Layman’s Flashlight Reviews

Icon Modus 2

The Modus series by aesthetically focused manufacturer Icon is another shot at fusing high technology and practical usability with a look that takes flashlight design to an art form. The Modus 2, like its smaller sibling, with its seemingly cephalopod inspired design virtually guarantees it will garner more in-depth study.

Icon Modus 2

Meat and Potatoes

The Icon Modus 2 is not the same as every other flashlight in your collection. It is not designed to be the rough and tumble utilitarian piece that resides in the bottom of your toolbox just collecting dings until you need it in a pinch. The aesthetics of the Modus designs look like they would be completely at home with the silver jumpsuits of classic Hollywood future. It really looks more like the kind of light you would leave prominently displayed on an easy to reach shelf, where it can both look good and be used often around the house. Its polymer construction would likely withstand quite a bit of use and abuse, but I am not sure how well the appearance would hold up considering its current white/gray color scheme.

The skeletal tentacular design of the Modus series is nothing if not bold. You either love it or you hate it and there seems to be a bit of debate on that front. Equal parts of my circle of contacts fall on either side of that line. Some are completely enthused by it and others immediately express their dislike. This facet of the Modus line falls firmly into the category of personal opinion, and mine is that of rising affection.

The two modes of the Modus 2 are very well placed providing a decent gap between outputs. This is in effect the only difference between the two models in this line. The Modus 2 increases the overall output on both levels but at the expense of doubling the length of the light. The Modus utilizes the same circuit as the Rogue series so it exhibits the same gradual brightness step down on the high mode. I don’t find myself running into this very often because I don’t seem to use the light on High for very extended periods of time. When it does kick in, it is so gradual that I don’t generally perceive anything, therefor functioning exactly as it is intended, reducing output to maximize runtime while providing no noticeable change in perceived illumination.

The Modus 2 averts itself from the currently traditional reflector design, opting instead for a lens based optics system. As I have said several times before, I am a big fan of lensing because of the overall beam profile. I vastly prefer the fact that the spill beam gradually fades to nothing, rather than providing the tunnel-vision inducing sharp dropoff.

Icon Modus 2

Constructive Criticism

Though the use of lensing does provide the Modus with a much more useful beam profile, it does lack one point that the Icon Rogue series had nailed. The beam of the Modus series is riddled with quite a few rings. Though these don’t really cause much issue with actual use, they do leave serious longing for the completely artifact free smoothness of the Rogues.

The switch used in the Modus series definitely has a more solid feel than I first was expecting after experiencing previous Icon offerings. This time however it was decided to recess the switch most of the way. This location makes the switch a little more difficult to activate but does not at all allow for tailstanding. I believe that this switch should either protrude a little further or should be completely recessed. Half way doesn’t cut it for me.

One last point I have found that could use a little improvement is the threading. Re-attaching the head of the light after a battery change reveals that the threading is awfully fine and relatively easy to cross-thread. This hasn’t yet proven itself to be an issue but I am very glad that I discovered it early so I can watch carefully in the future.

Icon Modus Series

Conclusions

In short, I am the type of person who prefers rugged durability in all my lights. Quality hard anodizing is my favorite finish on a flashlight. I generally will choose function over form any day of the week. The Icon Modus series, however, is my guilty pleasure.

Provided for review by Paul Kim of Surefire and Icon.

Icon Modus 1

The Modus series by aesthetically focused manufacturer Icon is another shot at fusing high technology and practical usability with a look that takes flashlight design to an art form.  The Modus 1, like its larger sibling, with its seemingly cephalopod inspired design virtually guarantees it will garner more in-depth study.

Icon Modus 1

Meat and Potatoes

The Icon Modus 1 is not the same as every other flashlight in your collection. It is not designed to be the rough and tumble utilitarian piece that resides in the bottom of your toolbox just collecting dings until you need it in a pinch. The aesthetics of the Modus designs look like they would be completely at home with the silver jumpsuits of classic Hollywood future. It really looks more like the kind of light you would leave prominently displayed on an easy to reach shelf, where it can both look good and be used often around the house. Its polymer construction would likely withstand quite a bit of use and abuse, but I am not sure how well the appearance would hold up considering its current white/gray color scheme.

The skeletal tentacular design of the Modus series is nothing if not bold. You either love it or you hate it and there seems to be a bit of debate on that front. Equal parts of my circle of contacts fall on either side of that line. Some are completely enthused by it and others immediately express their dislike. This facet of the Modus line falls firmly into the category of personal opinion, and mine is that of rising affection.

The two modes of the Modus 1 are very well placed providing a decent gap between outputs. This is in effect the only difference between the two models in this line. The Modus 1 sheds the excess length of its two celled sibling, but at the expense of the output being halved as well. The Modus utilizes the same circuit as the Rogue 1 so it exhibits the same gradual brightness step down on the high mode. I don’t find myself running into this very often because I don’t seem to use the light on High for very extended periods of time. When it does kick in, it is so gradual that I don’t generally perceive anything, therefor functioning exactly as it is intended, reducing output to maximize runtime while providing no noticeable change in perceived illumination.

The Modus 1 averts itself from the currently traditional reflector design, opting instead for a lens based optics system. As I have said several times before, I am a big fan of lensing because of the overall beam profile. I vastly prefer the fact that the spill beam gradually fades to nothing, rather than providing the tunnel-vision inducing sharp dropoff.

Icon Modus 1

Constructive Criticism

Though the use of lensing does provide the Modus with a much more useful beam profile, it does lack one point that the Icon Rogue series had nailed. The beam of the Modus series is riddled with quite a few rings. Though these don’t really cause much issue with actual use, they do leave serious longing for the completely artifact free smoothness of the Rogues.

The switch used in the Modus series definitely has a more solid feel than I first was expecting after experiencing previous Icon offerings. This time however it was decided to recess the switch most of the way. This location makes the switch a little more difficult to activate but does not at all allow for tailstanding. I believe that this switch should either protrude a little further or should be completely recessed. Half way doesn’t cut it for me.

One last point I have found that could use a little improvement is the threading. Re-attaching the head of the light after a battery change reveals that the threading is awfully fine and relatively easy to cross-thread. This hasn’t yet proven itself to be an issue but I am very glad that I discovered it early so I can watch carefully in the future.

Icon Modus Series

Conclusions

In short, I am the type of person who prefers rugged durability in all my lights. Quality hard anodizing is my favorite finish on a flashlight. I generally will choose function over form any day of the week. The Icon Modus series, however, is my guilty pleasure.

Provided for review by Paul Kim of Surefire and Icon.

The M20 Warrior lights from Olight are their entry into the heavily saturated 2xCR123A / 18650 powered tactical light market. Unique however, is the skill with which they pull it off.

Olight M20 Warrior Premium

Meat and Potatoes

The Olight M20 provides you with an initial impression purely of its quality construction. From its beautiful stainless steel bezel ring to its quality square knurling, the M20’s fit and finish is impeccable. The light gives off an aura of extreme durability, both visually and in its solid tactile feel. Ease of (dis)assembly is the order of the day as well, with every part I tried to access fully threaded with o-ring seals (usually double) at every junction. Thankfully the standard anti-roll tactical grip ring is also removable like other similar lights (with an included threaded smooth ring to replace it) because though it assists with the “Cigar Grip” technique, in my opinion it drastically hampers the more common “Ice Pick” method that I prefer. This however is a personal preference and I applaud Olight for allowing each individual user to decide this for themselves.

Tactical Grip Ring

Olight seems to have taken great pains to develop a simple user interface that combines several adjustable output selections while retaining a fully capable momentary forward clicky switch. Normally the inclusion of one precludes the other. The simple loosen and re-tighten the head to change modes allows you to balance your brightness needs with your desired runtime. As usual with an LED light, the lower output levels provide a substantial gain in runtime allowing the M20 to run for very extended periods in its lowest mode.

The beam of the Warrior is quite nearly flawless and is capable of putting out immense quantities of light. Any artifacts have been very adequately smoothed out by a nicely textured reflector. As an added plus, the M20 does not seem to utilize any PWM, even on its lowest output. The beam is focused into an already very tight spot, allowing excellent distance illumination even with the stock textured reflector, but for those who desire even more distance, a smooth one is also available. I have not had the opportunity to try out that extra so I cannot say anything about what concessions will have to be made in beam quality to do so, but knowing the history of the Cree XR-E, I suspect that my personal choice will always be textured.

Textured Reflector

Constructive Criticism

While the UI of the Olight technically falls under the category of a “multi-mode” light, it appears to me to be a more accurate description to call it a “selectable single-mode”. The only method to choose between the widely spaced outputs is to cycle through them in order while the light is on. This is especially annoying if you find yourself needing just a little less light. You are forced to travel up, through the strobe to start again at the bottom. This is not a major concern by any stretch, because of the role that this light is intended to perform, but I personally prefer UI’s where you can somehow pre-select the output before turning the light on, at least to some degree.

Olight has included with this light a large number of light retention options. Standard with the light are the tactical grip ring, a lanyard, pocket clip, and a holster. Most of these are surprisingly useful (excepting my opinion of the tactical grip ring). The pocket clip especially appears durable and stable. The holster however is where I take exception. While the construction appears as high quality as the remainder of the inclusions, the design could stand to be re-thought. The holster is especially wide with strange cutouts at the bottom and in the top flap. My next thought was that the holster looked particularly short for this light and that possibly a mistake had been made. I was proven wrong however when I discovered that the tail of the light is intended to protrude through the flap’s cutout and that the bottom cutout appears to be designed around the bezel window. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that it is designed so you are not “required” to remove the light from the holster before using it. I can see no reason for this and all that results is that the light is far too easy to accidentally activate whilst holstered. Thankfully, just because it’s included doesn’t mean I am required to use it, so I don’t.

Optional Setup

Conclusions

Through my testing of this light, I have been impressed with the quality of workmanship that has gone into it. It may not be the ideal UI for everyone, but it definitely has its niche. I had a couple of issues during the testing, however I attribute those to my own curiosity and plenty of disassembly during the review. In all the M20 Warrior Premium is an excellent light. In my mind, the “O” in Olight must stand for “Options”.

Provided for review by the kind folks at Olight.