CREE Flashlights
Our mission:
Cut the Crap…
Stop relying on 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 692 reviews!
Unlike most of the “Top 10 CREE flashlights” lists you find on the internet, we have actually owned and reviewed hundreds of flashlights on our team. We added links to the individual reviews of all the recommended CREE lights.
Sorry: Cree flashlights don’t exist!
Sorry.. I couldn’t fake it any longer.
According to Wikipedia:
Cree Inc. is an American manufacturer and marketer of lighting-class LEDs, lighting products and products for power and radio frequency (RF) applications. Most of its products are based on silicon carbide (SiC), a mineral compound which early Cree researchers successfully synthesized in a laboratory.
Cree doesn’t produce flashlights, but they produce LEDs. What you should say is: Flashlights using CREE LEDs.
In the past decade, CREE LEDs have been widely used in flashlights around the world. Actually, most of the brightest flashlights in the world we reviewed use CREE LEDs.
CREE produces very high-quality LED Emitters, and not just for flashlights! They are also available in normal household lighting solutions.
However, some of the most popular CREE lineups for flashlights are XPG, XPL, XML, and XHP.
Since there are so many great flashlights that use CREE LEDs, we separated them into several categories. Make sure you actually read the review before buying your next CREE Flashlight, and check out the following buyers guides.
- Brightest flashlights
- Tactical flashlights
- Farthest throwing flashlights (farthest reaching)
- Best EDC flashlights (everyday carry)
Besides these great lists, here are 2 interesting flashlights that use CREE LEDs.
Popular EDC flashlight using CREE
Acebeam E70
High output CREE flashlight, available in aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and titanium
| Specification: | Specified: |
|---|---|
| LED: | CREE XHP70.2 |
| Max. brightness: | 4600 lumens (We measured 3576 lumens) |
| Battery type: | 21700 lithium-ion (included) |
| Charging: | No built-in charging, but battery has USB-C charging |
| Best for: | Every Day Carry / Utility |
| Extra: | Battery also works as a power bank |
The Acebeam E70 may be a bit on the large side for EDC suitability, but it’s definitely one of the best-looking EDC lights on the market.
It comes with everything to get you started, including a 5,000mAh battery with USB-C port. You also get a USB-C cable, that is used to charge the battery directly. The same cable has a neat feature, it can be used to discharge the battery, so you can use the battery as a powerbank. That’s really cool!
The E70 uses the most powerful CREE LED, namely the CREE XHP70.2. And even though it doesn’t live up to its claims of 4600 lumens, 3500 lumens after 30 seconds is still really good. After the output drops, it’s pretty stable at 1000 lumens for 2.5 hours. That’s also really good.
For more information on the E70, check out the full review here: https://1lumen.com/review/acebeam-e70-ss/
This is why we would recommend this flashlight:
- Great looking and has good build quality
- Available in aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium
- Very powerful for such a light
- The battery has some great features: 1 you can charge it via its USB-C port, and 2. it also works as a power bank
- UI is easy to use
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.
Most powerful rechargeable flashlights using CREE LEDs
Acebeam X75: 80,000 lumens
The Acebeam X75 has 12* CREE XHP70.2 LEDs for pure flood, and 80,000-lumen output!
| Specification: | Specified: |
|---|---|
| LED: | 12*CREE XHP70.2 |
| Max. brightness: | 80,000 lumens (We measured 81,000lumens) |
| Battery type: | 4*21700 lithium-ion battery pack |
| Charging: | Onboard USB-C charging with a power bank feature |
| Best for: | Search and rescue / light up the soccer stadium during a blackout |
| Extra: | Has some of the best sustainable outputs of all flashlights! |
Not too many flashlights use cooling fans. But the X75 needs one to cool down the copper heatsink to keep the temperature in check. The output is extremely high, so heat management is crucial. During our test, we noticed that the sustained output of the X75 is the highest in the world. Higher than even the Imalent MS18, which has the highest output, but only for a couple of minutes. After the first minutes the X75 takes the lead, with a less noisy fan, and a very well-regulated output.
Check out our review as well: https://1lumen.com/review/acebeam-x75/
Just for fun, here is the combined runtime graph, zoomed in.
This is why we would recommend this flashlight:
- One of the best highest sustainable outputs of all flashlights in the world
- Comes with a spare cooling fan, in case the one built-in dies
- Extremely powerful
- It has USB-C PD to charge it at 65 watts, and with the optional charge increases that to 100 watts., for extra fast charging.
- The handle has a built-in switch, so you can operate it one-handed
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.
Imalent MS18: 100,000 lumens
Second brightest rechargeable LED flashlight with CREE LEDs
| Specification: | Specified: |
|---|---|
| LED: | 18*CREE XHP70.2 |
| Max. brightness: | 100,000 lumen (we measured 101,000 lumens) |
| Battery type: | 8*21700 lithium-ion battery pack |
| Charging: | Proprietary 19V charging |
| Best for: | Search and rescue / light up the soccer stadium during a blackout |
This is the brightest rechargeable CREE flashlight in the world, with a whopping 100,000 lumen output. Of course, that’s only for a couple of seconds, so definitely check out our Imalent MS18 review to learn more about this beast.
Charging is easy with the included 19V charging adapter, and takes about 4 hours from empty to full. You don’t need to care about charging the batteries individually like you have to with some of the cheap high power options.
Yes, the output is simply breathtaking, especially if you are not used to anything about 5,000 lumens like most people on the planet. So, if you are looking into a high powered flashlight, this Imalent should be into your consideration.
It has a hefty price tag, but this flashlight will blow you away, every time you push those photons into the air. And yes, it also helps to show off to your friends or colleagues.
This is why we would recommend this flashlight:
- The highest output of all flashlights
- Comes with a carry cord for long-term use
- No need to worry about keeping your batteries in check, because they are built-in
If you order this flashlight from Imalenstore, make sure you add our exclusive coupon code at checkout for an extra 10% off. Coupon code: 1lumen