When you think of the word premium what do you think of? The primary definition of the word premium is, “an amount that is more than usual.” So, that is then an amount that is on top of, or in excess of what you would usually suspect. To put it more colloquially something that is premium is a step up. Premium fuel burns cleaner. Premium metal stays sharp and tarnish free longer. Premium tickets get you a better seat at the footy game. Premium beer goes down better. And the Baton 4 Premium Edition (Guidance) runs in the same company. It is a step up. This is the light for those who want something a little bit extra and are willing to pay a bit more to get it. Let’s have a good look at this and compare it to some other Olights as we do.
Here is what you get in the mail:
Figures 1 and 2: Baton 4 Premium (Guidance) in the box.
You ordered a premium light and so you want to know that it comes in premium protected packaging. And it does. The Baton 4 Premium Edition (Guidance), the latest edition of the Baton 4, comes in Olight’s high quality packaging that is sealed in plastic so that the product will not get any water damage in transit. And the advantage of this packaging is that it can get knocked around a bit and nothing inside will be damaged. When you buy a premium light you want to know this information. This is not some online cheapy special that comes in a cheap taped plastic bag. The Baton 4 is well looked after so that when you get it you get it in mint condition.
Inside the packaging this is what you will find:
Figure 3: What’s in the Box.
You get the Baton 4 Premium Edition light, you can see it there with the gold pocket clip. You get the Guidance themed Wireless Charging Case, the Baton itself comes in this light. Make sure you follow the instructions and remove the little plastic insulating film in both the light and in the charging case and fully charge your light before using it. You get a high quality Olight USB-C to USB-A charging cable. Make sure for the best results that you use this charging cable to charge the Wireless Charging Case to full, as well as the light, before you use either. You also get a lanyard, a microfibre cleaning cloth, remember this is a premium product, and you get the instruction manual so you can know how to use this light to its maximum potential.
Let’s first look at the premium Wireless Charging Case. Now, by wireless this does not mean that it can charge the case wirelessly. The case charges through an input/output USB-C port that you can plug into any compatible USB charging device. You can plug it into your phone charger, or into your computer, or the USB port in your car, or any other of a number pf places.
In the image above you can see I have the Wireless Charging Case with the lanyard attached, and this is the most recent Guidance edition. This case is epic. All of my kids and my wife have been impressed with this one, and each of them would like their own. My daughter tried to trade her Perun 3 mini for this Baton premium edition, because she loved it so much. When you hold this case it just feels premium at the touch. It is solid and it has a nice weight to it, without feeling too heavy to keep in your pocket. The case weighs 142 grams, and it is made of high-quality plastics. And the lid does not flap around. It has a nice sound when it closes, and it closes flush, there is no movement in the lid at all, except up and down to open and close. So, you can be assured that your Baton 4 is protected in this high quality case.
The Baton 3 Premium also came with a wireless charging case. But the Baton 4 Premium case has been redesigned and upgraded. It looks different, but this is not the only difference. The Baton 3 Charging case had a 3500 mAh capacity battery, which gave you 94 days of run time for the Baton 3 light. You could charge the Baton 3 up to 3.7 times before you needed to recharge your case. So, the Baton 3 Premium edition was and is a handy long-lasting light. But the Baton 4 Premium Edition has stepped up the quality again.
The Baton 4 Premium Edition charging case gives you a 5000 mAh battery capacity, which is inline with a good capacity portable charger. This gives you 190 days of maximum charge for the Baton 4. And you can charge the Baton 4 up to 5 times in this new charger. It also comes with a percentage display, rather than a tri-colour display like the old charging case. So, this one is a real step up.
I have already tested the charge capacity myself. I took my Baton 4 and my Perun 3 Mini and I left them both on to drain their batteries completely, and then I put them both in the case in turns to charge them. Both these lights are compatible with the Baton 4 Premium charging case, as they are very similar dimensions and have the same 3.6 v 650 mAh batteries. I charged them one after the other to see how much they would drain the charger. After the Baton 4 had charged from empty, the charger was on 83% and so had used 17% of charge. The Perun 3 mini took the wireless charging case down to 67% and therefore used 16% of charge. Hence, with these numbers averaged across the capacity of the charger’s battery, the wireless charger will probably give you just over 5 full charges from empty for your Baton 4, or Perun 3 mini.
And what is more, you can actually charge 6 lights in this charger: The Baton 4, Baton 3, S1R II, Perun Mini, Perun 2 Mini and Perun 3 Mini. And both the Baton 4 and Baton 3 are fully compatible with the wireless charger, whereas the other lights will simply store and charge in it.
What I mean by fully compatible, and this is a handy little addition with this charger, is that you can control this Olight while it is in the charger. Remember this is a premium light. So, while the Baton 4 is docked in the charger you can control the light with the percentage display button and therefore make full use of the 5000 mAh capacity battery inside the charger on top of the 650 mAh battery you have in your light. So, in a blackout you could use this little light in its wireless charger as a handy emergency light, and have plenty of life in it. Also, while it is in the charger you can use it as a stepless dimming light so that you have a range of different brightness levels at your disposal. And if you have the Baton 3 it is fully compatible with these functions. Which is an incredible range of uses for such a small light.
But wait, there is more.
The Wireless Charging Case is also a portable power pack for any device you have that is compatible to charge with USB-C. While I am writing this article, I am also charging one of my portable Bluetooth speakers from the charger, using it to charge my Baton 4, and at the same time I am using my Baton 4 on a dim setting as a reading light to help me read the instruction manual for the technical details of this review. You could easily use this light as a back up light in your garage while working on the car. You can just set this up under the car right next to you and you would have no trouble seeing what you are doing. The uses are many and sundry.
Figure 5: Baton 4 Wireless Charge plugged in and charging my portable speaker and the Baton 4 at the same time.
It is a good charger too. It can output 5V 2.4A at max, so it is a moderate little fast charger. With my old phone this is perfect. I could probably charge my phone 1 and ½ to two times with this charger, or there abouts. Or I can use it to charge a portable speaker, or any other portable device that is cable of plugging into USB-C. This is a fantastic device. And the fact that this wireless charger has a 5000 mAh capacity just makes is even more useful than the previous Baton 3 model which only had 3500 mAh of capacity. And the Guidance edition just looks that little bit extra premium as well.
Turning to the light itself the Baton 4 impressive in its own right as a EDC light.
Figure 6: Baton 4, Guidance.
Look at that little fella, that is a good looking little light, especially in this matte metallic blue colouring with gold highlights. But don’t let its size make you think this is light is anything to look down on. The Baton 4 puts out a maximum of 1300 lumens on its turbo setting. Which it can do for 1.5 minutes at 100%. But you also have settings of 600 lumens, 60 lumens, 12 lumens and a moonlight setting of 0.5 lumens. The moonlight setting will get you 30 days of light, and while this does not seem bright, this is useful in a really dark room, where there is low ambient light. This little sucker punches above its weight class. And the Wireless Charing Case allows you to extend these usage numbers up by quite a bit. You could buy a small belt pouch for this light and store this on your belt, or just put the whole pack in your pocket, and while not using this light you can have it continually charge while you are out in the field. This is useful. I have a couple of other Olights that charge via USB-C, you could be charging these while out in the field with this case as well.
Because of the size of this light it is also the perfect size to use in conjunction with the Olight FB-1 Bike Mount.
Figure 7: Baton 4 in the FB-1 Bike Mount.
The Baton 4 has multiple brightness levels, a naturally wide beam, and a strobe function, all of which make it perfect to use as a bike mount light. This FB-1 Bike Mount from Olight is a great idea, they do actual bike lights, which are fantastic in their own right, but adding the ability to use their other Olights as bike lights with this mount is a real bonus. And I can guarantee you will not struggle to see with this little light.
Here is a comparison of the Baton 4 with the Baton Turbo and the Perun 3 Mini:
Figure 8: Baton 4 on turbo mode.
Figure 9: Baton Turbo on turbo mode.
Figure 10: Perun 3 Mini on turbo mode.
As you can see all three of these lights are tiny to hold in the hand, but they all pack a powerful punch. The Baton Turbo has the longer focused beam. The Perun 3 Mini has a good wide beam. But the Baton 4 has an even wider spread, and this is perfect for using as a bike light, or a general purpose light. Give this light to your wife to put in her purse and she can light up the whole carpark at nighttime when she is getting ready to come home from work. And if needed she can turn on the strobe light by pressing the button down three times and this would stop anyone from coming near her. This Baton 4 is clearly an impressive little fella.
Here are some other details just to round of this light’s specs. The Baton 4 Premium Edition (Guidance) has a beam distance of 170 meters. You can drop it 1.5 meters. It can clip onto your pocket, or you can attach it magnetically to any metal surface. You can charge it in the wireless charger, or with a Magnetic Charging Cable with you can order on Olight’s website. It is IPX8 waterproof, weighs 52.5 grams (outside of the case) and is very small making it a handy pocket EDC light. But it is also ergonomic. The clip on this little light is designed so that your thumb fits in the groove on the back of the clip making it comfortable to hold, and the texture on the light itself aids with grip.
I highly recommend this light, especially in this format of the premium edition. It is more expensive than the standard edition, but you get an upgraded premium experience with your purchase. It will well worth the purchase, and it has so many practical uses I am sure you will get a lot of use out of it.
