Olight Baton 3 Pro Max (Cool White) Review
Olight Baton 3 Pro Max (Cool White)#
- Specifications
- Introduction
- Torch in use
- Build quality
- LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam
- Size and comparison
- User interface
- Batteries and charging
- Performance
- Beamshots
- Conclusion
- Price
- Product page
Specifications#
| Brand/model | Olight Baton 3 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| LED | Cool White 5700-6700K |
| Maximum lumens | 2,500 lm |
| Maximum beam intensity | 5,295 cd |
| Maximum throw | 145 m |
| Battery | 21700 |
| Onboard charging | Yes (magnetic charging) |
| Material | Aluminium |
| Modes | 3 |
| Blinkies | Strobe |
| Reflector | TIR |
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
| Review date | August 2023 |
Introduction#
Olight Australia kindly sent the Olight baton 3 Pro Max for review.
It is a 21700 EDC torch with a TIR optic and a floody emitter. This particular version has a Cool White emitter. There are also Neutral White and Warm White versions.
Here is my video review of the Olight Baton 3 Pro Max (Cool White):
I have not been paid for this review nor have I held back my opinions of this torch.
Packaging#
The Baton 3 Pro Max comes in white box with an image of the torch on the front and specifications on the back. The image feels raised and glossy. There is a sticker on the side to indicate whether it is Cool White, Neutral White or Warm White.
The following was included in the box:
- Olight Baton 3 Pro Max.
- Olight ORB-217C50 5000mAh battery.
- Magnetic charging cable.
- Pouch.
- L-Shape stand.
- User manual.
Torch in use#
The Olight Baton 3 Pro Max fits comfortably in my hand.
It has a massive pocket clip! It feels very secure and requires a fair amount of force to remove.
The rubber button cover feels squishy. The torch is controlled using this electronic side-switch. It does not have a tail switch like the Olight Warrior series.
The tube feels very grippy.
The magnet in the tail serves two purposes. It is for magnetic charging and it also allows the torch to be stuck to a metal surface so that it may be used as a work light.
A metal l-shape stand with adhesive was included to provide quick access to the torch.
The torch can tail stand.
A lanyard was not included but a lanyard could be attached to the hole in the pocket clip.
Build quality#
The Olight Baton 3 Pro Max is made of aluminium. It has a matte black anodised finish. There are no sharp edges.
The tube looks aggressive and feels grippy.
The head is a bit difficult to unscrew while the pocket clip is attached. I found it easier to unscrew the head by first removing the pocket clip. There is a yellow plastic insert that needs to be removed so that the battery works.
This torch requires a proprietary 21700 cell. The positive and negative terminals at the head of the battery provide power to the head of the torch.
LED, bezel, lens, reflector and beam#
The Olight Baton 3 Pro Max appears to have a Cool White CREE XHP50.3 HD emitter. A Redditor contacted Olight customer service to ask what emitter the Baton 3 Pro Max uses and they said that it is a XHP50.3. My test results line up with some of the CREE XHP50.3 HD 6500K 80 CRI options.
There is a TIR optic to provide a floody beam. The bezel is round and flat.
It is nice to see that Olight has improved the design by hiding the proximity sensor behind the TIR optic and by allowing it to be disabled.
The proximity sensor forces the light output to drop when the head of the torch gets too close to an object while using High or Turbo. This is a good way to avoid burning a hole in your pocket when accidentally activating the torch.
CCT, CRI, and duv#
I have taken Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) and Colour Rendering Index (CRI, RA of R1-R8) measurements with the torch positioned half a metre away from an Opple Light Master Pro III (G3).
The CCT is between 5884K and 6572K. The CRI is around 82.
The Delta u, v is slightly positive (green) on lower modes and less green on Turbo.
The floody beam has a wide spill and a large white hot spot.
| Mode | CCT (K) | CRI (Ra) | x | y | Duv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 5884 | 82.6 | 0.3239 | 0.3407 | 0.0037 |
| Medium | 5959 | 82.7 | 0.3225 | 0.3385 | 0.0033 |
| High | 6178 | 82.2 | 0.3183 | 0.3342 | 0.0031 |
| Turbo | 6572 | 81.3 | 0.3118 | 0.3266 | 0.0024 |
Calculate Duv from CIE 1931 xy coordinates
Dimensions and size comparison#
Dimensions#
I took the following measurements using a digital caliper.
| Measurement | Unit (mm) |
|---|---|
| Length | 153.38 |
| Head diameter | 38.22 |
| Tube diameter | 26.06 |
| Tail rotary diameter | 31.0 |
| Button diameter | 15.0 |
Weight#
I took the following measurements using a digital scale.
| Weight | Unit (g) |
|---|---|
| Torch | 156.5 |
| Battery | 73.0 |
| Torch with battery | 229.5 |
Size comparison with its competition#
From left to right: Olight Baton 3 Pro Max, Olight Warrior Mini 2, SPERAS E10, SPERAS EST, Brinyte E18 Pheme
From left to right: Olight Baton 3 Pro Max, Olight Warrior Mini 2, SPERAS E10, SPERAS EST, Brinyte E18 Pheme
User interface#
The torch is controlled by an electronic side switch and a magnetic charger. Yes, you read that correctly. The magnetic charger can be used to enable and disable the proximity sensor.
There are three modes in the main group:
- Low
- Medium
- High
There are shortcuts to Moonlight, Turbo and Strobe.
There is one blinky mode: Strobe.
| State | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Any | Press and hold for 1 to 2 seconds | Moonlight |
| Off | Click | On (mode memory) |
| On | Press and hold | Cycle (Low, Medium, High) |
| On | Click | Off |
| Any | Two clicks | Turbo |
| Any | Three clicks | Strobe |
| Off | Press and hold for > 2 seconds | Lockout |
| Lockout | Click | Battery level indicator turns red |
| Lockout | Press and hold for > 1 second | Unlock |
Mode memory#
Mode memory includes Moonlight, Low, Medium and High. High will be recalled if Turbo was previously used.
Temporarily disable the proximity sensor#
The proximity sensor can be temporarily disabled by clicking the button twice within five seconds of the proximity sensor activating.
Permanently disable the proximity sensor#
The user manual advises against disabling the proximity sensor.
The proximity sensor can be permanently disabled by connecting the torch to the magnetic charger and then by locking the torch.
The same process will enable the proximity sensor.
Timer#
A 3 minute or 9 minute timer can be configured to turn the torch off.
When the torch is on, double press and hold.
One blink indicates that a 3 minute timer has been set.
Two blinks indicates that a 9 minute timer has been set.
Strobe#
Strobe has a 13 Hz frequency at 2,500 lumens.
Battery level indicator#
There is a battery level indicator in the side switch. It may display a colour when the torch is turned on. The indicator will also display for five seconds when the torch has been shaken.
Normal mode:
| Colour | Battery level |
|---|---|
| Green | > 60% |
| Orange | 10 - 60% |
| Red | 5 - 10% |
| Blink Red | < 5% |
Moonlight mode:
| Colour | Battery level |
|---|---|
| Off | > 5% |
| Blink Red | < 5% |
Low voltage protection#
There is low voltage protection. The emitter turned off at 2.43V and the current cut out. It would be nice if it cut out around 2.5V to 2.9V instead of 2.43V. That said, the included battery has low voltage protection too.
I tested low voltage protection by connecting the driver of the torch to a bench power supply and then by lowering the voltage from 4.2V to 0V.
Low voltage protection was triggered in the battery at the end of the Turbo runtime test and I measured 0V. I charged the battery for a few seconds to get it to read 2.92V.
PWM#
I did not notice any visible PWM (flickering).
What I like about the UI#
- The UI is relatively simple.
- Shortcut to Moonlight.
- Shortcut to Turbo.
- Shortcut to Strobe.
- Proximity sensor can be disabled.
What could be improved#
- The procedure for turning the proximity sensor on or off could be simplified by not requiring the magnetic charger to be connected.
Batteries and charging#
Battery#
The Olight Baton 3 Pro Max came with a proprietary Olight 21700 cell installed. It arrived with a voltage of 3.50V.
I measured a capacity of 5033mAh by discharging the cell at a rate of 1A using a Vapcell S4+.
Here is video of the battery being assembled from when I visited the Olight factory.
Charging#
The 21700 cell can be charged inside the torch by connecting a magnetic charging cable to the tail.
The magnetic charging cable and torch has an advertised charging rate of 5V 2A.
Power supply: PinePower Desktop USB-A
USB Meter: AVHzY CT-3 (recommended by LiquidRetro)
Room temperature: 10 C
I charged the cell inside the torch with the magnetic charging cable from 2.84V to 4.10V. Charging completed after 3 hours 20 minutes. The charging rate was approximately 5V 1.8A. The magnetic charging cable light changed from red to green when charging finished.
Power supply compatibility#
I tried the following power supplies with the USB-A magnetic charging cable:
| Power supply | USB Type | Protocol | Does it charge? |
|---|---|---|---|
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | QC | Yes |
| PinePower Desktop | USB-A | Yes |
Performance#
Specifications from the manual:
| Lumen | Runtime | Throw | Candela | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2,500 + 800lm | 1 + 240min | 145m | 5,295cd |
| High | 800 + 120lm | 243 + 80min | 83m | 1,730cd |
| Medium | 120lm | 23h | 32m | 257cd |
| Low | 15lm | 180h | 10m | 29cd |
| Moon | 1lm | 60days |
Lumen measurements#
I used a bench power supply to measure the current at turn on.
| Mode | Amps at start | Specs | Lumens @turn on | Lumens @30 sec | Lumens @10 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon | 3.3 mA | 1 | |||
| Low | 0.02 A | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Medium | 0.19 A | 120 | 124 | 124 | 123 |
| High | 1.47 A | 800 + 120 | 816 | 796 | 755 |
| Turbo | 5+ A | 2,500 + 800 | 2,538 | 2,341 | 755 |
Moon was too low for my DIY lumen tube to detect.
Standby drain#
47.4 µA
Runtime graphs#
I used my own DIY lumen tube with a TSL2591 sensor and forked bmengineer’s project RuTiTe to record runtimes.
Note: Lumen measurements may be off by 10% with my DIY lumen tube.
The room temperature was approximately 10 C.
Runtime#
Here is a summary of the runtime results:
| Mode | User manual | Runtime | Turn off | Final voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 1 + 240min | 2h 50min 55s | 4h 15min 56s | 2.92 |
| High | 243 + 80min | 4h 20min 13s | 4h 20min 13s | 2.81 |
| Medium | 23h | 22h 33min 33s | 22h 33min 33s | 2.76 |
| Low | 180h | 10min+ | 10min+ | |
| Moon | 60days |
“Runtime” is the time until the output reduces to 10% of the output at 30 seconds (as per the ANSI/PLATO FL1 2019 Standard).
“Turn off” is the time until my DIY lumen tube no longer detects more than 1 lumen.
“+” indicates that the light remained on after recording had stopped.
I stopped recording after 10 minutes for the Low mode.
Moon was too low for my DIY lumen tube to detect.
It is nice to see that that Olight has included the estimated time for when the torch may step down. The torch managed to hit the claimed output within the first few hours.
The cold room temperature might have increased the internal resistance of the battery and reduced the capacity slightly. But I would only expect it to reduce the runtime slightly (e.g. 5-10%).
Overall, the sustained output was impressive but my runtime results fell slightly short of what Olight claimed on the box.
Throw#
I took lux measurements with a UNI-T UT383BT at 30 seconds. Low was measured at one metre. Medium, High and Turbo were measured at five metres.
| Mode | Specs (cd) | Specs (m) | Candela measured (cd) | Distance (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 29 | 10 | 33 | 11 |
| Medium | 257 | 32 | 200 | 28 |
| High | 1,730 | 83 | 2,100 | 91 |
| Turbo | 5,295 | 145 | 6,500 | 161 |
Beamshots#
I went to a local park and aimed the Olight Baton 3 Pro Max at a tree 70 metres away while using Turbo.
Beamshots were taken using a Sony RX100M2 using 3.2", f3.2, ISO 100, 5000K WB.
Olight Baton 3 Pro Max (Turbo)#
Olight Warrior Mini 2#
SPERAS E10#
SPERAS EST#
Brinyte E18 Pheme#
Conclusion#
The Olight Baton 3 Pro Max is a pretty good 21700 EDC torch. It is relatively slim and short.
The build quality is excellent.
The pocket clip is big and the tube has an aggressive look and feel.
I like the floody beam. The CRI is slightly better than expected but it is still low at around 70-80 CRI.
This particular torch has a very cool white CCT but there are Neutral White and Warm White versions available.
The sustained output is impressive. The initial output for the first 2-3 hours is great but the runtimes stopped slightly short of Olight’s claim on the box.
Magnetic charging can be very convenient. You don’t have to stuff around with taking batteries out to charge them.
I love how the proximity sensor can be enabled and disabled and how it is hidden away compared to my Warrior Mini 2.
I am kind of torn between the Baton and the Warrior series of Olight torches. I love a torch with a tail switch!
The Warrior 3S is another good 21700 EDC torch if you prefer both a side switch and a tail switch.
Pros:#
- Excellent build quality.
- Floody beam.
- Good sustained output.
- Decent runtime.
- Magnetic charging.
- Proximity sensor can be disabled.
Cons:#
- Low CRI.
- Proprietary battery.
Price#
Olight Australia is having sale with up to 40% off from 8:00 pm 21/08/2023 to 11:59 pm 23/08/2023 AEST:
Baton 3 Pro Max at olightstore.com.au
Product page#
Here is a 10% promo code that may be used when there isn’t a sale: TMM10
olightstore.com.au affiliate link
I may earn a commission if you use an affiliate link or a promo code. This will help fund future torch reviews and tutorials.