In this Olight BALDR S review guide let's check check out its increased lumen intensity and light beam pattern and see how different it is from the BALDR Mini.
If you have to pick one,
Olight BALDR S Core Specs
- Beam Distance: 130 meters / More focused throw
- Max. Performance: 800 lumens
- Candela: 4400 cd
- Laser: Class 3R, 5mW Green Laser
- Charge type: Magnetic USB charge base
- Battery: 3.7V 380mAh Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery (Built-in)
- Weight: 3.35 oz
- Head Diameter (in): 1.28
- Body Diameter (in): 1.42
- Length: 2.48
- LED: High-Performance Cool White LED
What's Included In The Packaging
The Olight BALDR S comes with the following:
- Baldr S (battery built-in) x 1
- MCC (Magnetic Charging Cable) Special Edition x 1
- Oval Point Set Screw x 1
- Cone Point Set Screw x 1
- User Manual x 1
Core Features
Beam Pattern, Lumens & Candela
The biggest change for the Olight BALDR S is the brighter lumen intensity, a ~33% increase from the BALDR Mini on a full charge as far as on the spec sheet.
However, the difference is very minor.
At 5 - 10 yards
At 25 yards
At 35 yards
At 35 ft, the shooter with 20/20 vision can definitely ID the target
Light Beam Color Tint
The Olight BALDR S features a cool white LED bulb, and it's the same as the BADLR mini.
The light beam gives accurate color rendition to ID colored targets in the dark. So the user can easily tell the difference between dark red and black, or white and light blue.
Modes & Built-In Laser
The BALDR S comes with a green laser just like the BALDR MINI. The user can switch between 3 modes:
- Light only
- Laser only
- Light & laser combo
and the mode switch is much stiffer than the original BALDR MINI to prevent accidental bump
BALDR S Body Profile
The BALDR S is similar to the BALDR Mini, but the light bezel is slightly longer that's responsible for the tightened beam focus.
Other than that, everything is pretty much the same.
Activation Switch Ergonomics
The position of the laser sits close to the bore as much as possible to eliminate the point of aim & point of impact offset.
Simply toggle the mode switch on the bottom of the light to change modes.
Press and hold for momentary light activation, and tap to engage constant on.
Some users find the the momentary light activation a bit challenging because they can't just tap the switch, instead they have to consciously press and hold the switch for momentary on and off.
I find with a little bit of practice to get used to the control since I'm primarily a Streamlight TLR 1 & Surefire X300 user.
The light features two simple ambidextrous toggle switches on both sides, and the shooter can easily control the switch without any issue.
It's the same design and feel as the BALDR Mini.
BALDR S is slightly heavier and longer than BALDR Mini
Battery Endurance
The light has a built-in 3.7V 230mAh Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery that can be charged via a different MCC cord (labeled "SPECIAL" that comes with the package.
The user can charge the BALDR S anytime they want to. Get a USB battery bank so you can charge the light in the car, at home or on the way back from the range.
The battery life is as follow:
Green Beam ON (High) | 800~300 lumens |
1 minutes + 2 minutes + 30 minutes | |
Green Beam ON (Low) | 100 lumens |
90 minutes | |
Green Beam OFF (High) | 800~300 lumens |
1 minutes + 2 minutes + 37 minutes | |
Green Beam OFF (Low) | 100 lumens |
140 minutes |
Construction Quality
The Olight BALDR S is made from the same aluminum alloy other Olight products are made with.
The overall construction of the light unit is very streamlined and slick.
QD Mount & Adjustable Slider
The Olight BALDR S comes with the standard QD lever mount that can go on any M1913 picatinny rail.
The light also comes with a GL rail adapter for a better mount with less slack on a Glock pistol frame.
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The same adjustable slider mount stays the same on the BALDR S, so the light can be slid back and forth on the sliding rail to the best position.
Putting it close to the trigger guard is the best for finger reach to activate the light.
For shooters with short index finger, this is a great adjustable feature to have.
Find Good Deals
For the price, this is a steal and be sure to use the coupon code BADASSOPTIC10 to save 10% on OlightStore.com