While headlamps are becoming more and more popular as time goes, folks are still purchasing flashlights in almost record numbers – taking advantage of advanced LED technology to guarantee that they aren’t ever left alone in the dark.
Thankfully, LED flashlights excel in terms of size, longevity, and overall brightness, serving as the perfect companion for hitting the trail or exploring the darkest corners of your basement. The question now is, what is the best flashlight for you? Read our guide and let us recommend the best models on the market right now.
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Things To Consider Before Buying
• Purpose – You may need a flashlight for hunting or search and rescue operations. Such purposes require a model capable of facilitating long range vision. You would need a bright flashlight, typically with a luminosity of over 1000 lumens. If you need a flashlight for hiking, camping, sailing, fishing or other recreational purposes, then you can choose one with a capacity of anywhere between 300 to 1000 lumens. For ordinary use around the household, say in the attic or the shed, in the garage or for short range vision in your backyard or lawn, a model with 100 to 300 lumens will suffice.
• Price – Any flashlight that isn’t at least $50 probably doesn’t have the best construction materials or engineering going on behind the scenes. Sure, a cheaper flashlight can work in a pinch and may be okay for household tasks, but expect to spend at least $100 on a real quality piece of technology.
Best Flashlight – Our Top Picks
There are lots of models available on the market, so you can choose the one you like. On the other side, some are better than the others. Today, we’re going to talk about seven options which really hit the target with consumers. Each one is affordable and comes from a trusted manufacturer.
1. Streamlight 74751 Strion
This is the best flashlight on our list. Relatively compact and made out of high-end construction materials, including aircraft grade aluminum that has been anodized with a rugged grip surfacing material, the Streamlight Strion is one of the brightest compact flashlights money can buy – and isn’t going to shatter your bank account along the way, either.
Taking advantage of C4 LED technology, this model is impervious to shock related damage. The head has an anti-roll mechanism, which prevents the flashlight from rolling away when you put it down. The IPX4 water-resistant rating means it is waterproof up to two meters. It also comes with a clamp style charger holder with a digital control circuit that prevents overcharge.
Offering a 50,000 hour lifetime on the LED bulbs system, you’ll be able to depend on a variable torch setting that can produce 500, 250, or 125 lumens of light. This allows you to have complete control over the brightness while also extending the lifetime of your battery while it is in operation.
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2. SureFire Fury Dual Fuel
SureFire is legendary for producing some of the very best flashlights for the US military, particularly its special forces across all branches of service. When you are the official flashlight supplier for folks like the Navy SEALs or the Marine Force Recon groups, you know you are doing something right!
The SureFire Fury is one of the most popular products from the company. This tiny handy and compact flashlight is perfect for everyday use, survival situations, as well as law enforcement use. It comes with a precision micro-textured reflector that houses a high-efficiency LED. The beam is smooth, far-reaching, and wide for illuminating peripheral areas.
The build quality is top-notch and second to none, making it one of the most indestructible flashlights on the market. You can also use it as a personal defense mechanism, as the 1500 lumens brightness will temporarily blind an attacker and provide you plenty of opportunity to escape before they recover.
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3. Fenix PD35 TAC
This impressive LED flashlight from Fenix produces a maximum 1000 lumens of clear intense light. One key selling point is that it’s sized to fit into a pocket, while still delivering high performance. It is less than 5.5 inch in length, but offers the same lumen output as bigger, longer flashlights. Its beam distance is up to 650 feet.
It features a tail switch which offers a “momentarily on” setting. When it is set to its “outdoor mode”, there will be a group of six subcategories of output modes. In the “tactical mode” setting, flashlight performance will be stronger, simpler and faster.
It can use a single rechargeable lithium ion battery or two lithium-ion batteries for extended usage, giving you the opportunity to run it for a considerably longer amount of time than more traditional options available on the market.
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4. Anker LC130
If maximum light output is what you are after, this particular option from Anker is going to be right up your alley. Capable of producing 1300 lumens at its highest setting (of which there are five different settings), you are going to be able to control not only the brightness of this LED flashlight but also the shape and the width of the light beam that you are producing as well.
On top of that, the lithium-ion battery (5000 mAh rechargeable) allows you to run this flashlight six hours nonstop with non-diminishing brightness along the way. You’ll be able to use it for more than 50,000 hours before the LED starts to dim. It takes eight hours to charge it fully. You’ll need to buy a 1A adapter. The flashlight does come with a USB-style cable.
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5. Klarus XT11GT
Another great option, this ultra compact, ridiculously lightweight, and stunningly bright flashlight can push out to a maximum output of 2000 lumens when it is flipped to its “high” setting. Obviously, the battery is going to run down faster, but you should still be able to anticipate getting nearly a full hour of usage out of this extreme light output thanks to the lithium-ion rechargeable battery that comes with it.
The Klarus XT11GT features a trio of operating settings: outdoor, tactical and advanced tactical. You can choose between the three unique modes depending on whatever situation you’re preparing for. It’s also extremely easy to charge up.
When you order this model, you’ll receive a super bundle which includes a charging cable (USB type), an extra o-ring, a lanyard, a battery (18650 rechargeable), a car charger, a holster, a pocket clip, a mini USB light and a wall adapter. Waterproof, shockproof, and nearly indestructible, it has to be considered one of the best flashlights available on the market.
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6. ThruNite MINI TN30
This is the most compact of all the flashlights on our list, while at the same time producing a floodlight beam capable of putting out 3660 lumens when it is adjusted to its maximum setting.
The ThruNite MINI TN30 takes advantage of rechargeable lithium ion batteries to provide extended utility and usage, and while these batteries will take a little bit longer to recharge they are still a lot less expensive to use than the disposable ones.
The “orange peel” reflector material guarantees that the light diffused is always done so uniformly, providing you with an extremely wide beam so that you can survey a dark space in its entirety with just a glance.
An advanced electronic metal switch mechanism and low-voltage indication provides you with near silent operation, steady and consistent LED output, and long-term usage that can last for at least 50,000 hours before the LED system begins to decay.
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7. Maglite ML300L 6-Cell
Perhaps one of the most trusted brand names in the world of flashlights today, it should come as no surprise to anyone that a Maglite would find its way on our list.
The ML300L is the current version of the “gold standard” Maglite, the kind of flashlight that most people associate with first responders, police officers, security guards, and those that want an incredibly powerful LED flashlight that can also do double duty as a personal defense tool as well.
Heavy, rock solid as far as construction is concerned, and featuring waterproof seals and anodized materials inside and out to resist corrosion completely, this model may only put out 700 lumens but it’s going to last and last (and last and last) far longer than any of the other models on this list.
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Best Flashlight – Our Ratings
| Product | Rating |
|---|---|
| Streamlight | 5.0 / 5 |
| SureFire | 4.5 / 5 |
| Fenix | 4.5 / 5 |
| Anker | 4.5 / 5 |
| Klarus | 4.0 / 5 |
| ThruNite | 4.0 / 5 |
| Maglite | 4.0 / 5 |