5 Best Flashlight Gift Ideas
The holiday shopping season is in full swing! If you’re looking for the perfect gift for that gear-crazy dad, uncle, or brother, we’ve got your back. We’ve compiled a list of the 5 best flashlight gift ideas, built to satisfy almost any task.
Best Rechargeable Flashlight: the Streamlight Strion LED
One of this year’s hottest flashlights is the newly updated Streamlight Strion LED. Now with 250 lumens in high, the Strion LED rechargeable flashlight is truly one of the best general purpose lights on the market. It measures just 5.9″ long, making it a much more pocket friendly size than its big brother, the Streamlight Stinger. The Strion also has newer battery technology, utilizing a lithium-ion battery for superior cold-weather performance. With 3 levels of light, it’s easy to customize the Strion’s performance to your needs.
The Stats:
Output: 250 lumens high, 65 lumens low
Run Time: 2 hours high, 7.5 hours low
Battery: Lithium-ion rechargeable
Length: 5.9″ long
MSRP: $130-$221
Best Feature: Very bright for its size
Best Headlamp: the LED Lenser H7
The LED Lenser H7 is simply a great headlamp – hands down. What really sets the one apart from the pack is the fully adjustable brightness and the spot-to-flood focusing ability. The LED Lenser H7 headlamp has a high output of 155 lumens and a low output of 2.7 lumens. It doesn’t have pre-set brightness levels, so you can easily adjust the brightness to your specific situation. If you are reading instructions on how to put up your tent, you can set the brightness low so the reflection from the paper doesn’t blind you. If you are searching to see where that rustling noise came from, just kick the brightness all the way up to give you a beam range of almost 600 feet. The H7 runs on 3 AAA batteries, so it weighs just 4.2 oz and doesn’t feel big and bulky on your head.
The Stats:
Output: 155 lumens high, 2.7 lumens low
Run Time: 4.5 hours high, 63 hours low
Battery: 3 AAA alkaline
Weight: 4.2 oz with batteries
MSRP: $60
Best Feature: One handed spot-to-flood focus and fully adjustable brightness
Best Penlight: the Streamlight ProTac 2AAA
It’s no surprise that a second flashlight from Streamlight has made our list. This time it’s the Streamlight ProTac 2AAA. It’s got a compact and functional body with an output of 80 lumens in high. Like all of Streamlight’s ProTac series of lights, it has a high, low, and strobe output – this makes it a great choice for tactical applications as well as general use and every day carry. This light runs on 2 AAA alkaline batteries, so it had a nice, slim body shape – just half and inch in body diameter – so it fits perfectly in your pocket.
The Stats:
Output: 80 lumens high, 10 lumens low
Run Time: 1.5 hours high, 30 hours low
Battery: 2 AAA alkaline
Length: 5.62″ long
MSRP: $50
Best Feature: Streamlined body design with a multi-function tactical tail switch
Best All Around Flashlight: the Fenix PD32 S2
The limited edition Fenix PD32 S2 model is now brighter than ever at 330 lumens. One of the best things about this flashlight is the battery options – you can use either 2 CR123 3V lithium batteries or a single 18650 lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which gives you some cost savings on batteries. The Fenix PD32 also has cool switch functionality – use the tail switch for your primary on/off, and use the body switch to cycle through the 4 brightness levels plus strobe and SOS.
The Stats:
Output: 330 lumens high, 6 lumens low
Run Time: 2 hours high, 240 hours low
Battery: 2 ea. CR123 lithium batteries or 1 ea. 18650 lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Length: 5″ long
MSRP: $69.95
Best Feature: New brighter output – multiple battery options.
Best Cool Gadget: the EON Credit Card Flashlight
The EON Classic Credit Card flashlight definitely brings the cool factor to this list. It’s a flashlight with the size and shape of a credit card, so it easily fits in your wallet. You’ll never be without a flashlight again! It has a momentary output of 20 lumens with a run time of 168 hours – perfect for emergencies. The EON weighs just 0.3 oz, so it’s perfect for carrying around with you all the time. While it’s not the brightest flashlight, it’s a great light to have on you as a backup.
The Stats:
Output: 20 lumens
Run Time: 168 hours
Battery: CR2025 batteries (non-replaceable)
Length: 3.37″ long (shape of a credit card)
MSRP: $25
Best Feature: Easy to keep on you at all times in case of emergency.