Best Tactical Flashlight Reviews 2018

Making purchases has a lot to do with the budget you have earmarked for them. Most times, before going to the market, you decide the maximum amount you're willing to spend. Nonetheless, very functional products with rich features mean more value, and hence more money required to buy them. During the research for this review, we came across cheap tactical flashlights, but we did not bother with them as we are always interested in great value for every dollar spent.

The price of tactical flashlights ranges between $29 and $80, which we consider a moderate price range. Thus, all the tactical flashlights you see here are among the very best you will find, and at affordable prices. Note, however, that the greatest contributor to the price of a flashlight is the amount of power it can deliver per time, which is measured by its brightness and the material it is made from. Polymer flashlights are quite expensive.

Flashlights have undergone a renaissance period of sorts since the advent of LED (light emitting diodes). They are now smaller, brighter, controlled with microprocessors, and use a lot less energy. These new models are compact enough to be carried easily every day. The most important feature to look for is the light intensity, which is measured in lumens. The higher it is, the brighter your flashlight and of course, the more expensive. Other important features to consider when looking for a great tactical flashlight include:

• Brightness settings
• Battery type
• Accessories
• Material
• Weight

Every tactical flashlight has a power button used for controlling different brightness or light settings. There is the low setting, which saves battery life and which also provides the least brightness. The high setting, conversely, provides the brightest illumination. There are also certain models with a medium setting, which sits between the low and high settings. Some tactical flashlights have a strobe setting that conceals the movements of the user and thus disorients attackers. Since tactical flashlights are primarily built to produce high-intensity illumination, this should be your major concern or consideration: the higher the intensity, the better. Note that keeping the tactical flashlight shining brightly for a great length of time means shorter battery life.

Another feature you must pay attention to in deciding which flashlight to get is the material. There are various materials tactical flashlights are made from, including plastic, aluminium, anodized aluminium and polymers. Usually, the most affordable type of tactical flashlight is housed in plastic. This doesn’t necessarily mean cheap or flimsy construction. These plastics are hardened to be durable and lightweight at the same time, but not as durable as ones housed in an aluminium casing. Normally, the only reason you would want a tactical flashlight made from plastic is cost, but you should note that such plastic tactical flashlights are very rare these days.

Flashlights made from aluminium are usually lightweight. Aluminum is definitely sturdier than plastic, but is still a soft metal when compared with stainless steel. It can degrade and rupture when the right amount of force is applied, and this is why anodized aluminium is fast replacing aluminium as the preferred material for making tactical flashlights. Anodized aluminium is hardened by growing a layer of aluminium oxide (one of the strongest materials in the world, second only to diamond) on the aluminium surface. So, unless what you want is a diamond flashlight (and we don’t know a brand that makes those), anodized aluminium is your best choice.

Finally, there are polymer-based tactical flashlights. Because of the huge expenses incurred in researching and creating them, they're expensive. These proprietary flashlights have become necessary, especially for those in very cold climates where it can be dangerous to hold a metal object in extreme cold. Polymer flashlights are now being considered the future of the tactical flashlight industry.

The point of all these facts is to help you make a more informed purchase of your next tactical flashlight. We will now look at features like battery and weight, and why you should consider them before buying a tactical flashlight.

The performance of your tactical flashlight has a lot to do with the type of battery powering it. The right battery will not only deliver better illumination, but help with cutting the cost of operating your tactical flashlight. There are various types of batteries, and some are rechargeable.

There are the inexpensive and common AA/AAA batteries, which are generally used for many flashlights. The C/D types are larger and heavy, while the 123A lithium batteries (which have twice the voltage of alkaline batteries and about half their size) are preferred for tactical flashlights. There are also rechargeable batteries, mostly used by law enforcement agents and professionals. These, over time, can save you thousands of dollars in purchasing disposable batteries. There are also flashlights with capacitors, which are relatively new. They are lightweight and can be charged rapidly. However, they do not hold as much power as traditional batteries, and they discharge within a few weeks.

Pay attention to the weight of a tactical flashlight. By weight we are referring to size, not power. The fact that a flashlight is heavier and bulkier does not mean it delivers more illumination than its smaller counterpart. It means that its batteries, which are of course larger, last longer and cost more than ones used by smaller flashlights. Depending on what you need the flashlight for, a heavy flashlight can be ideal for home use or camping. Law enforcement agencies favor these heavy flashlights, as they can be used as weapons of self-defense if they lose their primary weapon. But if your activities require you to move around a lot or walk long distances, a smaller, lighter flashlight is what you need. You can put it in your backpack without any significant weight gain. Athletes prefer these small ones, as they can easily fit in a running pack. Because these flashlights produce high-intensity lights, they can be used to temporarily disorient an attacker.