OLIGHT Baldr Pro REVIEW

I often get asked whether I prefer a laser or light mounted to my pistol.

And my answer has always been, a light. I prefer to see what I’m aiming my pistol at. If it’s gotten to this point, I better clearly see my target.

A light offers situational awareness and can temporarily blind a potential threat. Buying you precious time to assess the situation. A laser merely paints a point of impact on an object for a shooter.

However, it doesn’t identify what that object is. In total darkness, a laser is merely a dot. What if you could have both?

Enter the high-powered Baldr PRO from OLIGHT. Offering a 1350 Lumen LED and daylight visible green laser.

OLIGHT is an overseas manufacturer of high-quality tactical lights and flashlights. All with the latest in LED technology and power management.

I recently picked up a Baldr PRO through our own affiliate program to mount on my custom Glock 17 from my friends at RedSpear Tactical.

Once it arrived, I was immediately impressed with the build quality of the light. I would say it’s most comparable to my Streamlight TLR1-HL. Minus the laser of course. The green visible 5mw laser is a welcome addition.

Plus, with a separate switch, I can toggle between three settings. Laser only, a laser with light, and light only. Allowing full functionality for multiple situations.

OLIGHT Baldr PRO Review [Video]

General Data

• Beam Distance (ft) – 853
• Beam Distance (m) – 260
• Max. Performance (lumens) -1350
• Compatible Batteries – 2 x CR123A
• Light Intensity (candela) -16900
• Light Form – Compact/tight-focused hot spot.
• Lens / Reflector Type – TIR Optic Lens
• Mode Operation – Side Switch
• Form/Size Factor – Medium Size(Permanent Maker)
• Series – Series Baldr

After using the Streamlight for years, I have become accustomed to the rocker switch at the back of the light. Now that I’ve been using the OLIGHT Baldr PRO for a while, I can say that I prefer their button activation.

This type of activation allows OLIGHT to utilize additional features. Like a strobe feature and a HI / LOW light output option. With a super bright 1350 lumen output on high, you should only expect 1 minute of burn time.

Then the light automatically throttles back to 37% for an additional 115 minutes. And when you activate its low light setting, the 300-lumen LED will burn for 3.5 hours.

OLIGHT is a definite contender in the mid-range weapon light market.

The materials and build quality resemble similar lights I carried in the Ranger Regiment from Surefire and Streamlight. But without the premium price tag. The Baldr PRO MSRP of $159.95 is less than half the cost of comparable models from the aforementioned companies.

But there are some technical differences. One big discrepancy is the IP (Ingress Protection) rating. While the Baldr PRO is IPx4 rated (Splash Resistant from all directions). The Streamlight is IPX7 Rated (Submersible to 1M for 30 minutes). As a comparison, the Apple iPhone 12 is IP68 rated to 6M for 30 minutes.

Final Thoughts

Since 99% of home defense and civilian shooters will never need a submersible weapon light, I recommend taking a close look at the offerings from OLIGHT. The QD mount is rock solid and requires no tools to mount.

Making switching between pistols or long guns very easy. After several removal and installations on my Glock 17, the laser never lost its zero. The illumination pattern works well in CQB scenarios yet still penetrates downrange when outside.

The downside is a really short burn time at the full 1350 Lumen. That’s why I’m using rechargeable CR123A batteries.

We will be testing additional OLIGHT weapon lights and flashlights in the future so stay tuned…

*Originally published on The Gear Bunker

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