Finding the best flashlight for your needs can be a real hassle. With so many options out there and prices all over the place where do you start?
We have written this guide to not only help shed some light on the best tactical flashlights under $50, but help you make the right decision for you and your needs. Nobody wants to break the bank with a flashlight, and you don’t have to.
All of the tactical flashlights in this guide meet our criteria for the best tactical flashlights. They are all lightweight, high power, and damn near indestructible.
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) –
Our top pick for the best tactical flashlight under $50 goes to the J5 Tactical V1-PRO LED flashlight. The J5 is at the top of our list for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is size and weight. At 4 inches long and just over 2 ounces in weight this flashlight is extremely easy to carry in your bug out bag or backpack.
| Product Link | Lumens | Size & Weight | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| J5 Tactical V1-PRO LED | 300 Lumens | 4 Inches Long 2.29 Ounces |   |
| S.O.G. Dark Energy DE-03 | 128 Lumens | 5 Inches Long 3.8 Ounces |   |
| Rayovac The BEAST | 2000 Lumens | 6 Inches Long 1.4 Pounds |   |
| Maglite ML300L | 625 Lumens | 11.75 Inches Long 26.4 Ounces |   |
| Sunlite 51003-SU | 300 Lumens | 5 Inches Long 4.8 Ounces |   |
| EcoGear FX TK-120 | 900-1200 Lumens | 5.5 Inches Long 4.9 Ounces |   |
| Energizer Tac700 Tactical LED | 700 Lumens | 4 Inches Long |   |
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Tactical flashlight
There are several features that you want to keep in mind when searching for the best tactical flashlight for you. These are the factors we considered to decide what models were included in this guide.
Lumens– This a fancy term for the measurement of light. The easiest way to understand what lumens are is that it is the measurement of visible light your eye can see from a single light source.
The main point here is that the more lumens the flashlight has, the brighter the light will be to your eye. The video below demonstrates the difference between lumens and beam distance. They are not the same.
Size & Weight – This requirement will be largely based on what use you plan for your tactical flashlight. If you are looking for a flashlight for your home size and weight won’t matter as much. If you are looking for a tactical flashlight for your bug out backpack you will want a small and lightweight option.
Beam Distance – This is pretty self explanatory, but you want to consider how far your beam of light will reach. This is dependent on the type of bulb and the power output of your flashlight.
Price – You don’t need to go broke to get a super bright and useful tactical flashlight. We have taken this out of the equation in our list keeping the price at the time of publishing under the $50 USD range.
Battery Type – This is an important consideration because you want to utilize a tactical flashlight that doesn’t need a ton of batteries. Similarly, you want to make sure that the flashlight you are purchasing will work off of typical size batteries and not some specialized battery type that may be hard to get your hands on in an emergency.
Water & Impact Resistance – It should go without saying that a proper tactical flashlight needs to be impact resistant and tough. Tactical flashlights are designed for outdoor use after all. It should also be water resistant to that it will remain operational in the rain or snow.
Modes of Use – The best tactical flashlights on the market have well designed on/off control buttons. A good deal of them will also offer different power modes such as low/medium/high power and strobe capabilities for tactical use.
Top Choice – J5 Tactical V1-PRO LED flashlight
The J5 Tactical LED flashlight gets our top vote for best tactical flashlight under $50. It comes in at well below $50 and has the best set of features for the price of the product. You can check current prices on Amazon here.
This unit is small enough to carry in a pocket at only 4 inches in length and only weighs about 3 ounces. It is super bright (300 lumens) and will flood an entire room with light up to 600 feet.
The J5 tactical flashlight also allows you to switch between three modes; full light, narrow focused light, or strobe. It is really easy to switch between the modes with just a half-click of the button.
The other great feature of this product is that it is powered by a single AAA battery. Since this flashlight uses a standard battery it is easy to keep powered. The combination of features on the J5 put it at the top of our list.
Runner Up – S.O.G. Flashlights dark energy de-03
Our runner up is a powerful little flashlight by S.O.G. It is a very bright light for the low lumens rating (128 lumens), and rivals many of the more expensive models on the market today.
This flashlight has several different modes of operation and only takes one touch to change from 100% power level down to mid-brightness, low light (reading light), and strobe tac mode.
It is powered by a single AA battery which is included in the package. Off of this one battery it has a useful life of up to 67 hours on the low light setting. This length of use is drastically reduced to roughly an hour depending on how much you use the full bright level.
At 5 inches long and only 3.8 ounces in weight the SOG Dark Energy is easily carried and stored in any backpack or bug out bag. The main drawbacks to this flashlight are the low lumens and short battery life, but ultimately it is a great choice for under $50.
High-lumens Option – Rayovac The Beast 2000 Lumens
The Beast by Rayovac is an extremely high powered tactical flashlight for the money. This thing will put out 2000 lumens in the highest power mode and 530 lumens in the low power mode. This is one of the brightest tactical flashlights under $50.
It is constructed of aircraft grade aluminum which makes the flashlight very durable. In fact, the manufacturer has drop tested this item at 3 feet and it has performed very well.
The main drawbacks to this model are that it is pretty heavy to carry weighing 1.5 pounds and is large in size at 10 inches in length. It also uses 123A lithium batteries to power it, so you want to have several on hand.
The battery life is actually pretty great for the light output of this flashlight. The batteries will last up to 2 hours if using on full brightness (2000 lumens) mode or 10 hours at the low power mode.
There may be a couple of drawbacks to this model, but if you want an extremely powerful light then this one fits the bill. It is brighter than a vehicle’s headlight if that is of importance to you.
Heavy duty Option – MAGLite ml300l LED 3 cell flashlight
What best tactical flashlight list would be complete without a Maglite? Maglite has been an industry leader since 1979, and for good reason. They make high quality products that last forever.
The ML300L 3 Cell flashlight is produces 625 lumens and can reach beam distances of up to over 400 meters. It is powered by 3 D-cell batteries that can power the flashlight for 16 hours on the highest power setting.
This flashlight is heavy and bulky, but it’s designed to be. It is constructed of anodized aluminum and can take a beating.
The greatest part about the Maglite design is the adjustment of beam focus by simply turning the head of the flashlight to the desired beam type. The other cool feature of this flashlight is that it allows the user to select from different function sets which allow access to the particular functions each user has. The three function sets available besides the general set is outdoor, law enforcement, and tactical.
The law enforcement and tactical user groups give you access to the tactical strobe function.
Extreme budget Option – Sunlite 51003-su
I know that this is already a budget type post since we are talking about the best tactical flashlights under $50, but if you want to get as low budget as possible the Sunlite 51003-SU fits the bill.
This small tactical flashlight has some pretty decent features for the money. You can check current Amazon pricing here.
One of the best features of this model is the no-roll design. It is always a bummer to set your light down somewhere just to have it start rolling away. That won’t happen with this guy. It is powered with 3 AAA batteries so you don’t have to worry about stocking up some odd battery type.
This flashlight also has four different modes of operation: white light, green light, red laser pointer, and strobe light flash. This isn’t the brightest or most versatile option on this list, but you get what you pay for and this is a great choice on a really tight budget.
honorable mention – Ecogear FX tk120
This flashlight gets honorable mention because it comes as a complete kit with 2 rechargeable batteries and a rapid charger. It can be powered by 3 AAA batteries or one 18650 battery if the power grid is down and you don’t have electricity.
The Ecogear TK120 offers 5 modes of operation. High, medium, low, strobe, and SOS beacon. It is constructed of aircraft grade aluminum so it is extremely durable and is light weight at only about 5 ounces.
This is another solid option for a tactical flashlight under the $50 mark .
one final choice – Energizer Tac700 tactical Led flashlight
Wait…Energizer makes a tactical flashlight? Yep. And its a pretty good one too. This flashlight produces a powerful 700 lumens and has the ability to switch between high, medium, low power modes and an additional strobe function.
This model is water resistant and rated for use in heavy rain so outdoor use is no problem.
It is constructed of high grade aluminum alloy which makes this flashlight virtually indestructible for years of use. Energizer may be known for it’s batteries, but they have produced a pretty solid tactical flashlight as well.
Add in the fact that this flashlight is on the cheaper end of the scale as far as price goes, and you have a winner.
Conclusion
While there are a ton of options on the market today for tactical flashlights, we have covered the best options available. Any one of these choices will set you in the right direction and won’t break the bank.
Give me a shout in the comments below to let me know what you think.
