The Olight Warrior 3S is a compact tactical torch: up to 2,300 lumens and 300 m of throw from a body 139 mm long, with two switches and a proximity sensor. I paid $180 for it. Like all our Olight torches, it came with us on a trip up north to Bouddi National Park.
What You’re Getting
A black aluminium torch with a blue ring around the side switch, a tail switch with a strong magnet, a two-way pocket clip and a smooth strike bezel, plus a nylon holster with a flap and Olight’s magnetic charging cable. The battery, a 5,000 mAh 21700 cell, comes in the torch. It’s sold in black and OD Green. On our scale it weighed 177 g.
What we like
- 2,300 lumens, 300 m of throw
- Side switch and tail switch
- Proximity sensor dims it up close
- Battery level on the side switch
- Removable 21700 battery
- Very strong magnetic tail
What we don’t
- Turbo steps down after 2.5 min
- Olight’s own battery and cable
- Cool white light is a bit harsh
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Olight |
| Colour options | BlackOD Green |
| Weight | 177 g |
| Length | 13.9 cm |
| Head diameter | 3 cm |
| Brightness | Up to 2,300 lm |
| Throw | Up to 300 m |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh 21700Removable |
| Charging | Magnetic USB cable |
| Waterproof | IPX8 |
Two switches
The side switch, with a blue ring of small lights around it, runs the everyday modes, and the lights show the battery level and the brightness. It steps through five levels:
| Mode | Brightness | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Turbo | 2,300 → 800 → 250 lm | 2.5 + 160 + 39 min |
| High | 800 → 250 lm | 166 + 39 min |
| Medium | 200 lm | 13 h |
| Low | 15 lm | 130 h |
| Moonlight | 1 lm | 55 days |
The tail switch has two stages: press it for instant Turbo, press it further for strobe (13 flashes a second at full power), without going through the modes. Having the two apart works well: the side switch for normal use, the tail switch when you need full light straight away.
Brightness and the proximity sensorBrightness & sensor
Turbo gives 2,300 lumens and throws 300 m through a TIR optic, but only for about 2.5 minutes before it steps down to 800 lumens, according to Olight. The proximity sensor beside the lens is the S in the name: when something is close in front of the torch on High, Turbo or strobe, like the inside of a pocket or a bag, it turns the output down so the torch doesn’t overheat or burn something. That’s handy in a bag, but it can get in the way when you want full power on something close, or when you shine it through glass or fog. The LED is cool white with a lower colour rendering, so the light is a bit harsh compared with the neutral white of our Perun 3 Mini.
Battery and charging
The battery is a 5,000 mAh 21700 cell, and it comes out of the body when you unscrew the tail cap, so you can carry a charged spare. It’s an Olight cell, so get a spare from Olight. It charges in the torch on Olight’s MCC3 cable, whose magnetic end clips onto the back of the Warrior; we charge it from the USB socket on the 12V box in the back of the Prado. There’s no USB-C port on the torch itself: it’s Olight’s own MCC3 cable, so don’t lose it.
Magnetic tail, clip and holsterMagnet, clip & holster
The tail cap has a very strong magnet, so you can stick the torch to the body of the car, a tailgate or anything else steel and have your hands free. In our case it lives stuck to the bottom of the ceiling shelf in the Prado, head down, ready to grab or to light up the back. The two-way pocket clip lets you carry it head up or head down. The nylon holster has a flap that closes over the tail. At 139 mm long and 177 g on our scale (Olight says 176 g), it’s small enough for a pocket or a belt. It’s waterproof to IPX8 and rated for drops of up to 1.5 m.
Warrior 3S vs Seeker 4 ProVs the Seeker 4 Pro
The Olight Seeker 4 Pro is our other compact 21700 torch. The Seeker is the brighter flood for around camp, and its holster charges it. The Warrior 3S throws further, is lighter and has a tail switch for instant Turbo.
This review Olight Warrior 3S |  Olight Seeker 4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 139 mm | 133 mm |
| Controls | Side switch, Tail switch | Rotating side switch |
| Charging | Magnetic cable | Holster, USB-C |
| Max brightness | 2,300 lm | 4,600 lm |
| Throw | 300 m | 260 m |
| Weight (our scale) | 177 g | 207 g |
| Price we paid | $180 | $200 |
| Our score | 8.9 | 8.8 |
Conclusion: Olight Warrior 3SConclusion
The Olight Warrior 3S puts out up to 2,300 lumens and throws 300 m from a 139 mm body, with a side switch for the everyday modes and a tail switch for instant Turbo or strobe. The proximity sensor turns it down when something is in front of the lens, the 21700 battery comes out, and it charges on a magnetic cable. Turbo only lasts about 2.5 minutes before it steps down, the cool white light is a bit harsh, and it needs Olight’s own battery and cable. It’s a tough, handy everyday torch, if on the pricey side: I paid $180.
A 2,300 lumen, 139 mm torch with a side switch, a tactical tail switch, a proximity sensor, a removable 21700 battery and magnetic charging.
It weighed 177 g on our scale.
- 4WD tourers
- Campers
- Travellers
Yes, if you want a tough everyday torch with a tactical tail switch. I paid $180, which is on the pricey side; if you mostly need a flood around camp, our Seeker 4 Pro gives more light for a little more.
