Best penlights

Weltool M6-Dr

Oftentimes it’s better to have just 1 tool for the job. And in this case, that’s the Weltool M6-Dr. Why you may ask? Well, there are several reasons.

1. The M6-Dr has only 1 mode, so you can’t accidentally use a different output mode and blind someone.
2. It has a warm beam, around 3000K (ours measured 3128K) which is great for iridology of brown colored eyes.
3. The Output is low and consistent for over 8 hours. You always know that the output is minimal.
4. It has high CRI, which means that it renders the colors of the eye very well. We measured a CRI Ra between 95.8 and 96.7
5. The bezel is curved and doesn’t have a glass lens that could break by dropping it.
6. The beam quality is very unique and round, without a hotspot.

The Weltool M6-Dr might therefore be the best choice for nurses and other medical staff. Not only is this one of the most affordable penlights, but it’s also made by a reputable company, with lots of experience producing high-quality flashlights. Much better than an unknown brand bought on popular e-commerce websites like AliExpress, eBay, or even Amazon.

And for about $20, it’s a bit more expensive than the average non-branded penlights, but built by a company that stands behind its products.

For more details, check out our full review of the Weltool M6-Dr

Wurkkos WK02

Since there are tons and tons of penlights on the market, it’s difficult to find a good quality penlight for cheap. But fortunately, there are still penlights we tested that are affordable and still perform quite well.

One of them is built by Wurkkos, a budget-oriented flashlight manufacturer.

I’m talking about the Wurkkos WK02, that’s still available, but not for long. Do yourself a favor and grab a bunch of these before they are gone. Wurkkos already told me they are going to stop producing the WK02 in the future. Right now, they are about $10 a pop, and here are some of the reasons why I would recommend it:

1. Price, price price. The WK02 is available for about $10 or below.
2. Doesn’t have a USB port, so no grease or other dirt getting into the USB port
3. 3 modes, so you can have almost 200 lumens at your fingertips, and also a very low mode with only 1.44 lumens (that’s what I measured on mine).
4. Like all penlights, thin and lightweight enough to get it in those hard to reach places
5. Because it has a reflector, in High mode it can still reach up to 75 yards
6. Has no mode-memory, so you always know how many presses you need to do to get to the output you want. 1 click for low mode, tap + click for medium mode of 50 lumens. And tap + tap + click for High mode with almost 200 lumens.

I would not recommend a high-end USB-C rechargeable penlight for mechanics or construction workers. Simply, because dirt and other debris can clog the USB-port and make it unusable. And on top of that, you probably don’t want to wait for a 4-hour charge before you can continue using the penlight.

At $10 you can buy a few and use them as backups.

For more details, check out our full review of the Wurkkos WK02

Wuben E19

I’m not saying that you should get the light we recommend, but if you do, you know what you get, especially if you read our reviews.

If you’re going to EDC an 2AAA flashlight, it’s important to get something that doesn’t break the bank. If it does, however, you could easily replace it.

It’s a great EDC light, because it gives 4 well spaced modes on the lower output spectrum. This means that you won’t jump from 2 lumens to 200 lumens, but you have a 2 -10 -37 output before High. This is especially helpful for daily tasks, were you don’t need a ton of light.

Olight i5T Plus

All the aforementioned penlights run off 2AAA batteries. But to make this list a bit more inclusive, I added this 2AA category. Why? Because they are only just a bit larger, but double or triple the runtime of an average 2AAA flashlight. Plus, they produce so much more lumens, it’s a shame other websites aren’t even considering 2AA penlights.

And to be frank, for EDC, 2AA batteries might be a much better choice. They have, on average, 3 times the capacity of average AAA batteries. This means, for EDC use, you’d have to replace or recharge the batteries much less often. And that’s something important for EDC use…

And another benefit, for EDC, is that rechargeable AA batteries can discharge at a much higher rate, and therefore produce many more lumens. If you are asking what rechargeable batteries to get, there is only 1 answer: Panasonic Eneloop. We do not recommend using Alkaline batteries unless you use the light every day, and never store it for more than a week.

Olight O-pen pro

When you think of a penlight, you might actually think of a pen, with a light. And that’s exactly what the Olight O’pen Pro is. It’s a pen, with a removable light.

The part with the light can be unscrewed and used to illuminate the thing you are writing on (paper/sticker etc). And the same part has a USB-C port to charge the tiny battery with a capacity of 110mAh.

So in reality, this is the only ‘real’ penlight on this list. A penlight that can actually be used as a pen that is.

And even though its output is relatively low, I still managed to produce 133 lumens at turn on, and 119 lumens after 30 seconds. But with this small battery, the runtimes are very short. Only the lowest output mode (of 3 lumens) can run for 8 hours. The high mode only lasts for 32 minutes, and that’s not surprise.

And on top of this, it also has a tiny green laser pointer built in. That’s a great for teachers, or for anybody who needs to point out things a few feet away. Great for presentations!