11 Military Spec Flashlights You Can Buy For Yourself

When people shop for military flashlights, they're usually looking for a flashlight that covers several key features. Those aspects include being tough to break, having built in protection from water and dirt, projecting high luminosity, and being mountable. Even in non-military applications, these features can be useful. For example, a hiker may want a flashlight that is water and dust resistant because they're outside and they may want the flashlight to attach to their backpack straps so they can see in front of them without needing their hands. Since military flashlights allow for such usability, a hiker could find a military flashlight useful. 

Unfortunately, the term military flashlight has brought out the worst in some manufacturers. Many companies will label their regular, everyday flashlights as military-grade in order to coax customers into buying something at a premium when they could've just bought a regular flashlight for much less money. As a result, looking at military flashlights can be a frustrating and tiring endeavor as many of them are just regular flashlights with cool designs. You can still buy some good flashlights from companies that market their stuff as military-grade but it's not a sure thing. 

However, there are real military-spec flashlights out there that work quite well from the same companies that actually make flashlights for the military. The flashlights below all have that in common. 

The Sidewinder Boot is a military-grade flashlight that is smaller than it looks with a length measurement of 4.29 inches and fairly light at 2.88 ounces when powered by lithium batteries. That means it fits in a pocket without issue and won't weigh you down if you attach it to a piece of headgear or your backpack straps. It also comes with an articulating head for hands-free use along with a red filter that you can slide over the main light to generate red light instead of white. The body is IPX7 waterproof, which means you can drop it into one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

In terms of brightness, it's on the lower end of the spectrum of flashlights. This is mostly because it takes two AA batteries instead of having a rechargeable battery like many others. It produces 55 lumens on high mode for eight hours before it runs out of juice and has an effective range of 63 meters. In low mode, it produces seven lumens, but it can also run for 90 hours in that mode. It won't work as a search light, but it should work well enough for hiking or camping purposes. 

The flashlight and its various parts all have NSN numbers, which means this is actually available for sale to militaries. You can buy it on Amazon for around $35.

The Sidewinder LED Hands Free Light is the upgraded version of the aforementioned Sidewinder. This one has many of the same basic qualities, including the IPX7 water resistance, the articulating head, and the smaller size. In fact, the body is exactly the same as the Sidewinder Boot in terms of overall weight and dimensions. The white C4 LED outputs the same number of lumens as the Sidewinder Boot but lasts longer per set of AA batteries at five hours in high mode and over 100 hours in low mode. 

The major differentiation between this model and the boot is its inclusion of other lights. If you get the military model, it comes with a white light along with dedicated red, IR-IFF, and blue LED lights. There is also an aviation model that has white, green, IR-IFF, and blue LEDs along with a Rescue model that has the same light setup as the aviation model. This makes it ideal for folks looking for a flashlight that can shine in those varying colors. Like the other Sidewinder, all the various parts of this flashlight have NSN numbers, meaning it was made specifically for military use. 

You can buy this flashlight on Amazon. Prices vary by version. The military model coasts $126, the aviation model costs around $85, and the rescue model runs for about $70.

Ledlenser is a flashlight brand that also sells to the military and the P7R does have an NSN number, meaning it is available for military use. The P7R is a fairly straightforward flashlight that is useful for most base applications. It's a smaller flashlight and fits in the palm of your hand pretty easily. The body is hard-anodized aluminum and can take a fall or two if need be. It's IPX4 water resistance, which means it can get wet but doesn't handle submersion very well. It has a rechargeable battery and comes with a magnetic charge base.

In terms of raw performance, the flashlight does well. It can output 1,000 lumens over an effective range of 210 meters for about two hours per full charge. In low power mode, you still get a respectable 20 lumens over 40 meters for 40 hours before it needs to be charged again. In the middle is a medium power option as well. This flashlight also comes with Ledlenser's Advanced Focus System, which allows users to focus the beam as a spotlight or a flood light without losing light quality. 

The light is available directly from Ledlenser for $99.95, although it goes on sale frequently. There is also a work variant of the P7R with a beefier case and an IP68 rating for $119.95.

The Ledlenser X21R is a powerful flashlight for people who need a lot more illumination. It's larger than the P7R by a hefty margin. This is one of those flashlights that is large enough to use as a club in self-defense if you need to. The flashlight features seven LED lights on the front, a hard-anodized aluminum body, and three power modes. There is also an S.O.S. mode, strobe mode, blink mode, and a position mode that strobes at a specific rate to help someone find your position. 

This flashlight has the same specs and materials as the P7R, a military flashlight, but the X21R is mostly made for search and rescue. It shines at a maximum brightness of 5,000 lumens — which is not talthough that is only through a temporary boost mode. In low power mode, it outputs 200 lumens, so it's producing more light than you'll need in most situations regardless of the setting. It also comes with an IP54 rating, just like the base P7R. 

This is a seriously powerful flashlight, and you'll pay for the privilege. It runs for $449.95 on Ledlenser, although you can get on sale for much less than that with a little patience. This one isn't made for the military but has all the specs of a military flashlight. 

If you're looking for something a little more tactical, the SureFire XR2 is a decent way to go for handgun owners. The flashlight includes two LED lights that output 800 lumens of light along with a Class IIIa green or red laser for additional accuracy. With everything on and at high power, the battery lasts for 35 minutes and includes a quick release battery back that you can swap out if need be. The flashlight comes with a battery charging base with two slots so you can keep two batteries charged and ready. 

In terms of its design, it features an IPX4 design so it can be used in the rain. The flashlight comes with mounting hardware for universal and Picatinny rails, so it should support most firearms. There is a mode selector that lets you use just the flashlight, just the laser sight, or both simultaneously. The user can also adjust the flashlight's attachment to the rail for the purposes of zeroing the laser. In all, it's a solid package that should work for whatever you need it for.

SureFire makes equipment for the military and this flashlight has all the hallmarks of a military-grade piece of gear. It also has the price tag to match with a starting price of $599 directly from SureFire. 

SureFire also makes popular flashlights for rifles and the M64ODFT-Pro Turbo is among the best. It comes with a single LED light that outputs 700 lumens over 632 meters for about 2.75 hours per battery charge. SureFire offers two different batteries. The included SF18650B rechargeable battery gives you the maximum luminosity, distance, and time, so we recommend going with the more powerful battery if you can manage it. SureFire sells replacements for $22 and they can be recharged over USB. The light can also be powered by off-the-shelf 123 lithium batteries, but performance is reduced significantly. 

In terms of compatibility, the flashlight comes with mounting hardware for MIL-STD-1913 and M-LOK rails, so it should fit on most rifles. Its hard-anodized aluminum body can take a beating, and it also comes with IPX7 water resistance, so it can be submerged in water for a short period of time. You can swap out the batteries by unscrewing the back end of the flashlight, so you can replace the batteries and keep going with minimal downtime, although it's not quite as quick as the hot swappable batteries on the XR2 above. 

The M64ODFT-Pro Turbo is available directly from SureFire for $409. It's quite pricey, but with the replaceable batteries, rugged design, IPX7 rating, and wide compatibility, it's a decent overall option for rifle users. 

Wurkkos doesn't sell hardware to the military that we're aware of, but their extremely bright flashlights cover the same spec range as military-grade equipment. The Wurkkos TD03 is a good example of this. This tiny flashlight measures at 4.9-inches long and packs some decent lighting capability for its price tag. It boasts 1,800 lumens at a range of 1,100 feet. There is also a strobe function, a clip to hang the flashlight on your gear, and a lanyard as another carrying option. 

The body is made of aluminum, and it carries an IP68 rating, which puts it in line with most military flashlights that we've run into. It can be dunked in up to two meters of water for up to 30 minutes. In the package, you'll also get replacement waterproof O-rings, a USB-C cable for charging, and a 24-month warranty. At its lowest setting, it can do 50 lumens, which is good for minor uses like camping and the battery will last 34 hours. You can reach 1,800 lumens in the flashlight's turbo mode, which reduces the battery life to two hours. That's about on par with other flashlights we've seen. 

The Wurkkos TD03 is available on Amazon for $43 and is often on sale for upwards of 50% off, making it one of the better budget options. 

The SureFire EDCL1-DFT is probably more at home in search and rescue or police operations than military, but it has all the specs to do military work too. The light is capable of up to 650 lumens over a range of 616 meters for about 45 minutes. If you reduce that to the lowest setting, it does 25 lumens for up to 11 hours. This is one of the smallest flashlights that SureFire makes and at 4.8 inches and 4.5 ounces, you can attach or stash this thing just about anywhere. 

Much like the SureFire M64ODFT-Pro Turbo, there are multiple battery options for this flashlight. You can use the SureFire-provided SF18350 battery to get the maximum performance or off-the-shelf 123 lithium batteries, which reduces the peak brightness to 500 lumens. We recommend the SureFire battery if you can swing it since it's rechargeable and more powerful. Otherwise, it falls in line with similarly sized LED flashlights, including the IPX7 water resistance rating and the hard-anodized aluminum body that should be able to take some abuse before it breaks. The body also includes a lockout function that prevents the light from being accidentally turned on.

This hardy little flashlight costs quite a bundle, though. SureFire sells it for $279. That does come with a lifetime warranty, though, so you won't need to buy another one. 

Nitecore has a pretty good reputation with enthusiasts and the company also sells equipment directly to the military. For civilian use, the SRT7i is more than enough for essentially application. It boasts a 3,000-lumen output with a range of 634 yards. At its max output, the flashlight boasts a three hour and 15 minute runtime, which exceeds most tactical flashlights. It can also shine at a surprisingly low 0.1 lumens for 800 hours. That is all with the Nitecore NL2150HPi battery, although you can use standard CR123 batteries as well. 

In terms of build quality, there is little to complain about. The body features an aluminum construction with an IP68 rating and two meters of impact resistance, so it should be good to go in virtually any condition. It charges over USB-C, so it can use the same charger as your iPhone or Android phone. Additionally, the flashlight has a selector ring near the back cap along with a dual button layout that Nitecore says helps with one-handed use. Overall, it's a solid flashlight. Just be careful because it can get hot in high power mode if left on too long. 

Nitecore sells the SRT7i directly for $129.95. Other online retailers like Amazon have it for the same price.

The HDS Systems Custom is one of the most unique flashlights on the list. It's a small flashlight that is designed to fit just about anywhere and it's sold by a company that also sells equipment to the military. What makes the Custom neat is that you can configure it before you buy it. The company offers several options, including a single clicky-style button, a rotary control, or both. Its base configuration can output 250 lumens, but you can configure it for as much as 325 lumens or as little as 170. It can also be equipped with a black light, a forensic blue light, or an IR light. 

The body is made from aerospace-grade aluminum and comes in either black or silver with a stainless-steel bezel. You can also choose the flashlight lens, whether the button is flush or raised, and what kind of mounting gear it comes with. You can even choose whether the type of battery it supports, be it a CR123, two AA batteries, or an 18650 battery. In short, you can make this thing how you want. It doesn't get as bright as most other flashlights on the list, but its 325 lumen maximum is still good for most applications. 

Since customization is key here, the price changes based on the selections you make on the HDS Systems Custom website. At its highest, the flashlight goes for over $500, so prepare to pay for this custom-made flashlight. 

Last on our list is a budget flashlight from Fenix. The E20 V2 is a simple pen-style flashlight that attaches with a clip. It weighs virtually nothing and is five inches long. The body is made from aluminum with a hard-anodized finish. You also get IP68 water and dust resistance, which should handle just about any conditions you throw at it. It takes two AA batteries, which makes swapping them out quick, although it doesn't have the reusability of a rechargeable flashlight. 

With alkaline batteries installed, the flashlight can output a maximum of 350 lumens for three hours and 45 minutes at a distance of 413 feet. There is a battery-saving eco mode that outputs five lumens at a range of 49 feet for 200 hours. Fenix does note that while the batteries will last for three hours on high-power mode, mechanisms within the flashlight will reduce the brightness and ultimately turn off the flashlight after 30 minutes to prevent overheating. Users can turn the flashlight on and off with a button on the back and choose the mode with the tail switch button. 

It's a highly serviceable flashlight with all the same core design features as those made for the military and it usually costs under $50 at Fenix when on sale. That's not a bad way to go.

Militaries all around the world use all sorts of flashlights, including ones that are mounted on the helmet, weapon, and body armor. In addition, they come with varying brightness, use cases, and purposes. In general, though, there is a short list of things that a military flashlight must be able to do, which includes being mounted on gear, be able to take quite a bit of abuse, and it has to be able to get dirty and wet without breaking. That can mean plastic or metal construction as long as you can beat it up without it breaking. 

Trying to find flashlights built to specific military standards can be challenging. We surfed through the entire list of U.S. federal specifications and while there are 162 standards for lamps, there are none specifically for flashlights. There are commercial specs for flashlights, and they are A-50803, A-47505, and A-47399. None of those have been updated since 1995 at the latest, so we're going to mostly ignore them as today's most basic flashlight technology meets or exceeds those ancient specs. 

Instead, we're going in another direction. For this list, we chose flashlights made by companies that, for the most part, actually sell equipment to the military. We identified such companies either through public announcements of government contracts or by finding companies that sell to militaries. In case you're curious, you can identify such products if they have an NSN, or NATO stock number and companies that sell to the military have a NATO Commercial and Government Entity code (CAGE). Any civilian contractor who wants to sell to the military needs an CAGE code and their products need NSNs.