Olight M2R Warrior Flashlight Review
Kevin Felts 04.30.18
There may not be a perfect flashlight out there, but the Olight M2R Warrior is pretty close. Imagine finding a flashlight which would work well as either a handheld, or as a weapons mounted light. That is what the Olight M2R Warrior has to offer.
Up until recently I had heard of Olight, saw a few reviews here and there, but had never used an Olight flashlight. Going into this review I had no preconceived notions about Olight quality.
Long story short, I am very happy with the overall quality and attention to the small details Olight put into the M2 Warrior.
Now let’s talk about the rest of the review.
Olight M2R Warrior Specifications
These specifications were taken my my personal flashlight. Lumen ratings were stamped on the side of the box.
- Length: 5 1/8 inches.
- Diameter: 1 inch.
- Weight: 5.55 ounces.
- Moonlight: 1 lumen.
- Low: 15 lumens.
- Medium 2: 60 lumens.
- Medium 1: 250 lumens.
- High: 700 lumens.
- Turbo: 1,500 or 1,000 lumens.
- Battery: Single 18650.
- Waterproof: IPX8.
- Body Material: 6061-T6 Aluminum
- LED: XHP35.
- Warranty: 5 years.
Being able to go from 1 lumen, to 1,500 is wonderful. A lot of flashlights in this category may go from 20 to say 700 lumens.
Olight M2R Warrior Operation
There are two ways to turn the flashlight on/off:
- Tailcap switch.
- Push button switch just behind the head.
Operating the flashlight is a little confusing to start with, then there is an “Oh, snap!” moment.
The tailcap activates the turbo mode, which in my flashlight is 1,500 lumens.
Pushing the tailcap slightly activates the momentary on/off.
Pushing the tailcap all the way in turns turbo mode on.
The on/off button just behind the head turns the flashlight on, but also turns the turbo mode off. So if the turbo mode is on and the user wants to adjust the light to a different setting, hold down the on/off button behind the head.
Holding the on/off button (not the tailcap) down cycles through the various brightness settings.
Moonlight mode is accessed by having the flashlight off, then holding down the on/off button (not the tailcap).
Recharging the flashlight is done with a magnet with attaches to the tailcap of the flashlight. The included USB cable can be plugged into just about any USB port to charge the light. When attached to the flashlight, there is an LED on the magnet end which glues red when charging.
Olight M2R Strobe Feature
Strobe is activated by pressing the tailcap all the way down, then pushing the button just behind the bezel at the same time. From then on, pushing the tailcap all the way in activates the strobe, but it will turn off as soon as the button is released.
When the strobe is activated the momentary flood still works. The user can have a solid beam by pushing the tailcap slightly, then strobe when pushed all the way in.
To turn the strobe off, repeat the process of holding the tailcap down, then pressing the button behind the bezel at the same time
Weapons Light
The current light on my AR-15, the batteries are not rechargeable, and to replace the batteries the light must be removed from the weapon.
The Olight M2R Warrior changes all of that. Mount the light to the rifle, then to charge the light, attach the magnet charger to the tailcap. This means I can make sure the light stays charged without ever having to remove the light from its mount.
Having the option between momentary on/off and always on is a very nice feature.
Then there is the strobe option, which is wonderful.
Package Contents
There is an old saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” From the way to M2R is packaged, it seems Olight took that saying to heart. First impressions of the packaging were very good.
The flashlight was nestled in a piece of foam which had a perfect cut out for the light. There was nothing loose or left to rattle around in the box.
- Flashlight.
- Lanyard.
- Carry pouch.
- Belt clip.
- USB charging cable.
- Instructions.
On various sides of the box were stamped the lumens and features.
Testing The Olight M2R Warrior
The Olight M2R Warrior was subjected to a drop test and a submersion test.
Drop Test
The flashlight was held at around four feet off the ground and dropped several times. At no time did I see the flashlight flicker, nor did it turn itself off.
After dropping it several times, the flashlight worked as it should. The tailcap on/off worked, the on/off button behind the head worked, and the flashlight cycled through its brightness settings as it should have.
Submersion
The M2R was submerged in a two gallon bucket of creek water for one hour. At the end of the hour the tailcap was taken off, and there was no evidence of water in the body, in the bezel, or in the tailcap.
I was going to grease the threads of the tailcap before the submersion test, but there was already grease on the threads.
Final Thoughts On The Olight M2R Warrior
There is a lot to like bout this flashlight, but there are also some features which may need improvement.
Likes
I like how the Olight M2R Warrior recharges. A lot of the flashlights have a port on the outside of the flashlight housing, which compromises the waterproof integrity of the light. Other lights, the battery has to be removed and recharged.
The tailcap on/off for turbo is wonderful. Makes this the M2R Warrior adequate for mounting to a rifle or shotgun.
The attention to detail put into the Olight M2R Warrior is wonderful, and the number of features is just right. Such as the on/off behind the bezel having a different texture than the rest of the light
Dislikes
Enlarge the lanyard hole. The hole looks like it is around 1/16 in diameter. Enlarge it slightly so something like 1/8 cord could be used as a lanyard. Personally, I like to use trotline string for lanyards.
Change the snap on the holster so it would better fit MOLLE webbing. The snap is about 1/2 short from fitting MOLLE webbing just right.
Make the on/off behind the bezel easier to feel. Even without gloves the on/off button on the side can be a little difficult to locate.
Overall, the Olight M2R Warrior sets a standard for excellence.
Full Disclosure
I received the Olight M2R Warrior at no cost to myself. The opinion stated in the article is my opinion, and mine alone.
