Best Pocket flashlights
Slide it in your pocket… and forget about it
We reviewed 630 flashlights!
We publish about 10-15 new in-depth reviews every month
1lumen selects and reviews products personally. We may earn affiliate commissions through our links, which help support our testing.
Table of contents:
Jump right to the rechargeable flashlight category you are most interested in
Our recommended pocketable LED flashlights
Stop reading Amazon reviews, top 10 websites, or manufacturer’s specs.
We test flashlights to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Want to know how we do that?
Read one of our 630 reviews!
Small bright pocket flashlight
Nitecore T4K
rechargeable pocket flashlight
| Specification: | Highlights: |
|---|---|
| Max output | 4,000 lumens |
| LED type | 4*CREE XPL2 |
| Battery configuration | Built-in |
In-person, the Nitecore T4K looks a little unusual with the two buttons and the OLED display. But when you press that button. you will be dazzled by 4,000 lumens! We reviewed the Nitecore T4K extensively. It reached 3736 lumens at turn on!
If you are searching for something lightweight and don’t mind a somewhat chunky-sized light (it’s not really thin), this is a great one to keep in mind. It’s a very small light that can be attached to your keychain, or put in your pockets. The OLED display reports precisely how many minutes of battery life remains. The peak brightness is only maintained while the mode button is pressed. So 4,000 lumens is only for short bursts. The next highest mode is 200 lumens.
Buy the Nitecore T4K at one of the following stores:
Best pocket flashlight with 18350 battery
Small and popular rechargeable flashlight
Thrunite T1s
mini pocket flashlight with magnet
| Specification: | Highlights: |
|---|---|
| Max output | 1212 lumens |
| LED type | Luminus SST40 |
| Battery configuration | 1*18350 |
| Onboard charging | Yes, with USB-C |
There’s no real knurling on the T1S, but rather, the battery tube has three groups of channels cut into it. Between those and the heatsink on the head, I didn’t have any trouble with losing my grip on the light. The tail of the light is nearly perfectly flat, making it super stable for tail standing. The tail is also home to a fairly strong magnet which is pretty handy for positioning it on nearby ferrous surfaces. And in case you drop it in water, no problem because it’s also waterproof.
From our Thrunite T1S review:
This light is pretty much everything you need to look for in an EDC flashlight: very compact, good UI, USB-C charging, and it looks pretty sharp too. I think ThruNite has packed a lot of value into this small package and I was pleasantly surprised by the price.
Best flashlight with 18650 (pocketable)
Extremely popular EDC flashlight in the flashlight community
Emisar D4v2
| Specification: | Highlights: |
|---|---|
| Max output | 4300 lumens |
| LED type | Many types |
| Battery configuration | 1*18650 / 18350 |
One of the most popular EDC flashlights. Uses an 18650 cell, but optionally supports the 18350 and 18500 as well.
Emisar flashlights are built for flashaholics. You won’t find them in any brick-and-mortar stores. With Emisar lights you’ll get the latest and greatest technology currently available in the flashlight world. The D4v2 is the second version of this immensely popular EDC flashlight.
The D4v2 uses the extremely popular (amongst flashaholics) Andúril UI, which features many interesting modes. To name a few: battery voltage meter, smooth ramping, momentary on, temperature check, candle mode, party strobe, and even a lightning storm mode. With such an array of capabilities, this light is probably not for the average user.
Don’t forget to check out our in-depth review of the Emisar D4v2.
Great pocketable 21700 flashlight
Only for large pockets!
Acebeam E75
| Specification: | Highlights: |
|---|---|
| Max output | 3,000 / 4500 lumens |
| LED type | 4*LED |
| Battery configuration | 1*21700 |
It’s a bit on the large side for EDC suitability, but it’s definitely one of the best-performing EDC lights on the market.
It comes with everything to get you started, including a 21700 battery with 5,000mAh capacity. It also includes a USB-C cable, so you can charge the battery inside the flashlight. No need to get a separate battery charger.
Equipped with 4 LEDs, it is specced at 4500 lumens. But that only counts for the cool white LEDs version. The other, with neutral white Nichia 519A are rated at 3,000 lumens. This is also the exact configuration we tested. During our test the E75 reached over 2767 lumens after 30 seconds. After the output dropped, it stayed consistent at just below1000 lumens for about 1.5 hours. That’s pretty good performance, especially considering the test light is using the Nichia 519A LEDs with neutral white color.
For more information on the E75, check out the full review here: https://1lumen.com/review/acebeam-e75/
This is why we would recommend this flashlight:
- We measured the output at 2767 after 30 seconds
- Available in different colors, green, gray, black and teal.
- A 5000 mAh 21700 rechargeable battery included
- The battery can be charged inside the flashlights as well as in a normal charger.
Interested? Buy from one of the following stores.
Get a whopping 15% off your next order at Acebeam.com with the following discount coupon: AE15
Simply add the coupon code at your checkout.
Tacticle pocket flashlight
Olight Warrior Nano
| Specification: | Highlights: |
|---|---|
| Max output | 1200 lumens |
| LED type | Luminus SST40 |
| Battery configuration | 1*18350 (proprietary) |
| Charging | Onboard proprietary charging |
From our review:
What if a guy or gal wanted something smaller than the Warrior Mini? Well, you were out of luck, but Olight thought of that and released the Olight Warrior Nano. This is a brand-new tactical flashlight and fits between the Baton 3 Pro and Warrior Mini size and output-wise.
All the typical Olight stuff is here in the Warrior Nano: Great build quality, fit, finish, excellent handling manners, an easy to use and intuitive UI, plus great performance to back it up. The Warrior series occupies an important place in Olight’s inventory, and they’ve rounded it out quite nicely with this Warrior Nano. It fits right in between the Warrior Mini and Warrior 3S, and it has more ‘tactical’ appeal than the Baton.
It could be a great backup option clipped to a breast pocket or arm band. I liked the UI and the flexibility of the tail switch to switch between Turbo and Strobe for instant-access. The output is great for such a small light to boot and it handles great, disappearing in my pocket,
Here’s why you should consider getting the Olight Warrior Nano:
- Great build quality
- Lifetime warranty!
- Unique color designs.. unfortunately, our reviewed green one was only limited available
- Very compact, and rides in your pocket without noticing
- Effective dual switch UI
Extremely bright, pocket flashlight
Well, it’s not really a pocket flashlight, but it does fit in larger jackets!
Acebeam X80-GT2
| Specification: | Highlights: |
|---|---|
| Max output | 34,000 lumens |
| LED type | CREE XHP50.3 |
| Battery configuration | 4*18650 (included) |
Alright, I just add this for people who have really large pockets. Because the Acebeam X80-GT2 might be extremely bright, it’s only sized like a soda can.
We’ve tested it and compared it against other high lumen flashlights, and no, it doesn’t reach 34,000 lumens. But hey, 31,000 lumens at turn on isn’t bad! That’s the same output as 200 Maglites together.
You get a high-power flashlight with 7 modes, ranging from 150 lumens to 31,000 lumens (as we tested), including a handle and 4 high power 18650 batteries. Although the X80-GT2 fits your pockets, you won’t be able to hold it for longer than a couple of minutes in the highest modes without burning your fingers. The included handle isn’t just a nice accessory, it becomes a necessity in the highest modes.
Get a whopping 15% off your next order at Acebeam.com with the following discount coupon: AE15
Simply add the coupon code at your checkout.
FAQ: How to choose the best Pocket Flashlights
Q: What is the brightest pocket flashlight on the market?
A: The brightest pocket flashlight depends on the size of your pockets. If you have really large pockets, the Acebeam X80-GT2 is the brightest pocketable flashlight, but it’s not really small. It’s size of a soda can.
Q: Does 1Lumen do many pocket flashlight reviews?
Yes, we have done many reviews of different sized pocket lights. Go to the menu and choose the specific battery type you like to use. Or do a search in the search bar for: EDC.
Q: Which pocket flashlight shines the farthest?
For the farthest reaching pocket flashlight we have to move from LED to LEP. LEP flashlights are the farthest reaching. Currently, the shortest flashlight with the most reach is the Lumintop Thor 1.
Q: If you could just pick 1 popular one: what is a good pocket flashlight?
If you just look at the flashlight community, the Lumintop FWAA is a very popular pocket flashlight. But it has a sophisticated user interface, and it runs on 14500 lithium-ion batteries. So you need to get a separate battery and a charger if you don’t have one yet.
Other things to consider when looking for your next pocket flashlight:
- Size: The first thing to consider is the size of the flashlight. You want something compact enough to fit in your pocket or on your keychain, but large enough to fit a big capacity battery.
- Brightness: You should also look at the brightness of the flashlight. The lumens listed will give you an idea of how bright it will be. For general use, a flashlight with 100-300 lumens should be enough, but if you think you need more, 1000-2000 lumens is probably enough.
- Battery Life: Always look at the batteries the flashlights are shipped with. The larger the capacity, the longer batterylife you get.
- Durability: Look for something that’s sturdy, waterproof, and pretty shock-resistant. You don’t want your flashlight to break down when it’s most needed.
- Additional Features: If you’re into this, some features can be very handy. But these are not for everyone. Here’s a few: beacon mode, battery level indicator, etc. If you have specific needs, you may want to double check our reviews to see if they fit your needs.
- Brand: I recommend choosing a reputable brand. Brands like Acebeam, Fenix, Olight, and Nitecore have a long history of producing high-quality flashlights that are both durable and reliable.