Flashlights are extremely handy tools. They can do so much beyond illuminating your pathway. They are handy in a kitchen drawer or during a camping trip but they can be a lifesaver when you carry one along with you. Among the flashlights that one can own, a tactical flashlight is a must. A tactical flashlight is used mainly with firearms for aim illumination. It has defensive, offensive, comfort and safety features that can come handy in a difficult situation. They are typically smaller and sturdier than traditional flashlights and emit much more light.
Just like you can’t take a knife to a gun battle, you can’t take a regular flashlight in a tactical situation. And these tactical situations need not be faced only by military or police personnel. In an uncertain world, everyday situations require us to stay alert. It may be when you are returning late from work and standing in an isolated subway. It may be a dimly lit parking lot. Or it may come when you are simply taking your dog for an evening stroll.
There are several set ups where a gun or a knife is not allowed. Tactical flashlights can help you identify threats, escape, evade, disorient attackers and even double up as a weapon when necessary. Most are designed for hard environmental conditions, impact and water resistance as these are common byproducts in a life-threatening condition.
So how do you choose a good tactical flashlight? There really is no right or wrong answer to that question. Just like there is no one gun that suits all, your tactical flashlight will have to be a custom choice based on your current and perceived needs. Here are some of the different types of tactical flashlights based on their common usage areas:
Hunting flashlights
As a hunter, a big part of your success depends on having the best equipment. Whether you are into game hunting or predator hunting, a tactical flashlight is a must-have tool in your kit. It allows you to spot your target in the dark with its high lumen strength and wide area search capability. It can typically be mounted on your gun and have a remote switch giving you flexibility and maneuverability. It can also be used to temporarily blind or stun your target giving you enough time to discharge your weapon. But beyond that, it can help you to read maps, search paths, and find animal trails.
Good hunting flashlights need to come armed and ready with accessories like different lenses, diffusers and gun mounts and need to have multiple modes that can help you choose the best lighting option during the hunt. Choose a flashlight that has a better throw than others and comes with red, blue, green or white light filters which can be of good use during night hunting.
A good to have is feature is a lock out which will prevent the light turning on by itself accidentally spooking you and any game nearby.
Military flashlights
These are flashlights generally used by military agencies, the army or Special Forces. They come equipped for mounting directly under the barrel but can also double up to mount on a riflescope or a laser target pointer.
These flashlights are designed to identify, aim and light up the shooting sector. Their advanced safety mechanisms include impact resistant steel bezels which can be used to break a glass or during hand-to-hand combat.
Some of the best features in a military flashlight are its multiple lighting modes like strobe, SOS and firefly. Strobe is a tactic that makes the flashlight blink with high frequency. This can temporarily blind the enemy, confuse them even frighten off an animal. Your flashlight can be used in a moment of distress to signal an SOS – three short, three long and three short signals which can be paused and repeated. Firefly mode can be used in extreme situations and can work up to 120 days due to its low energy consumption mircomode.
Police Flashlights
When it comes to law enforcement, simply buying the brightest flashlight may not be of help. Similar to its military counterpart, police flashlights are primarily chosen on the accessories they support like gun mounts, lens and diffusers. They also need to support different modes, especially a strobe which is handy during search missions and general detainment for questioning.
Police flashlights come in both aluminum and polymer. Aluminum tends to react to the environment and may become too hot or cold to handle while polymer is fairly weather resistant.
Another important feature required in a police flashlight is its fitting into a holster. Having a place to put the flashlight when not in use can free up hands for offence and defense. The steel bezels can be use to strike a criminal or break a car window in cases of emergency.
And the small but important factor to be considered while buying on is the battery requirement. Replaceable or rechargeable batteries can determine ease of use in the long term.
Top 5 best tactical flashlights
Streamlight 88040 ProTac
Available in blue, pink and black, this 600 lumen professional tactical flashlight with white LED provides maximum light output throughout its battery life. This is among the flashlights that offer a ‘limited’ lifetime warranty with a repair, replace or refund – a quality that we recommend you take with a pinch of salt as you can hope for the best that things work fine after the first month.
It comes in three modes but leaves out the strobe and SOS making it a slight flipside to a tactical flashlight. The good part is you can switch between modes easily with a push button at the tail of the flashlight. At 5.2”, less than 3 ounces and 600 lumen, this compact battery powered flashlight finds its origin in Barbados (which makes a decisive factor for some people on the trust on quality).
It comes packaged with a removable pocket clip and holster but the clip design lacks a sturdy feel. It doesn’t allow light diffusing adjustment and limited options for dimming too. It misses to pick up the waterproofing tab and also doesn’t have rechargeable options.
http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-88040-ProTac-Professional-Tactical/dp/B007RB82CS/r
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Soonfire V06 Tactical Flashlight
When you have a power outage, how do you first find the flashlight? Solving this interesting problem, this 1054 lumen ultra bright tactical flashlight comes with an O ring around the lens which glows in the dark making it easy to find!
With a lifespan of 50,000 hours, this is one powerful flashlight that can burn for 137 minutes at 100% and 8 hours at reading level. It comes with a rechargeable features 2600mAh/3.7 Volts) and just one battery which makes it easy to carry. You’ll be amazed at how tough this flashlight is. Its lens is toughened and ultra clear coated and anti abrasive glass, body with hard anodized aircraft aluminum alloy and stainless steal bezel for impact protection. The lanyard is a definite plus. The stainless steel ‘attack’ head is specially designed as a defense mechanism that can be used by all tactical personnel.
The only place it may leave room for desire is the beam which is not adjustable. Even though it is very bright, you may not be able to throw a spot on something.
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Vizeri LED Tactical Flashlight
This military grade flashlight comes with a lifetime warranty, which means there is manufacture backing on the base product, which is always a great plus. The even better part is that it comes loaded with bells and whistles that you’ll love. Bike mount, remote tactical switch, weapons mount, orange diffuser, and lithium batteries – you name it, they have it. The package includes a lamp diffuser and holster with D-ring along with a carabiner which can double it up as hanging light to be used in tents giving the illumination of a lantern.
An interesting point with the Vizeri is that it is not just waterproof to catch the occasional rain but the O rings seal out the water up to a depth of 3 feet. The memory feature remembers the last mode the flashlight had before it was switched off. With 100,000 of lifespan, batteries come in both normal and rechargeable versions but are not included in the package.
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EcoGear FX Tactical LED Flashlight
This is one tactical flashlight that gives others in its category a run for their money. Super bright with 1200 lumens packed in 5.5” (6.6” when used the full extension zoom function), it has the standard five tactical modes and comes with two rechargeable batteries and a charger.
The body is crafted with aircraft grade aluminum alloy making it water-resistant, anti-abrasive and shock proof. Its qualities make it great to be used in tactical situations as well as camping, hiking, targeted searches and home emergencies.
It comes with a free solar powered keychain flashlight that you are bound to carry everywhere you go. There is a lanyard attached to the flashlight and a like a good afterthought, there is a spare lanyard and spare O ring in the kit too. The entire kit is well put together to make a good impression.
Though the company makes customer satisfaction its priority, it would have been good to have a manufacture warranty that could shield you against one damaged in dispatch.
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SOLARAY PRO ZX-1XL
Labeled as Solaray’s ‘best and brightest tactical flashlight’ this has one impressive kit. Its ultra bright lumen can zoom in on distant objects or light up your room. Which means flashlight has provides both throw (distance) and flood (widespread) coverage. Fully charged, it can last up to 3 hours on high beam and the light can be extended by going on lower modes.
It comes with 5 modes, and the tail switch makes it easy to shift between the modes. You can select high, medium or low beam, go for a bright tactical intruder strobe or an SOS mode. At 7 ounces, this lightweight flashlight comes with aircraft grade aluminum body and its durability ascents with batteries that can be recharged up to 500 times.
The kit includes a mini pro LED flashlight that is quite popular as an easy carry accessory. It doesn’t have a holster but the kit comes with a belt clip and a deluxe lanyard.
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Best tactical flashlights for general usage
J5 Tactical V1-PRO Flashlight: This LED 3 mode (high, low and strobe) flashlight promises 300 lumen bright light with an intense beam that can light up to 600 feet – which means the beam can sweep over the length of two football fields! Though it is tough, it is probably suitable for hunting and camping but not for all tactical and self defense needs
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Simon Cree Led Flashlight: This 500 lumen LED flashlight comes with 5 mode settings. The company calls aircraft grade aluminum body “rugged and almost indestructible”! It can last 100,000 hours and has 16 adjustable focus dial settings. At 227 grams (8 oz.), its lightweight, compact and makes for a good companion in tactical and non-tactical situations.
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Supernova Guardian 1300: This bright tactical flashlight with a remote pressure switch comes in 5 operating modes. It has a ridged stainless steel bezel for offense, a disorienting strobe mode and a weatherproof casing. It comes packed in a gift box with a removable belt clip and rechargeable batteries.
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Outlite A100: At 900 lumens, this zoom-able tactical flashlight comes with adjustable focus. Its rugged aluminum body makes it water resistant. It comes in 5 modes and can stand on a flat surface to double up as a candle. It comes with a built-in memory and the package includes a free mini LED keychain flashlight.
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Streamlight 88033 ProTac: At 150 lumen and 50,000 hour lifetime, this flashlight is serialized for positive identification and includes an anti-roll face cap, a removable clip and nylon holster. Comes with a lifetime warrantee.
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Best tactical Flashlight - Buying Guide
Tactical flashlights, as you may have seen by now come with different features and once you learn about what is available out there, you get the tough job of coursing through the reviews before deciding what can be worth a buy. Let us take a quick look at some of the top features in tactical flashlights which can help you decide the best tactical flashlight for your needs
Light output: From 150 to 1000, tactical flashlights come with a range of light output. While you need a bright flashlight, it can’t be the only criteria as you need to be able to vary the brightness according to the situation. You may need to lower the brightness in stealth mode, increase it during a search and disorient with a strobe. You may also need to adjust the spot focus or zoom closer when looking at things in a closer range.
Size: In the world of flashlights, size does matter. Tactical flashlights generally need to fit on gun mounts, rifles, laser scopes and even purses. They should be easy to carry to be labeled multipurpose
Weight: If it is heavy, it is unlikely that it will leave your kitchen drawer or car’s glove compartment. A little shift in weight can prove a challenge when balancing it with a weapon.
Battery requirement: Everyone wants their flashlight to be worth every penny they’ve paid for. Most flashlights receive flak if the battery runs out soon and you have to cough up extra for new batteries. Rechargeable ones are a safer bet.
Durability: Most tactical flashlights have their body protected with aircraft grade aluminum, most with impact resistance. A steel bezel can double up for a defense mechanism.
Protection from elements: A tactical flashlight should provide adequate protection against dust, temperature with not just water resistance but water proofing. You don’t want it to go kaput on a dark rainy night!
Additional defense features: Some tactical flashlights include a hidden stun gun mechanism which can come handy for self defense.
Conclusion
After your prized procession comes home, take time out to test and practice it out. If you are going to couple it with a weapon, try both the Roger’s technique and eye index technique to see what works better. Knowing how to grip your flashlight in a challenging situation can save precious time. Get a good hand to easily change the modes and know your SOS signals. A tactical flashlight is only as good as you make it work.
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