On The Road M3 (1x16340/CR123A) EDC Flashlight Review

Hello
I am reviewing for you a nice RCR123A battery powered flashlight,called On The Road M3.
The flashlight was kindly provided for test by GearBest.com
Check out their website for this flashlight and many other models.
Here is a short link to the OTR M3 product page- https://goo.gl/fvBSQE
 
Get the flashlight for just $19.20 with the promo code OTRM3S

As most serious flashlights in our days,the M3 is made of durable Aluminum alloy material.
It is carefully anodized without spots or scratches. The body is precisely machined without dents or sharp edges. Overall I am glad to find that the OTR M3 has no visible imperfection in the exterior.

Anodized surface has matte finish with a color which can be defined as a mix of grey and brown.

The small flashlight comes in a nice hard cardboard box.

Spare O-rings,lanyard and nice holster/pouch are included in the set.

The M3 is available also in a pack with battery and charger included.

There is a good deep pocket clip already attached and ready for use.
It is not too soft or too tight,so it should do its job quite well.

In my medium size hand.
Dimensions of the M3:  (L x W x H): 7.00 x 2.30 x 2.30 cm / 2.76 x 0.91 x 0.91 inches

Specifications according to the Manufacturer:
Brand: ON THE ROAD
Model: M3
Lamp Beads: Cree XM-L2 U2
Beads Number: 1
Lumens Range: 500-1000Lumens
Luminous Flux: 920Lm
Luminous Intensity: 4200cd
Color Temperature: 1A 6500-7000K; 5C 3800-4000K
Switch Type: Side Clicky
Feature: Anti-Roll Rugged Design,Die-cast Unibody,Lightweight,Overheating Protection,
Pocket Clip,Power Indicator,Stainless Steel Bezel
Function: Camping,EDC,Exploring,Hiking,Household Use,Night Riding,Walking
Battery Type: 16340,CR123A,RCR123
Battery Quantity: 1 x 16340 / CR123A / RCR123 battery (not included)
Mode: 8(Turbo - High - Mid - Low - Ultra Low - SOS - Strobe - Location Beacon)
Mode Memory: Yes
Waterproof Standard: IPX-8 Standard Waterproof
Working Voltage: 3.7V
Impact Resistance: 2M
Beam Distance: 100-150m
Body Material: Aerospace-grade Aluminum Alloy
Available Light Color: Cool White,Neutral White
Available color: Titanium Grey
And more copy/paste features:
Instant turbo and strobe mode, producing extremely intense illumination for self-defense.
Long press to turn ON / OFF, preventing accidental activation.
IPX-8 waterproof standard, copes with being dropped in a puddle or stream with no ill effects.
Built-in protection circuit: Short circuit / reverse polarity / over-voltage / over-discharge / over-current / over-heating protection.
Memory function / power indicator / low voltage warning.


Cree XM-L2 LED,orange peel reflector,red color rubber O-ring.
No anti-reflective coating on the glass lens.
Made of stainless steel front bezel/retaining ring.
My sample is with a cool white LED. The M3 is available also with a NW LED on the GearBest's website.

The overall machine work quality is impressive for a non premium brand flashlight.
You can clearly see the perfection of the square cut threads-perfectly anodized,as well.
No annoying scratches or dents on my sample.

The tail cap contains a thin but very strong round magnet.The M3 can be attached to different metal surfaces for easy hands free work.
The magnet can be removed in case you don't want to carry a magnet in your pockets.
Just have to remove the spring with tweezers.

Here you can see the front of the battery tube with the visible side of the driver board.
Interesting to see is the manufacturer name printed on the board,as well as its webpage.
There is no physical reverse polarity protection. I can not test if there is an electronic protection,so I would suggest to insert the battery with a care.

The tail end threads are impressive for a low priced product. Excellent anodizing and no sign of bad machine work. The simple square knurling is done pretty well,too.
Tailcap lock out is possible if you want to ensure physical disconnecting of the battery from the power source.

And here is the expected comparison with the main 'inspiration' the Olight S10.
The real difference in the design is mostly the cooling fins.

User Interface.
Operating the OTR M3 is relatively easy. However if you are not yet used to the press and hold activation,feeling comfortable the UI may take you some time.
As many other flashlights lately,to turn On the light,you have to press and hold the switch for a second.
The same operation turns the light Off.
To change the mode just briefly press the switch. Every single press will switch to the next mode.
Mode sequence is Moonlight-Low-Mid-High. Last used mode is instantly recorded for the next activation.
Turbo mode is not part of the base sequence and can be activated only with double clicking the switch from Off or On state.
Three quick presses will activate Strobe mode from On or Off state. Single click from Strobe goes to Beacon and SOS.

Below is the expected Runtime graph that has the purpose to illustrate the maximum performance of the reviewed flashlight and to give an idea for the achievable run times.

I tested the OTR M3 on Turbo,High and Mid mode(twice).
Battery used for the tests Olight RCR123A 650mAh .
A small cooling fan was used for Turbo and High mode tests-ensuring optimal work temperature.

The M3 starts its Turbo mode with impressive output of about 870 lumens.
As we may expect it is hard for the small RCR123A battery to maintain such a high output for a long time.
The initial brightness drops down quickly.Yet,the output is still quite high in the first minutes.
From the 3th to the 4th minute there seem to have a step down(it is different in Turbo and High mode,so I am not sure it is timed). The output after the step down is constant 494Lm,according to my measurements.

The High mode performed in a quite different way,in my test. The step down came earlier and the constant output after that lasted just a few minutes.Initial output 595Lm, 500 Lm after step down.

I run the Mid mode test two times,as in the first test I cycled all modes(including high mode) quickly before starting the flashlight on the planed Mid mode,but as we can see from the graph,this affected the performance in the last 15 minutes of the run.
The brightness in both Mid tests was about 285Lm.
The good news is that the M3 features a Low voltage warning-flashing red light under the switch.
Even better-after all tests the resting battery voltage was 3.2V. The OTR M3 seems to feature a low voltage protection,as well.

As with all flashlights that work with a momentary switch,the M3 draws a small StandBy current of 6,4microAmps.
Initial Lumen outputs,according to my non-professional measuring equipment:
Moonlight mode:3Lm
Low mode: 148Lm
Mid mode: 292Lm
Hiigh mode: 595Lm 
Turbo mode: 870Lm
(I can't guarantee full accuracy of my Lumen measurements)

Beamshots
The light from the Cree XM-L2 LED is cool white with very slight greenish/yellowish tint.
Well mixed beam thanks to the textured reflector. No noticeable artifacts or darker holes.

3 meters distance

Good points:
Excellent machine work and anodizing;Nice finish with distinguishing look;
Good beam profile for EDC light; Good pocket clip;Comfortable side switch with back illumination for LV warning; Direct access to Turbo and Strobe modes; Instant mode memory;
Low voltage protection and warning; Works with all protected 16340 batteries I have for test;

Possible weak points:
The step from Moonlight mode to Low mode is large and hard to the eyes;
The switch has a hard feel and resist accidental pressing well,however unwanted activation is still possible; Somewhat inconsistent discharge performance; No direct access to the lowest mode;
Uses popular design well established by other brand (Olight);

Here is a short link to the OTR M3 product page- https://goo.gl/fvBSQE
Get the flashlight for just $19.20 with the promo code OTRM3S
You can get also other great flashlights with 18% OFF Coupon code LIG18OFF

Link to GearBest's Flashlights page: https://goo.gl/TQIvv2

Thanks for reading!
As usual thanks to the provider of the review sample- GearBest.com

Lumintop Torpedo 007, 1xCR123A,stainless steel luxury flashlight REVIEW

The Torpedo 007 is a CR123A powered flashlight in a luxury stainless steel shell flashlight offered by Lumintop.
They are known with their great tactical light,the TD16 and the powerful multi LED PS03 but also produce beautiful small EDC flashlights.
Torpedo 007 is a 65mm long compact flashlight meant for people that like more special looking lights,great as a gift,great as a EDC flashlight.
The flashlight has a torpedo/bullet form with a beautiful smooth,reflective body finish.
The finish reminds me a lot on a chrome plated metal. Characteristic sign of the flashlight is the Gold plated ring with etched flame figures. You will also be surprised to see a Tritium insert in the tail switch.

Lumintop also provided discount codes for my readers.
(not paid links and codes)
US Amazon store: http://amzn.to/2421r4t
WE6SUROE
UK Amazon store: http://amzn.to/293oBQQ
PP3Z3S5A
DE Amazon store: http://amzn.to/290zJjK
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Size and finish comparison.
CR123A battery - Lumintop Torpedo - CQG Bullet - ThruNite T20T - Olight S1
All flashlights run on CR123A battery.

Lumintop Torpedo and CQG bullet are made of stainless steel.The T20 is in its Titanium version.

Front view at the reflectors.
Lumintop Torpedo(Cree XP-L + textured reflector)
CQG Bullet(Cree XP-G + textured reflector)
ThruNite T20T(Cree XP-G2 + textured reflector)
Olight S1(Cree XM-L2 + TIR lens)

Very clear and clean tempered glass lens with anti-reflective coating.
Aluminum reflector-textured for best beam profile.
Cree XP-L V5 LED.
Stylish red O-ring for sealing the glass lens.
Well center LED.

The Torpedo 007 comes in a luxury brown box. Great for collectors,as a gift or just if you like to see that more care is taken to the packaging.

In the box-well explained instruction sheet,Keychain with carabiner,Two spare O-rings.

The included 1500mAh CR123A battery is protected from discharging during the delivery with a yellow sticker. You have to remove it before first use.

Tailcap design with long channels for lanyard or split ring attachment.
The tail cap fits perfectly to the battery tube with no gap. All parts connected looks as a nice peace of metal.
There is nothing in the form that could cause dis-comfortable grip.No sharp edges.
One thing that differs the Torpedo from almost any other similar flashlight is the miniature continuous glowing stick(Tritium vial) which usually can be found only in custom made/modified luxury collectors flashlights.
Lumintop is giving us the chance to get it right out of the box on a quite reasonable price.

The advantage of a continuous,battery free glowing light in the tailcap/switch is easy location and use of the switch,as usually it is very hard to distinguish tail end from the reflector end in the dark,taking the flashlight out of a pocket. The glowing is very low and hard to notice in ambient light,but is quite good in the dark.
The stick in my sample has a greenish light. It is fixed in place with a plastic/maybe epoxy material with a bulging like a convex lens shape.This ensures great protection for the glowing insert and allows to see it sideways.
No anti-roll design of any kind.You will have to attach a split ring to be able to leave it stable on a table.
As you may noticed from the picture,tail-standing is not from the strongest points of the flashlight.
The lens shaped switch button protrudes enough to make it unstable.

Precisely machined tail cap. Triangular-cut threads. Metal retaining ring.
Battery tube is well sized-rechargeable batteries with carefully packed protection like the Olight RCR123A fit well in the flashlight,while relatively curved batteries like the old Keeppower 16340 are too long and wide.

Close look at the laser engraved logo.

User Interface and Driver Performance
The Torpedo 007 has a little more specific interface but is quite easy to use.
4 different brightness modes,no hidden flashing or other special modes.
The switch is a momentary push button with light click sound.
To turn the light On,just press the switch.No press and hold in this flashlight.Quick and comfortable instant access to the light.
To turn it Off,again just briefly press the switch.
To change the mode-while the light is On,turn it Off then again On within a second.
That's it. Mode sequence is Low-Mid-High-Moonlight (yes the Lowest mode is latest in the sequence).
So,to be more clear,the way of operation is Low-Off-Mid-Off-High-Off-Moonlight. 
Mode spacing is very good. Low mode is quite low brightness for frequent use,so the Moonlight may get a limited use. Yet,if you prefer very low brightness first mode to use in full darkness,the Torpedo may not be suitable for you. Having in mind the way of changing the modes,Lumintop have chosen the correct first mode,which will be preferable by most of the users. 

Because of the electronic way of disconnecting the power to the LED,there is a small Standby current draw.
Initially it is about 100microAmps,decreasing after a few minutes to 10microAmps and maybe lower.
If you plan to store the flashlight for a long period,it is recommended to take out the battery to prevent unwanted discharge.

My lumen measurements show:
Powered with a rechargeable Olight 16340 battery 650mAh.
High mode 13Lm
Mid mode 100Lm
Low mode 660 initial, 635Lm after 30sec(on a primary 3V CR123A battery the maximum output will be lower)
Moonlight mode is hard to measure with my setup.

Comparison High mode vd Mid mode.
The 100 lumen Mid mode is easy for the battery and provides constant brightness for a little more than 230 minutes(3h 40 min). Discharging was terminated by the battery's low voltage protection.

High mode is impressively bright for such a small flashlight. Accordingly the performance is different from the low brightness modes. High output generates a lot of heat which requires programming the driver to decrease the brightness after few minutes work on the highest mode.
Here the programmed timed step down comes gradually around the second minute after activation.
For a small stainless steel flashlight the performance is good. We have 483 lumens after two minutes,which for a pocket-able EDC light is still quite useful.
340 lumen output after step down for about 16.5 minutes.
The combined total run-time is a little less than 20 minutes.

Check out my short video demo below.

Beamshots
The light from the Cree XP-L LED used here is Cool white with a hint of greenish,especially if you compare it to a beam with better color reproduction. The light is not distracting and should serve quite well in every day use.I can not say that color rendition is very good,but it is much better than the Olight's S10L2,which I was using for quite a long time and never liked the light from it.

Beam angle and profile are good. Thanks to the textured reflector beam is ring and artifact free with very smooth transition between hotspot and spill. Hotspot is relatively wide-suitable for frequent use in different situations.Does not disturb the vision when using it at close distance.

Beam profile

1/20 sec, White wall, 1 meter distance

White wall, 1 meter distance
1/250sec

Good points:
Beautiful luxury look and feel; Great chrome-plated like finish;Excellent machine work;
Comfortable switch with well defined clicks;
Easy to the eyes smooth beam; CR123A battery and keychain carabiner included in the set;
Works with both-primary and rechargeable CR123A batteries(2v to 4.2V operating voltage)

Possibly weak points: 
The gap between 100 lumen Mid and 650 lumen High mode may not satisfy everyone;
Beam's cool white tint may not be by any taste;
The interface takes some time to get used and requires a lot of clicking,although it is easy to operate; 

Thanks for Reading! I hope the review was helpful for you.

Thanks to Lumintop for giving the chance to test the Torpedo 007 and share my results with the world!
No aff Links to Lumintop's stores:
Website: http://www.lumintop.com/
DE Amazon store: http://amzn.to/290zJjK
AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/2529001
UK Amazon store: http://amzn.to/293oBQQ
IT Amazon store: http://amzn.to/29cRxlC
ES Amazon store: http://amzn.to/2dXGAIb
US Amazon store: http://amzn.to/2421r4t
CA Amazon store: http://amzn.to/29LZfWx

OLIGHT S1 Baton /1x16340(CR123A) battery REVIEW

Hello
I am happy to review for you one of the most pocket-able 16340 flashlights.This is the Olight S1.
It is a flashlight from Olight's Baton series lights and shares the same well known design of this series.
The S1 is almost identical with the S10,which is a preferred EDC flashlight by many people.
Very short body,easy user interface,good beam useful for every day use,tailcap magnet.
These were the main advantages of the S10. The new S1 features all of the good points,but now in even shorter body.
I was "testing" it for quite long time and it became my first choice for an EDC pocket flashlight.
It even displaced my MecArmy 10180 miniature light,just because the side switch allows me much faster and comfortable operation. 

The S1 is much shorter than many AAA flashlights,which makes it a perfect choice for everyday carrying.

Shortening the length is possible thanks to the redesigned battery tube and changes in the reflector.
The aluminum reflector is now replaced with a smaller TIR(total internal reflecting) acrylic reflector,which is the main part allowing less length of the head.
The other main update is the position of the battery,which have to be inserted in reverse position,with the negative pole going to the head. The plus pole contacts the tailcap. This is probably a result of redesigned driver board.

The side switch is also redesigned. It is now much less protruding compared to the S10L2 in its first design.The new switch cover is made of rubber(maybe silicone).
The diameter of the switch cover is a little larger than the S10's plastic button(my version is S10 L2,it was updated with a different switch later).
The new rubber button is a little uncomfortable at first touch.It is almost not protruding and feeling soft.These two characteristics of the switch have the purpose to prevent or at least to reduce the possibility of accidental activation. I was carrying the flashlight for quite a long time and in my opinion the design of the switch is successful. Yes,a 100% protection is hard to be promised,but after testing it by carrying in a pocket,I did not feel worried that the flashlight will start accidentally in my pocket.
The switch is hard to find in the darkness and requires a lot of touching to find it. But here comes the pocket clip,which will guide you with the position of the switch and will help finding it more quickly.
Pressing the switch with my thin fingers is relatively easy.I can't confirm it will be the same with bigger fingers than mine.

This is a picture from the user manual,explaining the UI.
It is very convenient and easy to operate. 
Great news is that the direct access to High and Moonlight mode is still available.

As any other flashlight with an electronic side switch,the S1 draws some current in Off state,which is actually Standby. I am happy to see that Olight is keeping this current at very low value.It is just 1,1uA (according to my measurements).

This is a run-time graph showing the performance of the S1 on its highest mode,powered by Olight RCR123A battery.
Pretty good performance for such a small flashlight. As expected for a small flashlight,there is a timed step down to prevent overheating. It comes about 1,5 minutes after activation and does decrease the brightness gradually.

My lumen measurements with freshly charged RCR123A battery:
High mode 600Lm,320Lm after step down
Mid mode 100Lm
Low mode 12Lm
UltraLow mode-I can't measure it with my equipment.

In my test,the discharge was terminated by the low voltage protection of the battery.
I am not impressed to see that the S1 has no low voltage protection,or it is not programmed correctly.
I prefer flashlights that feature low voltage protection,no matter the battery I use.
I am not a CR123A user and have no much knowledge about using this type batteries,but I suspect that many 16340 flashlights do not feature low voltage protection,because of their compatibility with the 3V CR123A batteries.Talking for CR123A batteries,I can only test Olight S1 with a 16340(RCR123A) battery. 

Below is a comparison of the reflectors of Olight S10 L2(left) and Olight S1 (right)

I have used TIR optics in flashlights many years ago and what I know is that most of them produce a beam with well defined hotspot(wide or tight) and the beam angle is usually limited in a defined circle.
It is hard to get the well flooded spill as with the conventional aluminum reflector.
The beam of the S1 can be defined as a big hotspot with not much spill around it-smaller angle of the beam with less bright spill compared to the S10L2.
I personally prefer the old beam from the conventional reflector,but looking at the difference in the length,I am thinking much less for the beam. The S1 is very comfortable for carrying and this dominates any other point of the flashlight.

Below is a beam angle comparison Olight S1- Olight S10L2

1 meter, 1/20sec

Beam color is clean Cool White. No visible tint.
As you can see from the picture below,there is a huge difference from the S10L2's greenish beam.

1 meter, 1/250sec

The S1 performs well on close to medium distance.

5 meters, 1/6sec
Olight S1- Olight S10L2- Olight S30

5 meters,1/50sec
Olight S1- Olight S10L2- Olight S30

The pocket clip has the same form,as only the length is slightly reduced.
Generally,I don't like the position of the lanyard loop.It is limiting the width of the clip and its main function,to fit on various objects as a thick belt or a backpack shoulder strap.

Below is the S1 disassembled. Only the tailcap is removable. You can see also the correct direction for inserting the battery.

The strong tailcap magnet can be removed,if you don't want to risk damaging electronic devices.

Battery tube length is very limited. It is recommend to use the shortest protected 16340.
Olight recommends using only protected batteries in the S1.
After testing the 16340's from Olight,with no doubt I highly recommend these batteries.They are specially designed for flashlights. Build quality is very high,as unlike all other protected Li-Ion batteries,the protection board is on the top end,allowing as compact dimension as possible. I like to see that the very controversial external connection between the plus and minus poles is not needed here,thanks to the smart work by Olight.

There is easily visible form difference between Keeppower's protected 16340 and Olight's 16340 batteries.

Using the flashlight is easy,thanks to the side switch.
Absolutely sufficient hand grip.
Other flashlights that operate by twisting the head are hard to use in many scenarios.

Here is the plastic packaging,standard for Olight.

The S1 is a great choice for people that prefer CR123A and 16340 batteries over the AAA/10440.
As advertised,the S1 is very compact and easy for pocket carrying.
I used it for quite long time after receiving it for review. I was a little reserved about the short,hard to find/press switch,but after some time using it,I don't meet any trouble using it.
Good user interface.I don't feel need of  different modes-the programmed ones are well selected.
I carry the flashlight in a pocket. Depending on the clothes,I would choose the S1 or a single AAA flashlight.
But in many cases,I found twisting the head of an AAA flashlight by only one hand,rather hard(especially if the flashlight has a thick O-ring for proper sealing). I have to have my both hands free,to be able to turn On and cycle the modes. So the S1's side switch in many cases is much more convenient.
Thanks to the high voltage of the Li-Ion battery,Olight S1 is able to provide very high lumen output.
It is always impressive to see that small flashlight to produce so bright beam,which could be very helpful sometimes.
My only concern is about the switch cover,which seems very thin and soft and I would not recommend to press it with a nail.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found some helpful information.

Thanks to Olight for providing the test sample and patiently waiting for the review!