Specifications: (manufacturer provided)
Material: Aluminum, Type III hard anodized
Dimensions: 127mm/5"L, 23mm/.90"D
Weight: 61.5g/2.17oz. (w/o Battery)
Battery: 2x CR123A/RCR123 or 1x 18650
LED: CREE XM-L2
Output: 500 lumens max/100 medium/5 low
Run time: 2h high/9h med/120h low
Beam Distance: 135M/442' max
Water Resistance: IPX8
Shock Resistance: 2M/6.56' drop
Country of Manufacture: China
Country of Manufacture: China
The Olight M18 Maverick model is a compact LED Flashlight in the general use/every day carry category. It is based on Olight's S20 baton model with enhanced stats and a more tactical style appearance and user interface. I have been carrying this light as my primary EDC for a couple of weeks now.
The flashlight ships in a cardboard box with a battery magazine, spare o-rings and switch boot, lanyard, and user manual. It does not include a belt holster, fitted hard case, or diffuser which Olight includes with some of its other models. I got mine from an authorized dealer shipped free with two batteries for $40 on a "best offer" listing on ebay.
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| The M18 feels right at home here with some of my other EDC items. |
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| The M18 is a little longer than my hand is wide. This means the crenulated bezel is actually possible to use for striking. |
At 5" long the M18 is about as large as I would want to pocket carry. In fact it may be too large for the overly sissified as an EDC light. If you fall into this category they also offer a shorter, single cell version called the M10. It is essentially a more compact version of the same light with a little less output. The pocket clip is longer than average, but I do not find that it gets in the way, and it does not cause an uncomfortable grip on the light. The clip's length and positioning provide a very secure, deep, bezel up ride in the pocket. The clip is long enough for belt carry, but I have not carried it this way enough to determine how secure it would be. I had mixed feelings about the bezel up carry, but it has grown on me. This also creates the option to clip the light to the bill of a ball cap to use as a headlamp. This isn't extremely useful, but could come in handy in certain situations. I picture myself trying to change a flat tire on the side of the road at night. The pocket clip is also removable.
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| This may not be something I'll do a lot, but when I need both hands and don't have a headlamp it is a nice feature. |
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| The reflector is smooth with no texture and is made of solid aluminum. The lens gasket creates a distinct red ring. |
The fit and finish are above average for this price range. The entire light can be disassembled fairly easily, and when taken apart the quality of the components is obvious. The tail cap attaches with nice, big, square threads that should hold up to years of battery changes. I've had several lights that tended to gall and wear prematurely due to sharp, tight threads. The stainless steel bezel is crenulated (the tooth things for breaking glass, skulls, etc.) but tasteful. If you don't like it you are stuck with it though, because it threads on to form the cap that hold the lens and everything beneath it in place.
The outer edge of the lens is encased in a red rubber gasket which keeps it from coming into contact with any of the other hard components. This should really help reduce the risk of a cracked lens from dropping the light or striking with it. In fact I have dropped the light on concrete twice (an unintentional test I perform regularly) and have seen no damage other than to the finish. The included battery magazine takes up the extra space that is necessary to accept the multiple battery types. 18650 cells are slightly larger in diameter than CR123As. Not only does it keep the smaller batteries from rattling, but it is also a convenient way to carry a set of spares. Instead of fumbling with two loose batteries you simply toss in the loaded magazine.
The user interface isn't my favorite, but it works well enough now that I've gotten used to it. There is a traditional forward click switch on the tail cap as well as a side switch. The tail cap switch will perform momentary on with a soft press and constant on with a full click. The side switch cycles through the three brightness levels when the power is on, and a memory function keeps the light in whatever mode it was in when you turned it off. Holding the side switch in puts the light in strobe mode. I find strobe modes to be of limited use. I don't mind having the option as long as it is out of my way when I don't want it like this one is. In addition to this you have quick access to high and strobe mode by performing either two or three quick presses of the tail switch. This is the method I've found my self using the most, and I have hardly touched the side switch. I leave the light in low mode so that I can do repetitive close up tasks without blinding myself. If I need to quickly light up an object at a distance I just pull the light out and give it the double tap on the tail switch. The side switch glows red when the batteries are low. I haven't determined yet how much warning this gives you, but it is a nice reminder as regulated LED lights tend to just shut off with very little dimming as warning. The side switch glows in the dark after it has been exposed to light and flecks in the red lens gasket do the same.
As far as light output goes, it is rather impressive for such a compact flashlight. Although there are tasks it would not be perfect for, there is no reason the average person couldn't get by with owning only this flashlight. If you're not familiar with the now standardized specifications on flashlights, they are basically just a comparison point. They are a measure of specific properties under specific circumstances. In short, you will not be using this light to illuminate an object over 400' away. From my experience with it I would say it is completely useful at at least 100', but it will cast noticeable light further. This is a decent beam distance for a compact flashlight. The head dimensions just aren't there to create a beam that will light up the next county.
Now for the gripes. The glow in the dark gasket and side switch are completely useless. They don't really hurt anything, but this is a cheesy feature that doesn't belong on a serious, high quality tool. There is something that rattles a little inside the tail cap if you shake the light. It's not loud and I don't think it's anything to worry about, but it will irritate the overly anal. The pocket clip snaps on in such a way that it will rotate around the circumference of the flashlight. This might be intentional so that you can position it how you want, but I would rather it locked into place so that it would not move. I would really like to have seen a nice belt holster included with the M18. Although small enough for pocket carry, it is also large enough that carrying it in a belt holster would be a nice option to have. However, considering this is quite a bit of flashlight for the money, I don't suppose it's a tragedy to have to buy one separately. The tail switch protrudes quite a bit which makes it very easy to manipulate but eliminates the possibility of tail standing which I prefer to be able to do. My final, and probably biggest, gripe is with the user interface. I've gotten used to it, and it does what it needs to do, but it could be better. I have the Olight M30 Triton which also has a dual switch setup. The tail switch on the M31 has a simple momentary/constant on/off function while the side switch cycles through the the modes while the light is on. The side switch can also be pressed with the power off for instant access to the strobe mode. I would rather see this setup on the M18 as I feel it provides convenient access to the modes with less margin for error in an emergency situation.
Overall the Olight M18 Maverick is a solid, reliable, and effective flashlight EDC, backup to a larger light, or even stand alone general use for those who only have a modest need for a flashlight to perform every day (every night?) tasks. Although you might be able to find a similar setup with slightly better performance you will likely pay three to four times as much. For those who don't care about having an iconic name brand, and just want an effective compact flashlight without breaking the bank, I believe the M18 Maverick is among the better choices on the market. I know mine will be riding in my pocket as part of my EDC gear for the time being.
The outer edge of the lens is encased in a red rubber gasket which keeps it from coming into contact with any of the other hard components. This should really help reduce the risk of a cracked lens from dropping the light or striking with it. In fact I have dropped the light on concrete twice (an unintentional test I perform regularly) and have seen no damage other than to the finish. The included battery magazine takes up the extra space that is necessary to accept the multiple battery types. 18650 cells are slightly larger in diameter than CR123As. Not only does it keep the smaller batteries from rattling, but it is also a convenient way to carry a set of spares. Instead of fumbling with two loose batteries you simply toss in the loaded magazine.
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| Two CR123A batteries in the magazine (top) shown with a single 18650 rechargable (bottom) |
The user interface isn't my favorite, but it works well enough now that I've gotten used to it. There is a traditional forward click switch on the tail cap as well as a side switch. The tail cap switch will perform momentary on with a soft press and constant on with a full click. The side switch cycles through the three brightness levels when the power is on, and a memory function keeps the light in whatever mode it was in when you turned it off. Holding the side switch in puts the light in strobe mode. I find strobe modes to be of limited use. I don't mind having the option as long as it is out of my way when I don't want it like this one is. In addition to this you have quick access to high and strobe mode by performing either two or three quick presses of the tail switch. This is the method I've found my self using the most, and I have hardly touched the side switch. I leave the light in low mode so that I can do repetitive close up tasks without blinding myself. If I need to quickly light up an object at a distance I just pull the light out and give it the double tap on the tail switch. The side switch glows red when the batteries are low. I haven't determined yet how much warning this gives you, but it is a nice reminder as regulated LED lights tend to just shut off with very little dimming as warning. The side switch glows in the dark after it has been exposed to light and flecks in the red lens gasket do the same.
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| The switches can easily be operated simultaneously using the thumb and pinky finger. |
As far as light output goes, it is rather impressive for such a compact flashlight. Although there are tasks it would not be perfect for, there is no reason the average person couldn't get by with owning only this flashlight. If you're not familiar with the now standardized specifications on flashlights, they are basically just a comparison point. They are a measure of specific properties under specific circumstances. In short, you will not be using this light to illuminate an object over 400' away. From my experience with it I would say it is completely useful at at least 100', but it will cast noticeable light further. This is a decent beam distance for a compact flashlight. The head dimensions just aren't there to create a beam that will light up the next county.
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| I'm no photographer, and I certainly don't know how to take good pictures in the dark, but the M18 does a fine job of lighting up objects at close to medium distances. |
Now for the gripes. The glow in the dark gasket and side switch are completely useless. They don't really hurt anything, but this is a cheesy feature that doesn't belong on a serious, high quality tool. There is something that rattles a little inside the tail cap if you shake the light. It's not loud and I don't think it's anything to worry about, but it will irritate the overly anal. The pocket clip snaps on in such a way that it will rotate around the circumference of the flashlight. This might be intentional so that you can position it how you want, but I would rather it locked into place so that it would not move. I would really like to have seen a nice belt holster included with the M18. Although small enough for pocket carry, it is also large enough that carrying it in a belt holster would be a nice option to have. However, considering this is quite a bit of flashlight for the money, I don't suppose it's a tragedy to have to buy one separately. The tail switch protrudes quite a bit which makes it very easy to manipulate but eliminates the possibility of tail standing which I prefer to be able to do. My final, and probably biggest, gripe is with the user interface. I've gotten used to it, and it does what it needs to do, but it could be better. I have the Olight M30 Triton which also has a dual switch setup. The tail switch on the M31 has a simple momentary/constant on/off function while the side switch cycles through the the modes while the light is on. The side switch can also be pressed with the power off for instant access to the strobe mode. I would rather see this setup on the M18 as I feel it provides convenient access to the modes with less margin for error in an emergency situation.
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| The M18 shown with the Olight M30 it now accompanies and the Eagletac D25C it replaced as my EDC |
Overall the Olight M18 Maverick is a solid, reliable, and effective flashlight EDC, backup to a larger light, or even stand alone general use for those who only have a modest need for a flashlight to perform every day (every night?) tasks. Although you might be able to find a similar setup with slightly better performance you will likely pay three to four times as much. For those who don't care about having an iconic name brand, and just want an effective compact flashlight without breaking the bank, I believe the M18 Maverick is among the better choices on the market. I know mine will be riding in my pocket as part of my EDC gear for the time being.
