KLARUS NEW XT1C, The Compact Programmable Tactical Flashlight

Nice! I may need one of those also.

I'm loving this. The whole updated XT line is amazing.

Nicely done ... they've shortened the light by half an inch, almost tripled output, and increased throw by 50ish%. I also love the mode selection -- instant high and low is great for around-the-house, but I'd switch to high-strobe at other times.

I'm looking to really benchmark this light with my older XT1C that's running on a 16340. That thing has some really decent throw (although only 240ish lumens, I'd guess). If this new XT1C really beats that, that's a big win. The candela numbers still feel low to me, but not completely anemic and underwhelming like the XT2C's 14k. In fact, I'd guess to the naked eye, the throw on the new XT1C and XT2C should be indistinguishable if both match the specs, which really puts things into perspective how anemic the 2C is, especially versus competitive lights of similar size. Looking forward to the next XT2C update, here's hoping it's soon.

Thank you.

Will the clip fit my XT2C? I need a lower riding clip.

Have been checking my favorite eBay stores for this.......hopefully it turns up soon.

I really like the design of this light and am planning to add it to my collection. Nice work!

I just picked up a new XT1C, really like it. Was surprised to see that the light no longer functions in momentary off the main switch. The main switch is now clicky-only, so the light is no longer usable as a tactical light (unless you only plan to use the light in strobe from off, which is still momentary). A bit of a disappointment there, but there ya go

Just got mine. Slightly smaller feel in hand but buttons are highly responsive.

nivek666 said:

Just got mine. Slightly smaller feel in hand but buttons are highly responsive.

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Agree, the buttons are outstanding. I still wish Klarus had kept the main button as momentary, not clicky-only, but the auxiliary button is so responsive and so easy to hit. If Klarus would teach Nitecore how to engineer a proper button, and Nitecore would teach Klarus how to focus an XPL HI so that it actually gets more lux than an XML, we'd have some killer lights!

At first I was really excited about this light for my new EDC / concealed carry light, but two things need to be fixed. It needs the large switch to have a momentary on capability and a little more flexibility in the UI modes.

Light activation attracts bullets – momentary is a must.


I understand light designs are driven by the marketing team for brighter lights and the notion that "tactical" strobe is a must. This isn't the case in the real world. Then again, tactical team members will not be using this light. It's only a one cell, and the majority of tactical users don't buy flashlights – they just use what they're issued and tend to stick with traditional US light manufactures.

700 lumen is too high on an edc / tactical light - a light that bright needs to be more than one cell for longevity and is really only useful as a search light outdoors or maybe in a warehouse. Any light above about 300 lumens is pretty useless in an average size room because the bounce back from white walls nearly blinds the user or other team members.


Strobe is another item that's really not very useful. Unless your swat level and do extensive training it's more likely going to get in the way. You need to identify a person, identify if they are a threat, and return accurate fire – which is harder to do to begin with when using a handgun. The strobe is too distracting for yourself and others. If you're going into a known threat situation – it's not with an edc light and a flash bang is a much better distraction.


All this being said, I love the new dual switch design - they seem to have knocked it out of the park with this and the technology is outstanding.


Give the main switch a momentary capability. Set an option for high to be 700 lumen and 300-400 (maybe 100 too) with a low to be strobe, 100, or 5. Marketing Mode 700 & flash, Outdoor search 700 & low, edc / ccw 400 & 80 (cool if option to start on 5, with a double click to 80ish).

monkey1368 said:

Light activation attracts bullets – momentary is a must.

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That is basics these days. The XT1C isn't a tactical light anymore, not with that click-only main switch. Which may be a more bizarre decision by Klarus, than using the XPL-HI in the XT2C but tuning its performance back down to that of an XML2. Someone is asleep there.
I do agree that the switch design is excellent and I love the feel, especially of the auxiliary switch

Add me to the list of people who really like this light, but would strongly prefer a main switch with momentary capability, even if it made the light slightly longer.

I am really impressed with what the XP-L emitter has done for both the XT1C and XT2C. I would be interested in an XT1A with the same emitter.

Review in spanish for Klarus XT1C http://luxlinternas.blogspot.com.es/2016/11/klarus-xt1c-xp-l-hi-v3-1xcr123a16340.html

I wrote a review about this light a while ago. Great light with a good amount of throw for that size.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?425618-Review-Klarus-XT1C&p=4997108

Hi Danielsan:

Have you used cool fan, the 2 graphs of runtime are very different! I use the 16340 for graph after make some clycles of charge/discharge for get the better perfomance.

No, i did not used a fan for this one. I used the Klarus 16340 and a luxmeter with data logger, it writes a lux value every minute. The brightness is based on candela in %, not lumen. I didnt charge/discharge the batterie several times but i compared it with an "On the road" 16340 and it was similar. The only interesting thing i discovered is that the light is a bit dimmer with my Fenix 16340, dont know why that is because it isnt that old. I like the XT1C pretty much because of the paddle switch and the bright and concentrated spot because of the XPL HI compared to my other CR123 lights.

Yes, also for my graph I have used lux reference (only use my Box for get values of lumens). But the 16340 included is a new battery, I make some cycles because if the battery is new, it can not offer all his potencial capacity.

Not sure what the problem could be my friend. I discharged the Klarus battery another 5 times yesterday and i gained 5 minutes longer runtime on the low end with it. That means the cell still lasted only 35 minutes until it dropped to 20% and thats were i gained some time, it run 5 minutes longer on 20% now. The curve is still the same, its not flat at all on my copy, more like the belly of homer simpson . Dont know how much cycles those batteries need but i think it wont change dramatically from now on. You had an almost perfect flat curve for most of the time.