Search for a high-quality tactical or EDC flashlight with specific criteria

[Swex]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a high-quality tactical or EDC (Everyday Carry) flashlight, but I'm still trying to clarify my exact needs. Could you help guide me?

I'm seeking a flashlight with a beam distance of approximately 500 to 900 meters (except Klarus, as I haven't seen any models from them with a 500-meter range). It's important that it be compatible with a red filter, unless very low brightness is sufficient, or if the red filter doesn't offer any real advantage for discretion. I'd like to understand if a red filter is truly important, or if it doesn't provide any significant benefit in low-light situations.

I'm looking for a flashlight that offers both a diffused and focused beam, or one that has an adjustable beam mechanism, similar to the Olight Marauder. The flashlight must have a minimum output of 2500 lumens (except for Klarus), but an output between 2500 and 3000 lumens or more would be very interesting. Any power above 3000 lumens would be ideal. I understand that at such high levels, especially in turbo mode, the flashlight will only sustain this brightness for a few minutes or even just a few seconds, but that's fine for my usage.

Here are my essential requirements:

• Mandatory strobe mode.
• SOS mode is preferred but not essential.
• Multiple brightness levels, with at least four modes.
• A glass-breaking bezel would be a plus, but not mandatory.
• IP67 or higher is absolutely necessary.
• The weight of the flashlight is not a deciding factor.
• Maximum length should not exceed 17 cm.
• Moonlight mode is required.

The flashlight should be made from high-quality aerospace and/or military-grade aluminum, with solid water and dust resistance. I prefer reputable brands such as Olight, Fenix, Klarus, Nitecore, Superfire, Acebeam, Armytek, SureFire, etc., but I'm open to discovering other high-quality brands.

It is essential that the manufacturer has an official store in Swiss and France or offers its products through recognized retailers. I'm also willing to purchase from the manufacturer, even if they are based abroad, provided they ship internationally and taxes, VAT, etc., are included in the price, or that I don't have to worry about them. My budget is €140, but I can stretch it to €150 or $151 - $162 if I find a product I really like.

In my case, which is better: more Candela or more Lumens? Is it preferable to have a wide, extended beam, or a narrower one with better range? Is there a way to combine the two? For example, could the Nitecore MH25 Pro or MH12 Pro models meet this requirement?

Does a crenelated bezel offer any real advantage? In my situation, I feel it's not necessary, but does it have significant benefits for self-defense?

For using strobe mode, is it better to have more Lumens or more Candela? Do Lumens offer a real advantage for this purpose?

Is it truly worth having 2500, 3000 lumens or more? For me, the more, the better. What do you think?

Does the beam color (cool, neutral, or warm light) really matter? Which would you recommend for my usage? And which do you personally prefer?

While browsing forums about Nitecore, particularly concerning the MH25 Pro model, I saw that the brand had a bad reputation in 2016. What's the situation today? Has the quality improved?

The flashlight must still have a bit of spill to see the sides, like the Warrior 3S. It doesn't need to be as pronounced, though.
Also, Lumintop, Sofirn, and Wurkkos brands have been suggested to me. How do these brands fare in terms of reputation, reliability, and performance? They seem to offer well-built flashlights with similar characteristics to Olight, Klarus, Nitecore, Fenix, Acebeam, etc., but at lower prices, which concerns me a bit. However, these manufacturers appear to be serious.

Thank you so much

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Go with the Nitecore MH25 Pro. Past quality control issues during that time I belief were with the first generation Nitecore Tip draining the battery in a day in lockout mode. That was resolved in next version. Overall, Nitecore makes very good products. Their newer l.e.d.s have round dies and focus better for more throw. You won't get that with other brand lights because they use those l.e.d.s exclusively in Nitecore lights.

 

[Schokokeks]

In my case, which is better: more Candela or more Lumens? Is it preferable to have a wide, extended beam, or a narrower one with better range? Is there a way to combine the two? For example, could the Nitecore MH25 Pro or MH12 Pro models meet this requirement?

Does a crenelated bezel offer any real advantage? In my situation, I feel it's not necessary, but does it have significant benefits for self-defense?

For using strobe mode, is it better to have more Lumens or more Candela? Do Lumens offer a real advantage for this purpose?

Is it truly worth having 2500, 3000 lumens or more? For me, the more, the better. What do you think?

Does the beam color (cool, neutral, or warm light) really matter? Which would you recommend for my usage? And which do you personally prefer?

While browsing forums about Nitecore, particularly concerning the MH25 Pro model, I saw that the brand had a bad reputation in 2016. What's the situation today? Has the quality improved?

The flashlight must still have a bit of spill to see the sides, like the Warrior 3S. It doesn't need to be as pronounced, though.
Also, Lumintop, Sofirn, and Wurkkos brands have been suggested to me. How do these brands fare in terms of reputation, reliability, and performance? They seem to offer well-built flashlights with similar characteristics to Olight, Klarus, Nitecore, Fenix, Acebeam, etc., but at lower prices, which concerns me a bit. However, these manufacturers appear to be serious.

Thank you so much

I'm going to approach this from a more fundamental level, and let's talk about your requirements.

You're not REALLY looking for a tactical/defensive light with your current requirements.
You're not going to want a multi-mode light for a serious situation.

This is about a 2.5 hour discussion on tactical handheld lights, but it's a good one:


There are many other great discussion on that channel if you search "lights."

Essentially, you want to "keep it simple."
There's a reason single mode lights are so preferred by the military and law enforcement.

Candela gives you throw, and it is also very good for seeing through tinted windows. It tends to be more important for temporarily blinding people, too.

The beam is about your preference. Wider beams give better situational awareness, but narrow, high-candela beams let you see things further away, and light things up better when there is "light contamination."

Surefire's new Stiletto has dual emitters for extra candela, but they typically have good spill. People LOVE the Stiletto. I don't do integrated batteries, so I don't have one.

Crenelated bezels are a preference thing. Some people swear by them, and some hand-to-hand techniques take advantage of the bezel. Some bezels (see: Elzetta) can be VERY aggressive.
In some places, you could run into legal issues from having such a bezel.
If you have a really hefty light (e.g. Malkoff), I don't thing a crenelated bezel is as important. A Malkoff hit would hurt a LOT, already.

Watch the video. You do NOT want an automatic strobe mode. Strobe that's done mathematically doesn't work well. You want a single mode light, and you use strobe at random intervals - manually - as you move, to mask your movement. It allows you to get in close to someone - or more ideally - further, while they cannot quite tell where you are while you move. Mathemetical (i.e. automatic ones) tend to not work as well for this, and are just more annoying.

I think 2500-3000 lumens is entirely a gimmick. My Surefire EDC1-DFT has 550 lumens and 95,000 candela, and it will be MUCH better in a defensive situation than a lot of 3000+ lumen lights. Most of the high lumen lights are Chinese, and they tend to overheat fast, and have mediocre construction.

Cool beams are more annoying to the eyes, and create more lumens, overall, so you tend to not have high CRI and/or neutral or warm defensive lights.

I come from the gun world, so when you say you want something for defensive purposes, reliability and reputation are the #1 priority. People will tell you Chinese lights "perform" "just as good" for less money, but they are not as durable. When you're talking about serious defensive use, you NEED a light that can take very serious, real abuse, and still work. You need something, when adrenaline is dumping into your veins and your brain isn't thinking super sophisticated thoughts, is easy to operate; is predictable. That's why single mode lights are so good. Hit the button, light comes out. If you're in a VERY serious situation, and you don't have the excess brainpower to think about your light's operation, you just need to hit that button, and you KNOW what it will do. AND, it needs to ALWAYS work exactly how you expect it.

For serious defensive use, I'd only recommend the very well made US brands like Malkoff, Elzetta, Modlite, (maybe Cloud Defensive) and Surefire.
If you're on a budget, Streamlight. These brands have all proven themselves, and they are designed with serious defensive use in mind.


You'll honestly be better off if you carry a REAL defensive light, and then a small AA EDC for random low-light tasks.

K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, stupid. This is 100% the mantra for serious defensive stuff.

 

[F89]

Some good stuff mentioned above.
I'm particularly liking the Surefire EDC1-DFT.

 

[RWT1405]

Sounds to me like the Fenix HT32 might be what you are looking for.....

Fenix HT32 Flashlight with Red/Green LEDs

Discover the Fenix HT32 Flashlight: Essential for hunts & adventures, delivering up to 2500 lumens. Features red & green LEDs for optimal vision. Secure yours today.

www.fenixlighting.com

Best of luck to you in your search.

 

[Lawman VII XIV]

The OP's subject line and stated requirements describe two different types of lights. He should explain what he wants the light for.

I retired as a Patrol Sargent some years ago before you needed to attend a flashlight academy to be proficient with its use.

Schok's response covers a multitude of considerations the OP needs to make. Those set requirements could be fine for an EDC, just not an EDC used for any law enforcement or security work. You'd have to train like a SEAL to be proficient under pressure and that shouldn't be necessary.

Personally I don't like a wide-spill light as it's not uncommon during building searches for the spill to reflect off of surfaces and illuminate ME to some degree. I like to keep that to a minimum if not zero but it's a personal preference.

As far as a crenelated bezel, I think that's more marketing than practical. The idea is to inflict additional pain, presumably by grinding in to skin and not just striking someone. The crenelations could mark a suspect for later identification but this seems a less likely scenario. What I have found it useful for is when the light is set down while illuminated. It's easy to see it's been left on. DAMHIKT.

So the OP needs to decide and inform his particular need, which ultimately dictates the most appropriate light.

Most of my lights have been around 3000lm, just for the fun of reaching out. I'm now pretty much done with that and want to find a bright but lower output light with a long run time and doesn't get hot when used longer than a few or several minutes. All that's a subject for another thread and to say the quest for high lumen count may be counter productive to some tasks.