Hello, my name is Patrick and welcome to my review.
I’m a mid 30’s Australian who likes to collect knives, torches and other EDC type gadgets.
As a collector and hobby reviewer, I am always searching for the ultimate “Buy It Once For Life” product that I can genuinely recommend to other people. I am a firm believer in “value for money” which to me means that a product should be something that is reliable, high quality and could potentially last a very long time. A well informed decision is a good decision, so through many hours of research and years of personal experience, I aim to deliver clear, honest reviews that cover the good, the bad and everything in between.
Today we will be talking about the Olight Oclip Ultra. A brand new offering in the Oclip family of products claiming to have some great new features. But are they really impressive enough to warrant the upgrade? Let’s take a closer look…
Overview & Specs
The Olight Oclip Ultra is the latest addition to the very cute and very small Oclip family. Unlike the previous Oclips, the Ultra has done away with the smooth, rounded corners and sports a more tactical, rectangular look. This design change has also been paired with an upgrade to the new and improved OAL material. More on this later.
The Oclip’s simple design makes it extremely easy to clip on to things and its small size means it completely disappears in your pocket if you're carrying it around. It is a 3-in-1 flashlight that features a Spot Light, a Flood Light and now a UV Light.
It Weighs in at 55 grams or 1.94 ounces; with a total Length of 57mm (2.24 inches), a Width of 28.3mm (1.11 inches) and a max thickness of 27.9mm (1.1inches).
The manual states the Oclip Ultra has a IPX6 waterproof rating - even with the cover open, which is pretty impressive.
Olight also claims that the Oclip Ultra is drop tested for up to 1.5m (4.9ft) and lists an optimal working temperature window between 0-40 Degrees Celsius.
Below are the specs and runtimes for the different light modes.
White Light Modes:
Floodlight: A Cool White LED with a listed maximum output of 3.8W, a CCT range of 5700-6500k and a CRI 70 rating.
Turbo mode shines at a maximum brightness of 530 Lumens for 1 minute before dropping down to 57% for 50 minutes and then stepping down again to 19% for the final 30 minutes of runtime.
High = 300 Lumens for 10 minutes then reducing to 60% brightness for a further 80 minutes before finally stepping down to 33% for the remaining 20 minutes of runtime.
Medium = 100 Lumens for a solid 3.5 hours of runtime at 100% brightness.
Low = 10 Lumens for 27 hours of runtime.
Moonlight = Runs at 1 Lumen for an astonishing 144 hours.
Spotlight: A Cool White LED with a listed maximum output of 3.8W, a CCT range of 5700-7000k and a CRI 70 rating.
Turbo = 450 Lumens for 1 minute before dropping down to 60% for 50 minutes and then dimming to 20% for an additional 30 minutes of runtime.
High = 270 Lumens for 10 minutes then stepping down to 60% for a further 80 minutes before finally reducing down to 33% brightness for the remaining 20 minutes of runtime.
Medium = 90 Lumens for a good 3.5 hours of runtime at 100% brightness.
Low = 9 Lumens for 27 hours of runtime.
Moonlight = 1 Lumens for 144 hours.
Olight claims that the spotlight has a maximum throw distance of about 130 meters which is very impressive for such a tiny light!
UV Mode:
The UV light runs at an Optical Power 800 - 300mW with a Wavelength of 365 - 370nm.
The manual states a runtime of “3 +130min” which I am assuming means roughly 4 hours and 10 minutes. This gives you plenty of time to check even the largest hotel room for cleanliness. It also works great for checking pets for nasties like Ringworm or looking for scorpions in your tent.
Powering all of these impressive figures is a 580mAh, 3.7v (2.146Wh) Rechargeable Li-ion Battery that takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge and works with any standard USB-C cable.
The charging port is covered by a very cool and surprisingly durable hinged charging port cover, which Olight claims has been tested to withstand over 3000 open-close cycles. This is very good news as fidgeting with it is incredibly satisfying.
The battery is not removable which would normally be seen as a negative, however, Olight is gracious enough to offer a full lifetime warranty on their products so if there were to be any long term battery issues I’m sure they would sort something out for you.
On the surface this might sound very similar to the rest of the Oclip family - A compact but powerful EDC light that can go anywhere you need it to. However, the addition of a UV function is extremely useful for anyone in law enforcement, cleaning or who goes outdoors at night.
The biggest difference between the regular Oclips and the Ultra though is the huge upgrade in construction design and material.
Olight being the creative geniuses they are, decided that the standard 6061 Aluminum that they use, which we all know and love, wasn’t tough enough. So the incredibly talented people at Olight invented a brand new material called “OAL”. What is it?
“OAL” is Olight’s exclusive, proprietary aluminum alloy that made its debut on the phenomenal Arkfeld Ultra. It is just as lightweight as 6061 but far tougher. How tough?
Well according to the Olight website, OAL is 1.77x harder than 6061 Aluminum.
1.46x stronger in yield strength than TA2 Titanium and also 1.7x stronger in Tensile Strength than TA2 Titanium.
So what does all that mean? Well, essentially it’s super tough, super durable and very scratch resistant.
One of the only drawbacks for me when using the amazing Olight products, is when they inevitably get scratched. Those smooth anodized finishes are very appealing to the eye, but when the scratches start to show it can be a bit sad.The Oclip especially, being so small, means it’s very easy to forget it’s in your pocket, so when the fist full of change or set of keys go in, your beautiful light gets all scratched up. However, with this incredible new material, that seems to be a thing of the past!
I have watched some videos where people have tried scratching it, but it appears it’s fairly impossible to do in regular use case scenarios. That is a game changer for anyone who loves using things while also keeping them in great condition.
So if you already have one, is it worth an upgrade? Definitely yes.
If you don’t have an Oclip but want to know more, my review covers all you need to know about the Oclip Ultra’s Presentation and Performance. I grade both aspects out of a potential 10 and then offer some concluding thoughts.
Let’s take a look at the Presentation side of things.
Presentation:
As usual, shipping was very fast and was well packed. Waiting for me inside the package was a very sleek, matte black box with a beautiful metallic blue “Olight” embossed on the top and “Oclip Ultra” in silver on the sides. It is a very similar unboxing experience to when you get a new phone. The packaging is very minimalistic, but maintains a stylish and premium feeling.
Inside the box was the Oclip Ultra in an opaque protective sleeve and set inside a foam insert. Below that was a thin cardboard box containing the instructions and charging cable along with a yellow “Read Me” sheet which explains the lockout mode and charging instructions. It also has a very nice message from Olight on the back of it which is a really nice touch!
The Oclip Ultra comes in two colour options: A striking olive green/almost gold colour which is the natural colour of OAL. Or the new and extremely beautiful Navy Blue. It is a very nice colour that would suit almost any occasion and I must say looks absolutely awesome.
The overall design aesthetic of the Oclip Ultra is sporting a more flat, rectangular appearance now which does create a more tactical/bodycam type look. If you are worried about it looking too tactical, definitely go for the Navy Blue option as it has a much more elegant appearance to it.
Overall the presentation of the Oclip Ultra is very well thought out and delivers a very premium feeling experience. The design of the Oclip itself is very sleek and modern and both the colour and texture of the OAL is extremely well done making it feel like a much more expensive item than what it actually is.
I give the Oclip Ultra a rating of 10/10 for Presentation.
Performance
The Oclip Ultra not only looks great, it performs great too! I was genuinely impressed by how powerful this little unit is.
The control scheme is pretty straightforward and easy to use with a side mounted on/off button surrounded by a rotating selector switch. This allows for very fast and easy mode selection.
The clip part itself opens up to provide 14mm clearance which is enough for most regular belts, bag straps and jackets. It is very sturdy with Olight claiming to have tested it for over 10,000 uses. It includes a lanyard hole and has a nice checkered knurling etched into it which provides a nice grip without detracting from the silky smooth feel of the OAL. On the underside of the checkered squeezy bit is a C shaped magnet which allows the Oclip Ultra to be stuck onto pretty much any metallic surface for use as a stationary light source. It is strong enough to hold its own weight without needing super strength to disengage it. The inside of the clip itself has some inset rubber grips to help keep it secured during those bumpy rides or rocky hikes.
I spent 2 hours running around in torrential rain with the Oclip Ultra clipped to the front of a HiVis vest, and it didn’t slip, move or accidentally come flying off once! The Oclip Ultra performed flawlessly despite the ridiculous amount of rain and even though I was completely soaked, the Ultra didn’t miss a beat.
The white light modes cover almost every possible lighting need you can think of. Because of its flatter design, it won't roll away or tip over if you set it down while you're busy trying to do something. The magnetic clip is super handy for any late night car trouble you may have too as you can just stick it onto the underside of the hood and investigate the problems with both hands free.
There is also a strobe light function which I’ve been told works great for law enforcement purposes or if you really want to annoy people.
The UV light works great for checking the cleanliness of anywhere you go. While not as powerful as the Arkfeld Ultra it is still more than capable for checking counterfeit currency, rock hunting, charging up glow in the dark materials or searching for any glow in the dark creatures when you’re out and about. It is a super handy tool to have, especially in such a tiny piece of equipment.
I honestly can’t fault the performance of the Oclip Ultra at all. It is a super small, incredibly capable unit and with the extreme toughness of OAL you honestly can’t ask for a better clip light. The included charging cable is only 25cm in length though, so that may be an issue for some people. I award it the full 10/10 rating for Performance.
Final Thoughts
The Oclip Ultra is an amazing addition to the Oclip family and Olight’s mind blowing OAL material has really taken it to the next level in EDC capability. This little beast is a great addition to your EDC lineup and brings a rugged durability that no one would ever really expect to find in such a small flashlight. The build quality and performance is absolutely phenomenal.
The only thing that may cause people to stay with the Pro model is the lack of a red light on the Ultra. The floodlight is so powerful that Olight really could have included a red light instead of the spotlight. There may be different use cases where a spotlight comes in handy, but personally I think a red light would have just made this thing completely unbeatable.
It is such an awesome piece of gear and is easily the best clip light on the market today.
I highly recommend the Oclip Ultra and it is definitely a “Buy It Once For Life” item.
Well done, Olight on another amazing product!
