OLIGHT M23 Javelot (1x18650,XP-L De-domed) REVIEW

Olight has released a high throw version of one of its most popular flashlights,M22 Warrior.
The new flashlight is called M23 Javelot,featuring De-domed Cree XP-L LED and updated tail-cap.

A look at the sides.
Matt black/dark grey anodizing. Very clean finish. The same exciting design,characterized with 12 cooling fins!

The newest thing in the flashlight-the de-domed Cree XP-L LED allowing a great distance of throw from such a small flashlight.
47500cd peak beam intensity and 436m(1430FT) throw distance. (according to the specifications provided by Olight)

The M23 fits well in hand,even can be a bit short for people with big hands.
The increased tail diameter gives a little more stability while pressing the switch.

Flashlights with a grip ring are my preferred.
The grip ring allows stable grip,even the flashlight lacks good knurling.
"Cigar" grip is also an option.

Standard for the tactical series flashlights,plastic case for carrying/storing the flashlight and its accessories.

You can see most of the important flashlight characteristics,on the back side.

The M23 comes with the same semi-hard holster,as the M22. Not my favorite type,but favorite to many other people.
White diffuser is again included. Great option for occasions when a wide flood beam is needed. The diffuser turns the highly focused beam in a nice flood working,or camping light.
There are also-two CR123A battery magazine,three spare O-rings and nice Olight lanyard.

Here is a comparison with the previous model,M22 Warrior.
The shape and dimension are almost untouched,as the new elements are the fully redesigned tailcap and the front bezel.

The front C-shape O-ring is now black color.

The tail switch cap is much larger in diameter.

The head is completely covered with cooling fins,important for the good heat transfer. One of the strongest parts of the M22/23 design.

I can't define the bezel,as a tactical strike one.It is quite smooth,with round edges.
It is pocket friendly,if I can say it this way.

The whole tail cap is fully redesigned,inside and outside.
The top of the contact minus pole is now flat.
I don't know,if the reason is the possibility of accidental retaining ring loosening,but now there is no visible metal retaining ring and the contact periphery around the minus pole is made of plastic.

More pictures of the M23's tailcap.

The flashlight can be disassembled on three main parts.
The pocket clip is locked by the grip ring. Both can be removed,if needed.
Square cut threads at both ends. Precisely machined.
Protected 18650 batteries fit well in the tube.

Just to confirm,that my sample is not a special review sample,the contact board at the head came smudged with something.
I can't figure out yet,what exactly is it-a soldering paste,or any kind of glue. Anyway,it is very hard to clean(I tried unsuccessfully with alcohol and acetone),but good news is that this does not affect the proper functioning in any way.
As you can see,the spring is also slightly off center.

A very close look at the laser engraving and the interesting knurling.

Aluminum,smooth reflector. Slightly different shape compared to the M22's reflector.
Cree XP-L LED. The led is de-domed increasing the throw capability of the beam.
There is a thin layer of silicone(not sure) for reducing the green hue and increasing the die impact resistance.
Looked at a certain angle,the layer is not flat. It is slightly lowering at the ends of the LED.
The lens was absolutely clean when received. Anti-reflective coating,for better light transmittance.

User Interface

I like the way Olight illustrates the UI on their products,so I will save you my explanation this time,
by posting pictures of the actual user manual.

Output measured by me:
High 920 Lumens (after 30sec)
Mid 375 Lumens
Low 32 Lumens

The lumen reading on High mode is lower than the stated in the specifications.
The reason might be that Olight is testing the flashlight with two CR123A batteries,which supply higher voltage.
I tested only with a 18650 battery.

I did not test the peak beam intensity yet.


Time vs Lumen output graph.
High mode. A small cooling fan was used,because the flashlight was static through the whole test.
Battery-Keeppower 3100 mAh

The graph is pretty similar to the previous Olight M22.
There is a difference in the timed brightness stepdown.
Now,probably because of the little higher output,the stepdown starts at the 5th minute,continuing gradually to the 6th minute(the stepdown on the earlier model,comes two minutes later).
If the High mode is still needed and the flashlight is not too hot,you can activate it again by restarting the light.

Brightness after the stepdown=660 lumens.

At a little over 20% of the initial output,the M23 makes second step-down to 10% of the initial output.
There is a low voltage warning function. Once the battery voltage is too low,the light switches to a something like a low brightness Strobe mode.
The intermittent output will allow saving some current,allowing a little more lighting time,as well.
This period is the thick blue section of the graph. Actually it is a curve of multiple lines,very close each other.

The output depends on the voltage. Using two CR123A batteries will give you constant output,through the whole battery discharge.
Using a high drain 18650 IMR battery will also result in a better performance after the 45th minute.

Beam performance

Main point of de-doming the LED is making the light source smaller and emitting the light at a smaller angle,resulting in a smaller and more focused hotspot.
Side effects of treating the LED this way,are lower lumen output and tint shift,to a warmer tint,most often to a slightly yellowish and greenish,especially for the cool white LEDs.

I did all possible to represent the real beam tint on the pictures I show in the review.
However it's hard to judge for the tint only by the pictures.There are too many factors that could affect the color reproduction-screen brightness,white balance setting,contrast,etc.

White wall

Comparing to the M22.

As expected,the beam of the Olight M23 is more focused,with a warmer tint.
My biggest critique about the beam,is the clearly visible,bright ring around the corona.
It is clearly visible at any distance of illuminating.
Sure it will be not so visible outdoor on а variable terrain,but yet I would prefer a beam without parasitic rings or artifacts in a flashlight of this level.

Regarding the tint,I can't complain here. In normal use,without comparing to a better NW lights,even on a white wall,the beam looks naturally warmer.
Comparing to my Olight S10,the M23's light reproduces colors in a much better way.

1 meter, White wall

I did all possible to represent the real beam tint on the pictures I show in the review.
However it's hard to judge for the tint only by the pictures.There are too many factors that could affect the color reproduction-screen brightness,white balance setting,contrast,etc.

1 meter, white wall, white balance locked on all pictures
1/20sec

The ring around the main part of the beam is visible at 5 meters,as well as at 1 meter.

1/50sec

5 meters
1/50sec

After testing the M23 for some time,I am sorting my conclusion in two groups.

Good points-Almost unchanged design of the M22,with the impressive cooling fins;Good construction;Stable grip ring and pocket clip,both removable; Good output for a single 18650 flashlight; Just three constant modes and one flashing; Direct access to High mode and Strobe;
Excellent quality of the aluminum alloy body;Protected 18650 batteries fit well; Tail-standing option; Diffuser cap included in the standard accessories;Low voltage warning; Memory mode works great,as usual for Olight; The produced light is nice neutral white,with quite acceptable color rendition; Great distance of throw for so compact flashlight;

Weak points-The switch has a bigger rubber cover,but sits lower in the tailcap; Depending on the position in the hand,the periphery around the switch,may be uncomfortable; Pretty noticeable parasitic ring in the beam; My sample came with very loose bezel,that was rattling when shaking; Be sure to check the bezel on your flashlight when receiving,to avoid water sealing problems.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks to Olight and Olight.bg for providing the M23 Javelot for test and review!