Free Olight review thread-I3E

[yossarian]

I figured lots of folks jumped on this and it would be interesting to see what kind of sample size we can get. Got mine today and my intention is to use the hell out of it and come back here periodically to say it's either held up or it died. Anyone else who got one is more than welcome to do the same. Initial impression is "damn that's really small and really bright". Seems well made. For the $5 shipping it was definitely worth a shot. If it holds up then it's a good deal even at retail. My Streamlight Microstream looks monstrous in comparison.

[majorhavoc]

Mine arrived today. It's a pretty nice key chain light and certainly well worth the $5 shipping cost. The threads are nicely machined and the desert tan anodizing is flawless. The 90 lumen output seems like a good bit of light for such a small package. And it is small: about two and a quarter inches.

Having said that, it's either on or off (via twisting the head; no real switch gear on this light). With no medium or low settings, run time is advertised as a mere 45 minutes. For occasional/emergency use that's fine. But if it's a light you want to use frequently, the short run time could be a liability. I for one am not very good at estimating how many minutes I'm using my lights, much less keeping an accurate running total. If I used this light daily, I'd start getting nervous about remaining battery life after about a week of usage.

As I said in another thread, I don't actually need another key chain light; I have Nitecore Tubes on both my car and motorcycle key chains. Those are sub-$10 lights that are even lighter, USB-rechargable and have real switches with high and low output settings. Their 45 lumen max output is plenty-o-light for a key chain torch, for my needs at any rate.

On the other hand, this i3E EOS seems much better built than the Nitecore. I own an older M2 Warrior weapon light so I know Olight makes quality gear. Plus I can't resist a good deal, so here I am. Maybe I need to buy a third vehicle ...

[NT2C]

I got mine in this afternoon's mail and so far it's pretty impressive. Nice small size, good light output, solid construction. I also note that while the light is rated for 45 minutes using alkaline batteries, it's also rated for 70 minutes using NiMh rechargeables, which I just happen to have and plan to use in the light. (My little red Manker E02 light uses them too) I'll probably attach this as a zipper pull on my jacket during fall/winter/spring but for the summer it's going in the pocket of my sweats that I wear around the house.

[flybynight]

Holy crap this thing is tiny. Will check the light output when it gets dark ( and less than a 100 degrees )

ETA For it's size it is quite bright. To tell the truth I expected a somewhat bigger flashlight in size. I think it's worth the five bucks , but then again if I had seen this in a store . I wouldn't have given it a second glance. If I can convince the wife to add it to her edc it will find a useful place. She already carries two small 400 lumen Ultrafires that are much brighter ( three times the size. But which she loves to death) Otherwise it will stay right where I just put it. On the kitchen shelf. It's not bright enough for my use so I probably won't be carrying it.
EETA It's kinda growing on me. It actually will light up to my barn from the house 80 ft away.

[darmstrong]

I love it. Might be short on the battery life, but I generally carry an extra battery in my pack. I keep a flashlight in my pocket. My previous one was about 90 lumens with two AAA batteries and obviously a much longer life. It also stabbed me in the leg occasionally and was a PITA. This light is a perfect replacement.

[Ellywick]

Was really hoping mine would come in before I went on a trip this weekend, but sadly it did not.

Keep trying to convince my husband to also sign up and order one, but he doesn't want to

[NT2C]

Was really hoping mine would come in before I went on a trip this weekend, but sadly it did not.

Keep trying to convince my husband to also sign up and order one, but he doesn't want to

They're out of them now. I tried to get my wife to order one but the offer was over.

[Ellywick]

Was really hoping mine would come in before I went on a trip this weekend, but sadly it did not.

Keep trying to convince my husband to also sign up and order one, but he doesn't want to

They're out of them now. I tried to get my wife to order one but the offer was over.

Bummer. Well, at least I got one out of the deal. Hoping it will be in when I get back home. Been on a kick to get a bunch of keychain sized useful items, as I sometimes carry just a wallet/clutch instead of my larger EDC bag when I make a quick run out or leave my office for lunch.

[Ellywick]

Wootness! It came in!!! Was starting to worry it had been delivered to the wrong house, as we sometimes have issues with the mail. Haven't used it other than testing, but love that it is small enough to hang off of the ring on my wallet/clutch and is very bright for the size. Also seems really durable. Bright enough that I accidentally blinded my husband for a minute when I called him over to see it and he chose to lean down to look at it for some reason, lol.

I was only able to score one out of the deal, but if this continues to work well I might go ahead and pay full price for another one.

[JackBauer]

Great 'bonus' light. As others said..practically the size of the AAA it uses.

Got it and several other freebies when I ordered my weapon light on a black Friday sale.

[yossarian]

Great 'bonus' light. As others said..practically the size of the AAA it uses.

Got it and several other freebies when I ordered my weapon light on a black Friday sale.

Which weapon light did you get and what do you think of it.

My free light has ridden in the front pants pocket since I got it. Anodizing is disappearing on the sharper edges but that's about it. It's done several stints through the couch cushions but has, so far, avoided the washing machine.

[JackBauer]

Got the Baldr pro.
https://www.olightstore.com/baldr-pro.html
Sale price was like 20 percent off

[moab]

Does anybody really need a keychain light? I was thinking about this the other day. I was always bringing my 18650 Fenix PD35 with me. To search around inside my rental cars for things I might have left. But then I had a temporary failure. Which I fixed - user error. But while down I started using my flashlight app on my cell phone. And kept thinking I should just be using that. SO I did.

I like the larger 18650 flashlight for actually seeing in the dark. Like finding a street address at night. (I'm a PI.) Or just lighting up larger areas. But a keychain light is really superseded by the one on my cell phone. I guess if your talking redundancies then I get it. But isn't your cell phone light better and always with you anyway?

I know your cell phone could die. Or get broken. Or get left behind. But for everyday use. I'm not sure I'd use a keychain light. And I like less bulk in my pockets. I'm really minimalist that way. Maybe I'll regret it someday. But I think if I was bugging out I'd be concentrated on my 18650 flashlight. And/or my cell phone charging capability. And recharging my 18650's. I do have AA backup flashlights.

[NT2C]

Does anybody really need a keychain light? I was thinking about this the other day. I was always bringing my 18650 Fenix PD35 with me. To search around inside my rental cars for things I might have left. But then I had a temporary failure. Which I fixed - user error. But while down I started using my flashlight app on my cell phone. And kept thinking I should just be using that. SO I did.

I like the larger 18650 flashlight for actually seeing in the dark. Like finding a street address at night. (I'm a PI.) Or just lighting up larger areas. But a keychain light is really superseded by the one on my cell phone. I guess if your talking redundancies then I get it. But isn't your cell phone light better and always with you anyway?

I know your cell phone could die. Or get broken. Or get left behind. But for everyday use. I'm not sure I'd use a keychain light. And I like less bulk in my pockets. I'm really minimalist that way. Maybe I'll regret it someday. But I think if I was bugging out I'd be concentrated on my 18650 flashlight. And/or my cell phone charging capability. And recharging my 18650's. I do have AA backup flashlights.

For me, while the cell phone light can be used it's not really a great option. It's a flood style beam designed to work as the flash for the camera, so it sucks at providing really direct illumination; the phone itself is often too large to use in an area you want light (like down inside an engine bay, under the seats, or similar places); using the phone as a light also means I'm working one-handed, while with a small flashlight I can hold it in my mouth and use both hands; lights drain batteries pretty quickly, and if your phone is already low on juice a dedicated flashlight ensures you don't waste phone battery capacity; when using the flashlight on your phone you can't really use it for anything else, at least not easily, which could make troubleshooting a breakdown a bit of a hassle when you need a light while you talk to the mechanic on the phone. Meanwhile, a little flashlight on my keys that has good battery life and throws a pretty nice beam, eliminates those problems.

[darmstrong]

Does anybody really need a keychain light?

I picked up a small Olight about 6 months ago to replace the penlight I kept in my bag. I use my keychain light 3-4 times a week, especially in the winter. A colleague at work harassed me about it, especially when he uses his flashlight. However, being small enough to hold in my mouth and use both hands, being useful while I'm on the phone, and being small enough to have with me in times that I might not have my other gear are all reasons why I need it. Sure, I could move to a bigger flashlight, or headlamp, but this pretty well takes the cake for me.

[EBuff75]

I have an Olight I3S EOS on my keychain. I keep it as a backup to my main light (ZebraLight SC600 Mk IV), in case the battery died or I lost it. Sort of a two is one, one is none sort of thing.

Not a fan of the light on my phone because it takes too long to get it out and use it. Gotta get the phone out, wake it up, punch in my security code, scroll to the light function (it's a built-in function which doesn't require using an app), and then turn it on. By comparison, it only takes me a second or so to pull out my main flashlight and use it (that one is clipped to my pocket) and only a few seconds more to access the one on my keychain. Thus my phone light is a backup-backup.

[moab]

I have an Olight I3S EOS on my keychain. I keep it as a backup to my main light (ZebraLight SC600 Mk IV), in case the battery died or I lost it. Sort of a two is one, one is none sort of thing.

Not a fan of the light on my phone because it takes too long to get it out and use it. Gotta get the phone out, wake it up, punch in my security code, scroll to the light function (it's a built-in function which doesn't require using an app), and then turn it on. By comparison, it only takes me a second or so to pull out my main flashlight and use it (that one is clipped to my pocket) and only a few seconds more to access the one on my keychain. Thus my phone light is a backup-backup.

Check out Icon Torch - Flashlight in the Play Store. (Not sure what the equivilent is in Apple.) It's an app icon on my phones face or homepage. And all you do is lick the icon and the light comes on. Click it again and it goes off. I don't use a code to get into my phone. So it 's just two clicks for me.