Klarus XT11GT Tactical Flashlight Troubleshooting

The Klarus XT11GT is an extreme tactical flashlight that’s incredible powerful, delivering 2000 lumens. When it comes to the best tactical flashlights, Klarus flashlights rank high among them with the XT11GT on top. This LED flashlight is compact, USB rechargeable, features two programmable settings, and is packed to the brim with features that make it convenient and a multi-purpose lighting tool. Klarus ensures that their flashlights are high-quality and come with a great 5 year warranty. So your XT11GT is taken care of in case something goes wrong. However, there may be a time where your flashlight is acting a little funny. During times like these there may be some fixes that you can test out for yourself.. This blog is about simple troubleshooting steps in case your flashlight does act up and little quirks that are nice to know about the XT11GT. You'll find an answer to some common troubleshooting questions that we receive about the XT11GT. Hopefully these answers will ensure that you can troubleshoot your flashlight without having to worry about sending it in for warranty and having to be without it.

Before we go on I also want to mention that almost all of these troubleshooting steps work with the Klarus XT series. So while we’re focusing on the XT11GT, you can still use these troubleshooting steps for the XT11S, XT12S, XT12GT, and more.

My Flashlight is Not Turning On

A very common issue we hear about is that the Klarus XT11GT will not turn on right outside of the box. The solution to this is very simple. Take off the tail cap and you'll see a plastic piece on the battery. Klarus put this plastic piece there to ensure that the flashlight does not turn on in transit. Once you remove that plastic piece your XT11GT should be good to go.

Another scenario you may find yourself in is this: Your flashlight was working fine the other day and now it's not working at all. It can be incredibly frustrating when your flashlight isn't working when you need it to. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to see what the issue is and resolve it. First and foremost, you want to make sure that the tail cap is screwed on all the way. If the tail cap is not screwed on all the way your flashlight could work intermittently, not turn on at all, or even flicker. Without it being tightened all the way the flashlight is not going to get the connection that needs in order to work reliably. Check to make sure that there is nothing in the way of the tail cap tightening down fully. Make sure that there's nothing in the threads or that the pocket clip is put on the wrong section preventing the tail cap from tightening all the way.

If you feel like the tailcap is catching on the threads as you screw it down or it’s feeling a little grindy, then it's time to grease up those threads. We have seen flashlights where the grease on the threads was worn out making the tailcap very difficult to tighten all the way. So just grab a tiny bit of Vaseline and grease the threads of the tail cap. The tailcap will tighten easily after that.

You also want to check to make sure that there's no rattling in the tailcap and that the internal components of the tailcap are tightened all the way. If you hear any rattling in your tail cap you can use a thin device such as a small screwdriver or tweezers to tighten the inner ring of the tail cap. I recommend searching videos of that, specifically if this issue sounds familiar.

If your tail cap is tightened all the way and its internal components are not loose then the next place to check would be the battery. If the battery is completely dead or faulty it could prevent the flashlight from turning on or functioning properly. If you have a spare battery test it out in the XT11GT. If the flashlight is functioning perfectly then it's the battery. If you would like some more assurance, place the potentially faulty battery in another flashlight to see if it acts up the same way. With this you can confirm that it is in fact the battery and not the flashlight.

My Klarus XT11GT Indicator is Flashing Orange When I Charge It

With any rechargeable flashlight you may run into some issues or quirks with the charging function. Another common issue we see is the flashing orange indicator when the flashlight is charging. According to the manual it means that it’s an “abnormal condition”. This can be frustrating and make you a little nervous because it sounds like there is actually something wrong with the flashlight. The truth is that most of the time there's nothing wrong with the flashlight. You may see a flashing orange indicator for multiple reasons including the tail cap not being tightened all the way. Let's take a look at some of the other reasons.

First of all, you may see the indicator flash orange when you first plug it in because the flashlight is trying to assess the battery. So it may flash for a few seconds before turning green or red and this is completely common and normal. However, if it remains flashing then this could indicate several things. For example, it could indicate that your battery is either too full or too dead to charge via a USB cable. I will start with the former. If your battery is almost 100% full and you plug it in to charge you'll see a flashing orange indicator because your battery is too full to hold any more charge, therefore it's not charging. If you use your flashlight for only 5 or 10 minutes you're not going to need to charge it. We recommend waiting until you use the flashlight enough that the battery indicator is glowing either orange or red. You can still charge it when the indicator is showing green, but if the battery is too full it won't be able to hold any more charge and you will see that orange flashing indicator.

On the other hand, if the battery is dead the USB charging function will not be able to revive it. At this point you will actually need a battery charger that will be able to revive dead batteries. While you're using your flashlight make sure to check out that battery level indicator so you can know what's going on with your battery. If you see the indicator is flashing red we recommend to either change out the batteries or charge your flashlight immediately. If you use the flashlight until the battery dies then make sure to charge it right away.

Another incident of a dead battery is if you put your XT11GT flashlight away for several months without using it, you may discover that your battery has died and your flashlight will not work. We recommend using and charging your flashlight once a month or once every other month to keep the battery healthy.

On another note, batteries are not the only reason you could see an orange flashing indicator when you try to charge your tactical flashlight. There could be a potential interference with the charging function. Make sure that there is nothing stuck in the micro USB port such as any dirt or grime of any kind. It's also a good idea to check your battery compartment and make sure that the springs are still looking good and that there's no debris of any kind in that compartment that could affect the charging function.

Finally, you want to check if your charging cable and wall adapter or car adapter are faulty. Not everyone thinks about a faulty car adapter or charging cable but it can happen. With your XT11GT test out multiple charging cords and wall adapters or car adapters to see if your previous cord and adapter are faulty.

Some Extra Quirks about this Tactical Flashlight

It's true that you can use the side switch and the the tail switches separately because they function independently. However, this does not necessarily mean they work well together. Turning it on using the tail switch you have to turn it off using the tail switch otherwise you’ll just see it flicker and remain on. We recommend to use either the side switch or the dual tail switches without using them together. You can still use them together and there’s nothing wrong with that but they may act up in a funky fashion like what I talked about before. So it's something to be aware of.

Still having issues with your Klarus XT11GT?

Let us know if any of these steps help you out with your Klarus XT11GT tactical flashlight or if you have anything to add. We'd love to hear from you! If you're still having problems with your Klarus XT11GT flashlight after trying these steps then go ahead and contact us and we'll be happy to help you determine what the problem is and exercise the warranty.