“The step-down output run times are your key indicator that this is not designed for constant run …”

So my question, again, is why does stepping down run times indicate that this light isn’t designed for constant run? Why don’t they mean the battery is just running down?

And I guess I wasn’t clear when I mentioned that corded light from Amazon. I mentioned it as an example of a light with similar output as the Olight, but can run continuously without heatsinks or fans. So why couldn’t the Olight do the same, given continuous power? You say it can’t, but you don’t say how you know that.

I agree here. I now own several olight products and they are way overpriced. On sale? Yes I think they are far more comparable. I’m not as big a fan as Stuart but hopefully the partnership helps this site. I do admit they seem to have more advanced control-chips than other brands. However, I find that to be frustrating and a likely failure point. I keep having to reference the manual. I never have that issue on my “dumb” high brightness lights. They just work. Therefore, olight isn’t ever my edc light. But olight did make my brightest light.

I hate the way olight writes out specs. The problem isn’t just olight. I’m a flashlight guy and many manufacturers list the same way. It’s standard. Most have the same glaring xxxxx lumens for 10-15 min. Some very high lumen lights only offer 90 seconds to 4 mins or so before stepping to high. They all market them as xxxxx lumens as if they can maintain that. But it’s really just peak lumens like powertools list peak voltage

I meant milliamps, not milliwatts…but ohm’s law anyway, right. 🙂 And to clarify, in these lighting products like your ring or most undercabinet lights and such, each type of emitter is a single color temp of course, just that they use a couple to achieve some range. Typically something like a 2800K and a 6000K, hoping to achieve around 4000K when both are lit up together. Every so often you see some now that advertise “eye health” and are using decent/better High CRI emitters, which are just much nicer and a nice trend to see finally hitting the mainstream products.

It’s an issue for all LEDs at one level or another. Without forced cooling there’s only so much time that a host material/heat sink can help out before it becomes saturated and at that point it can either maintain if designed for that, or continue to overheat (so to speak) until it actually overheats and damages emitters or some component on the driver. The step-down output run times are your key indicator that this is not designed for constant run and that it is not a regulated driver (or…on that last part, it’s possible but a graph electrical run time test would be needed to show yes/no unless you can look at the driver board). Olight has approached all of their non-typical flashlight products as if they were typical flashlights in this regard (all that I can recall anyway).

Your linked light is doing the same thing I suspect…most of these products adopt more or less the same topography and components. The stated lumen output might be accurate or it might be way off – they tend to use 2 color temp emitters lined up along/around the footprint and when you pick a color temperature you get one type or two types giving you the range. So what they usually do is use datasheet max lux specs for the drive current they are using, mash that up into however many emitters may be running all at once, and publish that with or without fudging it upwards. This doesn’t take into account heat sinking, electrical inefficiencies, the significant light loss from the diffusing lens, and such. But I mention all of this because these little plastic emitters are generally driven in the milliwatt range and if they are overdriven it can’t be by much. Thus, they usually tend to generate a bit less heat than other discrete emitters like you find in most flashlights (not the old school crappy bi-axial types). But still, generate heat they do, and there’s a saturation point that you either avoid, mitigate, or ignore, depending on what you want your product to be (or how you want your customers and warranty department to feel….).

Olight makes decent or very good products, generally, but they are almost always significantly overpriced for what’s in them and sometimes less pleasant to use in terms of light quality compared to what’s out there (and usually for a lot less money). Their task/area/work lights have been really underwhelming, imho. I would look to the major tool brands instead but a lot of those cheapie no-name ones are decent enough if you find the better ones. The benefit to the tool brands is being able to use the larger capacity batteries if that’s $$$ feasible.

Interesting! What makes you say that heat would be a limiting factor for this design? I’d guess the run times are limited by battery capacity, so it might shut off before heat becomes an issue. Or maybe heat would never be an issue for this design. We don’t know. Or do we?

Here’s a corded video light that produces 2800 lumens. Other than air vents, it has no cooling provisions at all that I can see. No fans, no heat sinks. And, by the way, it costs $65. Of course, it’s a Chinese no-name.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6V16YD9/

Doesn’t look like it but with this specific light you wouldn’t want it to have that. It would need to be totally redesigned to handle that constant use. Olight falls somewhere between weak-mainstream and enthusiast level when it comes to output and how much current is supplied to emitters. These little jobbies are almost always a low current but are also frequently overdriven at least some, over the manufacturers’ datasheet specs (this is fine and normal if you want bright compact lights although these types of emitters are very limited there before they go poof). So the drive current AND the heat sinking would need a total overhaul to handle constant run from a constant power source – bonus would be constant light output that doesn’t fall off, though.

Should add that in typical real use, those run times/reporting approach may not be accurate. If you use the light for shorter periods, the cell/s voltage can rebound, as they do, and you end up with somewhat longer cumulative run time at brighter levels – maybe…just depends on stuff inside.

This method was adopted by some (and shunned by some) after years of complaints by people who bought lights thinking that the impossible was possible. e.g. 3000 lumens for seven hours straight on small batteries in small devices that can’t dissipate heat adequately for that load. It works but it’s still not usually a truth teller.

This is a pretty standard way (sort of) to provide run times with many manufacturers these days. What’s it’s showing you is step-down times when turning on the light at the specified level (high, here) and letting it run constantly. So it start out at high for 15, then either through heat or voltage drop at that current steps to half output (poor, considering the design footprint) and will maintain that for 280-ish but it is probably slowly lowering output at the same time, then peters out at 900 lumens for the remaining battery life/voltage level.

Really the only way to tell is see someone testing and electrical graphs are best so that you can see if there is any regulation in the driver (much desirable). Sometimes Olight does decent regulated drivers and sometimes they don’t bother. If that doesn’t make sense just compare to any old alkaline flashlight where there is no regulation or smart circuitry…they just run and continue to dim until dead. Parameters change but it’s basically the same with other power sources and components.

Personally I would not purchase this light unless you just want it for medium brightness task lighting for short periods…probably really handy for quick under-car repairs and oil changes, storage shed, tire changes, etc. 3000 lumens (if that’s accurate, which is usually mostly is from Olight) is not a lot of light when configured in a straight unshaped “mule” beam like this (and most work lights). It won’t reach that far and it certainly won’t seem as bright as what you might think of 3000 looking from a flashlight or more of a reflector/optic configuration.

Absolutely would not use this on a dirt bike (pedals or engine) but I think that was a joke. 🙂

Ah! That does make more sense. Thanks!

puzzling way to provide run times. Guessing Olight means:
3000 lumens is 15 minutes
1500 add 280 = 295 minutes
900 add 180 = 475 minutes

Takes 5-/12 hours to charge. 630 minutes does not look good with these run times.

Why I like removable batteries- can run set 2 while charging set 1.

Seems perfect for fabrication and construction content creators. You’ve got a video light, a work light and a battery bank all in one shot. Pretty perfect…other than the price.

Harbor freight makes the same thing sans color temperature and QC for $30.

-Mac

White Light (High) 3,000~1,500~900 lumens
Run time White Light (High) 15 + 280 + 180 minutes

Why would the runtime be greater at 1500 lumens than 900 lumens – or am I misreading that?

Only 15 minutes at 3000 is disappointing, but I suppose that is a LOT of light. If it does 280 minutes at 1500 lumens, that’s actually pretty good!

I wonder how long this could stand up to vibration if a fellow were to make it his dirt bike headlight… 🤔

The manual says “Tripod mount” so it’s the standard. You can find adapters to “microphone stand” which is often simpler/more durable, or “light stand” which is the same thing but taller.

Back in the day we used lights on good quick-deploy aluminum stands. A lot fewer adjustments than a camera tripod, and somewhat lighter as well. Would be a great match for these sorts of lights.

We also had some steel stands that were miserable to carry around.

Photo light stands are good too, but have a different sort of head on them, and might not be appropriate for the rigors of construction work.

Sorry; up to 30W fast charging.

I seem to be failing to find the spec, but I imagine it’s a 1/4-20 in which case camera tripods and lots of other things would be perfect for holding it. I’ve been looking at lights like this and trying to decide what to get, there’s a Fenix one, CL28R, that looks quite nice as well while being smaller and lighter (and cheaper, but also puts out 50% of the light, has a slightly smaller battery). Whenever a magnet doesn’t work, I would probably use a gorilla pod I already have to attach it to whatever I can find.