The Best Flashlights of 2026

The Fenix PD36R ACE ($110) is the latest evolution of my favorite overall flashlight on the market. A slightly upgraded model of the also-great PD36R Pro (itself an upgrade on the standard PD36R), the PD36R ACE is a benchmark flashlight with one big advantage over predecessors. Owners can adjust the output modes to match their specific needs with the easy-to-use Advanced Command Edition’s SET button.

The main on-off button is on the tail. A side switch controls brightness, scrolling through up to five modes or strobe.

And while the customizability is cool, the main reason the PD36R ACE wins out among Fenix’s lineup is its performance. The PD36R ACE has the highest output of the lineup (3,000 lumens) and a very long runtime (up to 63 hours and 25 minutes at 30 lumens in eco mode). At that 3,000-lumen turbo mode, you can light objects at 1,362 feet. That’s more than enough for most outdoor recreation use cases.

For casual users (those who take occasional camping trips and use short bursts of high-output modes), that should amount to several months between charges. Our tester has gone more than two months without recharging this flashlight with regular use.

Those numbers are phenomenal for a pocketable flashlight. However, if you prefer dual tail-mounted switches, you may want to consider the PD36R Pro instead. It has just slightly less brightness and longevity, but for those who wear gloves regularly or use a light in a tactical overhand hold, it is an easier interface.

With an IP68 waterproof rating, it can withstand immersion for 30 minutes at depths of up to 6.5 feet. It’s also dustproof and shock-resistant. One feature I love is how easily you can manipulate between tactical (and strobe-enabling) functions. I also appreciate the ability to adjust the number of output levels of the light. I personally use it set at three levels most of the time, which gives me a basic “high, medium, and low” setting.

Beyond the specs, this is a perfectly sized hand-held flashlight (5.75 inches long, 1.02 inches in diameter) with user-friendly functions. Turn it on and off at the large tail switch, press the side switch to adjust power, and check the LED color of the side switch when turning the light on for a battery-level indication.

Overall, the PD36R ACE is the best flashlight on the market today.

This small, affordable flashlight is one of the best values in lighting. With a retail price of $50 (and usually available for about $30), the Acebeam TAC 2AA is powerful, reliable, and versatile. It’s the perfect flashlight to toss in your car, junk drawer, or backpack.

First, it produces a very bright, clear beam. At 1,600 lumens on turbo, it casts light up to 181 m. That is a very impressive performance for a light that’s about the size of a large pen. Dial that power down to medium, and it will run for 9.8 hours while producing a very useful 110 lumens. That’s enough light to navigate a house or campsite comfortably.

Next, this is a “dual-fuel” flashlight, meaning it runs on both an included USB-C rechargeable battery and any AA batteries you have around. In emergencies or long power outages, the ability to drop in AA batteries adds a lot of versatility while, in daily use, the rechargeable battery is much more efficient.

Finally, this light includes a couple of diffusers that add utility. Toss them over the end and you have a great signal light or lantern. It’s a little bonus that is so sweet for a budget light. Add in a deep pocket carry clip and a relatively easy user interface (that does take a little bit to learn), and you have a recipe for a super good deal.

If you need an affordable flashlight, just grab one. This light will do everything most people will ever need a flashlight to do.

The Olight ArkPro ($130) is far from the brightest light on this list, but it has incredible utility for the EDC user that elevates it above the competition. First, this small, flat flashlight fits wonderfully in a pocket. Indeed, it feels much like a nice pocket knife in a front pocket. It carries like a dream.

Next, the user interface is dialed, literally. A single button on/off and rotating dial gives access to a flood light, spot light, and UV light setting. Each of these is well executed, offering clarity and smooth light edge-to-edge. The spotlight offers a nice, bright center with good spill, making it useful for both outdoors and urban use.

It has good battery life, running for 13 hours with 100-lumen output and up to 72 hours on low 15-lumen output. Turbo only gives about four minutes before regulating down to 520 lumens for a remaining 140 minutes on flood mode.

The built-in UV light is a slick and useful feature for those who need to check cash for UV watermarks or look for other fluorescent objects. It’s plenty bright enough to illuminate UV ink from four feet away or more. And it certainly makes watch lume pop!

Finally, a green laser pointer functions with its own on/off switch on the side. For construction workers, contractors, or public speakers, it’s a great bonus tool that adds utility to an otherwise excellent EDC flashlight.

The ArkPro also happens to be Olight’s first EDC light that uses USB-C charging, which removes one of the significant cons from the brand’s lighting from the future.

After testing the ArkPro for a few weeks, it edged out the previous pocket-sized choice, the Nitecore EDC33, for its added UV light and laser pointer, as well as its excellent pocket-friendly shape. If you don’t need extremely bright light, the ArkPro’s 1,500 lumens should be excellent. If you need more, the EDC27, up next, might be a better choice.

Read Review: This Flashlight Could Be an EDC Dream: NITECORE EDC27

Editor’s Note: Nitecore discontinued the EDC27 (full review above), which has been replaced by the EDC27 UHi 3100 Lumen Ultra-Slim Flat EDC Flashlight. The new version bumps output to 3,100 lumens on high and extends the range to an awesome 333 meters. It also simplifies its user interface.

The NITECORE EDC27 ($90) first launched at SHOT Show 2023. This light dazzled folks with a wonderful design and massive light output. If you can get your hands on one (it’s still selling out quickly with each batch), this light is the latest and greatest EDC flashlight on the market. I expect it to be popular for a long time.

Let’s begin with the design. The NITECORE EDC27 is a flat flashlight with a pocket clip. That means it fits easily in your pocket. It will even fit in most knife pockets on pants, making it a dream to carry. To turn it on, press the large tail switch. Next to that switch is a smaller tail switch.

Once on, depress that smaller switch to flip between modes. Or, you can press the smaller tail switch when the light is off to fire the strobe or switch to momentary-on mode. For the EDC user who may need to use the light for self-defense, this slick interface should prevent hitting the wrong button in a moment of need.

A quick look at the specs reveals class-leading numbers. A top output of 3,000 lumens and a 200m range will serve all but the most dire search and rescue, hunting, or tactical needs. And a 37-hour runtime on low provides a good, long life for the vast majority of uses.

Finally, the light has an easy-to-read OLED display. It reads run time and current lumen output. This takes the guesswork out of recharging the battery and lets the user know exactly what to expect from the light.

Overall, the EDC27 is an incredible new flashlight. I haven’t had enough time to test it to say it will outperform our current top pick, but it should certainly give Fenix a run for its money.

Klein Tools makes some nice flashlights these days. Overall, the BBM6412 ($44) is an excellent upgrade to our previous top flashlight for mechanics.

At around the $40 range, this light packs in a ton of performance that makes it fit for both the garage and the wilderness. It has a top output of 500 lumens — while not super powerful, that’s certainly sufficient for use on the trail and around the campsite. And it’s more than enough power when working under the hood of your truck.

Where it really stands out is its magnetic base and side-throw lantern. This work light illuminates a larger area with soft, useful light at five brightness settings. In testing, it was the perfect companion while checking for loose wires under the hood of a truck in the dark. And it’s capable of big tasks, too. It’ll kick out 375 lumens for 10 hours in work light mode or 500 lumens for 7 hours in standard mode.

I loved the simple, common USB-C connection for fast recharging and the multicolor battery level indicator. Top it off with a glow-in-the-dark bezel that makes it easy to find in a center console in the dark, and you’re looking at a lot of flashlight for not much money.

What’s the world’s brightest flashlight? Well for several years, it was this one, the Imalent SR32. Recently, Imalent updated its lineup with a new model that outshines the SR32’s 120,000 lumens with a ridiculous 200,000 lumens. I haven’t had my hands on the new version, called the MS32, yet, so I can’t recommend it. But the SR32 is still available and still has the longest throw of any flashlight on the market.

It’s overkill for most people, but I include it here as this was the benchmark until very recently, and I have had good experience. At 120,000 lumens, the Imalent SR32 is vastly more powerful than automobile headlamps and lights up a remarkable area. It has use cases for search and rescue or industry, but is far too much flashlight for most recreational users.

But here it is, the former brightest flashlight in the world, and still a very strong contender. If you need tremendous lighting, this is it. I’ll be testing the newer MS32 as soon as I can get my hands on it.

NITECORE discontinued one of our previous favorites (the i4000R) but replaced it with an even better, more powerful torch. A strong contender for the best overall flashlight, the new NITECORE P20IX ($120) is one of the best flashlights on the market in terms of overall performance.

It’s slightly larger than our winner from Fenix, however, so it’s less suitable for hikers, hunters, or others who value lightweight and small size.

That said, the new version shaves half an ounce and half an inch off the previous model, coming in at 4.06 ounces and 5.57 inches long. So, it’s edging closer and closer to a pocket-friendly size.

The P20IX punches through the darkness with 4,000 lumens on turbo mode for up to 30 minutes. That’s enough to light up objects 250 yards away, so it should be high on your list for performance alone. More importantly, it has four continuous and strobe modes, ranging all the way down to the 2-lumen ultralow mode that provides light for up to 350 hours.

It runs on a rechargeable battery that powers four CREE XP-L2 V6 LEDs. This setup provides exceptional versatility for everyone from campers and hunters to search-and-rescue and tactical uses. The user interface is great, providing easy access to toggle between modes (like its turbo output and strobe mode) through a dedicated button separate from the rear tail switch.

While this is a high-end flashlight, it’s absolutely worth the price for those who need a powerful, reliable flashlight with the potential to hold up to extremes.

Read Review: Cheap Flashlight Faceoff

While the ThruNite Archer ($30) lacks a few of the higher-end features of other lights on this list, it comes in at an excellent price of just $30. For that, you get a quality CREE XP-L V6 LED light source with a maximum power of 500 lumens. While that number may not look impressive, it’s more than enough for most uses. Using two AA batteries, it has a runtime of up to 4 days on firefly mode and 11 hours on medium (75 lumens).

You heard that right — this flashlight does use AA batteries. That certainly brings down the price compared with high-end rechargeables and costs money to operate. Our team prefers rechargeable flashlights for several reasons I’ll get into below. But flashlights with disposable (or rechargeable) AA batteries are very easy to repower on backcountry trips — just bring a couple of extras.

A budget flashlight needs to have more than just a nice price. It must also be durable, so you won’t have to run out and buy another in a few months. I put the Archer through rigorous testing, including submersion and drop testing. It came through with flying colors, barely edging out the competition with the Coast G32. I loved the simple interface — particularly the side button to scroll through brightness settings.

For a budget flashlight, the ThruNite Archer is still the one to beat.

We put the Coast G32 ($25) in a head-to-head test against the ThruNite Archer, a historically popular budget choice. The competition was neck and neck. In the end, the ThruNite defeated the Coast in the drop test. The G32 failed a brutal drop from 10 feet onto concrete, while the ThruNite survived.

The G32 is a no-frills AA flashlight with two modes, but it provides excellent lighting. Zoomed out, it provides a wide, perfect circle with no halos, thanks to Coast’s Pure Beam focus. Then, zoom the lens for a bright light point with a 134-meter throw. The zoom motion is very simple and smooth. Grab the zooming head by the nice knurling and twist it. It zooms to a hard stop on wide and long throws.

For the money, the G32 is a solid, well-made flashlight that impressed me in use outdoors and around the house. It’s a bit long for EDC use, but it will work great around the campsite or at home. And, if you want to upgrade it, Coast offers its ZX555 ZITHION-X rechargeable battery (not included).

Check out our full head-to-head test here.

The Olight Prowess ($140) is a unique entry to our flashlight guide due to its charging system and the fact that it can be configured as a lantern. While we’re not crazy about the charging system, the lantern mode, combined with its low light settings, makes it a very versatile light in emergencies.

Purely as a flashlight, the Prowess packs a powerful 5,000 lumens with a commendable beam distance of 245 m. Five lighting levels let you dial in your preferred brightness-to-battery-life ratio, with 10 hours of runtime at 300 lumens. Not too shabby.

With the flick of a switch, the Prowess becomes a lantern, projecting a warm light, redirected toward the base of the flashlight. While resting in its detachable charging base, the light can sit on any flat surface, producing a cozy glow to read or work by. In its lowest moonlight setting, it can go for a continuous 20 days.

The charging platform and magnetic charging cable keep this light from reaching the top of our list. We love the ability to recharge any electronic device. It’s cost-effective, better for the environment, and you’ll never have to hunt through your drawers for batteries. The Prowess can be charged with a USB-C cable, via its detachable base, and it can also directly connect to an MCC3 cable for super-fast charging. 

However, if you lose the base and the MCC3 cable (they’ve got to be in a drawer somewhere with all those batteries), then you can’t charge with the ubiquitous USB-C, and you’ll need to buy another MCC3 cable, and the light is already on the pricey side. USB-C is the current standard and should be the default method

Charging preferences aside, the prowess is compact, plenty powerful enough for most applications, and the lantern function is super useful in camp or whenever the power goes out.