5 Brightest Tactical Flashlights

For some people, it’s all about the lumens. What’s the brightest tactical LED flashlight I can possibly get? At FlashlightZ, this is a question with some surprising answers. Our lights can get absolutely retina-searingly bright, so bright they should really come with a warning. Like an extreme hot sauce, these are not meant to be played around with. Here are our five brightest tactical flashlights. Also, be sure to check out our recommended BEST Tactical Flashlight for the money!

5) Klarus G20 - 3,000 Lumens

This is the first and only light on this list which can still be considered Every Day Carry. It’s absolutely one of the brightest tactical lights out there for its size. The Klarus G20 is less than five inches long, an easy fit for most EDC flashlight holsters or even your pocket.

Its awesome power comes from its CREE XHP70 N4 LED, which is powered by the included 5,000mAh battery. This super powerful battery gives the light, at its maximum brightness, a full 45 minutes of runtime. At the second brightest setting? Still four hours and thirty minutes. And when you do run your light down, this light charges at up to 2x the rate of other lights.

If you’re looking for the brightest everyday carry tactical light, this is a fantastic and practical option.

4) MecArmy PT26 - 3,850 Lumens

Now we’re getting into the more monstrous lights. The MecArmy PT26 carries not one LED, not two, not three or four...it has nine. Nine CREE XP-G2 S4 LEDs. This gives it a blinding 3,850 lumens.

Like the G20, this awesome output is maintained by a 5,000mAh battery. And also like the G20, MecArmy has an innovative solution for rapidly charging this battery, with dual-input micro-USB charging ports. Despite this battery’s massive capacity, it can be charged from empty in just two and a half hours.

And if you happen to not need this massive battery capacity, use it for another device. A third port for regular USB allows this item to be used as a power bank for charging your phone and other devices.

3) Klarus SD80 - 5,000 Lumens

The Klarus SD80 is actually designed primarily as a diving light, to give you an idea of the level of brightness we’re now getting into. Built to withstand water pressure up to 100 meters below the surface, this super bright tactical light actually has twelve LEDs.

Eight of them are white XD-L2 LEDs, providing the incredible 5,000-lumen max brightness. It’s also equipped with two XPE red LEDs and two Ultraviolet LEDs. You can even switch on the red and white LEDs at the same time for a mixed effect. Just be careful where you point it!

2) Nitecore TM28 - 6,000 Lumens

The "TM" in Nitecore's TM28 stands for “Tiny Monster” and as soon as you’re holding it in your hand, it’s easy to tell why. Despite weighing only 15 ounces and measuring 5 ½” long, this super bright tactical light fires 6,000 lumens.

Thanks to the reflectors on its four ultra-powerful CREE XHP35 HI LEDs, the beam reaches 655 meters. If that’s a mind-numbing number salad to you, let me put it another way: it’s an almost irresponsible level of power for a flashlight.

Luckily, Nitecore has included an onboard LED to help you handle this power responsibly, giving you everything from battery level to onboard temperature.

1) MecArmy PT60 - 9,600 Lumens

Here it is. The real beast. 9,600 lumens. We actually caution you to use your best judgement any time you use the MecArmy PT60. Even its second brightest setting, at 2120 lumens, is brighter than the max setting on most tactical lights.

This is THE brightest tactical LED flashlight you are likely to find for its size and weight. The head is loaded with sixteen XP-G2 S4 LEDs. And despite needing four 18650 lithium-ion batteries, it can be charged in just three hours thanks to its unprecedented triple micro-USB charge port set.

And like its little brother, the PT26, the battery power needed for that head can be repurposed when not needed for recharging other devices. So it’s not just one of the brightest tactical flashlights for its size, it’s also a powerbank with a huge capacity.

If you’re using four 3400mAh 18650 batteries, as MecArmy recommends, that’s a combined capacity of 13,600mAh - or enough to charge your iPhone 6s seven times! Lastly, keep in mind this light has a big brother with the same brightness and functionality, the MecArmy PT80.