Nobody wants to be left in the dark. Power outages seem to only happen at night when you’re trying to get things done, and if you’re out camping, you don’t want to get turned around just because it got dark earlier than you expected. A good flashlight will give you a little bit of light to get your bearings and maybe a little bit of work done. A great flashlight will protect you and give you options. A great flashlight will always be ready and last you for at least a few hours on a single charge. There’s some stiff competition in the tactical flashlight world, if you need some help sifting the dimwits from the lightbulbs, we did the hard work for you!
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Here are the top 5 picks (keep scrolling for more details and picks 6-10).
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The Dark Energy is a great flashlight for a diverse number of situations. The reading mode on this flashlight is great for campers that want to get away and settle down for a minute. You can use this flashlight in a tent without blinding yourself or sacrificing visibility. Once you’re outside of the tent you probably want something a little more intense, and this light is ready to provide. At maximum, you’re going to be getting 678 lumens out of this light, all of that off of a single rechargeable 18650 battery. If you’re worried about tracking down a charger for that or carting around one more cable, don’t fret. This flashlight comes with a simple and portable charger, not that you’ll need it often.
At the reading setting, you’ll be able to squeeze out about 96 hours of illumination from this flashlight. You’re going to get several long nights out of this flashlight before you need to take the time to charge the battery back up. So if you’re backpacking from site to site, or you’re just out hunting on the weekends, you won’t have to worry too much about checking in on your battery. This flashlight is bright and dependable without burning through its power source.
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The form factor of this tactical flashlight is what probably catches your eye first. It’s a pretty cool flashlight, the knurling on the middle of the body and up towards the mechanical tail switch looks great and it’s helpful during the rain or if you happen to get this flashlight wet. It’s a very bright 1060 lumens and it will always be ready whenever you need it.
This flashlight has a mico-USB charger built into the side. You’re never going to have to worry about losing your batteries or finding out they’ve been dead for weeks because you accidentally left them on or something. The ability to plug your flashlight into pretty much any power source is incredible and will automatically place any tactical flashlight on the tops of anybody’s lists. Rechargeable batteries are all well and good, but having to remove them from your flashlight to juice them up is a pain in the butt that this flashlight deftly dodges.
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This flashlight will allow you to see clear across 300 meters of space. The throw on the Pro Warrior is amazing. This 1800 lumen natural white LED flashlight is powered by a high-capacity lithium-ion battery. Most flashlights like this would allow you to grab a micro-USB and charge it up, but OLIGHT took a different approach. Their magnetic charging cable will allow you to just slap on the charger without fumbling with a micro-USB to figure out which way is up. This charger also won’t wear down and slip out of the flashlight after a few months of use or an unfortunate stint in a camping bag.
There’s a clear and simple battery indicator on the side of the flashlight, so you never have to guess when it’s time to start charging. This flashlight is sturdy. It’s made from AL6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy. It has a great weight to it, and if you’re forced to use it defensively, you’re probably going to come out on top. The weight, the sturdy construction, and the strike bezel make this 5-inch flashlight a force to be reckoned with.
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This flashlight is a powerhouse, and the adjustable focal point means you can focus down some distant targets and illuminate them clearly and easily. It’s a flashlight for folks ready to cut straight through the nighttime. It has three different modes (low, high, and strobing) so you can preserve battery life if you don’t need much light, or you can strobe the lights to make yourself easy to find if you’re in a sticky situation. This is the toughest of the J5 tactical flashlights.
It’s small, but because of that size you’re able to squeeze out an incredible amount of performance and it’s practically impossible to break. You can drop, smash, and throw this light all day long, and you’ll be lucky if you can affect its output in any noticeable way. The LED lights put out about 300 lumens, which is lower than some other tactical flashlights, but the adjustable nature of this light will give you the effective visibility of something much brighter.
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This tactical flashlight comes with a set of handy rechargeable batteries. One of the most irritating aspects of trying to keep a flashlight handy is cobbling together the batteries when the moment is right. The rechargeable batteries can, of course, be used for anything you want, but they’re best suited for this LED tactical flashlight. If you’re smart about checking in on them periodically, you’ll never be without a light source.
There are five main settings on this flashlight. You can easily click through them all with the press of the single convenient button located on the butt of the flashlight, and the head of the flashlight rotates to create several different levels of zoom. It’s a really durable little package. The flashlight is made from aircraft-grade aluminum. It’s going to be able to take a hit and withstand pretty much any weather you’re going to be taking it out into.
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This light is great if you’re looking to flood a space with light. There’s a “maxvision” mode that allows the flashlight to output what seems like a solid wall of light, allowing you to illuminate a space pretty effectively, and there are several ways to adjust the output of the light. The tactical nature of this flashlight will never leave you without options no matter how full your hards are or if you’re in an awkward position. The head of the light can be tightened and rotated to activate or deactivate the “maxvision” mode as well as minimizing the output with a simple quarter turn.
The tail cap will allow you to briefly click into different modes if you’re not prepared to commit to one more or another.The body of the flashlight is made from a high-strength aerospace-aluminum body, and the knurling all along the body and tail cap will make it almost impossible for the light to slip from your grip no matter the weather conditions. The body of the light is also hard-anodized giving it excellent resistance to scratches and corrosion.
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If you like your tactical flashlights mounted to your rifle, then the Odin 2000 cuts out all of the awkward solutions and gives you a tactical flashlight that’s easy to attach straight to the barrel and accommodates the mounting well. The light is designed to fit right onto Picatinny mounts, but you can easily work around that if you want to mount it to a different mount. The multifunction tail cap allows you to cycle through the modes of the flashlight easily, and if you’re mounting it to your firearm, there’s a really neat remote pressure switch so you don’t have to reach across to the actual flashlight to turn it on and off.
The battery will last you around eight continuous hours and outputs a maximum of 2,000 lumens. The flashlight charges with a magnetic charging cable. You won’t have to remove it or hope that you haven’t worn down the pins on your cable. The magnetic cable is also much faster than other cable choices.
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This is one of the more sleek tactical flashlights out on the market. Tactical products are about two things: versatility and practicality. This light has both without adding too many features you might not need on a flashlight. It cuts down on the extras and focuses on being a flashlight that you can stow and brandish with ease. You don’t have to worry about catching yourself on this perfect cylinder of aluminum. This flashlight will output 1,000 lumens and has a life expectancy of about 50,000 hours.
If you treat this flashlight well, it will last you a very long time. It’s an incredibly portable package. You can slip it into pretty much any free space you have in your cargo. It’s light and compact, coming in at just over five inches and weighing about three ounces. If you’re more partial to having your flashlight on your person, it comes with clips, lanyards, and a holster for slapping it onto your belt.
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This rail-mounted flashlight is bright, dependable, and easy to manage. Once you have it attached to your firearm, you can remotely activate it with a simple switch, and the micro-USB charger is perfect for anybody that had the foresight to bring along an external battery. Just plug yourself in, and you will never have to worry about the lights flickering out at the worst moment.
The five modes of this light make it great for tracking down targets near and far or distracting threats, and you can do it all without removing the flashlight from its mount. If you decide to unmount it, the flashlight is just as useful. The quality build of the light is going to survive the bumps and bruises it’ll incur while making your way through the outdoors, and it’ll keep your head on straight with its impressive 1,600 lumens.
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The Hoxida flashlight is one of those dependable flashlights you can charge anywhere and everywhere without having to worry that maybe it’ll give out on you in your most dire moments. This little light will pump out 1,000 lumens over a distance of about 600 feet. That’s two football field’s worth of peace of mind no matter where you are or what time it is. It’s drop and water-resistant, so if you’re out there and the weather goes south, you can drop it and kick it into a puddle without losing your light source.
The adjustable focus is also going to be one of the best parts of having this flashlight in your arsenal. It’s also magnetic. If you’ve got car troubles, or you’re feeling creative you can mount this light above yourself without having to whip out any suspect rigs. You can just find a surface and stick it right on. The magnet is powerful, so don’t worry about getting beaned in the back of the head once you’ve entrusted the flashlight to your metal companion of choice.
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The Dark Energy flashlight is going to shine the brightest this time around. The reading mode and the incredible max brightness in this small package make it the most practical tactical flashlight on this list. A good tactical piece is going to come in handy in the widest range of situations, and if you’re able to navigate with the same flashlight you can kick back and enjoy a quiet moment with, then that flashlight deserves to take home the crown. The long-lasting 4-day battery and the inclusion of a charger for a less common battery type also give it a couple of extra points, pushing it even further ahead of the competition.
Bonus Tip: If a flashlight’s claims ever seem too good to be true, here’s a video teaching you how to measure lights on your own with just a smartphone!
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Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he’s not writing, he’s probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.
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