Finger-Length Flashlight Throws a Beam 1/3 Mile: Olight Baton Turbo Review

The Olight Baton Turbo, released this month, weighs 3.21 ounces (91 g). That’s about the weight of a deck of cards or three AA batteries. But push the button on this tiny torch and be amazed. On turbo, it launches 1,000 lumens to a distance of 1,673 feet (510 m).

It’s shocking to see such a bright, tight beam come from such a diminutive light. But the Baton Turbo is so much more than a long-distance light source. Read on to learn more.

In short: The Olight Baton Turbo is a “pocket thrower,” meaning a small flashlight that casts a tight, bright spotlight a long range. But thanks to a generous spill of light and very usable brightness settings, it works well at close range as well. Small, versatile, and easy to use, this fairly priced EDC flashlight is a fabulous tool for nightly use or as a home or vehicle emergency light source.

Compare the Olight Baton Turbo to others that made it onto GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Flashlights.

Olight Baton Turbo

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Specifications

• Max lumens: 1,000
• Max beam distance: 1,673' (510 m)
• Max runtime: 60 hours (10 lumens) 50 days (moonlight mode)
• Lighting modes: Five plus strobe
• Battery Included: 1,100mAh 18350 rechargeable li-ion battery
• Bulb type: High-performance cool white LED
• Color temperature: 6,500K–7,500K
• Size length: 3.22” (81.7 mm), head: 1.14” (29mm), body: 0.94” (24mm)
• Weight: 3.21 oz. (91g) including battery

Pros

• Pocketable
• Excellent long throw beam
• Very good user interface

Cons

• Tight beam limits close-range utility
• Magnetic charging requires specific cord, cannot use USB-C

Sean McCoy

Olight Baton Turbo Review

The Olight Baton Turbo is beautifully constructed. It feels robust and durable in the hand, with grippy knurling and solid aluminum construction.

It has a single side switch that provides a modest click when pressed. This controls on and off functions (single press), power selection (press and hold), and turbo activation (double press). It’s easy and intuitive.

Surrounding the switch are eight small indicator lights. Four lights on the left side of the light indicate the power level. The four on the right show battery life. It gives the user instant status of the light and is, again, very intuitive.

The flashlight comes with an 18350 rechargeable lithium-ion battery installed. It’s a powerful 1,100mAh battery. The light is also compatible with other 18350 batteries and can also run on CR123A batteries.

To charge it, you must use Olight’s proprietary magnetic charging system. This, to me, is the only negative about the Baton Turbo. I dislike specific cables for devices, especially when USB-C is so common and universal. But this is the case with most Olight models, so if you like the brand, you may have a couple of these chargers floating around anyway.

Olight Baton Turbo: Lots of Range, Good Spill

The Baton Turbo offers a wild amount of light for such a small tool. This thing sits in the palm of my hand, yet can light up a hillside hundreds of yards away. Granted, it has modest run time of 1 hour, 34 minutes on turbo + high power, and can only maintain turbo for 2.5 minutes at a time due to heat.

But realistically, the performance is spectacular for such a small light.

After the 2.5 minutes of turbo fade to high, the light puts out about 300 lumens for 90 minutes or a nice 60 lumens on medium for 10 hours. None of these numbers compete with the best larger EDC flashlights, but they are impressive for a pocket thrower.

And while the center spotlight is tight and focused, the light does have a very nice usable spill. That means that you can light the area around the center spot with a dimmer light. It allows a larger zone to be illuminated and helps both with long-distance searching and closer lighting needs in which the center spot would be too bright.

At $60, the Olight Baton Turbo is a heck of a nice small flashlight. It’s an ideal second light to carry in a backpack when you intend to mostly use a headlamp. Or it’s great to throw in a glove box as a spare light source for emergencies. But its best use is clipped into a pocket or on a belt for daily use.

If you need a long throw from a bright light, the Olight Baton Turbo should be a top choice if you don’t mind using a magnetic charging system.

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