If you are a fireman, police officer, in the military, a survivalist, a hunter, a camper or hiker, you know the importance of having the best tactical flashlight. In any list of tools related to these groups or even people that focus on everyday carry (EDC) you will find a flashlight mentioned. A great flashlight is something that you do not know you need until it is too late. If you start keeping flashlights around you will be surprised at how often you will find yourself reaching for it. From looking for your lost keys to self defense a flashlight is an invaluable tool. Our goal is to educate you and help you sort through all of the options and in the end find the tactical flashlight that fits your needs best, have fun shopping.
Not Much Time? Here Is The Bullet List:
Tactical Handheld Flashlights
Best Handheld Tactical Flashlight: Elzetta Bones
Best Combo Tactical Flashlight: First Light T-Max
Budget Handheld Tactical Flashlight: SureFire G2X LE
Tactical Flashlight For Non-Life Threatening/Airsoft: Nitecore P20
Tactical Pistol Light
Best Tactical Pistol Light: SureFire X300 Ultra
Budget Tactical Pistol Light: Streamlight TLR-1 HL
Pistol Light For Non-Life Threatening/Airsoft: Aimkon HiLight P5S
Tactical Rifle Flashlight
Best Tactical Rifle Flashlight: SureFire M600IB Scout Light
Budget Tactical Rifle Flashlight: Streamlight 88059 ProTac Railmount 2L Gun Light
Rifle Flashlight For Non-Life Threatening/Airsoft: Nitecore CG6 Hunting Kit
Tactical Headlamp
Best Tactical Headlamp: Princeton Tec Remix Pro MPLS
Budget Tactical Headlamp: Petzl Tactikka +
Headlamp for Non-Life Threatening/Airsoft: Princeton Tec Fred
Tactical Night Vision (IR Light)
Best Tactical Night Vision Goggles (IR Light): Armasight Nyx-7 Pro Bravo Gen 3
Budget Tactical Night Vision Goggles (IR Light): ATN NVG7-2 Gen 2+
Best Tactical Night Vision Monocular (IR Light): ATN NVM 14-3 Gen 3 Monocular
Budget Tactical Night Vision Monocular (IR Light): ATN Spirit MP-2 Monocular
Other Tactical Lights
Best Tactical Light Ball: Brite Strike RID-3
Hands Free Reading: QuiqLiteX (Red/White)
The worse thing that could happen is that you or a loved one needs a flashlight and one is not available. Danger lurks in the dark. FBI statistics say that the majority of violent crime happens in the dark. You can light up the world around you by making sure that you carry a high quality flashlight. The lights that we offer here can light up an entire dark alley and make the dark parking lot much safer. These flashlights can be carried with you everyday, most can easily fit in a pocket or in a purse. They can be used as striking devices and temporarily blind somebody that might want to hurt you. They are not like your Grandpa’s old flashlight. These are high intensity flashlights.
I don’t know about you but when I was little my image of a flashlight was a big clunky plastic thing. It had a plastic switch, it took huge batteries and really didn’t put out much light anyway. We kept it in the junk/tool drawer and really it was more junk than tool. The light had huge rings and dark spots in it and the batteries ran out quickly. It worked well enough inside of the house when all of the lights were out but otherwise it was useless.
Recent advancements in lighting technology have taken flashlights to the next level. There are many new types of bulbs but LED technology specifically has taken over the flashlight market. LEDs have enabled flashlights to become smaller in size, put out more light, and use less energy. A trifecta that rarely happens in an industry. You can now carry a flashlight on your keychain that is 10 times brighter than those old flashlights we all remember. The brightest tactical flashlights are well over 1000 lumens.
The beginning of this article is intended for the complete newbie to flashlights and covers what a tactical flashlight is, the anatomy of a flashlight and how to read an ANSI FL1 chart. We will also cover some situations that you might need a nice flashlight and some quick top buying tips to help you shop if you do not have time to read over the entire article. Later in the article we will cover many different aspects of flashlights and get a little geeky for those that are flashaholics or want to learn about more specifics. Feel free to go to any other page while you are researching. Check out the best flashlights by type or take a look at our huge comparison guide with currently over 100 flashlights (and growing) or read through our reviews. Happy reading.
What Is A Tactical Flashlight?
To properly describe what a tactical flashlight is we need to first define the word tactical.
Tac-ti-cal: of, relating to, or used for a specific plan that is created to achieve a particular goal in war, politics, etc. -merriam-webster
When we are talking about tactical flashlights we are focusing on the idea of winning in a warfare/combat situation. They are made to work when you need them, when your life may be on the line. For this reason they have much higher quality standards and are built with better materials than the typical flashlight. Most use aircraft grade aluminum, are shock proof so they can be mounted to weapons, they have some level of waterproofing, and they are small. In short, they are very durable.
Tactical flashlights are usually very bright since being able to see is a key part of being able to succeed in most situations. Also, over a certain level of brightness can temporarily blind a person which is very useful for self-defense. Levels of brightness are measured in Lumens, check out our brightest flashlight article. The most common bulb used in modern tactical flashlights is the LED, there are also incandescent and xenon bulbs which have their pluses but they will be much harder to find. Some advantages to LEDs are that they are rated for 50000 hours of life which is over 5 years of continuous use and since there is no filament it is more shock resistant.
ANSI FL1 Standards
Up until recently there has not been any kind of standard in the flashlight industry, the ANSI FL1 standards even the playing field for all torch producers. Learning how to read the standards sheets put out by most manufacturers is important to help you find the best tactical flashlight.
Light Output: This is a Lumens rating that shows the total amount of light that comes out of the front of the flashlight.
Run Time: This is the amount of time it will take for light to get to 10% of its initial output. An example would be that if a flashlight started at 100 Lumens this is the length of time of continuous light that it would take to get down to 10 Lumens.
Beam Distance: This is the measurement in meters of the distance at which the intensity of the beam reaches 0.25 lux which is the approximated amount of light of a full moon on a clear night.
Peak Beam Intensity: Measured in Candela this is the brightest point in the beam. Where Lumens tell how much light is coming out of the light in total Candela measures how bright the brightest point of the beam is.
Impact Resistance: Measured in meters this indicates the height that you could drop a flashlight from onto concrete and it still work properly. The light can also not have any cracks or breaks in it.
Water Resistance: There are three levels of water resistance that are found, those are IPX4, IPX7, and IPX8.
IPX4: A flashlight with this rating has been tested to perform under the condition of splashing water.
IPX7: A flashlight with this rating has been tested to perform submerged to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
IPX8: A flashlight with this rating has been tested to perform submerged deeper than 1 meter for up to 4 hours.
Why Would You Want To Carry A Tactical Flashlight
Aside from a pocket knife, the most useful tool that you could carry is a flashlight. Even if you are never going to use a flashlight for self-defense a quality torch can be used for countless things. Here are a few situations when having a good tactical flashlight would be nice.
Self-Defense
As mentioned earlier modern tactical flashlights are designed to give someone an advantage in a combat situation. The hard anodized aluminum can be used as a striking tool, many flashlights come with crenulated bezels that are shaped in a way that would help you to both break windows and faces. Also, just holding something in your hand will make your fists more devastating. Next, the high lumens make it so you can temporarily blind any would be attacker which could give you time to escape. If you mix together the ability to blind someone with the added striking force that you get from a tactical flashlight you have a dominating combination, imagine the devastation caused by hitting somebody in the face with the Surefire P2X Fury Defender. As a small warning though, if you are not a trained fighter it is always better to use the temporary blindness as added time to get away.
Identify Things In The Dark
This is the main purpose of any flashlight. If you have a flashlight with you you will have peace of mind that any dark alley or parking lot can be illuminated. Some of the lights that we have here can illuminate things over a football field away. You no longer need to worry what might be hiding in the dark.
Emergency/Survival
Emergencies might mean that a natural disaster has knocked out the power or that someone is trying to shoot up the place. Having a light to see things in the dark or blind someone is invaluable. Also, in a survival or rescue situation the most important thing is to be found. Any kind of signal could be the difference between life and death. Some flashlights like the Eagletac D25C come with dedicated SOS and Beacon flashing modes for this specific purpose.
Just Finding Stuff
I don’t know about you but I lose things all of the time, under the couch, under the bed, behind the desk, behind the dresser, etc… You know what I mean. You do not even know how many times you will be glad that you had a flashlight with you. Hey, a flashlight might even make it so you are not late for work when you are looking for your keys all over the place.
Top 5 Buying Tips For Finding The Best Tactical Flashlight
For the people that do not have time right now to read all of the material on this site, here is a quick and dirty summary of the top 5 things to look for to ensure that you are getting a quality product. Some of you may have specific requirement that would make these tips change but for the general public and for the EDC enthusiast that is not a flashaholic these are some easy guidelines.
Budget: You get what you pay for so unless it is a keychain flashlight or penlight most decent torches will start around $25-$30.
Size: If you are buying a EDC flashlight how big can you comfortably have with you all of the time. Otherwise if you are not keeping it with you all of the time how much space do you have to store it?
Power Source: Do you want disposable or rechargeable batteries? And, do you want a standard size battery (easy to find) or a special battery (more power)?
How Much Light: It takes at least 60-100 lumens to cause temporary blindness.
Durability: I would go with type III hard anodized aircraft grade aluminum with a LED bulb that is rated to at least IPX7 waterproofing.
Tactical Light Buyers Guide
Tactical Handheld Flashlights
Handheld tactical lights are designed to be extremely durable, as they need to stand up to some of the harshest conditions. To ensure that they can stand up to the worst conditions most manufacturers are going to use weapon-grade aluminum for the body along with a textured grip. The better grip allows you to use the light as a striking tool without worrying about it slipping out of your grasp. Top quality handheld lights are small enough that they can be easily carried around for everyday use. The smaller size also allows you to easily operate the light with one hand leaving your other hand free for other tasks.
Handheld tactical lights are some of the brightest ones out there. Handheld tactical lights need to be bright enough to light up a dark room, but they also might need to temporarily blind a potential suspect. A handheld tactical light is something that you want to be able to depend on at all times, you want to know that your light is going to work in a life or death situation.
What Type of Flashlight Do You Want?
There are three main types of flashlights. Each type of flashlight is made for a specific purpose and way to carry. There are the standard handheld flashlights, headlamps, weapon lights. Some manufacturers make adapters that can change one type of light into another to increase the value of their products.
Handheld Flashlight: These are the flashlights that we all think about when we think of flashlights.
Headlamp: Headlamps are light that you wear over your head that allow you to be hands free. For things like camping an hiking these flashlight are ideal. It is much easier to use the restroom in the middle of the night with a headlamp on as opposed to a handheld light, and you really wouldn’t want to use a weapon light for this.
Weapon Lights: This other type of flashlight is specifically designed to be mounted to a pistol or a long gun. An example of a dedicated weapon light is the SureFire X300 Ultra. The two main types of mounting rails are the Weaver rail and the Picatinny rail. The Picatinny rail is the new of the two standards and typically Weaver accessories will fit on a Picatinny rail but not vice-versa. The other type of mounts that are used for shotguns and rifles without a rail system simply squeeze around both the barrel and the flashlight by tightening a screw.
Hybrid/Mount Adapter: A few handheld flashlight manufacturers like Nitecore blur the lines between these two formats by making mounting adapters that perfectly fit their handheld lights.
Just like any product, dedicated weapon lights fulfill the job a better than handhelds matched with an adapter but they are also single task devices. You might want the flexibility of a flashlight that can serve both purposes. One thing that I would stay away from are none manufacturer mounting adapters or general purpose mounting adapters that claim to work with all flashlights. With all of the stress and movement that happens with guns you want something that fits completely flush and has no wiggle room.
What Kind Of Light & How Much Do You Need?
Currently on this site we only cover flashlights that use LED bulbs. As we expand we will have incandescent options. Incandescent bulbs are both replaceable and give off better color but currently most manufacturers are making new flashlights with LEDs due to their lifespan and the fact that they are mostly shock proof.
Light Color Temperature: By what kind of light we are talking about the color of light, some manufacturers give options for slight tints in the lights that they sell. Scientifically this is called the color temperature of the light which is measured in Kelvin. The lower spectrum of 2600 K to 3500 K has a “warm white” color (light yellow tint) like what would be found in an incandescent light bulb. Between 3500 K and 5000 K we call “neutral white” since neither yellow or blue dominate the color of the light. The higher range 5000+ K is “cool white” and they have a much whiter appearance and may have a slight bluish tint. The majority of tactical flashlight producers make use cool white LEDs since they are more efficient light producers, to produce the yellowish warm tint the LEDs are covered with yellow phosphor which means that light is blocked and therefore not as many Lumens can be produced with the same amount of power. If you want a LED flashlight with a warmer tint you are going to have to do a little searching for it.
There Are Three Ways To Look At How Much Light…
With all of that said, we will play by the manufacturers rules and decide how much light we need by Lumens. But, now that you are educated you can take the other ANSI measurements into account while searching for the best tactical flashlight.
1 – 14 Lumens: Any kind of flashlight will do, you mainly just need a small light to get around dark rooms. Something to help you find your way to the restroom in the middle of the night or help you read a map. This level of light will not completely destroy your night vision.
15 – 59 Lumens: This is enough light to completely illuminate a room in the event of a power outage but it is not enough to see very far outdoors. This is also not enough to temporarily blind a would be attacker but still enough to mess up your own night vision.
60 – 149 Lumens: Now we are getting to enough light to see outdoors. This is the level of light you would want if you were going for a walk at night through your neighborhood. There are conflicting numbers but in the dark above 100 Lumens should produce temporary blindness, you will need higher Lumens if you are in a more well lit place.
150 – 299 Lumens: With this level of light output you could easily light up a large room, your entire backyard and be able to see pretty far out of a campsite. At 150 Lumens you will be able to cause temporary blindness even in a well lit place at night and at close to 300 Lumens you would be able to cause temporary blindness in an indoor daylight situation.
300 – 699 Lumens: These are some serious Lumens. Most small flashlight require a burst mode to reach these high of lumens. You will typically only get into these lumen levels with specialty batteries. You could come close to lighting up an entire football field and would have no problem illuminating a campground.
700+ Lumens: This is getting really serious. This is the level of power you want if you need maximum brightness for your job but still need a small handheld light. Search and rescue teams or people that just want to show off get these kinds of lumens. There are handheld flashlights that go up to 7000+ Lumens these insane flashlights can make a tree 3-4 football fields away as bright as a christmas tree.
What Size Flashlight Do You Want?
Carefully consider how big of a flashlight you want depending on what you plan on doing with it. Remember, if this is for everyday carry you need a torch that will not get in the way. Finding a balance of size and power is for your needs is key. If you are unsure about size download our free tactical flashlight buyers guide checklist that has a size chart for both length and bezel diameter.
Micro Flashlight: A micro light is under 2 inches, they are the small keychain flashlights that usually use button cell batteries. There are a few super small serious flashlight that run on a single CR2 or CR123A battery that manage to be under 2 inches in length but not many.
Mini Flashlight: We will say that a mini flashlight is under 3 inches in length. From 2 inches to 3 inches you open a whole world of single battery flashlights including the standard AA and AAA sizes. There are flashlights that are this size that manage to put out 252 Lumens on burst mode with a single CR123A battery. Tactical flashlights that are less than 3 inches are difficult to use as a striking tool since most peoples hands will completely cover the flashlight.
Small Flashlight: A small flashlight is under 4 inches in length. Between 3 and 4 inches you can not really fit in a second battery but you are able to have single battery flashlights with more features. In this size you will find more options with tail switches and the lights can have a deeper reflector so they can throw their light farther. Also, at 4 inches these flashlights will be able to be used as a striking tool.
Medium Flashlight: A medium flashlight will be between 4 and 6 inches. In this range we have my lights that run on two batteries and you also start getting flashlights that use 18500 and 18650 specialty batteries. With the the availability of more power because of size these lights will have the top end LED bulbs that can put out very high Lumens. Again, with this size you also increase your ability to use your flashlight as a self-defense tool.
Large Flashlights: Here we will consider anything over 6 inches that still has a small diameter bezel and can be held in a holster. Police usually buy flashlights in this size range since they can be used as a club and are definitely an extra weapon. Like the previous section these tactical flashlights can output huge amounts of Lumens but with the extra added size these flashlights may have a few more features than the slightly smaller lights.
What Kind of Power Source Do You Want?
We all want to help the world be a cleaner place and we like the idea of rechargeable batteries, but there are many scenarios where disposable easy to find batteries are the best option.
Disposable Alkaline: These are the standard size batteries that you are used to seeing AAA, AA, C, and D batteries. These batteries do not offer as much power as some other types of batteries but they are very easy to find. Often people in the prepper/survival industry like flashlight that will work on standard size batteries so they know that they will have access to the batteries. Alkaline batteries have a shelf life of around 2 years.
Disposable Lithium: Do not confuse these batteries with Lithium Ion batteries! These batteries are in almost every way the same as alkaline batteries except they have more power, can store more energy and are lighter. Lithium batteries have a shelf life of around 10 years so they are a favorite of survivalists. On the flipside they are quite a bit more expensive than alkaline batteries. Some specialized batteries that fit in this group are the CR123A and the CR2 which are often used in tactical flashlights.
Rechargeable Cells: Rechargeable Li-Ion cell batteries come in many different sizes. Some specialized sizes that are often used in tactical flashlights are 18500, 18650, and RCR123A. They offer great power output and the ability to recharge. The downside is that the batteries are expensive and you need to buy a nice charger to go along with them so you do not destroy them.
Integrated Rechargeable Pack: Lastly you can find tactical flashlights that have specially designed battery pack that is made just for that flashlight. sometimes these are removeable or sometimes you plug the whole flashlight into the wall. Often times these offer great benefits but if you run out of juice you need to wait awhile to charge back up.
Flood Vs. Throw
These are two terms that you will hear about all of the time if you do much research in flashlights. A flashlight the has a lot of flood will illuminate a very large area but not very far. There will not be a defined beam but on overall brightness in the whole area. Torches that have a long throw have a very definite beam and you can light up something many yards away. Different lights are designed to be more floody or throwy, it is dependent on the design of the reflector and on the LED that is used. In general flashlights that are floody are better for close up activities and flashlights that have a long throw are for lighting up thing that are far away. You need to decide how far away you want to be able to see something and this will change the flashlight that you will want to buy.
What Kind Of Battery Life (Run-time) Do You Need?
Do you need a flashlight that will be able to be on max brightness for 30 minutes and then be done, very bright for a short amount of time. Or, Do you need a flashlight that will stay very bright for 3-4 hours? Many small flashlights can produce huge Lumens but they do not have enough battery to keep it going for very long. Knowing how long you need your flashlight to last for is very important. If you need a flashlight that can be bright for hours on end you are going to need a larger flashlight that can hold the batteries to support you.
What Kind Of Switch Type Do You Want?
Tactical flashlights come in three main switch types. They are the head/tail twist switch, the body switch, and the tail switch.
Head/Tail Twist: This type of switch is very common on super small flashlights since it does not take any more space to develop a flashlight that changes its electrical contacts based on how much the head or tail is screwed on. Many people do not like these switches because they find that the head or tail sometimes comes completely unscrewed.
Body: The body switch was the most popular style and is like what you would find on a Mag-lite. It allows certain types of grip that you would not be able to do with the other two types of switches.
Tail: The tail switch is the most popular and usually the favorite type of switch for a tactical flashlight. Having the button on the bottom of the torch allows an overhand grip that is already in a fist position, which allows for better self defense with easy flashlight usage. Also, our most preferred method of using a flashlight with a gun really is much easier with a tail switch.
How Many Brightness Levels Do You Want?
Every person wants something different out of their flashlight and every flashlight manufacturer has their own idea of what the best way to provide light is.
On/Off: There are no modes or brightness levels, just full power. Many flashlights that are designed for tactical use actually prefer this because when you push that button you know exactly what is going to come out. Some people feel that all of brightness levels and modes can confuse and just get in the way.
Two Brightness Levels: High and Low, these lights do not offer anything fancy except the ability to have a long battery life on a low setting aside from just having max power all of the time.
Many Brightness Levels: There are flashlights that have up to 10 different brightness levels and some even with dials that support continuous change. Obviously the brighter the light the lower the run-time so having just enough light for what you are doing is a huge benefit. Rather than having not enough or having too much and having your flashlight die out very quickly.
Do You Want Any Special Light Modes?
There are three special light modes that a flashlight come with. They are Strobe, SOS, and Beacon.
Strobe: Strobe is designed to disorient somebody, it is a very fast and super bright blinking light that is usually in a changing pattern to really confuse people. This is a feature that many police officers would consider a necessity.
SOS: SOS or —…— in Morse code is used for emergency purposes. It is originally a naval term for save our ship. This would be useful for anybody that was out camping or stuck in a survival situation.
Beacon: A beacon is like a lighthouse, it blinks at full brightness every few seconds. The purpose of this mode is for survival. You would use this when you want to get seen. Blinking every few seconds conserves battery life as long as possible.
What Do You Want Your Flashlight To Be Made Out Of?
The material that flashlights are made of has is important to the durability and the weight of the flashlight. The following are the most commonly used materials.
Plastics or Composites: There are not that many high quality tactical flashlights for sale that use plastics or composites but one company that is making good composite flashlights is pelican.
Anodized Aluminum: This is the material that most flashlight manufacturers are using in flashlights today. You want to make sure that you have at least type II anodizing but Type III (hard anodized) is better.
Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is a very strong and durable material but it is heavy.
Titanium: Titanium is kinda the best of both worlds, very strong like stainless steel and pretty light. The downside to titanium is the cost.
Do You Need Water Resistance?
You may of may not think that you need water resistance. I suggest at least getting IPX7 water resistant lights as you do not want you flashlight to stop working in the event of an accident.
IPX4: This basically means that the flashlight is splash resistant. This should not be submerged in water or it will probably get in.
IPX7: This is submersible but only to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes according to the specification.
IPX8: This is the highest level of waterproofing that you will see in most flashlights, it is submersible to more than 1 meter for up to 4 hours.
Do You Have Any Special Needs For Your Flashlight?
You can find flashlights these days with all sorts of extra modifications for sale that fit particular needs. Take a look at some of the more common features that manufacturers offer to see if any of these might be useful to you.
- Light Filters
- Dedicated RGB LED’s
- Pocket/Belt Clip
- Holster
- Lanyard
- Strike Bezel
- Mounting Bracket
- Pressure Switch
- Headlamp Adapter
- Knurling
Light Filters
Some flashlights come with light filters that you can put over the top of the flashlight so it will shine another color. Red is popular for night vision, blue and yellow are popular for seeing blood, and green does not spook animals while hunting and can not be seen from the side so you can preserve your location.
So, What Is The Best Tactical Flashlight?
If you made it this far, wow! That was 5000+ words. The answer to this question is completely based on your needs, it isn’t necessarily the brightest tactical flashlight. Anyway, we hope that you learned something through this article and that it will help you decide what the best tactical flashlight is. If we helped you at all, you liked the free checklist, or you just enjoyed the read please give us some social love via facebook, pinterest, tumblr, twitter, etc…. We Appreciate It! Also, we make all of the money to support this site from affiliating with amazon on flashlight sales, so if you are really shopping for a flashlight please go though one of our for sales links to get to the amazon store where you can buy a light. From here I recommend reading through our best of articles and checking out our massive flashlight comparison table that allows you to filter and sort through all of the different specs. Thanks again.
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