The Best Tactical Flashlights

The flashlight market is saturated with tactical flashlights right now and it can be really difficult to find the best tactical flashlight or one that would suit you the best. So today I thought we would talk about a few of the best tactical flashlights in our opinion. There have been so many great lights that have come out this year so I'm going to focus mostly on the newer lights that have come out. Hopefully from this list you can find something that really speaks to you or a flashlight that sounds like it's just the right fit. So let's get started.

1. Klarus XT11GT

The first best tactical flashlight is the Klarus XT11GT. This is one of our most popular flashlights and it's not difficult to see why. It has a maximum lumen output of 2000! Most tactical flashlights you'll find usually have around 1000 maybe 1500 lumens, something around there. The XT11GT is an incredibly bright, incredibly powerful tactical flashlight. Of course there's more to this flashlight than just lumens. You can operate this flashlight using the dual tail switches or the side switch. The switches pretty much work independently so you can choose which you'd prefer to use. Both switches, or rather the tail switches and the side switch, are both able to operate the flashlight. If you don't really like the side switch or you know you're not going to be using it, you can take advantage of the lockout function and just lock the side switch out so that you don't have to worry about any accidental illumination. Then you can just use the tail switches. I will say, though, that the side switch has that built-in memory function. So if you would like to use that function you should probably keep the side switch unlocked and you can go ahead and have the flashlight turn on to whatever brightness level you'd like it to be.

One reason this flashlight is so beloved is because of the three operations settings that you can choose from. You have the Tactical Setting, The Outdoor Setting and the Advanced Tactical Setting. So in the Tactical Setting, with the tail switches you will have one-touch turbo using the main switch as well as momentary-on. Then with the secondary switch you can cycle through the brightness levels as well as hold it down and have an instant strobe. You also have access to a one-touch low. When the flashlight is off simply press down that side switch and it will turn onto the lowest brightness level.

The next setting is the Outdoor Setting. The only difference between this setting and the tactical setting is that that secondary tail switch activates the low brightness level when you press that down rather than the strobe mode. While the Tactical Setting is really great for everyday use or for professional work such as law enforcement or security, the Outdoor Setting is really great for hunting, camping, hiking, anything outdoors. However it's also really great for everyday use. If you find yourself wanting to get to the low mode quickly while using the tail switch then the Outdoor Mode is excellent. However, remember that you can also get to the low mode by holding down that side switch.

The last mode is the most extraordinary mode in my opinion. It is the Advanced Tactical Setting. Now in this mode the XT11GT will only function using the tail switch. You will have that one-touch turbo on the main switch as well as momentary-on and you're going to have that one-touch strobe. That is all. You will not be able to use the side switch and you won't be able to access the different levels. You will only have access to the one-touch turbo and one-touch strobe. This is really great for any extreme tactical situations. For most people it doesn't happen very often, but it's really great to have that option between these three settings. You can easily choose which setting you would like the best and keep your flashlight in that setting. Or you can pick settings based on your situation. Maybe you'd prefer to keep it in the Tactical Setting for the most part but you plan on going on a camping trip so you'd prefer the Outdoor Setting for the weekend. It's really a great opportunity to use this flashlight in different situations.

So the XT11GT does have 6 total lighting modes and this includes a strobe and an S.O.S. As you know, it has a turbo at 2000 lumens, high at 400 lumens, medium at 100 lumens, and low at 10 lumens so you have some great variety with the brightness levels. You can choose which brightness level fits whatever requirement you need. All in all, the XT11GT is an extremely versatile flashlight.

So believe it or not, those are not the only features of this LED flashlight. It is also USB rechargeable. It's incredibly convenient to have a flashlight that you can easily plug into a USB port. So you can plug it in while you're working on your computer or driving around doing errands or what have you. It's really great to have that convenience. Included with this flashlight is the Klarus 18GT IMR31 18650 battery. This battery has a 3100 mAh capacity. Now the XT11GT can run on a single 18650 battery or a pair of CR123 batteries. However if you use a battery with a lower mAh or if you use the two CR123 batteries I'm not a hundred percent certain you'll be getting that 2000 lumens. So that is something to keep in mind. It does feature a smart battery capacity indicator located on the side switch. When it's glowing green the battery is over 70 percent charged, when it is glowing orange it's 30 to 70 percent charged, when it is glowing red it is 10 to 30 percent charged, and when it's flashing red that means it has less than 10 percent charge and it's time to recharge your flashlight.

Of course, as this is the Klarus flashlight you can expect that it is incredibly durable and long lasting. The XT11GT is constructed from aerospace aluminum alloy. It has that hard anodized finish, its impact resistant up to 1 meter, and waterproof up to IPX8 standards. So this is truly the best tactical flashlight on the market today.

2. FlashlightZ Beacon

The second flashlight on our list is the FlashlightZ Beacon. This tactical flashlight is truly great because it works so well for a beginner tactical flashlight user or a seasoned user. It's compact and lightweight, feels great in your hands, and it's easy to take with you anywhere whether you are camping or hiking or using it for any tactical applications or just everyday use. It does have a really convenient pocket clip and this makes it easy to keep with you when you need to. It delivers 1000 lumens and has a maximum beam throw of 800 meters. The Beacon has an adjustable head that allows you to choose between a floody beam, a more focused beam, or something in between. Thanks to this adjustable head, that's how the Beacon is able to get out that 800 meters. For such a compact flashlight 800 meters is really incredible. So back to the head of the flashlight. It's really great that you can choose between a flood or a focused beam. This gives the Beacon a lot more versatility. So if you need to work on something up close you can use that flood or if you need more of a spot you can adjust the head of the flashlight so you have that. This is one of the best tactical flashlights because it is so versatile.

The Beacon is operated using a single tail switch so it's easy to learn. You can just pick it up and within minutes you'll know how the flashlight works. It has three brightness levels and two flashing modes, both SOS and Strobe, making it a great flashlight for self-defense, but also making it great for any outdoor adventure. The Beacon runs on an 18650 lithium ion battery. The flashlight is USB rechargeable which is very convenient. The Beacon is constructed from high quality anodized aircraft grade aluminum. It's shockproof and scratch resistant and is water and dust resistant. So this flashlight is ready to go. It is the tactical flashlight that will have your back in any situation.

3. Klarus XT12S

Number three on the best tactical flashlight list is the Klarus XT12S. This flashlight is incredibly similar to the XT11GT, particularly in size, but there are some differences to note. The XT12S delivers 1600 lumens and has a more focused beam than the XT11GT. This flashlight is operated using a dual tail switch and features two operations settings: the Tactical Setting and the Outdoor Setting. In the Tactical Setting you have access to momentary-on, one-touch turbo, one-touch strobe, and easy cycling through the brightness levels. The Outdoor Setting is pretty much the same thing except instead of having a one-touch strobe you have one touch low.

A unique feature of the XT12S is that it is rechargeable using the magnetic charging port located on the side. It comes with a USB magnetic charging cable and the cable will self-locate to the XT12S' magnetic port making recharging the XT12S easy and very convenient. It has a charging indicator as well as the battery capacity indicator. That is exactly the same as the indicator on the XT11GT. It is a very durable and long lasting tactical flashlight so it has a lot of features in it. And if you're looking for a flashlight that's similar to the XT11GT but maybe has less features that you need to learn about, the XT12S is absolutely the flashlight for you.

4. Klarus XT12GT

Number four on the list is the Klarus XT12GT. Now this is the bigger and older brother of the XT12S. The XT12GT functions exactly as the XT12S does. The main difference is that the XT12GT is about half an inch to an inch longer so it's not quite as compact, but it still delivers that impressive 1600 lumens. It has a beam throw of 603 meters. In fact the XT12GT is an excellent mini throw light. While it is a little on the larger side for everyday carry, because it has that fantastic throw to it you can use it for a variety of applications.

Another difference with this flashlight is that instead of coming with a USB magnetic charging cable it actually comes with a Magnetic Charging Connector. This connector is small enough that you can fit it on your key chain and what it does is it turns any regular micro USB cord into a charging cable for the XT12GT. So just toss this Connector onto your key chain. Anytime you are at a friends house or what have you and you need to charge your flashlight, just find any USB cable that has that micro USB on it and you're good to go. The Connector also functions as a small EDC light so you basically have your own key chain flashlight as well. And that's really quite a cool accessory of the XT12GT.

5. Klarus XT2CR

The last and final light that we're going to talk about is the Klarus XT2CR. This is the upgraded version of the Klarus XT2C. This flashlight is incredibly sleek, very compact, but powerful. It's less than five and a half inches in length and delivers up to 1600 lumens. That is incredibly impressive for such a small light. It has a head that is flush more or less to the body of the flashlight rather than having that enlarged head that you see on other tactical flashlights. This makes it significantly easier for carrying. The XT2CR is also operated using a dual tail switch and you have to programmable settings. With the Tactical Setting you've got one-touch turbo, one-touch strobe, momentary-on, and easy brightness level cycling. Then you also have the Outdoor Setting where you have one-touch turbo, one-touch low, one-touch S.O.S, and the same easy brightness level cycling. It features six total outputs including a strobe and an S.O.S and the XT2CR is USB rechargeable. It also features the same battery capacity indicator and charging indicator that the previous Klarus lights I spoke of have. This tactical flashlight is perfect. If you want a flashlight that is fairly easy to carry around. compact and lightweight enough that you can take it on everyday outings, this is definitely the perfect flashlight for that.

So that concludes my list of the best tactical flashlights so hopefully something on the list caught your eye. There have been so many great flashlights that have come out this year. Klarus has really outdone themselves and these are definitely the best tactical flashlights you'll find on the market today.