What's the Difference Between the Klarus XT12S and XT11GT

Klarus really impressed the flashlight community this year with the XT11GT tactical flashlight. It’s packed with features so it can fit the needs of anyone while still being compact enough to easily carry around. It’s no wonder the Klarus XT11GT became such a popular light. In the last couple months, Klarus released the XT12S, a similar flashlight in look and size to the XT11GT. Putting them side by side, you may mistake them for one another. Despite the fact that they look the same, they do have quite a few differences and that’s what this blog is about today. We’ll be talking about the differences in the Klarus XT11GT and XT12S.

LED and Power

The XT11GT is equipped with a CREE XHP35 HD E4 LED and delivers a max output of 2000 lumens and a max beam distance of 316 meters.

The XT12S is equipped with a CREE XHP35 HI D4 LED and delivers a max output of 1600 lumens and a max beam distance of 402 meters.

So the most obvious difference is probably going to be the power behind the two flashlights. However, while the XT12S is not as powerful, it does have a further throw than the XT11GT. The beam pattern on the XT12S has more of a defined hotspot than the XT11GT. With this in mind the XT12S may make a better hunting flashlight to mount on a weapon thanks to that defined hotspot and throw. However, both lights can be mounted on a weapon so it comes down to preference on that.

Operation Settings and User Interface

The XT11GT can be operated by using the dual tactical tail switch or the side switch. The switches work independently but they also serve their own functions. Looking at the dual tail switch, the main switch has momentary-on and one-touch turbo while the secondary switch has one-touch strobe or one-touch low and cycles through the brightness levels. The side switch has a built-in memory function.

The XT11GT also has three operation settings: the Tactical Setting, the Outdoor Setting, and the Advanced Tactical Setting. In the Tactical Setting with the dual switches you have access to one-touch turbo and one-touch strobe as well as cycling through the brightness levels. With the side switch you have access to the built-in memory function, strobe, SOS, and cycling through brightness levels.

With the Outdoor Setting things change a bit. With the dual tail switches the main switch will still access one-touch turbo, but the secondary switch will access one-touch low rather than one-touch strobe. The side switch functions exactly the same in this setting as in the Tactical Setting.

Finally, the Advanced Tactical Setting is very different from the previous two. In this setting, the main switch on the tail cap remains the same, but the secondary switch can only access the strobe mode. The side switch is completely disabled in this setting.

Rather than three settings, the XT12S only has two programmable settings: the Tactical Setting and the Outdoor Setting. It also only has the dual tactical tail switches, so the programmable settings on this light are easier to pick up on. In the Tactical Setting you have momentary-on, one-touch turbo, one-touch strobe and easy cycling. In the Outdoor Setting you have momentary-on, one-touch turbo, one-touch low, and easy cycling. So the two settings for the XT12S are pretty much exactly the same as the first two settings of the XT11GT minus the side switch.

The user interface and programmable settings are probably the biggest difference in these two flashlights. While the XT11GT offers more with the side switch and the extra setting, it’s also going to take longer to learn and get used to all the features. The XT12S is a little more paired down so you still have some awesome features but you won’t be overwhelmed by them. The XT11GT does have the Advanced Tactical Setting that the XT12S does not and this setting is great for extreme tactical situations so it works well for law enforcement, security, or other tactical professions.

Recharging Function

The XT11GT is USB rechargeable whereas the XT12S has a magnetic charging function. Thanks to the increase in USB rechargeable technology I’m going to assume you know about USB charging and just talk about the XT12S’ charging function. So the magnetic charging port and cable are actually pretty cool. The cable is included with the flashlight and it just snaps right into place when close enough to the magnetic port. The cable is also a USB so you can plug it into any wall adapter, car adapter, or your computer. Even though the cable is proprietary, many users prefer the magnetic charging function because it charges so easily and securely.