The best 1000 lumen flashlights

Nitecore TUP

While there are many flashlights, claiming a thousand-lumen output. There are less than a handful of flashlights that can reach this with the size and weight of the Nitecore Tup.

Coming in at only 54 grams, it’s one of the most lightweight 1000-lumen flashlights I have ever seen.

Keep in mind though, that the highest output is only momentarily accessible. This means that you need to keep pressing the turbo button. When you release the switch, the light will fall back to the 200-lumen brightness level.

ThruNite T1S

First off, this is a bit brighter than 1000 lumens, but at 1166 lumens, you wouldn’t really notice the difference unless you put them side by side.

Anyways, this light is pretty much everything you need in an EDC flashlight. It’s actually pretty compact, so you can carry it in most types of pockets. The UI is easy to understand with direct access to firefly mode (low output of 0.4 lumens) as well as Turbo. And it even has a LED indicator that tells you when the battery needs to be charged again. We recommend to replace or recharge the battery when the indicator LED starts flashing red!

You can charge it anywhere, because it has a charger built-in, and comes with a USB-C cable. And the good thing is, that you don’t have to charge the battery inside the flashlight. You can just replace it with a spare, 18350 battery. For sure, ThruNite has packed a lot of value into this small package!

Armytek Predator PRO Magnet USB

Most flashlights that are advertised as being a thousand lumens don’t even reach that far. In this list, we looked through hundreds of reviews to see which ones were doing close to 1000 within a 20% range, and the Predator Pro just stayed within that parameter.

In our test, we measured 1193 lumens after 30 seconds (in line with the ANSI FL1 standards for flashlight testing) and a maximum reach of over 400 meters/yards. These numbers show that Predator PRO is a serious contender. Even though, it is advertised at 1400 lumens, which is a bit exaggerated.

It also stands out in the way you can charge it. It’s not using your typical USB port, but instead, using a magnetic charging cord that you attach to the rear (near the switch). This is much more waterproof than a USB port, and also less likely to get dirt inside.

BTW. there are a few versions of the Predator Pro, and the one I am referring to is the Predator PRO Magnetic USB version. It’s the latest tactical flashlight in this lineup.

Olight Arkfeld

Black flashlights get a bit boring, or not?

Olight knows this and adds many colors to its lineup. Some are limited editions, and some are standard colors, just like this blue Arkfeld.

And it’s not just a regular flashlight. It’s designed for everyday carry, and specifically for people who like the extra laser pointer built in. I normally think they are gimmicky, but this one is pretty cool. And yes, it does look a bit like a remote control.

In our test, we measured 858 lumens (with the cool white version) and 886 lumens (with the neutral white version). Of course, I am referring to the measurement at 30 seconds because that’s according the ANSI FL1 standards. Other websites don’t have a clue about this, and just use manufacturers’ specs in their roundup reviews. Sad really.

Anyway, the Turbo runs for about 2 hours till it turns off. Of course, it has a large drop in output within the first 5 minutes. With this size and design, you can’t sustain 1000 lumens for 2 hours. That’s also something all those other google results don’t tell.

Sofirn SP10V3

Some people really love Sofirn because of its balance between great value and decent quality. This particular one goes for about $20, give or take a few dollars.

As the name implies, the SP10 has gone through a few transformations, and the V3 is the best of them all.

In our test, we measured 905 lumens at 30 seconds (with a 14500 lithium battery) and 224 lumens (with a NiMH rechargeable AA battery), in Turbo mode. The output dropped slowly for the first 1.5 minutes, but then drops to +-250 lumens before we reach 3 minutes in the runtime test. That’s totally acceptable for this kind of flashlight.

It’s not a rechargeable flashlight, meaning it doesn’t have a built-in charger mechanism. You have to have a separate charger, or buy it with the full kit.

Olight Perun Mini

Olight makes some very nice and interesting flashlights. And not just from a design perspective. Their specifications are usually spot-on, or even a little conservative. It was very interesting to see, that in our test, the Perun Mini measured 999.88 lumens at 30 seconds. That’s as close to 1000 lumen as we probably have ever measured. Well done Olight.

When you buy the Perun Mini, they’ll give you a few options. That includes not just the flashlight’s body color, but also the beam temperature. NW stands for neutral, which we measured at around 5000K, and the cool white version was measured between 6000K and 6400K. If you don’t know which to get, I recommend getting the 5000K (Neutral white). In our test, the NW version performed slightly better (1000 lumens vs 975 lumens).

And last but not least, unlike many other Olight flashlights, you can use generic 18350 batteries. But you will lose the built-in charging feature, which only works with the included Olight battery.