Small Tactical Flashlight vs Your Phone’s Light

When you’re on the road or walking through foliage at night, it’s nice to be able to reach into you pocket and pull out a helpful flashlight. Sure, we all have phone lights, but this is a dim, insubstantial illumination that isn’t good for much more than reading. Plus, we’ve all been in that spot where we’re watching our phone battery go down - and what drains that battery more than keeping the light on??

Why Have A Tactical Flashlight

Here are some reasons why you definitely need a small tactical light in your back pocket!

Small

Gone are the days of the bulky Maglite leaning against the corner of your closet, unused. LED technology has transformed the flashlight industry, resulting in smaller and smaller lights. Some are the size of a computer chip! But keeping to those lights a little less difficult to keep track of, your typical keychain or everyday carry tactical light will be only about two or three inches in length. Easy to drop in your pocket or your car’s map pocket and take with you anywhere.

Bright

Your typical iPhone light gives off somewhere between 10 and 20 lumens of brightness. Frankly, this is at the bottom end of what even the smallest tactical flashlights can accomplish. Even the palm-sized lights we’re focusing on here regularly put out hundreds of lumens in brightness. And of course, the iPhone can’t compare as far as beam throw. The reflectors on these lights are designed to make the most distance possible out of these lights. So whereas your phone’s light dies off after a few feet, the beam on small tactical lights is thrown dozens of meters. Even hundreds of meters, I mean it’s not even in the same neighborhood. If you’re here reading this, you know you need actual illumination, and what’s on your phone just won’t cut it in most situations.

Interface

What happens when you need your phone light? You’ve got to take it out of your pocket, punch in your code, search for the correct app...wouldn’t it be so much easier to have a tool?? One of the best things about small tactical lights is the super intuitive and snappy interface. Take it out of your pocket and press the button. It’s easy to learn how to start them at the lowest brightness setting, or the highest brightness setting. Most have a memory function, so any brightness level in between is also at your beck and call! Plus, although we hope never to have to need it, it’s also useful in any self-defense situation. Usually activated by a quick double-press of the button, these lights almost universally come equipped with a strobe function, useful for briefly blinding and stunning an attacker.

Durable

Cracked screens. Shaken internals. Scratches and dents. These are the things that haunt the nightmares of many phone owners. No doubt, our phones are an investment, and it’s no wonder we protect that investment with screen protectors and phone cases. But your phone is still vulnerable! Imagine dropping it in the workings of your car engine, and then of course there’s the threat of water damage. One of the best things about tactical lights is that the “tactical” part denotes a high level of ruggedness. These lights are built to stand up to punishment, even the small ones! They’re typically impact resistant to drops of up to one and one half meters (the height of the average man), so if it slips out of your fingers, you’re assured that they’ll keep working. But even better, these lights are incredibly waterproof. They’re universally weatherproof, but most go one better and are actually waterproof. They can be submerged in shallow water and still come out shining like a beacon. That’s definitely a test you wouldn’t want to put your phone up against! Even if it could take the punishment, why would you want to risk it? With a small tactical light, you don’t have to. And for these lights, it’s not even a risk!

Design

A lot of these hypothetical examples demonstrating durability focus on you dropping your flashlight. No offense, it’s like I think you’re clumsy! In fact, it would actually be tough to drop most of these lights. The design of the bodies is typically includes knurling that helps you keep a comfortable grip. Plus, the buttons themselves are typically of a more rubbery material, which makes them easy to locate and keep your finger on. Basically, tactical lights are uniquely suited to the human hand, unlike the square block that most phones are, making them more comfortable and easier to hold for a longer amount of time.

Special Features

Finally, possibly the best thing about tactical lights are the practical features that help you out in the real world. For instance, it’s not unusual for a tactical light these days to double as a power bank. Don’t necessarily need the extra illumination, but your phone is dying? No problem, plug it in to your flashlight! Another great special feature of these lights is that many of them are also self-recharging. No need to worry about taking the batteries out and putting them in an external charger. Small tactical lights can typically be plugged in to any powered USB port to charge the batteries on their own, making them even more convenient for taking with you on the go.

Best Everyday Carry Tactical Flashlights

So I think we’ve made a pretty solid case here for small tactical lights in general. But what about tactical lights specifically? What models do you need? FlashlightZ, as usual, has your back. Here’s our list, in no particular order, of some of the best small tactical flashlights. They’re tough, they’re bright, and they fit right in your pocket and they’re good to go. If you’d like to be able to light up the situation no matter what, these are definitely lights you need to be taking a look at!

Nitecore Tip

This is one of Nitecore’s newest keychain tactical light models, and it’s fantastic. Rechargeable, with 360 lumens and 74 meters of throw. Unusual for lights of this size, it’s also got a dual-switch design, making it even easier to use!

Klarus Mi7

One of Klarus’s most popular items, the Mi78 can be used with either a AA battery or the more flashlight-standard lithium-ion, making it unusually utilitarian. It’s got convenient knurling on the body and comes in a variety of colors, making it a perfect gift for a college-goer. And they’ll never be left searching for something in the dark again - 700 lumens on this light, and 110 meters of beam distance!

MecArmy SGN7

The upgraded version of MecArmy’s SGN3, the SGN7 550-lumen keychain light which has two of the best special features around. First, it has a personal alarm, letting the person notify everyone surrounding of danger and hopefully startle the attacker. Used in conjunction with the strobe, the SGN7 is a shocking self-defense option! But it also has a power bank function, so it can be used to charge your other devices on the go.

Klarus XT1C

The most “tactical” of these tactical lights, the XT1C is built to be mounted on a pistol. So it’s ultra-tough, and ultra-bright at 700 lumens, with a deep reflector that gives off a truly startling 210 meters of beam throw. If you’re looking for something to use with a pistol or sidearm, your search has ended.