Olight Heard Our Complaints, And Its Latest Flashlight Solves the Problem

I was standing at a remote campsite at 11,000 feet. Night had already fallen when I pulled out Olight’s latest flashlight, the ArkPro (reviewed here). I pushed the button, and a beam shot forth, lighting up a wide section of hillside 75 yards away.

“What the heck is that?” one of my buddies inquired, grabbing for the flashlight. “Wow, that’s intense.”

It really is. The Olight ArkPro packs an intense 1,500-lumen beam into a light that’s slightly smaller than a Roku or Firebox remote control. It has extra modes such as a UV light and a laser pointer. And best yet, it fixes a problem I’ve had with every Olight until now.

It finally has a USB-C charging port! Yes, the magnetic charger is still there. But honestly, from here forth, it’s USB-C for me.

In short: The Olight ArkPro is a bright, small, pocketable flashlight perfect for EDC use. Its flat “wedge” design, easily selectable modes, and rock-solid construction make it a standout light. With USB-C charging, you no longer have to remember to carry an extra cord everywhere you go. A laser pointer that functions in conjunction with other lighting modes or alone, and a UV light mode, add to the utility.

Compare the ArkPro with GearJunkie’s guide to the best flashlights.

Olite ArkPro Flashlight Review

The Olite ArkPro is the flagship of the “ArkPro Series.” It includes the Olite ArkPro, the Olite ArkPro Ultra, which is a little more powerful with 1,700 lumens, and the ArkPro Lite, which produces up to 1,200 lumens and lacks the laser pointer and UV light, but adds a red light.

While I haven’t reviewed the ArkPro Lite, it might be a good choice for outdoor use where red light is essential, and lasers and UV are less so.

But back to the ArkPro; I must say it’s a wild little flashlight. It’s a flat EDC design, which is very popular for its ease of pocket carry. It’s a little fatter than a pocket knife, but it still carries similarly to a larger EDC blade. And for people who use a flashlight a lot, it’s downright easy to grab and go.

No more holding out — my favorite part of the Olight ArkPro series is that they’re all USB-C charging compatible. Most, or maybe all, Olights up until now have used a good magnetic charging system with a proprietary cable. While it’s very functional, it requires you to pack an extra cable if you want to charge any of those lights.

USB-C has become the gold standard, though, and is on almost all new cellphones anyway. So now you can use the cable you already have to charge your flashlight, too. The ArkPro series does still have the magnetic charging (which can function as a magnetic base too), but I doubt I’ll use it much.

The USB-C works fast and is so much more convenient. Thanks, Olight, for finally hearing the concerns so many consumers have raised for a few years now.

This is probably the best Olight yet for EDC users, and it’s among the best flashlights, period.

Testing

I took the Olight ArkPro into the real world to test it, along with several other headlamps and lights, during a week of elk hunting and gear testing in the Rocky Mountains. Conditions were sometimes rough. I carried it in backpacks for miles over steep terrain, let it bounce around the console of a pickup while cruising around rough dirt roads, and left it out in a snowstorm.

After that full week, and a few other testing days, it still looks and functions like brand new.

I spent several evening hours using the light for general camp tasks. I woke up pre-dawn a few days while my friends were still sleeping and used the UV light to navigate the tent while preparing to hunt. It’s definitely not as good as red for that task, but didn’t disrupt their sleep as much as white light would.

I used the spotlight to keep an eye on a couple of our camp dogs at night. The German shorthaired pointers were energetic, and while they did wear e-collars and have great recall, it was nice to have a beam that reached out into the blackness to find their wagging tails without having to beep them.

The flood came in handy for food preparation and other close-range camp chores. It’s a lovely, smooth light that illuminates a broad area. I used the pocket clip to attach the light to a tent line a couple of times to cook dinner, and it worked great.

The laser pointer, well, it was more of a party trick for me. I’m sure some folks have regular uses for them — those who point at screens during lectures, for example, or maybe construction workers. But for the outdoors, I don’t see a ton of use. It’s still cool, though.

UV light has more possible uses in the outdoors, but it’s still limited. Hunters can use it to illuminate blood while tracking wounded game. I haven’t used it for this purpose and find white light to be great, but some folks do claim it helps. I use it to make my watch lume brighten sometimes. Some folks use UV lights to verify cash or identification documents, or find luminescent rocks or even body fluids.

I hope to test the ArkPro Lite soon, as it trades out the UV and laser for a red light, which is extremely useful in the outdoors.

User Interface

The ArkPro is very intuitive to use. It has a single button on top surrounded by a mode-selecting dial. The dial turns to three positions to select UV, flood, or spot modes. A second button on the side controls the laser pointer, with a single press to turn it on or off and a long press to change between two brightnesses.

For the primary lighting, short-press to turn it on in whatever mode is selected. Once on, press and hold to switch between brightness. Double-pressing the main button activates turbo mode, and triple-tapping launches strobe.

Users can activate the laser pointer while the other modes are already on by pressing the side button.

Finally, the light locks with a long press of the main button. It also unlocks in the same manner.

A simple but effective battery life indicator glows around the dial, showing exactly how much battery remains. A light level indicator appears on the left side of the dial while the light is in use.

It’s simple, effective, and easy to understand. Most users will have the light entirely figured out within a couple of minutes of use and shouldn’t need to read the instructions.

Easy Carry and Charging

While I focus on outdoor use at GearJunkie, it’s worth noting that the Olight ArkPro has expansive use outside the worlds of camping and outdoor recreation. It’s a super-versatile light. It makes sense for home projects or as an emergency light, as a tool for bouncers or law enforcement who need to check IDs, mechanics, and speakers who want to point to portions of a slideshow.

And it’s still a strong light in the outdoors, with the only ding being the lack of a red light (great for late-night wakeups without bugging friends in a tent).

Part of its utility comes in its diminutive size and ease of carry. The deep pocket clip lets it sit far inside a pocket, much like a nice pocket knife. It leaves enough room for a phone in the same pocket so long as they’re spacious.

Durability and Weather Resistance

The ArkPro is a little tank of a flashlight. In testing, I dropped it on rocks and out of my truck onto pavement. I left it outside in an early-season snowstorm and froze it over and over. And so far, it’s no worse for the wear than a few small scratches.

It is IPX7-rated, meaning that it can be submerged in 1 m of water for an hour without damage. For most users, that means its plenty waterproof, although it’s obviously not a dive light.

And it did prove itself with all-night soaking rain and snow. While not a scientific test, it was plenty for me to believe this light will handle outdoor use with no problem.

Olight ArkPro Review: Who Should Buy It

At $109, the ArkPro is a high-end EDC light priced competitively for what you get. There are certainly much less expensive lights out there, but for those who want excellent durability, an easy user interface, and added tools such as UV lighting and a laser pointer, this is as good as it gets.

That said, for outdoor enthusiasts, the lack of a red light is a significant asterisk. Red lights are extremely useful in outdoor settings for many reasons, primarily maintaining night vision and not bothering tentmates. So if that’s a major concern, it’s worth considering other models, including Olight’s ArkPro Lite, which is more affordable and ditches the laser and UV in exchange for a red light.

But beyond that criticism, the Olight ArkPro is the brand’s best EDC light yet. It finally offers USB-C charging, which is becoming non-negotiable for those who travel or use lights in the outdoors and need to charge them remotely. Because of this change to charging, you should never have a problem putting fresh power into the light, thanks to the ubiquitous nature of USB-C cords.

This is a light for everyone in many ways. If you want a pocketable flashlight with plenty of power and a few extra tools that will easily fit in a pocket, look no further. The Olight ArkPro is an excellent light at a fair price. If that’s what you need, I wouldn’t hesitate to add it to your kit.