The 6 Best Tactical Flashlight For The Money – Reviews in 2019

Tactical flashlights were devised for the military to be used in conjunction with firearms, often being directly mounted on to the weapon.

Their brightness has made them popular with civilians also - in some cases as a tool to help in self-defense, in some cases to make night hunting or fishing easier, but generally just as useful bright emergency light.

Let us consider what might be the best tactical flashlight for the money. Which is the best for your purpose? To start, we will review six well-known flashlights on the market and then compare their benefits.

What comes with the kit when you buy it? The flashlight itself, a Lithium Ion Battery type 18650, a battery charger, a sleeve for this battery, a battery holder for triple A batteries, a hand strap, user manual and green box.

There are three brightness settings: low, high and strobe. This flashlight also has adjustable focus. The manufacturers describe the unit as “virtually indestructible – even if it is submerged in water for a short while or dropped from a height of 9 feet.

The Gearlight manufacturers suggest having an extra flashlight kept in the glovebox of the car and the kit comes with not one, but two flashlights. Also included are two AAA battery holds and two Lithium 18650 Battery Tubes, but no actual batteries, two lanyards and two holders.

What is included when buying this kit. Well not the batteries – neither the Lithium nor its charger, nor the Triple A. There is simply a Black case and Carabiner screw lock with the flashlight.

Included with the flashlight are both a CR123A Lithium Battery and a double A Alkaline battery. A double A Lithium Battery could be used instead, but this is not included with the purchase.

Batteries are not included but a second flashlight comes in the kit which also includes case, battery holder and aluminum screw lock.

Question: How many lumens do you need on a tactical flashlight?

Answer: Lumens are a measurement of light. For a tactical flashlight 300 is a relatively low figure and 1000 is quite high though some flashlights will exceed 4000.  It depends what distance you want your beam to cover.

Question: Why is a red light tactical?

Answer: Some say that red light has less impact on the rod cells in the eyes and therefore helps maintain night vision.

Question: How many lumens do you need to blind an attacker?

Answer: In the daytime 150 lumens will blind an attacker for a few minutes. In daylight, about double that.

Question: What color is the hardest to see at night?

Answer: When driving as night falls you will notice that red is one of the first colors you distinguish with difficulty.

Question: What is a tactical flashlight used for?

Answer: Tactical flashlights were originally devised for the military working on night operations. They provided an intense beam of light that enabled them to pinpoint their target in the dark. It was often even more useful to have them clipped on the firearm.

It was apparent that there were a lot of civilian uses for bright flashlights such as these. People who hunted or went fishing at night were obvious candidates. In our modern violent times, they were also helpful in warding off attackers. The bright beam shone into someone’s eyes can blind him for a few minutes. Many of these tactical flashlights also have a strobe setting which is disorientating for an attacker who has such a light directed at his eyes.

Apart from such defensive purposes, it is also useful to have such an appliance in the home to provide emergency light if there is a power outage.

It is also ideal to have when out camping or simply taking a walk at night. The adjustable beam focus that most of the tactical flashlights seem to have are extremely useful. At a wide angle you might give overall illumination inside a tent, whilst if zoomed to a distance setting you can home further afield if looking for a lost person or animal.

Question: How does a flashlight work?

Answer: When the switch is set to the ‘on’ position contact is made with metal strips enabling electricity to run between the negative and positive electrodes of a battery and power a light bulb.

Question: Why Tactical Flashlights work for Self Defense.

Answer: They basically give a little bit of time to react, by temporarily blinding the attacker for a few minutes and perhaps also disorientating him for a little longer if a strobe setting is used.

If you want a Tactical Flashlight purely for emergency in the home when there is a power outage, then you may simply go for the cheapest Tactical Flashlight on the market.

However, in working out the cheapest don’t forget to take into account whether or not batteries are included in the purchase price. If you go hiking a lot, ease of packing away might be a top consideration.

On the other hand, you might find that the level of brightness is the most important consideration for you. So, don't just for a flashlight go for the best tactical flashlight.