EDC flashlight battle: The Olight blade vs cylinder

I’m a bit of a flashlight hoarder. Bike lights, work lights, EDC lights, head lamps, even night vision … I have far too many, but try as I might, I can’t seem to get rid of them.

Olight asked if I wanted to review the ArkPro and the Baton 4, and my eyes turned to saucers. Olight sent me all three versions of the ArkPro (Ultra, Standard, Lite) and both of the Baton lights (Ultra and Pro). And for full transparency, we did not get paid to write this, but we will earn commission should you decide to buy one using our links. That doesn’t affect my thoughts below.

For the main purposes of this review, I’m going to talk mostly about the Ultra versions of each.

Right off the bat, this little ArkPro torch is different: it’s rectangular, which sounds weird right up until you actually hold it, and it just feels right. Not to mention how much more comfortable it is in your pocket, right up to the point you forget it’s even in there. It’s about 4.9 inches (124 mm) long and weighs in at 4.23 ounces (120 g), though the ArkPro Lite version is about a quarter-inch shorter (6.4 mm).

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It’s made from “OAL,” which is some sort of proprietary aluminum that Olight says is super-duper tough. Olight states that it’s “1.73x harder than 6061 aluminum, 1.73x more tensile strength than TA2 titanium, and 1.44x the yield strength of TA2 titanium.” I have no means of verifying any of those claims, but I can tell you that it feels strong, it’s lightweight, and it’s weirdly hard to scratch. I watched SensiblePrepper take a key, knife, and drill bit to ’em in a torture test. Looked like a pass to me.

It’s bright. The Ultra is cracking out a 1,700-lumen rating in “Turbo” flood mode for 3 minutes before it steps down to standard “high” mode at 520 lumens for another 140 mins. That’s real bright. Even at 520 lumens. And it’s equally dim when you need dim with its “moonlight” mode, which is a single lumen’s worth of light that’ll last 14 days on a single charge. That’s proper emergency-light status – like being stuck in a pitch-black flooded cave, waiting for rescue … one lumen is a lot more comforting than none.

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The ArkPro (non-Ultra) is rated to 1,500 lumens max, while the cheapest of the line, the ArkPro Lite, still cracks out a solid 1,200 lumens in Turbo. If you know you’re not going to be around a charger but still need a fair bit of light, high mode will last you between 125 and 155 minutes – mostly depending on spot vs flood – across all three ArkPro models.

They will get a little toasty on the business end when you’ve got it bright. Fortunately, the ArkPro has a button lockout to prevent accidental heating of your giblets via your pockets.

The ArkPro and ArkPro Ultra both feature UV light, spot, flood, and green laser modes. Both the UV and the green laser have two levels of brightness adjustability, while the spot and flood have five levels, plus a strobe feature. The ArkPro Lite, on the other hand, drops both the laser and the dedicated flood mode in favor of a red light.

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It’s a pity that the Ultra and the standard model skipped the red light. A good red beam genuinely comes in handy for keeping your night vision while out in the wild, or even just for trying not to disturb your fellow campers when you wake up at 3 AM to water a tree. The red light alone makes the cheapest of the three lights maybe the best option if you don’t need a laser or flood beam. Sure, it’s less lumens overall, but I sure do like that red light.

All three versions have a UV light, which is a lot of fun, right up until you use it to inspect the bathroom of the $200-a-night hotel you’re staying at. Then it’s much less fun … sometimes you’re just better off not knowing. Where it is fun, on the other hand, is snipe hunting with the kids at night. So far, we’ve only found jellyfish and scorpions. Oh, and I found where the leak in my car’s AC was coming from, too.

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The side button on the two pricier ArkPro models is for the green laser. It’s not the most powerful green laser I’ve ever used, but it’s still good enough to see in the daylight for jobsite use, etc., let alone for pointing out which stars and constellations you’re telling your kid about on a camping trip. Outside of testing how good the laser is, I haven’t really had any uses for it, but it’s neat to have. It also works while using the spot, flood, or UV beam. I guess that’s cool?

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One thing that I don’t really care for is the magnetic charger – Olight’s proprietary magnetic puck that snaps to the bottom of the also-magnetic flashlight to charge. I may be the outlier on this too. But one drop of the flashlight into sand or dirt and it’s going to pick up iron dust and grit stuck to the bottom of it.

That being said, the ArkPro also has a USB-C charge port neatly tucked away under a cover that’s easy to access, so you’re not bound to carrying an extra proprietary MCC cable that works for literally nothing else you own. I get that it’s nifty or cool to have those magnetic snap chargers, but I’m not a fan. That being said, the magnetized end of the flashlight is strong enough that you could stick it to your toolbox or the underside of your hood while working on your project car with zero qualms, so it has some advantages.

Everything else about the ArkPro is pretty amazing. They look expensive, they feel expensive, and they are expensive. Most good flashlights are, but most good flashlights aren’t packing as much heat into ’em like the ArkPro. Small details like the LED charge-status indicator built into the mode-selector ring, to how purposeful the toggle feels in your hand. The layout is very well thought out, so it takes zero thought to punch up whatever mode you need in the moment. Also, the ArkPro series has a lifetime warranty, so that’s likely factored into the price.

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It’s not something I generally think about, but the pocket clip is superb. It’s strong, long, and attached to the very end of the flashlight body, meaning it’s going to sit deep in your pocket with zero fear that it’s going to get dislodged or lost. And if you somehow drop it into the toilet, it’s IPX7-rated, so it’ll be just fine. Your dignity, less so.

Overall, I give the ArkPro a solid 9.5 flashy twinkles out of 10. If the Ultra and the standard versions had the red beam, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that it’s legitimately the perfect EDC light for me.

If you want my buyer advice at a glance:

• ArkPro Lite ($70): best if you want red light and don’t care about laser beams. I use it most.
• ArkPro ($100): best value in the ArkPro line, but no red light. It lives in my glove box.
• ArkPro Ultra ($130): best specs and brightest beam, but you’ll have to pay the piper and still not get that red light. It lives in my 5.11 backpack.

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VERSUS

The Baton 4, Olight’s latest release, is a completely different beast. It goes back to the more traditional, cylindrical-style flashlight, with the most aggressive knurling I’ve ever seen on a handheld device.

That was the first thing that jumped out at me when I opened the box: its grip texture is so gnarly, I’m afraid it might remove my fingerprints. If you accidentally drop it, it’s taking skin with it. But that’s just me with my soft, dainty salad fingers, so your mileage may vary. You’re 100% going to scratch, rip, or otherwise damage your pockets with it. The clip is two-way, though, so you’re able to clip it externally or, say, to your hat if needed, and it’s light enough to do so.

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Like the ArkPro, it has a button lockout so you don’t accidentally ignite your windproof matches in your bugout bag.

Operationally (because you’ll feel operator-like with how tacticool this light is), it’s simply a flashlight. No UV, no laser, no beam pattern choices, no button for brewing your 6 AM coffee when you get to the station. It has an on/off button in the most traditional of places that controls the strobe function and five levels of brightness – including a daylight-inducing 1,800-lumen Turbo mode, with nearly a 1000-ft (300-m) throw and 22,500 candela from its custom EIP1 LED module designed by Olight. That just might be brighter than your low beams on your 1989 Honda CRX.

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It also has a tail switch. I like tail switches. It’s rudimentary – as in a single press to toggle on/off, hold it to stay lit until you release it, or double-tap for Turbo. Exactly the way I like it: simple. It’s fairly small too, at 4.37 inches (111 mm) and 4.02 ounces (114 g). If you have Shaq hands, it’s gonna be too small, but for my glove size XL hands, it’s honestly kind of perfect, as long as I don’t squeeze it too hard, else it might draw blood (I’m being hyperbolic).

Another really cool aspect I like about the Baton is that it uses a removable 3500-mAh 18650 battery. You can absolutely chuck in any button-top 18650 battery as a replacement. It’s pretty convenient to just drop in a spare if you have one rather than wait to charge when you need it … and doubly convenient that Olight is using a common and inexpensive battery type (unlike my more expensive Streamlight, grrr).

Either way, you’ll get about 200 minutes of high mode on the Baton 4 Pro and 220 mins on the Baton 4 Ultra. And again, like the ArkPro, it features the same MCC mag charger and a secret squirrel, twist-to-access USB-C charge port, so you have options.

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The Baton 4 is IPX8-rated – a little better than the ArkPro – meaning not only can you drop it in the toilet, but you can also use it for a quick emergency dive to retrieve your Ray-Bans that you just lost in the creek without much worry – up to 6.6 ft (2 m) for half an hour.

And in terms of durability, again, I watched ol’ SensiblePrepper chuck his into the air a bunch of times, landing on concrete, before he ran it over with his Jeep a few times … it came back dinged up and with a bent clip, as one would expect, but it still worked. I have a real hard time purposely breaking nice things, personally, and the Baton 4 is a nice thing. That said, the Baton 4 also comes with a lifetime warranty. I’m not sure the policy for repeatedly chucking it onto concrete …

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All in all, if you’re looking for an everyday carry flashlight with no frills, the Baton 4 is exactly that. The tail switch kicks up my totally subjective score a bit, but the knurling is pretty gnarly. Otherwise, it’s simply a bright, tough, compact, easy-to-use flashlight with a crazy amount of useful throw that fits in your pocket (better on your belt). And it looks tacticool.

I rate it 8 sparkly glimmers out of 10, mostly because of how dang bright it is.

Buyers’ guide at a glance:

• Baton 4 Pro ($70): has everything you’ll ever need in a flashlight. It lives in my RV.
• Baton Ultra ($100): has everything you’ll ever need in a flashlight, just brighter. It’s always next to my desk in case the power goes out.

Here’s a video of what the big dogs – the Baton 4 Ultra vs the ArkPro Ultra – look like compared to each other in their brightest settings:

And in Turbo flood (on the ArkPro, as the Baton doesn’t have adjustable beams):

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WINNER

Which one takes the top spot? I’d definitely go with the least expensive ArkPro Lite. The red light trumps a laser 100% of the time, every time, in my opinion. Sure, it’s nowhere near as bright as the Baton 4 Ultra, but I’m not generally trying to light up the moon when I’m outside … I’m mostly just trying to make sure I don’t step in dog poo.

Product pages: ArkPro and Baton 4

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