Tactical + Everyday Carry = Klarus XT1C

If you haven’t already guessed, we’ll be talking about a fantastic flashlight that has many tactical features but is compact enough to easily carry - the Klarus XT1C! The flashlight market is saturated with tactical flashlights and it can be difficult to figure out what features you need, what features you want, and what features you don’t like. This particular tactical flashlight is incredibly versatile and could easily become your go to flashlight. So let’s talk about what makes the XT1C such an amazing flashlight.

700 Lumen Tactical Flashlight

This little pocket monster is equipped with a CREE XP-L HI V3 LED and delivers 700 lumens! This flashlight is so bright considering the size of it, which we’ll talk about later on. It also has a maximum beam distance of 210 meters. Definitely impressive for an everyday carry flashlight. The beam pattern on the XT1C is really excellent; it has a great spill with a specific hot spot. You can see a review on the XT1C here and see the beam pattern for yourself! .

So if you’re looking for a powerful flashlight, the XT1C will definitely deliver. In fact, you could easily use the XT1C as a regular tactical flashlight, a backup tactical flashlight, a hunting flashlight, or just a flashlight that you use around the house. When you see flashlights that are 2000 lumens or so, it’s definitely exciting and powerful, but not always necessary. 700 lumens is a great amount of light and you’ll be surprised by how the XT1C makes the most out of those 700 lumens.

Compact Everyday Carry Flashlight

The XT1C is such a compact little flashlight that you could easily put it in your pocket, store it in an EDC box, or put it in your glove compartment in your car. The XT1C is barely over three inches and it’s a little less than one inch in diameter. Considering that most tactical flashlights are around six inches (that’s nearly double the size of the XT1C), you can see why such a compact tactical flashlight is appealing.

This EDC flashlight runs on a 16340 battery which is pretty common among many EDC lights and gives you a good idea of what size the flashlight is. Klarus actually includes a 16340 battery with the XT1C which is always a plus! Here’s a tip for anyone looking to buy a high-end flashlight: when you’re comparing flashlights to one another in features and pricing make sure to check what accessories each one comes with. Some flashlights may come with accessories you might not care about and some may come with accessories that are a must. It’s always great to see a flashlight come with the battery so you don’t need to hunt for one or use one from your collection if you don’t want to.

The Klarus XT1C comes with a handy two-way pocket clip so you can easily attach it to your pocket, hat, or wherever you’d like to. Having that pocket clip is definitely a bonus. For those of you who carry around pocket knives or other EDC flashlights, you know what I’m talking about. You just clip the flashlight onto your pocket and forget about it until you need it. Eventually you’ll start reaching for it without a second thought.

Simple & Tactical User Interface

One of the great things about the XT1C is that the user interface is really quite simple and straightforward, but it still has some added features that you can take advantage of. It doesn’t take a lot of time to figure out the extra features either. We’ll actually be talking about them right now!

Different Output Levels

So first I want to talk about the different output levels of the XT1C because it’s important to know with any flashlight you get. With the XT1C you’ll get five total outputs - three brightness levels and two flashing modes. The brightness levels are high at 700 lumens, medium at 100 lumens, and low at 5 lumens. That gives you quite a range to choose from. There will probably be times you need to illuminate a small area and shining 700 lumens into that area blinds you. For example, let’s say you’re looking for something you might have lost in your car at night. Shining 700 lumens will hurt your eyes and probably impair your vision even further. That’s when the medium and low brightness levels come in handy!

Strobe & SOS Mode

In case of an emergency situation, you have access to the strobe mode and the SOS mode. I can’t stress enough the amount of ease carrying a flashlight, especially one with a strobe mode, gives you when you’re walking somewhere isolated at night. It’s a great tool to have because you can use the strobe mode to disorient any attacker. For parents worried about their college kids’ safety, we recommend flashlights with a strobe mode. They’re excellent and it’s always great to be prepared.

The SOS mode is also a great option to have because if you’re stuck somewhere on the side of the road or in the wilderness on a hike or camping trip, you can use your flashlight to signal for help. There is always an ongoing debate among flashlight users which flashing mode is better: SOS or strobe. Well with the XT1C you don’t even have to waste your time with that argument because you have access to both modes.

Programmable Settings

Believe it or not, that’s not all this flashlight has to offer. We haven’t even gotten to the user interface! Well, we have another important feature to talk about and that is the programmable settings! There are two settings you can choose from: the Tactical Setting and the Outdoor Setting. You operate the XT1C using the dual tail switches and depending on what setting you put the flashlight in, their roles may change. So in the Tactical Setting you have access to one-touch high with the main switch, one-touch strobe and easy cycling with the secondary switch. So you can turn the flashlight ON and OFF with the main switch with momentary-on, and you can cycle through the brightness levels while the flashlight is on with a click of the secondary switch or you can press it down for instant strobe.

In the Outdoor Setting the only difference is that when you press down that secondary switch instead of accessing an instant strobe you’ll get an instant-low instead. Each setting has it’s uses and we’ve seen users happy with both settings. If you feel more comfortable having immediate access to strobe because you walk home every night then the Tactical Setting is for you. If you find yourself constantly switching to the low brightness level then the Outdoor Setting is for you. Switching between the settings is pretty easy so you can switch based on your situation as well.

Seriously, what an incredible versatile flashlight the Klarus XT1C is! It’s no surprise that it’s quite popular. It has tactical features while being perfect for EDC thanks to the ultra compact size. You can see more on the XT1C here!