The best 1000 lumen flashlights

Nitecore TUP

While many flashlights claim a thousand-lumen output, less than a handful can reach this with the size and weight of the Nitecore Tup. At only 54 grams, it’s one of the lightest 1000-lumen flashlights I’ve ever seen.

Keep in mind, that the highest output (1000 lumens) 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.

Anyway, 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) and Turbo. And it even has an LED indicator that tells you when the battery needs to be charged again. We recommend replacing or charging 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. ThruNite has surely packed a lot of value into this small package!

Nitecore MT2A Pro

Okay, this is not really a 2AA flashlight with 1000 lumens. With AA batteries, it ‘only’ 538 lumens after 30 seconds. I said ‘only’ because that’s actually pretty good for AA batteries.

To reach the actual (or almost) 1,000 lumens, you need to use the Nitecore NL1416R battery, which is included in the package. It’s a lithium-ion battery, with the size of 2 AA batteries, and a capacity of 1600mAh, at 3.7V.

If you are looking for a dual-fuel flashlight that reaches almost 1000 lumens, but also want to use standard AA batteries, consider this one.

High mode drops pretty quickly with the NL1416R battery, but still has about 500 lumens after 15 minutes of use, while Medium is pretty stable at around 300 lumens for 1 hour and 18 minutes straight before it drops and continues running for another 30 minutes before turning off.

with AA batteries, you reach over 500 lumens, which is just below 500 lumens after 30 minutes, and below 250 lumens before it reaches the 1-hour mark.

For all details, I refer you to our Nitecore MT2A PRO review.

Armytek Predator PRO Magnet USB

Most flashlights advertised as having 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.

Our test 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 how you can charge it. It doesn’t use your typical USB port but 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; 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 usually 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 know 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 are really into Sofirn for their great balance of value and quality, and this particular model only costs around $20.

As the name implies, the SP10 has undergone a few transformations, and the V3 is the best.

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 2

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 2 measured 975 lumens at 30 seconds. That’s close to the 1000 lumen output we stuck to in this buyer’s guide. Well done Olight.

When you buy the Perun Mini 2, 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. and CW for Cool White, which was measured between 5900K and 6300K (even they say 5700-6700K). If you don’t know which to get, I recommend getting the 5000K (Neutral white).

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.