The Olight T15 is a solidly built light, my first impressions of the T15 reminded me a lot of a CMG Infinity. As you can see from the image to the right, the head houses a unique reflector cup which is half smooth and half textured. The smooth surface area reflects a highly focused hot spot for optimal throw, while the textured surface area smoothens out any artifacts in the spill region of the beam profile. Its an innovative take on reflector design and produces a beam that is characteristic of Olight products. The emitter is just slightly off-center, but not by much. On the exterior, the head has a thin band of checkered knurling which provides some grip when you're twisting the head. The Type 3 hard anodized coating is smooth and consistent throughout, free of scratches or smudges. The threads on the head are a similar to those on the Fenix lights, not too thin or too thick relative to its overall size. There may be some squeaking initially due to some machining dust stuck between the threads, but a quick clean with a stiff bristled brush will fix this. The threads on the head also sometimes cross-threaded during my tests, however I don't think this would be much of a problem since you wouldn't need to completely remove the head while using the T15. The heads of the Olight T15 and T10 have the same dimensions and are interchangeable.

As I mentioned earlier, the T15 looks and feel really tough. The battery tube has really thick walls. Much thicker than any other AA cell light, including the trusty old CMG Infinity. Of course this also means that its slightly heavier than most AA lights, and about 3/4cm to 1cm longer. The battery tube has a simple and clean looking design. There's only one flat face machined onto the tube, which is where the Olight branding is printed on. Other than than, the entire battery tube is a smooth cylindrical shape. I noticed that its actually very similar to that of the Olight T10 which runs on CR123 cells. Externally, the only difference is the slightly slimmer area towards the rear end which makes the battery tube longer to accommodate an AA cell. The battery tube can accommodate unprotected 14500 cells, but protected 14500 cells are just a little too wide to fit. As with the head, coating on the battery tube is just as well done. Very smooth and consistent. The threads between the battery tube and the tail cap are cut very smooth. I noticed that the more force you apply while screwing on the tail cap, the higher the chances of it getting cross-threaded. Otherwise, it screws on perfectly fine and smooth. The tail has a band of checkered textured knurling similar to that on its head. This provides adequate grip when unscrewing for battery changes. Housed inside the tail cap is a reverse push button switch module. It seems identical to the ones found in Fenix lights. Everything from its tension and positive tactile feedback, to the clicking sound it makes is identical, which is a good thing. The T15 can tail stand without problems since the rubber button cap is slightly recessed from the end of the tail cap.

The user interface of the Olight T15 is similar to the NiteCore Defender Infinity (ES) which was reviewed earlier in the sense that switching between brightness levels and strobe/S.O.S. modes are done by separate mechanical actions. Brightness is cycled by twisting its head, while strobe/S.O.S. is done by half-pressing the push button. The instructions on the box doesn't say how quick these half-presses should be, but it seems anything between 1 second is sufficient to change the modes. This user interface is a nice alternative is you don't quite like the cycling of levels via push button. One thing I didn't like about the cycling of brightness levels is that it cycles from brightest to dimmest level. Personally I would think it makes more sense to cycle from dimmest to brightest.

The color temperature on my sample is slightly cool, with a slight violet hue. The beam profile reminds me of that from the Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon model (not as bright of course). The spot is well-focused and the spill beam is smooth without artifact thanks to its unique reflector design. There is a slight dark area right in the middle of the hotspot, but its not noticeable in practical use. Although not recommended by the manufacturer, the T15 can run on 14500 cells but you will see little, if any, difference in brightness between levels 2 to 5.

Here's a rundown of the modes available and how they're accessed.

Constant Illumination:
Click on the push button, cycles through the 5 brightness levels by loosening then tightening the head within 1 second each time. Brightness level is memorized even when powered off.

Strobe:
Half-press the push button while on any level in Constant Illumination mode. Light will strobe on its brightest level. Mode is not memorized, light will revert to constant illumination mode the next time its turned on.

S.O.S. (Low Brightness):
Half-press the push button while in Strobe mode. Light will blink the S.O.S. sequence on low brightness level. Mode is not memorized, light will revert to constant illumination mode the next time its turned on.

S.O.S. (High Brightness):
Loosen then tighten the head within 1 second while in S.O.S. (Low Brightness) mode. S.O.S. sequence will now blink on high brightness level. Mode is not memorized, light will revert to constant illumination mode the next time its turned on.

The Good - Very well built and finished. Provides a well-focused spot while still having a smooth, artifact-free spill beam. Holds great regulation well while providing good runtime.

The Bad - Slightly larger and heavier than most other AA powered lights. Brightness level cycles from brightest to dimmest. Not much practical difference between levels 1 and 2.

The Relative - Half textured and half smoothened reflector provides a unique beam profile. Beam's color temperature is on the cool side with a hint of violet hue. Uses a reverse push button.

Head (front view).

Head (side view).

Head (rear view).

Battery tube (front view).

Battery tube (side view).

Battery tube (rear view).

Tail cap (front view).

Tail cap (side view).

Tail cap (rear view).