Hey all,
Need to buy a handheld flashlight and looking under $100. I see a Surefire G2X with 600 lumens that seems decent around $70-80. Anything else worth considering? My only requirements are tail cap switch, can take a beating and over 500 lumens.
Cheers.
Streamlight protac 2L-x uses one 18650 rechargeable or two cr123 $46 on amazon
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I very much like the 6PX Tactical I picked up last year. Keep an eye on ebay, you can sometimes find them for around $60. Mine runs fine on a 16650 Li-ion cell.
Thanks Gents. The USB charging is interesting on that Polytac. I think that might be a winner.
Personally, I find Surefire hard to beat any price. I also prefer their operating system of press for low, press further/click for high or vice versa versus Streamlight’s system of selecting operating modes. My $0.02
I have the previous generation G2X (320 lumen) and I’ve dropped it, thrown it, opened beer bottles with the bezel, and fallen directly on it a few times riding my bike. It’s never so much as flickered. It’s been on my rifle now for about 3k rounds with no issues.
Now that they have a 600 lumen model that’s my recommendation.
Whatever you get, make sure it will run on Li-Ion rechargeable batteries. They’re cheap, last a LONG time and save you a ton of $$$ on CR123’s. Not every light that uses 123’s will accept something like an 18650.
The SureFire G2ZX is also another option. It has combat rings to facilitate the Rogers technique.
USB charging (i.e., lights with internal batteries) is a convenient feature, but it has its drawbacks. A light powered by CR123 cells for example, can quickly be put back into duty when its batteries run out of juice simply by replacing the drained batteries with fresh ones. Unless you are fastidious about keeping your light charged, you may find yourself in the dark with a useless paperweight at an inopportune moment. What do you then? Plug your light into the power bank in your pocket?
Secondly, rechargeable batteries diminish in their ability to hold a full charge over time. Ever notice that your smartphone dies a lot faster after you’ve owned it for a couple of years? The same thing happens to lights with non-replaceable batteries.
Although most of your points are true, there is info missing that makes it inconsequential. A partially drained 18650 will still outlast 2 CR123’s by a longshot. As long as you can change out the battery on the flashlight, most of them do, who cares if it can USB charge or not, carry a couple 18650’s in a little carry case and your golden. Extra batteries are extra batteries.
Not to mention extra 18650’s are about the same cost as a pair of 123’s from a local source. Even the micro USB equipped lights have the option to hot swap batteries. Further, the current crop of Li-Ion 18650’s are pretty amazing. The amount of charge loss in storage is statistically insignificant to 123’s. I have a pair of 18650’s that are 10 years old and still provide more output than a fresh set of 123’s (I monitor voltage outputs and run time). Go for something like an Efest 3500 mAh 20A 3.7V* and both output and run time are unmatchable by 123’s for the lifetime of the battery (* always make sure you use “protected” cells in lights requiring them, the aforementioned Efest is “unprotected”).
Thanks for the insight. I wasn’t sure if those USB charging lights had user-removable or even proprietary batteries. Good to know that at least some of them use a standard size.
Initially I was put off by usb charging until I saw the batteries were not fixed and were replaceable. I’m buying it as a gift for a buddy but I’m thinking I should have ordered two!
Klarus XT11X 3000 lumen
Klarus XT2CR 2000 lumen
True “Tactical” switching with always ON Turbo
Intuitive Secondary switch strobe and multi levels
USB charging
Bright!
Relatively inexpensive
This is the 3rd generation of these lights and all gens have seen constant EDC and Duty use for many years now with no issues. Of course they are always used in conjunction with “proven” SF and Streamlight WMLs. Pretty much the only thing SF and Streamlight do well nowadays.
I was a hardcore Surefire guy from my first high tech 6P in 1989 through many dozens more to my even higher tech 10X and A2L in the early 2000s. But they lost the tech edge and new lights driven by the enthusiast community just work. I was still snooty and moved to high end customs first but they were just too expensive to keep buying to keep up with quickly improving LED tech and could not offer the true tactical switching I wanted anyways. You can argue Chinese junk all you want but my first 10 years of Surefire use included many many popped bulbs at inopportune times. These lights work and can throw a true wall of light when you need it. I like when we hit a house at 0500 and teammates go from grabbing for a light to just walking around as normal when I light up a whole area.
There are a wealth of choices nowadays and I have tried most every light with decent “tactical” switching over the past decade and Klarus seems to have nailed it.
Dennis.
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I owned the first gen Klarus XT11. That thing took a beating over the years that would do any light proud. To me, their dual switch tailcap is the best tactical UI out there.
One consideration, if you buy a Surefire, which I like, make sure you get the tail cap function like you like. Some have more functionality vs on or off, or on / off high beam low beam. For some gun functions, on off I prefer. For handheld use, the dim light function is nice. Just a thought.
PB
Just got one of these. My new favorite general use light as it’s a bit too bulky for EDC. No light has felt so natural or good in my hand since my original Patrol SL20X 24 years ago… The most intuitive and easy to use (once setup) UI ever. Period.
And I have owned pretty much every decent Surefire, Streamlight, Pelican, Night-Ops, Blackhawk, Sunwayman, Jetbeam, Fenix, Olight, Nitecore, Oveready, Klarus, and many others since then in a quest for the best user experience…
Klarus 360X3 3200 Lumens CREE XHP70.2 P2 LED 360 Degree Omni-Directional Dual Switch Rapid Reaction Tactical Rechargeable Flashlight
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFZCXTR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XvXNCbS0Y169F
Dennis.
How do you like the higher lumen performance on the Klarus 360?
I’ve never been impressed with any light running on a single 18650 or two CR123 batteries that have a setting over 600 lumen. It seems to drain quickly and step down to 500 or 300 lumen. Often the forced step down is well under 500 lumen. Yet if used on the 500 lumen setting you can get decent long run time with no step down. In the last year I quit buying single cell 18650 lights with top setting over 600 lumen. 3,200 lumen seems like a unrealistic claim for a single cell light. But what do you think of it in the higher modes?
I agree with your observations about single cell lights but I must admit everything depends on your use profile. If you expect 3200 lumens constant for 45 straight minutes then that far exceeds the capability of a single or even double cell light without a massive heat sink. For burst “tactical” or just lighting something up for a few seconds or minute or two when walking around it’s awesome. Even in the dark woods I avoid walking around with a light always on but everyone’s needs are different.
I believe the independent testers rate the actual lumens a bit lower depending on the battery but my informal and horribly unscientific light meter closet tests against multiple fancy lights bear out the claims well enough. It lights the heck out of a room or even a street or thru tinted windows. Realistically the LED units are all the same and it just matters how much energy is pumped thru them and how good the reflector is.
The fact that you can easily adjust the brightness is the winning factor here.
I’d like a SL20X sized one that reads my mind and goes from 1 lumen to light saber but that’s just me… 
Dennis.