And then some. Our buddy Kevin Creighton goes full nerd/Mythbusters-Intensive investigation on tactical flashlights and presents us with a very complete result.
And let’s face it: we are secret tac light sluts. We just don’t advertise it like with guns or knives.
The Best Tactical Flashlight – Torch Testing Results (ammoman.com)
It is sad when your most expensive flashlight doesn’t even get close to what a tactical flashlight costs.
Back at University I use to use a 6 D cell Maglight for my bike light. It put out a lot of light and if my flashlight just happened to hit somebody, it wasn’t really a weapon.
Today I use/carry an OLight Baton SR1 (I think I got all those codes right). I bought it as I was looking for a flashlight that was powerful and would allow me to see long distances. And I almost never use it at those levels.
I use this flashlight daily and carry it with me if I leave the house. It is small enough to fit in my pocket and goes across from my pocket knife.
So what makes this thing so cool in my mind? How about a 15 day run time at “low”? It has a lower setting which I use most of the time though. It has a >30 day run time, something like 0.5 lumins. It is perfect for walking around a dark house or yard with just enough light to see what is going on around you but not so much that it tells the world you are there.
That gets it, its first win.
The second win is that it has a mag attach recharge system. Just drop it near the end of the charging cable and it snaps together and a red LED tells you it is charging, turning green when it is done. But this isn’t the best part of that mag recharge connection. You can use the magnetic base to attach the olight to any steel thing. I’ve attached it to the side panel of a computer in order to get light in the right place in the case.
It has all the tacticool options, bright, blind, blind faster, blister hand while blinding, strobe blind. It has a 5 and 9 minute timer to turn off.
What does it lack? mass. This is not a light you are going to hit somebody with. It is too small. It is not a striking weapon.
But look into the olight offerings. Mine (multiples) have all stood the test of time and the price is reasonable.
A satisfied customer plug for Ammoman … Not always the cheapest on a solely per-round basis, but often least expensive or close on all costs when the free shipping kicks in; they often have ammo cans in stock (convenience!).
And most important, good – as in fast and responsive – customer service. I’ve only ever had one issue with an order, and it was resolved quickly and fairly.
Thank you for the resource! After Hoots passed away its been hard to find good information about the literal flood of lights on the market.