probably working hard on a redesign as the mini, pocket burning aside is a great torch.

[Aloha]

I have an S1R and I'm glad it has the ability to press hold to deactivate.  I also like the ability to slightly unscrew a light to deactivate.  I have had tail switch lights turn on without noticing till i felt the heat.  I tend to always slightly unscrew my lights to deactivate. 

[ezdog]

In my experience every light that only offers an electrical or software lockout can turn on in my pocket.
If designed to turn on in Moonlight it can also be switched to a Junk Burning mode without my help by the same oddball thing that turned it on in the first place.

If there is no absolute mechanical tail loosened lockout then you seem to be begging for trouble sooner or later .

I cant say what goes on in my pockets to make this happen but it is evidently pretty busy on there and the light will turn on on its own.

[ezdog]

In my experience every light that only offers an electrical or software lockout can turn on in my pocket.
If designed to turn on in Moonlight it can also be switched to a Junk Burning mode without my help by the same oddball thing that turned it on in the first place.

If there is no absolute mechanical tail loosened lockout then you seem to be begging for trouble sooner or later .

I cant say what goes on in my pockets to make this happen but it is evidently pretty busy on there and the light will turn on on its own.

Every Olight that I have owned has had this happen unless I can lock it out mechanically.

[cody6268]

My S1R Baton II can burn me on high. It gets that hot. Mine mostly stays stuck by the magnet to the headboard of my bed, and quite frankly, the modes are a headache.

[gadgetman7]

The Older Warrior Pro I have can be shorted to turn the light on. I have a video of it but I can’t load it here. I couldn’t get the Warrior Mini to do it though.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[nate j]

IMO, this is a defective product/design. 

Designers should have considered how people normally carry and use flashlights.  Yes, there is a pocket clip, but a reasonable person might elect to carry a flashlight loose in the pocket (perhaps even in the same pocket with other items), in a toolbox, in a backpack, etc.  If the flashlight has a tendency to get accidentally activated in any of those situations, that’s annoying, because the batteries will probably be dead when you need the light.  If the light has a tendency to get accidentally activated in those situations, and it gets hot enough to burn the user and or catch their clothing or bag on fire, then its a dangerous product and a defective design.

This is not the equivalent of “I forgot to close my folder before dropping it in my pocket”.  It’s the equivalent of “my folder keeps coming open in my pocket by itself”.

[Dan B]

IMO, this is a defective product/design. 

Designers should have considered how people normally carry and use flashlights.  Yes, there is a pocket clip, but a reasonable person might elect to carry a flashlight loose in the pocket (perhaps even in the same pocket with other items), in a toolbox, in a backpack, etc.  If the flashlight has a tendency to get accidentally activated in any of those situations, that’s annoying, because the batteries will probably be dead when you need the light.  If the light has a tendency to get accidentally activated in those situations, and it gets hot enough to burn the user and or catch their clothing or bag on fire, then its a dangerous product and a defective design.

This is not the equivalent of “I forgot to close my folder before dropping it in my pocket”.  It’s the equivalent of “my folder keeps coming open in my pocket by itself”.

I agree. It's been a problem with earlier iterations of the warrior line but apparently it's getting worse. I think that redesigning the tailcap or the way that it works would be a good place to start but they also need to recess the side switch or put a fence around it. Something that would require a more intentional action to activate it.

Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk

[Grunthos]

imo still leaves this squarely in the ball park of user error rather than design fault

+1

[ezdog]

+1

Really?
A light turning on in pocket while locked out is hardly user error.
Despite the fact that you do not accept this,it has been my exact experience.

There are plenty of lights on the market that will not do this too so it is an easy choice for me for sure.

[buggs]

Haven't heard a peep on this from Olight since the original email.  I have one of the new Warriors and haven't opened it.  It was in a bundle with others I wanted so it wasn't critical for me to get, but I haven it anyway.  My preferred Olight is the Seeker 2 anyway (not pocket sized of course). 

[GearedForwards]

Really?
A light turning on in pocket while locked out is hardly user error.
Despite the fact that you do not accept this,it has been my exact experience.

There are plenty of lights on the market that will not do this too so it is an easy choice for me for sure.

If there's a problem with the tail switch then okay, but for a light to not only come on from software lock out, but then enter turbo from the side switch is not that likely unless the button is being pressed frequently as well as being held for longer periods of time.

If this is a common occurrence for you, it does raise questions about how you may carry the light and why it would happen anywhere near once in a blue moon. Do you carry it clipped? Do you carry it loose in the pocket with a bunch of other stuff?

[ezdog]

If there's a problem with the tail switch then okay, but for a light to not only come on from software lock out, but then enter turbo from the side switch is not that likely unless the button is being pressed frequently as well as being held for longer periods of time.

If this is a common occurrence for you, it does raise questions about how you may carry the light and why it would happen anywhere near once in a blue moon. Do you carry it clipped? Do you carry it loose in the pocket with a bunch of other stuff?

There are plenty of great lights that I have where I need to make no real special considerations about the thing burning my junk down for any reason whatsoever.

Yes I carry a light with a bunch of other stuff every day.

These Olights are questionable that way at best and so I no longer carry them unless I can mechanically lock them out reliably and I like the light enough to bother with that.
They sometimes can not lock out and I dont prefer them anyway so I do not carry them anymore.

[GearedForwards]

There are plenty of great lights that I have where I need to make no real special considerations about the thing burning my junk down for any reason whatsoever.

Yes I carry a light with a bunch of other stuff every day.

These Olights are questionable that way at best and so I no longer carry them unless I can mechanically lock them out reliably and I like the light enough to bother with that.
They sometimes can not lock out and I dont prefer them anyway so I do not carry them anymore.

I'm going to assume that you loose pocket carry with other items since you didn't say about clipping. If you carry a device with a button in a pocket with other items, that button may be pressed, that is not on the flashlight design, that is on how you carry it. I'm curious what lockout modes or form factors that you don't have a problem with, even when i've loose pocket carried an unlocked out Olight I've never personally had a problem, and accidentally getting into turbo mode seems not particularly likely.

I thought it was weird that this style of light couldn't be locked out mechanically, the only Olight I won that can't is the i3T EOS which is a very different design. After checking a couple of flashlight forum reviews it does have a mechanical lockout, it's partial meaning that you can only lock out the tail switch not the sideswitch. I don't get why that is the case, but since the Tailswitch getting shorted or being accidentally depressed is the biggest concern and most likely occurrence to get into turbo mode, I again see this being on the users not the light.

You've clearly moved away from Olight as a brand, I'm glad that you have found a brand more to your tastes.

[ezdog]

I'm going to assume that you loose pocket carry with other items since you didn't say about clipping. If you carry a device with a button in a pocket with other items, that button may be pressed, that is not on the flashlight design, that is on how you carry it. I'm curious what lockout modes or form factors that you don't have a problem with, even when i've loose pocket carried an unlocked out Olight I've never personally had a problem, and accidentally getting into turbo mode seems not particularly likely.

I thought it was weird that this style of light couldn't be locked out mechanically, the only Olight I won that can't is the i3T EOS which is a very different design. After checking a couple of flashlight forum reviews it does have a mechanical lockout, it's partial meaning that you can only lock out the tail switch not the sideswitch. I don't get why that is the case, but since the Tailswitch getting shorted or being accidentally depressed is the biggest concern and most likely occurrence to get into turbo mode, I again see this being on the users not the light.

You've clearly moved away from Olight as a brand, I'm glad that you have found a brand more to your tastes.

I carry several lights all of the time.

My Primary lights are all Zebralight.
Never an issue with a ZL,better efficiency,more emitter choices,more modes and programmability than everything else and just work all the time so far for me.

My main and most powerful I clip to the top of my right pocket and it never turns itself on with neither electronic nor mechanical lockout and again has not turned on by itself ever that I can remember.

If I carry in pocket loose then they need to have a mechanical lockout and I do carry a lot of other stuff in pocket all at the same time.
These lights are always a twisty of some kind or one like the olight that do mechanically lockout sometimes an SR1 Mini.

It seems idiotic to me to not have a mechanical lockout on a light period.

[buggs]

FWIW Olight did follow through with compensation for the Warrior Mini issues for those that didn't return them.  I was one of those (in Canada) and I got my Obulb (tiny little thing, I don't think I'd have paid for it, but it is neat) and the odd little sleeve thingies that are meant to be somehow preventative measure for pocket carry turning on. 

Apparently 90% of folks didn't return their Warrior Mini's.  I haven't even unpackaged my Warrior Mini as I really haven't had a burning need to (way too many flashlights at this point) so would the issue affect me?  Perhaps.  I will say this about most of the Olights I own - they burn hot.  Using high settings on most of them will cause them to get very, very warm at the light end.  I can't say if that's an issue for other lights and I've never had another Olight turn on spontaneously in my pocket so it's not a huge issue.  But my Warrior X would probably burn fingers after a few minutes at the high setting.  A few others get warm as well but if you're cautious then it's not a problem.  Which is entirely different than turning on unbidden in your pocket. 

YMMV.

[GearedForwards]

FWIW Olight did follow through with compensation for the Warrior Mini issues for those that didn't return them.  I was one of those (in Canada) and I got my Obulb (tiny little thing, I don't think I'd have paid for it, but it is neat) and the odd little sleeve thingies that are meant to be somehow preventative measure for pocket carry turning on. 

Apparently 90% of folks didn't return their Warrior Mini's.  I haven't even unpackaged my Warrior Mini as I really haven't had a burning need to (way too many flashlights at this point) so would the issue affect me?  Perhaps.  I will say this about most of the Olights I own - they burn hot.  Using high settings on most of them will cause them to get very, very warm at the light end.  I can't say if that's an issue for other lights and I've never had another Olight turn on spontaneously in my pocket so it's not a huge issue.  But my Warrior X would probably burn fingers after a few minutes at the high setting.  A few others get warm as well but if you're cautious then it's not a problem.  Which is entirely different than turning on unbidden in your pocket. 

YMMV.

The sleeve is meant to stop a piece of metal bridging the switch, not accidental depression of the tail switch.

Hot lights are a side effect of the power in pocketable for factors, not had an issue in 7 years of carrying a 1000 lumen light, but that's just me.

[chip]

I took advantage of olights offer and returned the warrior mini i bought from them and replaced it with a Fenix e28r, problem solved. i was slightly tempted to take the obulb but have no real use for one and knew sods law i would be one of the ones who burn their clothing as i would not use the electronic lock out every time i used it.

[tattoosteve99]

Late to this party but I will give my 2 cents so it’s probably not worth much 🤷🏼  Olight is junk. Shear crap. I know I used to own some. They are not about quality or customer service. That is unless you spend more money on lights than you do or cars. Yes real automobiles. There policy is this. 3-4 year warranty on all their lights, however if you buy a ton and make it into their select group 🙄 you get a lifetime warranty. But only if you stay in that group. Meaning you have to purchase x-number of lights each month or year or you loose that warranty. Their quality sucks, their tints sucks, the lights themselves sucks, their CS sucks. I guess by now you figured that I dislike olight. No in fact I don’t. I hate them cause, yep you guessed it, THEY SUCK!