Olight i3E EOS Review

Key Info
- 90 lumens (silver 120 lumens). 
- Uses 1xAAA battery. 
- Runtime 45mins with Alkaline battery (Silver model 35). Longer runtimes with NiMh battery. 
- Phillips Luxeon TX LED. 
- Waterproof to IPX8 standard. 
- No reverse polarity protection. 

Introduction
The Olight i3E is a very handy little torch, and probably my favourite keychain light when value for money is considered. It's not the greatest quality light money can buy, but it's still well made and it makes a great low-budget entry into high-performance flashlights. 

About
The i3E uses a Phillips Luxeon TX LED and 1xAAA battery and has one brightness level, which varies depending on which model you choose - the silver model is 120 lumens and all the other colours are 90 lumens. Personally, I'd steer clear of the silver model - I prefer the other colours as not only is the battery life shorter on the silver for a hardly discernible difference in brightness (35 mins for the silver vs 45 for the others), but the silver finish is very tacky in my opinion, and I did have a silver model that was faulty upon arrival. 

The i3E runs off common, inexpensive AAA batteries and I think it makes a great entry into the world of high-performance lights, having bought several as gifts. This is not to say that the i3E is earth-shatteringly bright, because it isn't, but it will likely surprise those unacquainted with modern flashlights that so much light can come from such a small form factor. 

Quality
The i3E is fairly well made. It is not stunning quality - there is no reverse polarity protection (don't put the battery in the wrong way round!), the aluminium body is quite thin, the gold-plated contact ring is also thin and narrow, the lens is acrylic not glass and there seem to have perhaps be a few QC issues (one of mine had a short on the circuit board), but in my experience it is considerably better than many in its price range and I have no doubt that it will last me a good few years of use. In addition, it is waterproof to IPX8 standard, so shouldn't suffer from problems in that regard (although no spare O-rings are included). 

Conclusion
The Olight i3E is a budget light and as such isn't entirely without its faults, however, if you're after a bright keychain torch that won't break the bank, or looking for a gift to introduce someone to high-performance flashlights, then the i3E may be the one for you. (Available at Amazon.co.uk).