Olight ST25 can be powered by 2xAA Alkaline or 2xNiMH batteries.
Cree XM-L2 LED with maximum lumen output of 550 Lm. 4400cd beam intensity.
The flashlight is the first using a two switch design-two electronic switches-side and tail.
The UI is convenient and allows flexibility of using the 5 brightness modes and Strobe mode.
Comparing to Olight S10 L2. Deeper reflector.Deeper pocket clip. Almost the same good design.
The side switch cap is the same size and color as before,but the switch inside is stiff with a loud click sound.
Harder to press accidentally when compared to the S10.
5 year warranty from the manufacturer.
Olight ST25 comes in nice transparent plastic box. Most of the important information about the flashlight is stamped directly on the box.
Basic accessories. Very good lanyard,two spare O-rings. No holster.
In the box will find also user manual and product brochure with other models Olight flashlights.
The low self discharge AA batteries that I used for the tests fit well in the battery tube.
Alkaline and NiMH batteries fit well.
Some of the NiMH batteries(not Low self discharge batteries) that I tested in the flashlight fit tightly(in width).If they heat up slightly in use,may be a problem to take out of the flashlight when they have to be replaced.
No chance for protected 14500 Li-Ion batteries to fit in ST25. Theoretically ST25 can be powered by one 14500 battery using a dummy battery to fill/connect the empty space in the tube.
The battery tube is thick.Everything is very well built.Stable construction.
Gold plated spring in the tail.
Thick,anodized square-cut threads.Very well made.
The new 'stealth' silent tail switch acts as an electronic switch. Disconnects the circuit when pressed.
This is a signal for the driver to turn ON/OFF the light.
The switch is silent(without click sound). This could be a big advantage in some situations.
The metal tail switch has the same color as the rest of the flashlight.It is slightly recessed in the tail and allows stable tail-standing.
User Interface
The UI of the ST25 is very well designed.Using all modes is convenient and easy.
The combination of two electronic switches gives even more freedom when switching between the modes.
The modes are Ultra Low-Low-Mid-High-Turbo (in that order),as the main modes are Low-Mid-High.
The modes can be selected only from the side switch. Press the side switch to turn ON/OFF the light. Press and hold for a second (while the light is ON) to change mode.
Turbo can be activated only after double clicking the side switch. There's no memory for this mode.
Ultra Low can be activated initially with holding the side switch for about a second(from OFF).There is memory for this mode and the flashlight will start again on Ultra Low mode when you press any of both switches. If you cycle through the next Low-Mid-High modes the light will forget the Ultra Low mode and will cycle only Low-Mid-High-Low-Mid-High...
The Strobe mode can be activated by double click the side switch when the light is ON.
The tail switch is used only for ON/OFF.
Something very interesting here,that I like a lot is about the memory function for the Strobe mode.
If you stop the light in Strobe mode,next time when you press the side switch,it will start on any of the last used(before activating Strobe) modes.No memory on the side switch for Strobe. But if you press the tail switch,it will activate directly Strobe mode if the light is turned OFF previously by the side or tail switch after using Strobe.
This is a great 'tactical' feature on this flashlight. Can be easily used as a defense option.
As before,for protection of accidental activation,the flashlight has locking function for both switches.
Press and hold the side switch for about 2 sec will lock the side switch. The tail switch still can be used. It is nearly impossible to press accidentally and this gives you an option to use the flashlight as a single mode flashlight,without worrying for the side switch.
If you want to lock and the tail switch,this is also possible. Just press and hold the side switch for 3 sec.This will lock both switches.
To unlock the buttons,press and hold the side switch for a second. After unlocking the light starts on Ultra Low mode.
The flashlight has only electronic switches which requires a small stand by current draw.I measured 320 micro amps,which is higher than usual.
Lock out is possible(unscrewing a little the tail cap to disconnect any contact with the batteries). If you will not use the flashlight for a long time,it is recommended to lock out the tail cap.
This graph shows the output measured with 2x1,2V low self discharge batteries,once on Turbo,once on High mode and High mode when using regular(cheap) alkaline batteries from the supermarket.
The ST25 Baton has quite good run time performance.
Green-Turbo NiMH
Red-High NiMH
Blue-High Alkaline
Smooth aluminum reflector. Cree XM-L2 LED-perfectly centered.
Ultra clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating. Very clean and clear with very high light transmittance.
Thick stainless steel bezel protects the front of the head and holds the glass and reflector in place.
Blue water sealing ring with glow in the dark particles.
Thanks to the rear/tail switch the flashlight can be held in classic grip.
The grip is stable and comfortable.The light will not slip off the hand when pressing the tail switch.
The side switch is easy to use.
The flashlight can be held stably even in cigar grip.
The light from the Cree XM-L2 Led used in ST25 is nice white light.Cooler tint than the S10 L2,but no greenish or bluish tint,which is very good.
The beam from the smooth reflector is not so clean,smooth,floody as a beam from an orange peel reflector,but the smooth reflector gives more intensity in the center of the beam.
The ST25 is very bright flashlight and gives quite enough illumination for regular EDC,outdoor sport,camping or other use.
Comparing to Olight S10L2, with the low self discharge batteries,my ST25 on Turbo is a little dimmer than the S10 L2.
1 meter distance,white wall
Olight ST25 Turbo-High-Mid-Low
1/20sec
Olight S10, Sunwayman S10R,Jetbeam RRT0
Olight ST25 Turbo-High-Mid-Low
1/250sec
Olight S10, Sunwayman S10R,Jetbeam RRT0
5 meters
1/6sec
Olight ST25 Turbo-High-Mid-Low
5m 1/6sec
5meters 1/50sec
Outdoor
The beam is a little narrower than the S10's beam due to the deeper reflector.
Thanks to the smooth reflector(instead of orange peel) and its depth the beam has more concentrated in the center
which gives a better distance of throw.
Olight ST25 Turbo
Olight ST25 Low-Mid-High-Turbo
Olight ST25 Low-Mid-High-Turbo
~50m
The ST25 can be easily attached to a belt or backpack.
The pocket clip is quite good for that as only its loop for a lanyard could be a problem when attaching to thick objects.
But the clip is longer than the clip of the model S10 and is deep enough for secure attaching.
The ST25 Baton from Olight is a great choice if you need a good strong built flashlight that uses conventional type of batteries - rechargeable or alkaline that are easy to find and don't need too much care. The flashlight is slim,lightweight,doesn't take too much space,easy to carry.
The new silent tail switch is very good idea and gives you an option to use the flashlight as a regular tail switch flashlight.
The side switch has the same design as the previous Baton lights. But inside is used a switch which requires a firmer pressing to activate it. This makes it harder to activate accidentally.Still possible,but there's a locking function which adds more protection.
Loosening-tightening the tail cap is the same as pressing the tail switch.When you screw on the tailcap after replacing the batteries,the light starts,because it thinks that the tail switch is pressed.This is not something that I like,but can't be avoided with this switch design.Just should be careful not to shine the light in someone's eyes.
Thanks for reading!
Olight ST25 was provided by Olight for review.
