# Looking for Brightest compact Flashlight



## Cadillac (Jul 20, 2020)

Was looking for a compact flashlight to be able to be mounted on a picatinny rail for a rifle I have. Looking at dedicated lights they are a small fortune almost as much as the rifle and I only see 300 maybe 500 lumens. I’m looking for one that can take maybe 2 aaa batteries or a rechargeable 18650 battery. As compact as I can get and the most lumens as possible. Mount isnt a problem as I can make whatever needs to happen To mount it. Thanks for looking.


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## pontiac428 (Jul 20, 2020)

Paging @darkzero, you have a call on line one!

Sit tight, you'll get some answers shortly...


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## JRaut (Jul 20, 2020)

I don't have an exact product in mind, but Coast makes really, really great flashlights. Maybe they make something that'd fit the bill for you.

I have several different sizes of their flashlights, and I find them to be heads and shoulders above the competition.

The ones I have I find insanely bright for the size. Seems they've devoted lots of time and money into making their lenses and LEDs work well together.


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## jmkasunich (Jul 20, 2020)

Keep in mind that there are no free lunches.  High performance LEDs put out a little over 100 lumens per watt.  The very best might be 150 lumens per watt.  If you want a 600 lumen light, that is going to require 4-6 watts of electrical power.  That will suck down a battery pretty quick.  More light needs more power.  So in addition to talking about how much light you need, you also need to think about how long you need it to last before replacing the battery.


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## Dabbler (Jul 20, 2020)

on youtube, 'brightest flashlight' will get you dozens of candidates.  There's a compact 10,000 lumen one that might be interesting - I saw it at the beginning of the year.


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## Meta Key (Jul 20, 2020)

I carried an M4 with a Streamlight mounted on it.  1,000 lumens.  Here’s a more current model: Streamlight TLR RM.  Also carried two different different Streamlight hand held lights - excellent lights.  Streamlight.

MK


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## Dabbler (Jul 20, 2020)

I've carried a 1000 lumen Klarus for years now.  it came witha 16340 rechargable battery.  tiny, but bright.


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## Boswell (Jul 20, 2020)

Remember that Lumins measures the overall light output but the light that fall on the area you are wanting to iluminate is measured in LUX. In other words, I can greatly increase how bright a spot on the wall is (LUX) by using lenses. for flashlights this is very important to know as the actual brightness is a combination of Lumins, reflectors and lenses. Lots of good info on the internet


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## Aukai (Jul 20, 2020)

Will (DZ)will have some input for you, he could even make one


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

I got out of modding flashlights for quite some time now. Haven't kept up with them either. There are so many Chinese flashlights on the market now but not all are bad.

I don't know anything about guns but for a gun mounted flashlight can't go wrong with Surefire or Streamlight. They may not quickly stay up to date with the latest & greatest LEDs but they are reliable. They'll withstand the vibration & abuse for gun mounted. Their electronics are potted (or conformal coated) & they are built tough. Many of these Chinese lights are just slapped together, while they work, they often don't hold up to abuse & aren't efficient (don't have good runtime and/or don't have good heat disappation). But they are inexpensive, Surefire & Streamlight are not. With flashlights, you definitely get what you pay for.


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## pacifica (Jul 20, 2020)

I have a surefire and it is excellent, can sit for a year and turns right on. Streamlight seems to be almost as good and costs half the amount of surefire.
I agree with darkzero.


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

Man do I miss my flashlight days. I don't have a whole lot of Surefires left, kind of regret selling them. This is my absolute favorite SF. It doesn't actually work though, never got around to converting it to LED. Was just a host that I pieced together with rare parts.




(Sorry Cadillac, not trying to hijack, couldn't help myself)


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## Cadillac (Jul 20, 2020)

I knew I had read of someone making flashlights and couldn’t remember who. Thanks for the insight DZ and others. I will look into streamlight and sure fire. I’m not looking for something blinding or combat proof just something that would give good light in a dark situation and reliable. I have small handhelds for work( I’m a mechanic) and it always seem they work good for a month then start flickering and have to tapput,tap to get to work again and that’s what I don’t want. Thanks guys


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

I've had Nitecore & Jetbeam flashlights that were decent (China made) and didn't break the bank. I remember brands like Olight, Klarus, Thrunite, etc were garbage IMO back then but they have come a long way & I hear are pretty good now. Fenix was another popular budget brand. If you stick with popular brands they should work well.

For that much output 2xAAA is not going to do it. Runtime will be very poor if they can even support 500+ lumens. I'd look for an 18650 powered light if you want that much output. Alkaline batteries are convenient if you need them in an emergency but I would just carry extra 18650s. They are cheap now & easy to get.


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## Flyinfool (Jul 20, 2020)

Field of vision is also very important to look at in making your choice. Do you need a small tight beam to light up a target at 200 yards, or are you after a wide beam that will light up a room in the house, or something in between or and adjustable that will kind of do both. An adjustable may not hold up well to the shock of recoil.

A white LED will need at least 3 AAA batteries as they need a minimum of 3 volts.


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

Flyinfool said:


> A white LED will need at least 3 AAA batteries as they need a minimum of 3 volts.



That was in the old days of direct drive. Boost drivers have been around for a while now where you can power a 3-3.5v white led off a single 1.5v battery.


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## Dabbler (Jul 20, 2020)

> For that much output 2xAAA is not going to do it. Runtime will be very poor if they can even support 500+ lumens.



@darkzero  that's why I suggested the Karus.  Mine is an XT - 1C that comes with the  16340 rechargable battery.  I've destroyed hundreds of lights over the years (no exaggeration, I'm a caver), and this one has been the most reliable so far.  I've  killed several Surefire lights while in Search and Rescue - I'm sure they are better made now.  My only Streamlight died after 3 months and the company did nothing to remedy that... I managed to resurrect it for a while, but fixing the switch was too much trouble. 

The XT-1C has two switches, a rubber centre button that also changes modes, which I use for high beam, and a switch intended for thumb operation which I have programmed for low beam.


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## Flyinfool (Jul 20, 2020)

darkzero said:


> That was in the old days of direct drive. Boost drivers have been around for a while now where you can power a 3-3.5v white led off a single 1.5v battery.



While this is true that single 1.5V cell will also have 1/3 of the life. You never get power for free.


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## darkzero (Jul 20, 2020)

Flyinfool said:


> While this is true that single 1.5V cell will also have 1/3 of the life. You never get power for free.



Yep, exactly why I recommended not to go with an alkaline powered flashlight. I'm sitting here looking at all my old flashlights, well over 100 & I would say only 1 or 2% of them run on alkalines.


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## Cadillac (Jul 20, 2020)

When I went on the streamlight website and They didn’t list prices it scared me. But I found  prices on amazon and not to bad. I have literally hundreds of Samsung 18650 Batteries so I will definitely go that route. Really want the smallest possible I do not like the clutter decisions, decisions?


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## BGHansen (Jul 21, 2020)

+1 on the Coast HX5 pocket sized for a reasonable ($20) price from Menards.  It's around 150 Lumens with an alkaline AA, lifetime warranty.  You can amp them up with a 3.7 V lithium ion to around 350 Lumens which is pretty bright, bright spot of the focused beam is about 1' at a 6' distance.  I bought a pair of 3.7 V Lion batteries with a charger off eBay for around $12 shipped.

Bruce


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## ACHiPo (Jul 21, 2020)

I'm sold on the 18650 cells for flashlights.  

I bought a 2-cell 18650 flashlight from Nitecore and am really impressed.  It is not an EDC light, but is perfect for what I wanted. 








						Nitecore EC4S 2150 Lumen Super Bright LED Flashlight
					

The Nitecore Explorer EC4S LED Flashlight has a Die-Cast body and uses a Cree XHP50 to produce up to 2150 Lumens of brightness.



					www.nitecorestore.com
				




They make some scary-bright lights that are pretty small (like thousands of lumens) but they're not cheap:




__





						Brightest Flashlights - Tiny Monster
					

Compact yet powerful, Nitecore's tiny monster series are the best and the brightest flashlights with long throwing beams and multiple LEDs for added brightness.



					www.nitecorestore.com
				




This little guy is just a bit bigger than the 18650 battery and it's 1800 lumens








						NITECORE Concept 1 1800 Lumen EDC Flashlight
					

The Concept 1 is the first in Nitecore's revolutionary new Concept series of high performance flashlights. The Concept 1 offers up to 1800 lumens from a CREE XHP35  HD E2 LED in a compact and lightweight body for EDC, travel, emergency backup & more.



					www.nitecorestore.com


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## acruxksa (Jul 21, 2020)

You'll find information and reviews on just about every flashlight ever made on the following forum.





__





						Candle Power Forums
					

Come join out flashlight community. Flashlight reviews, and deals posted to our forum for free!




					www.candlepowerforums.com
				




I'd focus on the LED section.  I'm sure you'll find something that works for you. 

As a reformed flashlight-A-holic I was/am particularly fond of AA lights and most especially AA lights that also take 14500 cells or rather lights that take 14500 cells, but can use AA batteries in a pinch.  I would also be careful about focusing too much on lumens, not really the best way to make a decision on what light is best.


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## Flyinfool (Jul 22, 2020)

I do not know about the flashlight industry but there is a lot of exagerated claims of output in the headlight industry. Some even go so far as the brag and state the exact LED they are using, if you look up the specs for the LED they claim to be using, there claimed output is way above what the LED maker says is the maximum possible output. So either they are way over driving them which will result in a short life, or they are flat lying.


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## Aukai (Jul 22, 2020)

I could say a few things aboutbright headlights, but let's keep this on track.....


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## Cadillac (Jul 22, 2020)

After some research I’ve answered a lot of the questions I initially had. How many lumens? They say minimum is 200lumens for a “bright” light 500 is super bright. Most cannot run at the high outputs 800,1000 lumens for long They will heat up “too hot to touch”. A lot has to do with the battery your running. A 18650 battery sounds to be the best power source which is what I want anyways. I think I’ve narrowed it down to a streamlight hr1 I think the model is. Don’t quote me I’ve been looking at so many models the models are blending together. The nitecore achipo recommended looks really nice too thanks on that lead. I’ll update on what I decide so many options out there. Be safe fellas


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## ACHiPo (Jul 23, 2020)

Cadillac said:


> After some research I’ve answered a lot of the questions I initially had. How many lumens? They say minimum is 200lumens for a “bright” light 500 is super bright. Most cannot run at the high outputs 800,1000 lumens for long They will heat up “too hot to touch”. A lot has to do with the battery your running. A 18650 battery sounds to be the best power source which is what I want anyways. I think I’ve narrowed it down to a streamlight hr1 I think the model is. Don’t quote me I’ve been looking at so many models the models are blending together. The nitecore achipo recommended looks really nice too thanks on that lead. I’ll update on what I decide so many options out there. Be safe fellas


Aukai,
You're spot on.  The flashlight I bought maxes out at 1800 lumens (supposedly--I wouldn't be surprised if the specs are overly optimistic), but I run it on the second to lowest setting (400 lumens if I recall).  The light is adequately bright for seeing at night walking the dogs (its primary purpose), and the batteries just died last week after about 9 months of 2 15 min sessions per day.

Streamlight also makes good lights.  I did not want a tactical light with the end switch, but rather a traditional thumb switch location, which limited my choices.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.


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