Olight SR Mini Intimidator II Review

surviveuk (53)in #prepper • 6 years ago (edited)

Olight SR Mini Intimidator II Review

First thing is it comes in a nice little plastic hard case. It's not a heavy duty case but it's certainly better than the usual cardboard box you get

with torches. It has foam inserts to keep everything secure and it looks good. It's probably larger than needed to the point that I wouldnt put it in my backpack but its certainly a great accessory for keeping it dry and secure when stored and it makes it easier to find and stack on my shelves. Similarly, if you drive a van it would be easily stored on shelves while protecting it from heavy objects smashing it to pieces. If you are in roadside recovery this would probably be a good choice. What is weird, is that I have 2 similarly priced torches from Olight in front of me, with similar specs but, the simple addition of the case for this makes it stand out more and ultimately makes it more desirable to me. Olight, please do this for all of your torches. It's simple but, really makes a big difference to how you feel about the overall product. It seems like you care more about this product and therefor so do we.

Inside the box is the torch, 3 18650 3.6v 3400mAh batteries, a nice premium quality belt holster, USB charging cable and an in-car USB adapter. I did not expect the car charger but it's not unwelcome. Not sure if this is intended as a vehicle focused torch (again it's a good choice for roadside recovery or a lorry driver needing to check on their rig before setting off), the hard case would certainly help keep it safe from rolling around in the boot and it's definitely worth keeping this in mind if you are looking for such a tool.

So, with all of the accessory items taken care of, lets move on to the torch itself. It's chunky little powerhouse that fills the hand without being too big. The Type-III aluminium body is hard wearing and combined with the textured grip and black coating has

a really nice feel. The machining is precise and the build finish is perfect making a truly flawless looking piece of equipment. You could not handle this torch and think that it was in any way made to a budget yet it easily competes against its rivals with higher price tags. The only thing I feel that lets the design down is the sliding door for the micro-USB charging slot. It is a nice idea and I can see why they chose it but I just feel it's the only thing I would a ctually like to change. The oversized silicone button feels good and strong and is positioned perfectly for my hands. The solid stainless bezel looks good and protects the acrylic lens which, itself, has a 'honeycomb-like streak line surface delivering a homogeneous beam'. That means it evens out the light to make it smoother (maybe, somehow). Overall the fit and finish is absolutely fantastic and it is easy to see why OLight are taking a huge chunk of the high end flash light market.

It has the standard functions you expect on a torch these days. Low/medium/high and TURBO. The usual SOS function

is missing which seems to be common these days. I dont know why but I dare say there is good reason and in its place is a very powerful strobe function that is sure to disorientate attackers and alert rescuers to aid. The turbo function doesnt seem to add enough extra oomph over the high setting to warrant use although some of you may find a reason for it. I do find the high setting to be more than needed for most tasks and I prefer to just stick to medium though as it provides plenty for general tasks such as walking the dog or collecting firewood. High setting is really just there for me to get a bit of extra light in open ground to see at distance.

It's really hard for me to write about this torch as I have another OLight torch on my desk with similar specifications if not completely different in size. I have also been fortunate enough to be given a thumb sized torch from them about a year ago which while completely different in design

To conclude, I think this is an even contender with other high brand torches of similar specs. It is cheaper than its direct rivals while still being incredibly good quality (as is tradition). It is similarly sized and simlar in power and duration. I wouldn't say it's anything new, bold or fantastic but, another good piece from a reliable brand that should at least be considered if you are in the market for a good, high end hand torch.

and specs was just as well made. Really I cant recommend enough the OLight brand in general. This is just another great piece and will really see you through all sorts of adventures. I used this on an excursion to an abandoned mine over the weekend and it definitely out performed the head and hand torches my friends carried without even going into turbo and the pocket pouch was really useful when climbing up and down ladders.