Olight has just launched their Baldr Pro R. Despite Olight’s confusing naming scheme, could this full size light/laser combination is the best “Baldr” yet.
What is the Baldr Pro R?
The Baldr Pro R is a 1,350 lumen white light with the laser integrated, and a magnetic rechargeable battery. I like the fact that the laser isn’t hanging below the light; Olight has previously integrated the laser into the bezel of their Baldr Mini and Baldr S units, so this continues that trend. I also think a lot of people are going to like the Baldr Pro R having the Olight magnetic recharging capability. Switches are the same side-press switches as the previous full size Olights. The mounting system is the same lever-style that fits on most full size pistols. The Baldr Pro R looks a lot like the PL Pro, but it has a longer bezel, and the light / laser switching mechanism is a slick feeling rotating bezel.
Let’s Count All the Baldrs
Olight’s naming scheme continues to puzzle me.
There are a bunch of “Baldr” Olights. I hope you’re able to make sense of their naming scheme because I’m apparently not smart enough.
PL-2RL Baldr: Full size light with red laser. This is the original Baldr as far as I know. It’s a full size light with a red laser.
Baldr Pro: Full size light with green laser, slightly smaller than the PL-2RL Baldr. I would think that Baldr means pistol light with laser, right? And “Pro” means full size, right? As we’ll see, at least part of that assumption is wrong.
Baldr RL: Full size light with red laser. It’s a full size light, but apparently doesn’t need to include “Pro” to indicate full size. So I’m not completely sure what “Pro” means. I see that it is named “RL” so I’m hoping that means “Red Laser” right?
Baldr Mini: Compact light with green laser. Ok, now I’m thinking modifiers such as “Pro” and “Mini” mean size… at least for those lights not called the Baldr RL.
Baldr RL Mini: Compact light with red laser. So “RL” must mean “Red Laser.”
Baldr S: Compact light (but bigger than the Baldr Mini) with green laser. We were excited when we heard the Baldr S was coming out thinking “S” means subcompact. Wrong. The S is similar to the Mini, but longer. Now we have a letter designating sizes, with “Pro” (used inconsistently) being the full size, “S” being mid size, and “Mini” being small. To this day I don’t know what “S” means. If you know, please comment below.
Baldr Pro R: Full size light with a green laser. We see the return of the “Pro” modifier on a full size light. But what is with the single letter following “Pro?” It’s the letter “R” which, if I’m used to the “RL” designation used previously, I might think it means “Red” laser. But I would be wrong again. Maybe it means “Rechargeable?”
The naming mess wouldn’t be so bad if all the lights were the same shape and size. However, almost every product is dimensionally different in one aspect or another, meaning each one requires a different holster. My advice to anyone who buys an Olight Baldr “whatever” is to be 100% certain you know which one you have before buying a holster.
Ok, on to the testing.
We Test All the Baldrs
Since it’s all “Baldr” now, I decided to test a representative sample of “Baldrs” in addition to the Olight PL-Pro (which is the closest in size to the Baldr Pro R), as well as our benchmark Streamlight TLR-1HL.
| Light | Price | Spec Lumens | Laser | Battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olight Baldr Pro R | $108.95 | 1,350 | Green | Integrated rechargeable |
| Olight Baldr Pro | $149.95 | 1,350 | Green | 2x CR123a |
| Olight PL-Pro | $129.95 | 1,500 | None | Integrated rechargeable |
| Olight Baldr Mini | $90.97 | 600 | Green | Integrated rechargeable |
| Olight Baldr S | $129.95 | 800 | Green | Integrated rechargeable |
| Streamlight TLR-1HL | $139.99 | 1,000 | None | 2x CR123a |
Looking through the specs, the Baldr Pro R (at least at today’s price) is significantly less expensive than most of the other light / laser combos. Also, it appears that the PL-Pro still has the highest spec sheet output.
Practical Testing: Warehouse
As usual, we start with our “creepy guy” (sorry Jamison) in a warehouse test. This test shows us hotspot, flood, and color comparisons fairly well. The two lights that provide the best definition are the Streamlight TLR-1HL, with it’s bright cool light, and the Olight PL-Pro, which is slightly warmer. The hotspot on those two outshines the the other 4 lights. The Baldr Pro R has more flood than the TLR-1HL, and appears warmer. One striking aspect of the Baldr Pro R is that it has two different light colors; it is cool in the center hotspot, and warm in the flood. This is something we have not seen in a weaponlight before. Other than the color differences, this light performed better than the rest of the light / laser combinations we have from Olight.
Next up we try to punch through vehicle headlights to see the a truck’s interior. I threw a t-shirt over the passenger seat because I had forgotten my cardboard target. The t-shirt has white logos on the arms, which I was hoping would come through with brighter lights. I wasn’t disappointed; all the full size lights showed bits of white, with the PL-Pro and TLR-1HL again having the best “punch through.” I would say that the two smaller lights, the Baldr Mini and Baldr S, did not provide enough light to adequately see the seat backs and headrests. The Baldr Pro R performs well here, just behind the two dedicated lights.
When I scanned the forest around the truck, I was pleasantly surprised that all of the lights provided decent visibility. As expected, the two compact lights gave less detail, but they were still adequate. The lights equipped with a green laser projected the laser strong and far.
Lab Test: Lumens Over Time
On to our lab testing using the integrating sphere. This device allows us to accurately measure total output of these lights. We made sure all lights were set to “high output” if available, turned off the lasers, and ran them until the light was well under 10% of its rated output.
The Baldr Pro R starts over 1600 lumens, but within two minutes falls to about 560 lumens for the first 30 minutes, then it steps down to about 330 lumens for the rest of the the first hour. This is pretty respectable, and significantly better than the other 3 Baldrs tested, but still not as strong & long lasting as the TLR-1HL or PL Pro. If you’re looking for a high output rechargeable light without the laser, the PL-Pro is still a great choice. Finally, I want to mention the Baldr S. For a compact light, it does perform pretty well, giving over 30 minutes at over 300 lumens.
Max Lumens
Using the data gathered from the integrating spehere, we are also able to calculate max lumens. ANSI / PLATO specs require that we average the readings taken between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Doing so gives us the following data as compared to manufacturer specs:
| Test Data Compared to Spec | Baldr Pro R | Baldr Pro | PL Pro | Baldr Mini | Baldr S | TLR-1HL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spec Output | 1350 | 1350 | 1500 | 600 | 800 | 1000 |
| ANSI Max Lumens | 1080 | 347 | 1164 | 510 | 794 | 1164 |
| Percent of Advertised | 80.02% | 25.73% | 77.57% | 84.94% | 99.28% | 116.35% |
| Runtime to 10% of Spec Output | 51.58 | 166.58 | 40.42 | 41.67 | 34.42 | 93.33 |
I’m disappointed that none of the Olights met their manufacturer spec. The closest was the Baldr S which was 99% of its rating. The Baldr Pro R came in at 1080 max lumens which is 80% of its rating. It’s also sad that the PL-Pro, which claims 1,500 lumens, had the exact same measurement as the TLR-1HL — 1,164. Finally, I’m not sure what is wrong with the Baldr Pro in this test. We know about the high / low settings, and it was set on high. If it’s a defective unit (which we suspect we have seen a couple) then that’s Olight’s issue. I’m going to publish the results we measure.
Max Candela
We know how important candela is for punching through photonic barriers and controlling threats. We brought our testing closer in line with ANSI / PLATO specs, and ran the lights for 30 seconds before measuring max candela. As we could see in the practical tests, the smaller Baldr lights provide less of a hotspot and more flood, and it shows with their rather low candela measurements here. The Baldr Pro R is the strongest light with a laser, but doesn’t quite have the candela of the TLR-1HL or the PL Pro.
| Baldr Pro R | Baldr Pro | PL Pro | Baldr Mini | Baldr S | TLR-1HL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Candela | 9489 | 5945 | 14,140 | 2858 | 3755 | 12,540 |
Holster Availability
I’m writing this review on the eve of the product launch, so I do not expect much in the way of holster availability. Remember, you need a holster specifically built for the Baldr Pro R. Holsters for the PL Pro won’t work. The bezel is longer, meaning it will bottom out before the pistol is fully holstered. Werkz is developing holsters which should be available shortly. See the link in the description for current availability.
Shooting Impressions
The Baldr Pro R shot well. I think the buttons lend themselves to constant activation more than momentary, as it’s hard to keep the light activated under recoil. The bezel ring is a slick way to change between light & laser. The light is strong, and the color shift from hotspot to flood isn’t that distracting. I shot the other units under test, and the only one that I had any problem with was the Baldr Pro. The battery door opened up and the light & laser both turned off. This is why I prefer battery doors that either are locked in place or not. On further investigation, it appears that this door, even when “locked” closed, can be opened with light to moderate pressure. The sealed batteries of the Baldr Pro R are much better in this regard as you don’t have to ever remove them.
As a side note, we did not test the lasers.
Olight Baldr Pro R: The best Baldr yet
I like the Baldr Pro R. It’s a slick looking form factor with good output. If you’re running a full size pistol and want a rechargeable light with laser, this may be the weaponlight for you. If you many of the same features in a smaller form factor, the Baldr S performed well. I know a lot of people find the rechargeability convenient, especially when running a holster that allows “holstered charging” such as those from Werkz. Some people hate Olight, and those people are probably only watching this review to see if one of them blew up or caught fire. Fortunately, we had no such drama.
I do have a few items that I would like to see improved on the Baldr Pro R. I find the switches uninspiring. Rotary switches such as the TLR-1HL, X300U, or PL350 are better, and the “press down” switches of the TLR-7A are pretty good. The Olight “press inward” switches on the full size lights aren’t my favorite because they don’t lend to momentary use, pressing inward is less intuitive than pressing down, and often disrupts the sights more than downward pressure. Finally, every single one of these Olights did not meet their output claims, including the Baldr Pro R.
| Pro | Con |
|---|---|
| Highest Output Baldr | Uninspiring Switches |
| Rechargeable | Only 1080 ANSI/PLATO Lumens |
| Integrated Laser | Unclear naming scheme |
| Reasonable price | Limited holster availability |
I am hoping Olight comes out with a subcompact light with laser soon, something designed to fit the P365 and the G43x MOS. What would they name it? Let us know in the comments below.
