Best Tactical Flashlight [Complete Guide 2023]
When deciding what to add to your EDC, it could be beneficial to add a flashlight. Having a flashlight is not only useful but it also can give you a tactical advantage in an emergency situation. Finding the best tactical flashlight for your EDC can be difficult.
What things should you consider? Durability, brightness, size, and battery. A first responder might have a different flashlight than an office worker; however, increased visibility is a good thing, no matter situation.
I find flashlights very hard to keep in my pockets daily. When I look for a tactical flashlight, I am always looking for something small enough to go into my every day backpack or in my car.
Why do you need a tactical flashlight?
Self Defense
For a self defense situation there are a couple uses for a tactical flashlight.
First, most tactical flashlights have a striking bezel on the front of the flashlight for glass breaking or self defense. Not ideal hand to hand combat, but is better than nothing in some instances.
Second, a strobe feature can be debilitating. Creating a moment of tactical advantage can mean the difference between life and death. Although a strobe light may seem minor, any advantage is a good advantage.
Signaling for Help
Light has always been a way of signaling for help. If you find yourself stranded in the mountains or somewhere in need help, having a powerful enough flashlight to signal for help is important.
Every Day Activities
You never know when you need a flashlight. It may be while you you are working on your car and just need some extra light, or it could be while out hiking and things get a little later than expected.
I sometimes have a hard time adding anything to my EDC. After a while, all the extra equipment just gets heavy and fills up all your pockets. However, a tactical flashlight is one of the more universally useful tools to include in your EDC.
Even if you do not carry it on your person throughout the day, an EDC flashlight could just mean that you carry it with you in your car, or in your backpack.
What to look for when choosing the best tactical flashlight.
Durability
If it’s not durable, it’s not tactical.
Make sure that your flashlight can be submerged in water and still function and that it doesn’t overheat too quickly. These are the two biggest factors for malfunction.
Brightness
Brightness is measured in Lumens. For reference, the most common headlights, whether a halogen, LED, or High-Intensity (HID) headlight, will usually fall somewhere between 700-4000 lumens.
With that in mind, a tactical flashlight should have at least 500 lumens to be useful, but more is better.
Lumens is not the only the only factor in brightness.
It is also important to know whether the flashlight puts out a beam or not. A beam function will give you a much more concentrated burst of light, which is appear brighter at further distances.
Size
For everything in your EDC, it is important that size and weight make it comfortable to carry. If you have the world’s greatest flashlight but can’t carry it with you, it doesn’t count as an EDC.
You may have tactical uses for a larger flashlight, but make sure that have it in a place that you can access it. This could be your car, survival bag, or kit.
Battery
A flashlight is only good if it turns on. With batteries there are two major options, traditional and rechargeable.
My opinion is that finding a flashlight that takes both is ideal. Rechargeable batteries are nice because they can save you money, but you aren’t always in a situation where you can charge, so being able to pop in fresh batteries is always a good thing.
What is the best tactical flashlight?
Here are my top picks for the best tactical flashlight.
- Fenix PD35 Tac (Editors Choice)
- Nitecore P20iX (Best Overall)
- ThruNite TN12 (Best Budget)
- Lightbar Pro LED Headlamp (Best Hands Free)
- Nitecore MT10A (Best Small)
- Surefire UDR Dominator (Best Large)
- SureFire E2D Defender (Best High End)
- Fenix TK20R v2 (Best Mid-Range)
- Streamlight ProTac 2.0 (Another Option)
- ThruNite Ti4 (Best Pen Light)
- Surefire G2X (Best Classic)
Fenix PD35 Tac (Editors Choice)
Specs
Max Lumens : 1700
Weight : 4.6 oz
Size : 5.28″ x 1″ x 0.9″
Throw Distance : 390 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 1.5 hours on max output, 26.5 hours on low output
Made in : China
My Take
Just an all around great flashlight. You honestly can’t do much better than this for under $100. There are some higher end flashlights out there that might give you a little more, but not for the price.
This flashlight is a perfect kit or backpack flashlight. It is lightweight, but still packs a punch with almost 400 yards of throw light.
The biggest downside for this product is that it is made in China. I typically try to shop domestic if possible, but as far as Chinese made products go, Fenix has much better customer service than a lot of them out there.
Nitecore P20iX (Best Overall)
Specs
Max Lumens : 4000
Weight : 4.09 oz
Size : 5.57″ x 1.25″ x 1.25″
Throw Distance : 241 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 30 min on max output, 38 hours on low output
Made in : China
My Take
4000 lumens is a monster of a flashlight. Not even the Surefire UDR Dominator has that many lumens. However, the P20iX is more of a flood light than a spot light.
The other thing to keep in mind with this flashlight is that that it gets real hot. With such high output comes a lot of heat. In order to combat this, this flashlight a temperature regulation feature that will decrease output with heat. So you don’t really get 30 min of max output.
ThruNite TN12 (Best Budget)
Specs
Max Lumens : 1900
Weight : 3.7 oz
Size : 5.17″ x 1.06″ x 1.00″
Throw Distance : 415 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 7 + 130 min on max output, 46 hours on low output
Made in : China
My Take
$50 is about as cheap as I would go for a reliable EDC, survival, or tactical flashlight. The ability to use light is too important to go too cheap on. However, for $50 you can get a great tactical flashlight.
This flashlight has a great throw distance. So if you are looking to save money but use a flashlight for spotlighting things, this is the flashlight for you.
However, this light does give off a much whiter light than a lot of other lights, which some people really like, and others find it a little distracting. Something to keep in mind.
Lightbar Pro LED Headlamp (Best Hands Free)
Specs
Max Lumens : 500
Weight : 5.22 oz
Size : NA
Throw Distance : NA
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 5 hours on max output, 35 hours on low output
Made in : Not Sure
My Take
Growing up I was always told to have a headlamp accessible. I had one in my car, and in every backpack. I still have headlamps everywhere, because they are incredibly useful. However, my dad recently upgraded his headlamp to a Lightbar, and it is pretty sweet.
The lightbar give you significantly ore light than any headlamp I have worn. Not only that but the 180 degrees of light, illuminates more than just a single focal point, giving you the ability to work without constantly moving your head around for light.
Being tactical is about giving yourself advantages in any task you wish to complete. The advantage of 180 degree light when working, cleaning an animal while hunting, or in emergency situations is significant.
The biggest downside to this product is the customer service. I have never needed their customer service, but if you look online at the reviews, that seems to be everyone’s biggest gripe.
Nitecore MT10A (Best Small)
Specs
Max Lumens : 920
Weight : 2.94 oz
Size : 4.25″ x 1.0″ x 0.83″
Throw Distance : 185 yards
Battery : Rechargeable or AA
Run Time : 2.5 hours on max output, 20 hours on low output
Made in : China
My Take
If I had to choose between this and the ThruNite TN12 I would probably go with the ThruNite. However, if size is really your biggest problem than this could be the light for you.
The throw distance on this one is really the biggest problem that I have. This flashlight is small, but not small enough to warrant having less than 200 yards of light.
In my opinion, a little bit of size is not worth the performance drop, but again, you may have a size requirement.
I do like that you can use batteries and rechargeable batteries. Having multiple options is always a good thing.
Surefire UDR Dominator (Best Large)
Specs
Max Lumens : 2,400
Weight : 38.4 oz
Size : 11.6″ x 3″ x 3″
Throw Distance : 987 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 52 min on max output, 22.75 hours on low output
Made in : USA
My Take
If you are looking for a handheld spotlight, look no further. The UDR Dominator has a throw distance almost 1,000 yards and can light up almost anything you can see.
Lumens are great, but if the flashlight just casts wide instead of far, what is the point of those excess lumens? The Dominator solves that problem, putting 2,400 lumens to the extreme distance.
The downsides of this flashlight are price, and size. You do pay a premium for performance and USA made gear, and that is evident here. However, for a first responder, or extreme tactical situations, the ability to spotlight at extended distances can be very useful.
SureFire E2D Defender (Best High End)
Specs
Max Lumens : 1000
Weight : 4 oz
Size : 5.6″ x 1.13″ x 1.13″
Throw Distance : 218 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 2.75 hours on max output, 63 hours on low output
Made in : USA
My Take
If you were to ask me what the best tactical flashlight regardless of price is, I would probably say the SureFire E2D Defender.
It is important that any tactical flashlight be long lasting and reliable, and this flashlight takes that to the extreme. It also feels great in the hand and really has a “tactical” feel to it.
The downside for this light is that it is a dual-output light. Meaning that the only two outputs are 1,000 lumen and 5 lumen. If you are indoors or just need a little bit of light, the 1,000 lumen setting can be overwhelming.
However, on the flip side, if it is dusk but you need a little more than 5 lumens, there is nothing in between.
Outside of this, the simplicity of the design and use is a huge upside for me. I prefer lights with limited outputs because it can just leave room for error; however, maybe a little higher than 5 lumens would be nice.
Fenix TK20R v2 (Best Mid-Range)
Specs
Max Lumens : 3000
Weight : 7.2 oz
Size : 6.02″ x 1.34″ x 1″
Throw Distance : 340 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 2.8 hours on max output, 28.4 hours on low output
Made in : China
My Take
If size and weight are not a huge factor in your light choice, the Fenix TK20R v2 could be the flashlight for you. Fenix is one of the higher quality Chinese made lights on the market and this light is a testament to that.
The throw distance spec on this flashlight is very accurate, giving you a really solid spotlight ability. Not only that, but at 3000 lumens, you have the ability to really disorient intruders.
From a tactical standpoint this light hits all the right notes, but is a little more expensive than some of the other options on here. There are also 5 different output levels, which can make the controls difficult in a stressful situation.
Streamlight ProTac 2.0 (Another Option)
Specs
Max Lumens : 2000
Weight : 8.25 oz
Size : 6.10″ x 1.46″ x 1.46″
Throw Distance : 286 yards
Battery : Rechargeable
Run Time : 2.5 hours on max output, 25 hours on low output
Made in : USA
My Take
If you are looking for a quality flashlight made in America, Surefire and Streamlight are my go-to options. You do pay a little bit of a premium for anything made in America, but I feel like it is worth the price.
The ProTac 2.0 has fairly standard output for a tactical flashlight. With almost 300 yards of throw light, this light will work in almost any situation.
However, if you are someone who cares about customer service, and wants to support a company that puts customers first, this is the flashlight for you.
ThruNite Ti4 (Best Pen Light)
Specs
Max Lumens : 300
Weight : 1.6 oz
Size : 5.23″ x 0.56″ x 0.56″
Throw Distance : 56 yards
Battery : 2 x AAA
Run Time : 1.5 hours on max output, 12 hours on low output
Made in : China
My Take
The best flashlight is the one that you have on you.
Most tactical flashlights are going to be too big or bulky to carry on your person 24/7. But the Ti4 is shaped like a pen in order to give you a better ability to carry it in a pocket.
I would not recommend making this your primary tactical flashlight, but for a easy to access, easy to carry option, it preforms well.
Surefire G2X (Best Classic)
Specs
Max Lumens : 600
Weight : 4.4 oz
Size : 5.2″ x 1.25″ x 1.25″
Throw Distance : 203 yards
Battery : 2 x CR123A
Run Time : 1.5 hours on max output
Made in : USA
My Take
The G2x series of flashlights by Surefire are probably the most user friendly and basic high end flashlights on the market. They are able to give off 600 lumens while still throwing that light over 200 yards.
The biggest thing to consider with this flashlight is do you want a single output flashlight. Most flashlights now days come with variable lighting options, from max output down to 25 lumens for battery saving options.
However, the G2X has a single output of 600 lumens for quick and easy tactical target acquisition and manipulation. The last thing you want in a tactical situation is to mess up your settings and have a flashlight operating at minimal capacity.
The brilliance behind the G2X is the simplicity, but it does sacrifice some of your battery saving options. So for long multi-week or survival situations, this could be sub-optimal.
What is the best tactical flashlight?
The best tactical flashlight is the one you have on you. For most people that is their iPhone, but if you are prepared it could be much better. If you are looking for an all around good light I would recommend the Fenix PD35 Tac. However, if you are looking for a tactically rugged single output light, I would go with the classic Surefire G2X.
However, if money isn’t a factor, you can’t go wrong with the SureFire E2D Defender
