The Best Flashlights of 2024

Yes, headlamps are many people’s go-to lighting solution. But the best flashlights offer more power and longer-lasting batteries and will shine wherever you want, not just where your head points.

You can get exceptional lighting performance, a fantastic user interface, and long, rechargeable battery life from the Fenix PD36R Pro flashlight. It’s my top choice from more than 50 I’ve tested over the past 5 years of maintaining this guide. Otherwise, if you’d like an affordable AA option for home or modest outdoor use, the ThruNite Archer is a great value.

I’m a flashlight buff, and during my more than 13 years at GearJunkie, I have used, abused, and tested countless flashlights. For this guide, I chose to test small, versatile flashlights primarily for outdoor and general use. Each light in our top choices has survived drop testing, water submersion, and longevity testing. Most importantly, I vet them through real-world use. Read on to learn more about how I chose the test lights, how I test them, and why you should trust me.

What follows is my best advice for buying flashlights, the same advice I’d share with friends and family. So, let’s get you the best flashlight for your needs.

Editor’s Note: I simplified our selections, removing several models from our primary guide during the August 2024 update to provide the easiest shopping experience. I’ve also included a price and value breakdown to help you what features you get when you spend a little more and how to pick the best flashlight for your budget.

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The Best Flashlights of 2024

• Best Overall Flashlight: FENIX PD36R PRO
• Best Budget Flashlight: ThruNite Archer 2A V3 Cool White
• Best Pocket-Size EDC Flashlight: Nitecore EDC33
• Best Wedge Flashlight: Nitecore EDC27
• Best Flashlight for Mechanics: Blackfire Rechargeable Weatherproof Magnetic Flashlight With Lantern

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Other Flashlights I Recommend

While these aren’t my absolute top choices, I have tested and liked all of the flashlights below. If you’re also a flashoholic or if these appeal to you more than my favorites, they’ll all serve you well. But since I realize most people just want to buy a good flashlight and move on with their lives, I’ve trimmed our primary selection list above down to the best of the best choices.

The following were previously among our primary buying guide choices. This segment will change as testing continues, with new models coming quarterly.

The Best Flashlights Comparison Chart

Flashlight	Price	Max Output (Lumens)	Max Beam Distance	Battery Type	Weight
Fenix PD36R PRO	$120	2,800	380 m	21700 rechargeable  li-ion battery	5.96 oz. including battery
ThruNite Archer 2A V3 Cool White	$30	500	93 m	2 x AA	1.69 oz.
NITECORE EDC27	$90	3,000	220 m	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery	4.37 oz. including battery
NITECORE EDC33	$70	4,000	450 m	4,000mAH 18650 Li-ion	4.48 oz. including battery
NITECORE P20iX	$120	4,000	220 m	Nitecore 21700 i Series	4.09 oz.
Coast G32	$25	465	134 m	2 x AA	6.9 oz.
Olight Warrior X Pro	$120	2,250	500 m	5,000mAh 21700 battery	8.43 oz.
LEDLENSER MT10 Flashlight	$90	1,000	180 m	Rechargeable lithium-ion	5.5 oz.
Blackfire Rechargeable Weatherproof Magnetic Flashlight	$42	500	N/A	Rechargeable lithium-Ion	6.9 oz.
Olight Prowess	$140	5,000	245 m	5,000mAh lithium-ion	9.49 oz.

Why You Should Trust GearJunkie

Our primary flashlight testers are not just super into the outdoors; they’re also flashlight nerds. We really love the technology that goes into flashlights and headlamps. As the author of this article, I personally spend hours every month testing the newest flashlights to see if they can outperform our favorites listed here.

For the record, it takes a long time and impressive performance for a flashlight to earn a spot in this article. I constantly test new flashlights and updates from our favorite brands and update this article many times each year to keep it up to date with the best flashlights available.

This article has evolved significantly since it was first published back in 2018. At that time, it explained in depth why I love flashlights, and how they differ from headlamps. I still love flashlights for their directionality and ease of use in many situations. However, our team has done much more testing since this guide’s inception. I base our new recommendations on those results.

So, how do I test flashlights? First, I use them in controlled environments, measuring runtime and brightness compared to claimed numbers. I put them on a scale to check the weights. I submerse them in water and drop them onto concrete.

These flashlights also get significant field testing. Our team takes them on all kinds of adventures — hiking, mountaineering, backpacking, hunting, boating, and camping are all part of the mix. Most of our team’s tests occur in the mountains of Colorado and fields and forests of the Midwest.

I take all this information and experience and compile the best advice for you. Over the years I’ve tested about 50 flashlights specifically for this buyer’s guide, selected from hundreds pitched to me by brands and examined at events like SHOT Show and the Outdoor Retailer convention. I aim to give you the same advice I give my best friends.

How I Choose Which Flashlights to Test

Battery Type

While some folks prefer AA battery lights, I disagree. You don’t replace the battery in your phone, do you? Or your earbuds? We’re all accustomed to recharging electronics in 2024. Let’s move past the archaic days of disposable batteries.

AA and AAA lights are OK for budget flashlights, but they are wasteful and not as good. Further, they require you to keep batteries on hand. It’s much easier to plug your light into a USB-C cable and keep it fresh than to buy new batteries from the store. And you’ll get better performance than from throw-away or even rechargeable AA or AAA batteries.

If you don’t use your flashlight often, just charge it every few months. I have lights that have sat for more than a year without charging that fire right up, so as long as you don’t leave empty, you can expect a quality light to work during your next power outage. If a hurricane is on the way, grab a portable battery to keep all your electronics topped up.

Thus, most of my choices here use rechargeable batteries. I hope to replace our budget choice with a rechargeable option soon, too.

Brightness

I pick our best flashlights for several attributes. First, they need a bright white light capable of lighting a trail or workspace. My budget choice is 500 lumens, which is minimal to me. That’s enough to do a good job during a power outage or to light up the insides of closets at your home. If this is you, just get the Thrunite Archer and call it a day.

\But if you need your light more frequently in your vocation, a top power of 500 lumens is not sufficient. Tradesmen, law enforcement officers, guides, foresters, and countless other professionals and recreational users will simply want more power and functionality.

Durability

Next, I consider water resistance and durability. All the lights tested here survived at least a 5-foot drop test onto concrete and submersion in water.

After these tests, and more importantly, I and other testers put all these flashlights through real-world, outdoor use. We use them camping. All of the selections have ridden in the center console of my truck for at least a couple of weeks. Most of them have been in a rainstorm.

To test durability, I dropped all flashlights from three feet and six feet onto concrete and put them in one foot of water for one hour. All of my recommended flashlights survived these tests.

Charging Speed, Type

Some flashlights recharge much faster than others. For example, the Fenix PD36R Pro uses USB-C charging at 2 amps and can recharge in less than two hours. Older micro-USB flashlights can take much longer to recharge.

I strongly prefer USB-C charging over all other methods. It’s a nearly universal cable type, and you probably have many in your home already. However, I will concede there are advantages to some magnetic charging styles, such as those used by Olight. These magnetic charging cables enable excellent water and dust proofing and work quickly — just don’t lose or forget the cable.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Flashlight

When choosing a flashlight, consider the following specs: size and weight, max power output (usually noted in lumens), minimum power output, runtime (especially in lower modes), durability, and waterproofness.

Lumens: Max Output

For most campers, anything over 1,000 lumens is overkill. You’ll often find yourself using much lower settings, especially around camp. So all the lights included have excellent low-power settings. From 30 lumens on my top choice to one-lumen “firefly” modes, these lower settings sip electricity.

The core of your light use will probably be in the 300-1,000 lumen range. This gives you plenty of light at normal ranges up to around 50 feet. Tight beam patterns can extend this range significantly, but the lights included here have more useful, wider light beams.

Finally, bigger numbers over 2,000 lumens are fabulous when you need them. Whether trying to spot far-off objects or searching for a lost item or drop of blood while hunting, powerful lights have a valuable place in the outdoors. You’ll rarely use high power settings often, but be very thankful for them when you need them.

Looking for a crazy amount of power? Check out my review of the world’s most powerful flashlight here.

User Interface

Flashlight users want easy control of the illumination their lights produce. The interface — the buttons and switches that control the light source — is an important consideration.

Most of the best flashlights, particularly smaller EDC flashlights, have a tail switch. The tail switch is usually a button that you press to turn the light on and off, and often also scrolls through brightness levels or other modes. Some of them have a momentary-on, which turns the light on through a partial press, which lets the light turn off when you release the switch. Others, like our favorite Fenix PD36R, have two tail switches to control different functions.

Some flashlights have side switches in place of, or in addition to, tail switches. A few flashlights also have physical switches that lock the flashlight in the “off” mode for safety and battery protection.

Regardless of the style of the buttons, they should be easy to learn and simple and reliable to use. We have tested and learned about the user interfaces in the flashlights in this guide. All of the lights here are effective and acceptably easy to use.

Battery Life

Another important consideration is if the flashlight uses its own rechargeable battery or if it runs on disposable batteries. Most people will get more value out of a flashlight that offers long runtimes and is easy to recharge.

Battery Type

As noted above, our team prefers rechargeable batteries in most situations. Most rechargeable batteries, such as the 21700 rechargeable Li-ion battery included in the Fenix PD36R PRO, offer superior performance to both disposable and rechargeable AA or AAA batteries.

But more importantly, flashlights that include this type of high-end rechargeable battery do not have hidden costs. And those who will use a battery more than casually will find that the cost of batteries will very quickly add up to more than the cost of the flashlight.

Next, rechargeable flashlights generally have a charging port or system built in. As you can see with our choices, our favorite flashlights today use USB-C charging. This is quickly becoming the industry standard as it is much faster than micro-USB charging. And unlike magnetic charging systems (or other proprietary chargers), you can easily find a USB-C cable anywhere and likely own several already.

One final note on AA and AAA batteries. Some folks argue that it is easier to replace batteries in the field than to charge them. Our testers have carried small battery chargers on many adventures, and they work great with flashlights for long trips. For trips over a week or two in length, though, disposable batteries still have an edge.

So keep battery and charging style in mind when you buy a flashlight. It will make a difference when you’re packing for a trip as to how many cables you’ll need to bring, or if you’ll need to buy batteries continually through the life of the product.

However, it’s convenient to quickly change batteries and refresh your flashlight in the field. Both are valid options but consider how you’ll use the light (and if you mind constantly buying new batteries).

Quality and Output

Modern LED flashlights vary in the quality of their color rendering, meaning you can see color better with some higher-end lights. The best flashlights on the market should always give you a colorized, realistic view.

Better-quality lights also tend to have more efficient LEDs. Some even have “regulators” that electronically manage the power output, resulting in consistent lighting. To expand on that, first understand that most flashlights, even very good ones, lose a little output as they run and deplete the battery. Better flashlights use a regulator to manage this drop-off. Poor flashlights tend to lose power consistently over time, gradually becoming less and less useful as the battery slowly drains.

Price & Value

As the above table reveals, flashlight prices vary widely. While a budget flashlight might seem like a good deal at first, there are good reasons for spending a little more for a truly high-quality flashlight. The battery, LED, and weatherproofing are generally superior in flashlights over about the $70 range. Here’s what you can expect:

Budget

Under $30, you will usually not get a rechargeable battery. If you do, it’s likely lower quality and won’t have a very long lifespan. In this price range, expect mediocre performance for many jobs outside of basic home use. Our budget choice is the ThruNite Archer ($30). Though it runs on AA batteries and isn’t rechargeable, it’s a compact little light that packs a punch and is good to have around for emergencies.

Mid-Tier

From $30 to $90, folks can expect more in terms of quality batteries, LEDs, and reflectors. A lot of good flashlights are available at this price range, especially if you don’t need a lot of lumens. Both the NITECORE EDC27 ($90) and the NITECORE EDC33 ($70) fall solidly in this category with their lithium Ion Batteries and 230+ meters of throw.

Premium

Over $90, you should get a high-quality CR123A, 18650, or other purpose-built battery. The light should have a regulated output and temperature management and a great user interface. If you use a flashlight regularly, it’s worth the investment to step into good flashlights. My top choice is the Fenix PD36R PRO ($120), a versatile light with 2,800 lumens on its max setting, a 380-meter beam range, and my favorite user interface. The mighty Olight Prowess ($140) blasts an impressive 5,000 lumens if it’s maximum brightness you’re looking for.

Frequently Asked Questions