This is the new Olight Marauder Mini 2 – a compact “do-everything” torch that can now output a whopping 10,000 lumens, with separate flood, spotlight and red light modes, a new side task light, and both USB-C and magnetic charging.
In this detailed review I’ll run through its features, measure its performance, and hopefully help you decide if it’s the right torch for you.
So, let’s take a closer look.
Overview
The Marauder Mini 2 comes in a sturdy hard case. Inside the case you get the torch itself, a lanyard with a built-in USB-C to USB-C charging cable, and an instruction manual. Unlike its predecessor, there’s no holster or magnetic charging cable included.
Like every Olight torch I’ve tested the build quality is superb. It’s made almost entirely of aircraft grade aluminium alloy with a stainless steel bezel for impact resistance in case its dropped bezel first. The switch appears to be made of stainless steel too. The main body of the torch has a textured rubber silicone overlay for grip and comfort.
My only minor complaint is the lanyard integrated USB-C cable. The cable itself is fine, but the connectors and their lanyard receptacle feel quite cheaply made, at least by Olight’s standards. It’s been fine in my testing so far though.
The torch currently comes in three colours – the black version I’m testing, as well as orange and blue – all with a tough hard-anodized coating that’s a little more matte than the original – at least on the black version I have, which I think looks better.
Considering what it can do – which I’ll get to shortly – this is a compact torch, though still fairly heavy at 464 g without the lanyard or 485 g (16.4 oz) with it – the original was 472 g (17.11 oz). It’s pretty much the same size though measuring 133 mm x 66 mm (5.24 ” x 2.6 “). It also keeps the IPX8 waterproof rating of the original, but its drop rating has been reduced from 1.5 m to 1 m. That said, I dropped the previous model from over a metre onto hard gravel and it kept working perfectly, with only a small scuff to show for it – so I’d still expect this one to handle a similar fall just as well despite the lower official rating.
It’s very comfortable to hold. A little extra length would fit my hand better, but I prefer it compact – so I’m happy with the trade-off. I am surprised Olight doesn’t supply the torch with a holster. I can just about fit the torch into a large jacket pocket but a holster with a belt clip would be more practical, and would give some protection in a backpack.
If you can get hold of the holster than came with the original Marauder Mini, it fits perfectly in that. I will try and design a 3D printed holster if someone doesn’t beat me to it.
The Marauder Mini 2 uses a user-replaceable proprietary 32650 battery. It’s not a common battery size, but spares are available directly from Olight.
It’s the same battery as the original model, but the capacity has increased from 6500 mAh to 7500 mAh. The old battery still works in this torch – you’ll get slightly shorter runtimes.
When you first receive the torch you’ll need to remove the protective insulating strip from the battery. One of the most useful upgrades over the original is USB-C charging. Something Olight is starting to add to more and more of their torches. Around the base of the torch, is a sliding cover that reveals the USB-C port. The port is recessed and there’s not much room in there. Some chunkier USB-C cables won’t fit. The cover stops muck getting in, but the torch is waterproof even with the port open.
Olight states the torch will take 3.5 hours to charge at 5V 2.5A. I ran the torch until the battery was completely flat and then measured the charging speed using the lanyard USB-C cable.
It peaked at around 5V 2.8A or just over 14W and took 2 hours 9 mins to get to 80% charge and 2 hours 53 minutes for a full charge – so a little better than spec’ed but relatively conservative charging speeds.
Four green LEDs on the right of the switch show the battery level.
I’m pleased to see the torch does still also support Olight’s magnetic charging. No cable is included, but if you own other Olight torches you’ll probably already have one — and they’re easy to buy separately. It’s still one of the most convenient ways to keep it topped up. You only need to place the torch close and the charging cable snaps into place. Charging speed is slower though – I measured under 10W.
The charging base is only slightly magnetic on this model, and even if it were stronger, the torch is too heavy for magnetic mounting – unlike Olight’s smaller models.
The light has three light sources selectable with a new tactile lever switch below the power button. The switch makes the torch far easier to use, rather than having to remember complex button presses.
From left to right there’s the new side light, the main white light and a red light. Below the lever switch is the mode selection switch with three positions: floodlight, combined spotlight and floodlight, and spotlight. These are only applicable to the White Light mode, with the lever switch in the bottom position – sensibly facing its mode selection switch.
By default you turn on the torch by rotating the knurled power button at least 60° to unlock. Within 10 seconds press the power button to turn on the torch. If you leave it much longer it’ll automatically lock again. This method of unlocking the torch wasn’t loved by everyone in the original model and Olight have listened to user feedback and introduced an alternative way to unlock the new version with a press and hold.
With the torch charging via USB or magnetically, slide the mode switch to spotlight mode, turn on the torch and then press the power button 15 times. The light will blink once for Rotate Unlock and twice for Press and Hold Unlock.
With the torch unlocked, turn it on and rotate the dial all the way anti-clockwise to the 50 day 1.5 lumens moonlight mode. As you rotate the dial clockwise you move up through the 9 light levels. From level 1 at 150 lumens, to 300, 600, 1200, 2500, 5000 and finally the 10000 lumen turbo mode – a noticeable brightness jump from the original model’s 7,000 lumen turbo mode. The dial is super smooth and a natural way to adjust brightness – but it’s not easy to be precise if you want to select a specific mode – say 1200 lumens. It will memorise your last mode though.
Apart from 150 lumens and below all the modes step down after a preset time period. But even at 1,200 lumens which is bright enough a lot of the time, you get three hours at full brightness according to Olight. You can see all the output levels and runtimes above and I’ll come back to my own measurements of the 10,000 lumen Turbo mode shortly.
One feature missing compared to the original model, which I found quite useful, is the vibration feedback when you reach maximum and minimum brightness levels. But the brightness level indicator is far more visible on the new model. I would have liked the brightness level LEDs to be a different colour to the battery level LEDs, like on the new ArkPro series that has white LEDs for brightness and green LEDs for battery level.
Slide the mode switch to the middle and you get the combined spotlight and floodlight mode – something lacking on the original torch. This is useful for seeing right in front of you and the trail ahead. This mode steps from a 2 lumen moonlight up to the 8000 lumen Turbo mode, also nicely spaced with 9 levels.
Slide the mode switch all the way forward to the spotlight mode. The 9 output levels start from a 95 day 0.5 lumen moonlight mode to a 1350 lumen huge 750 m throw turbo mode, up from 600 m on the original model. I’ll show some examples shortly, but typically you can expect a real use range of roughly half that.
Move the light source switch to the left for the completely new Side Light feature. It has 5 modes from a 0.5 lumen 150 day moonlight mode – which is still usable for reading, up to a 200 lumen turbo mode that is genuinely useful as a work light.
It’s a great addition, but I’d love to be able to change the colour temperature on this LED – a warmer light for reading for example.
Finally switching to the right there’s the red light mode. This is useful for preserving night vision and attracts fewer insects compared to white light. This also has 5 modes, from a 35 day 1 lumen mode, to a 400 lumen turbo mode – double that of the original’s red mode. There’s no blue and green modes like on the previous version. These had specific use cases but I never really used them so it’s not a great loss for me – and I prefer the additional output of the red mode.
If you switch between red and white mode the torch will retain its brightness level – according to the brightness level indicator. If you switch to the side light it defaults to its 5 lumen brightness level.
Finally you have quick access to moonlight, turbo and strobe mode after you’ve unlocked the torch. A long press for moonlight mode with the torch off, a double press for turbo with the torch on or off and a triple press for strobe mode with the torch on or off. For some reason if you changed the unlock mode to Press and Hold you need two double presses to get to Turbo mode.
You need to be in flood mode for strobe to work. For its intended self defence I’d prefer a triple-press from any mode to immediately enter strobe.
Performance
The outer 12 LEDs include ten cool-white LEDs for the flood beam and two red LEDs for the red-light mode. The front lens is still polycarbonate, just like the original Marauder Mini. I’d have preferred a glass lens for its better scratch resistance, so we’ll have to see how well this one holds up over time.
Olight lists the flood LEDs at 6500K, and in my test at 2500 lumens I measured 6219K with a Duv close to zero – so it’s pretty neutral, without much of the unwanted green tint you sometimes see.
Colour accuracy or CRI is still fairly low at 69, but at least Olight is upfront about it.
Deep inside the slightly bulbous central lens is the single LED for the spotlight. Olight rates it at 6500K, and in its 800-lumen mode I measured it a little cooler at 7227K with a slightly positive Duv.
Even so, I still couldn’t see much of a green tint. CRI came in at 68 – again, very close to Olight’s spec.
I also measured the new side light in its 200-lumen mode. Olight doesn’t specify a colour temperature or CRI for this LED, but I got 6173K with a slightly negative Duv, which is generally considered more desirable and gives it a very slight rosy tint.
Colour accuracy was again 68.
Next I tested the runtime in its brightest 10,000 lumen floodlight mode, with a fully charged battery in my DIY lumen test chamber. I measured 11332 lumens at turn on, an impressive 10195 lumens at 30 seconds, and then it slowly started dropping to 2500 lumens after just under 2 minutes. Which is almost exactly in line with Olight’s claims.
Olight claims it will last a further 90 minutes at 2500 lumens but in my tests it dropped to 1375 lumens after a further 30 minutes. This is likely due to thermal throttling. In real use with a cool breeze, runtimes will be longer.
I measured the temperature of the torch with my thermal camera, and the head reached a warm-to-the-touch 56°C before it stepped down in brightness.
It’s worth noting that there’s no proximity sensor on this model, and the lens – and even the area a centimetre or two in front of it – can get to over 100°C. So do be careful. I’ve actually burnt a hole in a down jacket before with a torch less powerful than this!
Next, I tested the torch outdoors and compared it with the original Marauder Mini, the budget-friendly 12,000-lumen Sofirn IF30 and the 12,000-lumen Wuben X1. The Sofirn has similar output and features, and it also uses a replaceable 32650 battery. The Wuben X1 doesn’t offer a spotlight and has an integrated battery, but it’s the only torch here under 400 g and has a flatter, slightly more compact design.
In its brightest flood mode, the Marauder Mini 2 produces an impressively wide, smooth beam with soft edges. Olight doesn’t provide a candela figure for this mode, but I measured 13,800 cd, which translates to around 235 metres of throw. It’s so bright in Turbo that you still get plenty of range even without switching to the spotlight.
It might be hard to tell the difference between the new and old Marauder Mini at a glance, but the extra brightness is noticeable. That said, all four torches here have far more output than most people will ever realistically need.
In spotlight mode, both Marauder Mini’s produce a tighter beam than the Sofirn IF30. With its narrower beam, the new Marauder Mini 2 reaches farther than the 12,000 lumen IF30. Olight specifies 140,000 candela and 750 metres of throw – up from 600 metres on the original – and my measurement was almost exactly that. In comparison, the IF30 lists 685 metres; I measured 641 metres.
On both the IF30 and the new Marauder Mini 2 you can switch on the combined beam mode, so having a tighter, longer-range spotlight on the Mini 2 isn’t a drawback – you can always add flood when you want more spill.
I also did a quick comparison of the Marauder Mini 2 in spotlight mode with Olight’s Javelot Turbo 2, which has a claimed 1,500-metre range. It’s hard to capture on camera, but you should still be able to see how much brighter the telegraph pole is at around 100 metres away with the Javelot. That said, the Javelot is a very specialised long-range searchlight — it doesn’t have the versatility, flood options or everyday practicality of the Marauder Mini 2.
Conclusions
Olight have taken a very popular and capable torch and improved it in almost every area. There’s more brightness, more range, longer runtimes, USB-C charging, and the new side light – there’s not much more they could have added. Having said that, a built-in power bank would have been perfect, especially given the waterproofing. And although my output measurements were in line with Olight’s claims, the Turbo runtimes were a little shorter in testing. As I mentioned earlier, real-world use with some airflow should bring those closer to spec.
It’s also a shame that no holster is included or available at launch. I like the hard case and it’s useful for keeping in your car for instance, but I can’t see myself using it day to day.
Whether it’s right for you really depends on what you need. If you’ve got a specific use for a powerful flood or long-range spot, it handles both extremely well. And if you don’t have a particular requirement, it still works as a very capable “does-everything” torch – one light that covers most situations without needing multiple torches.
This isn’t an inexpensive torch, even discounted, but if you’re happy with the size, weight and price, the Marauder Mini 2 is a very capable and versatile high-output torch, and one of the most impressive torches I’ve tested to date.
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Marauder Mini 2:
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