Powa Beam Meteor S1 Review

The Beloved Olight M3XS-UT has been retired after many years of service. At first I was extremely saddened by the news, not only because I adored the M3XS, but because I had a bucket load of 18650s and chargers that I no longer had any use for.... until I met the Powa Beam Meteor S1. The Powa Beam Meteor has some big shoes to fill, so I needed some testing before I could commit to a new product. My thoughts are below:

First Impressions

The Meteor has a similar length body to M3XS and uses 2x 18650 batteries, it has a similar shaped head measuring 63mm in diameter (exactly the same as the M3XS). I was impressed wit smooth deep reflector, as well as the weight distribution of the torch. The torch body grip of the Meteor was different, more smoother than the M3XS, the M3XS had more grip on its body. My favourite new feature of the Meteor, is definitely the battery indicator. I think that was one feature missing from the Olight M3XS.

The Beam

The beam is obviously very important, and no surprises due its smooth and deep reflector the Meteor does produce an excellent throw. Powa Beam estimates the Meteor's beam distance to be approximately 1300m. It has a strong focused beam whilst its wide lens ensures the peripheral vision is well lit. The beam does differ slightly in terms of its colour in comparison the M3XS. The M3XS has a more warm light output, which I prefer. The colour temperature of the Meteor is a more neutral output. This is not necessarily a bad thing, I just had a personal preference of the warmer LED. Another great feature to note, is the Meteor's beam isn't blurry around the spot, this is a sign of a well manufactured reflector.

Key Features:

• Max beam distance of 1300m.
• Max 1200 lumens. 
• Max runtime of 3min +4 hours on 50% brightness (standard for most torches using 18650 batteries. 
• IPX-8 rated
• Impact restiance to 1.5m
• Functions off 2x 18650 batteries or 4x CR123As

Specifications:

Final decision

The Olight M3XS-UT Javelot, will forever be my favourite torch that I have ever earned, however if I had to pick a torch to replace it, it would have to be the Powa Beam Meteor S1.