A flashlight is one of those things you’re not always sure belongs in your everyday carry. Most days, you never really find a need for one, after all. However, when those opportune moments strike and you need illumination in a jiffy, you just can’t help but feel immensely thankful to actually have one in your EDC kit.
There was a time when most people carried their flashlights in the glove compartments of their car. That’s because good flashlights were traditionally large, heavy, and, occasionally, unwieldy. Well, that’s a thing of the past, with advances in LEDs, batteries, and electronics allowing modern torches to deliver powerful lighting in a compact package.
These are our favorite flashlights for everyday carry.
Mini Maglite Pro LED
Chances are, you kept a Maglite in your car back in the day. They were the quintessential big, heavy, and bulky flashlights that you can use as a self-defense weapon in a pinch. If you’ve got an affinity for the brand, maybe you’d like a 6-inch mini-Maglite in your EDC kit, too. It has decent power, delivering up to 332 lumens, which it can keep going for 2.5 straight hours on two fresh AA batteries. Like its bigger siblings, it’s built tough with a drop-resistant anodized aluminum body and IPX4 water-resistant seals, so it should last you a while. However, the smaller size doesn’t make it that viable as a blunt instrument, despite the equally rugged build. Features include spot-to-flood adjustable LED beam, 534-foot beam distance, and multiple light modes (high, low, pulse, SOS).
Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA
If you want a well-balanced EDC torch, this flashlight strikes a good mix of brightness, size, and function. Equipped with 350 lumens, it delivers enough illumination to let you shine light in any small area, while its 4.25-inch length and narrow frame allows you to slip it conveniently in most pockets. It’s also versatile, allowing you to power it either with the included rechargeable battery or a spare AA you brought along, so you don’t need to scamper in the dark anytime the charge goes out. The rechargeable battery, by the way, has runtime of 90 minutes on high, so you can get a full hour and a half of maximum illumination before having to switch to another battery. It comes with a removable pocket clip and a holster.
Lumintop GT Nano
Measuring just 2.7 inches, this flashlight can deliver a 450-lumen light a distance of up to 984 feet. Yes, you can shine a light across two football fields with this little thing. Even better, they managed to cram a good selection of features inside its tiny enclosure, such as smooth ramping between 0 and 50 percent brightness, an easily accessible 100 percent brightness, strobe, and even a 1.5-lumen moonlight mode., which it can keep going for up to 11 hours. Its also waterproof and dustproof with an IPX8 rating, all while sporting an appearance that mimics traditional flashlights, albeit at a tiny fraction of the size. If you want a cool-looking EDC flashlight you can keep on a keychain, this does the trick.
STKR Concepts FLEXIT Pocket Light
This unique EDC flashlight comes with a flexible neck that allows you to reposition the light head anywhere within a 180-degree angle, allowing you to hold it comfortably while shining a light at an otherwise more awkward position. Designed for more than just flashlight duties, it also has a magnetic base for snapping onto ferromagnetic surfaces, a double-hinge clip for mounting on clothing and straps, and a hook that you can use to hang it onto objects, allowing you to use it as a tool light, overhead light, or something else in a jiffy. It combines a CREE LED in the middle surrounded by SMD LEDs, so you can mix the former’s strong spotlight with the latter’s dispersed floodlight for a dual-light output that can cover all bases. It’s pretty compact, too, at 6.3 inches long, making it easy to slip into most EDC pouches. Two models are available: 400 lumens and 650 lumens.
Coast XP11R
Want something that can fit on a pouch while bringing maximum brightness? Check out this 2,100-lumen model, which crams all that power inside a 6.25-inch long enclosure. The onboard rechargeable battery can sustain it for a decent period, as well, with a runtime of five hours at the maximum setting, although you can stretch it to as long as 37 hours on the lowest 75-lumen brightness. The rechargeable battery can also be removed when it runs out, by the way, and replaced with three AAA cells instead, allowing you to keep using it in a pinch without having to plug in (provided you packed AA cells somewhere).
It has a slide control that allows you to control the beam shape from a concentrated spotlight to a wide-angle flood and back, while the textured grip should keep this firmly in hand even in the most hectic moments. Designed for the outdoors, it comes with an IPX4 rating for water- and dust-resistance.
ThruNite T1
This compact flashlight measures just 2.7 inches long, making it compact enough to fit comfortably in any pocket, all while delivering an exceptionally bright 1,500 lumens that can reach up to 335 feet in the highest setting. It has a stepless dimming mode that makes it easy to dial in the exact brightness you desire, as well as a rechargeable battery that can keep it running for up to 65 minutes on a modest 685 lumens. Do note, it will only light up at the max brightness for three minutes before automatically dimming to 408 lumens to conserve power, so it’s there when you need it, but don’t expect to get the full blast beam for a full half hour. Other features include IPX8 water resistance, impact-resistance up to five-foot drops, a magnetic tailcap, and a two-way clip for easily mounting on your clothing.
Olite Baton 3
This upgraded version of the outfit’s popular S1R II brings a maximum brightness of 1,200 lumens with a 545-foot throw, which it can keep going for just 1.5 minutes before switching to a more reasonable 300 lumens. There are five brightness settings, with the faintest being 0.5 lumens, which it can keep going for up to 20 days. It’s incredibly compact at just 2.5 inches in length, with an IPX8 water-resistant enclosure and a textured grip. Features include a rechargeable battery, a TIR optic lens, a flat magnetic tail cap, and a two-way pocket clip/