Olight PL-Mini Review, my newest Olight pistol light. Good light, simple and bright!

[mattw]

Let me get the required stuff out of the way…

This light was provided for review by The Olightstore.com https://www.olightstore.com/led-flas...olight-pl-mini (link is external) and can be purchased at the aforementioned link.

I have a fair bit of history with Olight, I have purchased and EDC’ed several of their 18650, 16340 and AA lights in a variety of finishes. Most do not get any kind of special treatment and I have yet to break one of them! I like this track record and would assume the PL-Mini will also be just as solid!

Basic Technical Specs:
GENERAL DATA
Beam Distance (ft) 246
Beam Distance (m) 75
Max. Performance (lumens) 400
Charge type Magnetic USB charge base
Compatible Batteries Customised Li-Ion Battery
Light Intensity (candela) 1400
Light Form Standard hotspot diameter with impressive distance. The perfect all-around beam profile.
Lens / Reflector Type Smooth reflector (central area and flood area)
Mode Operation Side Switch
Form/Size Factor Small size (Car key / Zippo Lighter)
Series Series PL (gun flashlight)

Unique Characteristics
Ambidextrous switch that can be only side pressed (from up to down);
Amallest pistol flashlight with recharging function;
Narrow and simple design perfect for IWB carry;

LIGHTING LEVELS
LEVEL 1 (lumens) 400
Run-time LEVEL 1

400lumens (~60lm);
1h10m (1m).
Strobe No
SOS / BEACON No

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Waterproof IPX6
Weight (g / oz) 62 / 2.19
Length (mm / in) 61.2 / 2.41
Head Diameter (mm / in) 31.2 / 1.23
Body Diameter (mm / in) 26.9 / 1.06
Led Cree XP-L HI
Packaging Carton box
Use Police, military, tactical use

Package Contents
Flashlight x 1
Magnetic charger USB cable x 1
260mAh built-in lithium polymer battery
1913 Rail Mount (for 1913 Rail) x 1
T6/T8 Socket Head Wrench x 1
Instruction Manual

A few beauty shots!
It came well packaged, their lights usually do. Notice the included USB magnetic charger? This is a great feature and allows one to recharge while mounted to a weapon. It also comes off easily if you wish to remove it and recharge. Very simple lever release. The unit includes an interchangeable crossbar for mounting on a Glock rail or a 1913 rail and the torx tool to change them. Note the silver circle on the back of the light, this is where the magnetic charging cord attaches.


A good look at the light! From the front we can see the XP-L Hi led that puts out a very useful 400 lumens. The back fits around the trigger guard and allows for activation via either side of the trigger guard. A short press locks the light on, with another short press turning it off. If the button is held down the light operates in momentary mode and will turn off when released. The small red rectangle indicates the area of downward press required to activate the light. It is somewhat stiff and should not activate accidentally. When the charging cord is attached the end will light up red while charging and will turn green when charging is completed.


Ok, how about some shots with the light mounted and in use?
This first photo give you an idea of how small the light really is. But, it is still not small enough to fit and XD-S. I am not sure that anyone will make one small enough for the XD-S, going to be tough! You can also see that it is slim enough for about any holster, but you may need to have a Kydex holster formed for the pistol with the light attached.



How does it do outside? The following pic was taken at between 5 and 6 yards, a reasonable tactical distance. As you can see, it has a good flood effect and would easily make 10 to 15 yards if needed.


What did I think of it? I loved it. I could not find any real downside to the light, some may want a strobe mode... But for a reliable basic EDC light, this could easily be it. I ran the light for about 1 hour and it held up. I did not run it dead, but it is rated for 1 hour and 10 minutes. I plugged it in before bed, so I am not sure how long it took to recharge. Lithium Ion batteries do not have a "memory", like the old NiCD batteries did. So, I would suggest plugging it in if you use if for more that 15 or 20 minutes to top it off. This will not hurt the battery pack. This would make a great light for a home defense pistol as well, easy to charge on the night stand or in a drawer and the charge cord is only held on by a magnet. I like the magnet feature, picking it up is enough to release it.

Pros:
Very compact
Should fit about any small frame 1911 or Glock without issue.
Appears to be moderately moisture resistant, I did not try to drown it. But, it should handle heavy rain with an IPX6 rating.
Rechargeable!

Cons:
I wish it was smaller, but not sure how one could make it smaller. I would like it to fix my XD-S, but the battery would be so small that it last long.

Thanks for taking time to read this post, I hope it helps someone who is looking for a light. The link is not an affiliated link, therefore it is not a click to pay link. I do not like them and do not use them.

Thanks Matt

[M-Tecs]

Thanks for the informative post.

[Artful]

Nice post - thanks for testing for us.

[mattw]

Thanks guys. I am not much of a light guy for pistols, but this one is small enough and convenient enough to make we want to leave it on. I do have their PL-2 light mounted on a 22 rifle for skunks and such. It is, IMHO, to large for a pistol but it is great on a scoped rifle. It puts out 1200 lumens and is great for night varmints.