Top 10 Best Tactical Flashlights Under $50 Reviews & Buying Guide

There are dozens of tactical flashlights available on the market. They are all different in one way or the other. In this guide, I will share with you the best tactical flashlights under $50.

My list includes ten of the highest-quality tactical flashlights on the market. It also includes some of the brightest flashlights and flashlights with the longest-lasting batteries.

While I will be the first to admit that this guide is diverse, with tactical torches included for different reasons, all the tactical flashlights in it have one thing in common – they are all cheap.

They all go for approximately $50 or less. So if you are looking for a great but inexpensive tactical flashlight, then please read on, for I have got several for you to consider in this guide.

Top 10 Best Tactical Flashlights Under $50 Reviews

1. J5 Tactical V1-Pro Flashlight

If you are looking for a cheap tactical flashlight that’s durable and features multiple light functions, then this is your go-to product. The J5 Tactical V1 is perfect for use outdoors as it has a strong metal body, and its small size makes it easy to carry around.

The all-metal body of this flashlight feels nice to hold. All the components are tightly connected, which keeps out dirt and dust, and water in case of a splash. What’s more, the metallic body is strong enough to endure several falls without any damage.

Unlike most other flashlights, this one has two different battery options. You could either use a single AA battery to power your device or go for a rechargeable battery. What’s great is that a single AA battery can power the flashlight for a couple of weeks.

Another great thing about the V1-Pro is that it has three different lighting options; strobe, low, and high. Changing from one lighting function to another is easy and fast, making the flashlight quite convenient to use. And the flashlight’s 300 lumens light is quite bright. It can be seen from about 600 feet away.

One thing, however, that I disliked about the V1-Pro is that its body gets warm when used for a couple of minutes.

This is the current price of these J5 Tactical V1-Pro Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

2. Fenix E12 Flashlight

The small size of this tactical flashlight has made it a favorite among many:

• Those people whose work involves moving around at night will love it because it easily fits in the pocket and can even be used as a keychain.
• It is perfect for kids as well.
• It can be your little one’s first tiny LED flashlight.

The Fenix E12 runs on a single AA alkaline battery, which is quite easy to find. And given that this is an AA-run flashlight, you don’t have to worry about carrying a charger with you everywhere you go with your flashlight.

This is an LED flashlight, and it comes with a CREE bulb. For those who don’t know, CREE is one of the top LED bulb manufacturers in America, and they never compromise on quality. The featured bulb has a lifespan of an incredible 50,000 hours, almost impossible to exhaust. In addition, it is quite bright and shock-resistant.

What’s more, Fenix E-12 has three different lighting intensities: high mode, medium mode, and low mode. So you get to choose the intensity you want based on your lighting needs.

However, one downside of this flashlight is that it does not have a strobe or SOS mode.

This is the current price of these Fenix E12 Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

3. GearLight LED Tactical Flashlight S1000

Are you searching for a cheap tactical flashlight that you could carry with you anywhere you go? If that is the case, you would probably want to check out this Gearlight S1000 LED flashlight.

Powered by 3 AAA batteries (not included in the package), this Gearlight flashlight is low on battery consumption. Its low battery power consumption design makes sure that the batteries last for several hours before running out. Who wouldn’t like this feature?

In addition, this flashlight is shock, weather, and water-resistant. It also has a special anti-roll design. Often, the round shape of most tactical flashlights stops users from placing them on flat surfaces. Gearlight, however, designed this flashlight in a manner that it cannot roll away. This bonus feature makes it stand out from other tactical flashlights.

This flashlight is quite useful, with five lighting modes (low, medium, high, strobe, and emergency).

According to Gearlight, this flashlight can light objects up to a thousand feet away, and the featured light is ten folds brighter than the standard incandescent light.

On the downside, however, this flashlight’s light does not illuminate as brightly as that of other tactical flashlights.

This is the current price of these GearLight LED Tactical Flashlight S1000 available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

4. Anker Rechargeable Bolder LC90 LED Flashlight

Anker is among the top reputable brands that manufacture high-quality flashlights for its clients. If you wish to purchase a double cell and high-bright tactical flashlight, you can check out the Anker Rechargeable Bolder LC90 LED Flashlight. With 900 Lumens and a zoomable feature, this flashlight is perfect for hiking or camping.

What I like most about this Anker flashlight is the 900-lumen Cree LED flashlight that emits an incredibly powerful beam. In addition, you can easily shift from one brightness feature to the other thanks to the five adaptable settings such as SOS, strobe, low, medium, and high.

This Anker flashlight features an exceptional rechargeable 6700mAh battery to offer a continuous long-term supply of power. Thanks to this battery, if you run your flashlight on the medium-beam mode, it can last for 13 hours.

Another great feature is that the flashlight can be used even in heavy rains as it is water-resistant. This means that you can work in the rain without worrying about destroying your flashlight. In addition, the strong aluminum makes it lightweight but still strong enough to withstand rough handling.

The only demerit of this Anker flashlight is that USB charging needs disassembly.

This is the current price of these Anker Rechargeable Bolder LC90 LED Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

5. ThruNite Archer 2A V3 Flashlight

If you enjoy camping, you know the value of a good flashlight, especially during those darkest nights. To get brightness and long-term use, you should consider getting this ThruNite Archer 2A V3 neutral white 500 lumens AA LES Flashlight.

Equipped with a top-quality battery and superior LED bulbs, this flashlight is perfect for those nights. With the AA battery used here, you can enjoy up to 500 Lumens of brightness.

Also included in this flashlight is a CREE LED bulb that provides white light. In addition, it has a cost-effective power source that is readily accessible for long-term usage. And thanks to its long-term usage, this product is suitable for several uses, including emergency, security, medical, camping, and even law enforcement.

Made from sturdy, high-quality aluminum, you can rest assured of years of service from this flashlight without any external damage. And for its price, this is truly a bonus feature.

One incredible feature makes this flashlight stand out from other similar products. For your comfortable use and preference, you can change this flashlight’s lighting from neutral white to cool white and vice versa.

However, I did not quite like this flashlight because its highest light settings drain batteries very fast. As a result, it leaves you without power sooner than you anticipated.

This is the current price of these ThruNite Archer 2A V3 Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

6. Streamlight 88850 PolyTac LED Flashlight

This is one of the most compact tactical flashlights available today. It is also quite light (approximately 4 ounces), making it quite easy to carry around. These are just a few of the awesome features of this flashlight.

Another great feature is its C4 LED bulb that throws quite bright light, up to 275 lumens. Even though this might not seem much, such lighting is enough to light up any dark space.

The Streamlight 8850 PolyTac LED Flashlight combines incredible performance with ease of use. Operating this flashlight is quite simple, and basically, anyone can use it. Its tail cap features a nice “clicky” on and off push button. Push this button to switch on your flashlight and push it again to switch it off.

With three different operating modes to pick from (high, low, and strobe), this product is quite versatile, and it comes in handy for a couple of scenarios. Apart from camping, you can use it for other emergency purposes around your home.

That is not all! This Streamlight flashlight is water and impact resistant. This allows you to use out in the rain without any concerns about damage. It is also capable of withstanding a couple of falls.

The only thing that disappoints me is its battery life. It has only 3 hours of battery life, which is considerably little compared to most tactical flashlights.

This is the current price of these Streamlight 88850 PolyTac LED Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

7. Sofirn 1000 Lumens Rechargeable LED Flashlight

This Sofirn tactical flashlight has the Amazon’s Choice label. This should tell you that it is certainly one of the best tactical flashlights under $50 because the label indicates it is very highly rated and sold at a great price. In other words, it is a very popular product with Amazon customers.

From my research, I believe there are three key reasons people love this flashlight: it is very bright, very durable, and very reliable.

The name of the torch is Sofirn 1000 Lumens. This alone should tell you how bright it is. The flashlight has got a super bright output of 1000 lumens. You can use it to see whatever you want in the dark. Probably there is no other flashlight under $30 that is as bright as this. You can use it to see as far out as 207 meters.

What I love the most about this flashlight is its rugged design. The design is what makes it durable. It is what will make this flashlight serve you for a long time. It is also what makes this tactical flashlight water-resistant.

I also love this light’s smart LED indicator button. You can set this button to blink in the dark. This will make it easy for you to find it when you want to use it. You can also set it to blink to indicate the battery status. This is brilliant because it will alert you to charge it and get it ready for the next use before it completely goes dead.

The only thing I do not like about this flashlight is that it is somewhat difficult to use at first.

This is the current price of these Sofirn 1000 Lumens Rechargeable LED Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

8. EcoGear FX TK 12 Complete LED Tactical Flashlight

This is the best tactical flashlight under $50 in the world. I have concluded that it has some of the best features anyone could expect from a tactical flashlight.

For example, it is ultra-bright. It is more than twenty times brighter than ordinary flashlights. This means you can use it to illuminate a large area brightly. You can also use it to illuminate as far out as 1000ft away.

It also features a rugged and water-resistant design. It can, therefore, withstand some abuse and sometime in the rain. In addition, its ultra-brightness and ruggedness make it perfect for multiple outdoor uses, including security, travel, camping, hunting, and dog walking.

I like that this flashlight comes with various light modes for different situations. The light modes include SOS, Strobe, Low, Medium, and High. Each light mode is perfect for a different scenario. For instance, if you are doing a security patrol, the High mode is perfect for illuminating far and wide to detect anything ordinary.

This top flashlight has many more features. However, if you have used any decent Olight flashlight, you probably know what to expect. Because despite this torch tactical flashlight being under $100, it has got similar features to those you would expect from a high-end tactical flashlight like the Olight M2R, which goes for around $150.

The only flaw this EcoGear flashlight has is that it does not remember the last setting.

This is the current price of these EcoGear FX TK 12 Complete LED Tactical Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

9. COAST PX1 315 Lumen Pure Beam Focusing LED Flashlight

This flashlight may not be the brightest in this list of top ten flashlights, but it is fantastic. And it is not just me who says so. Over Amazon, it is so positively rated that it has an Amazon Choice label. It is truly an amazing tactical device.

The best thing about this flashlight is that it is ruggedized. By this, I mean it is designed to be tough and to handle tough conditions or a bit of abuse.

For example, its body is aluminum to handle falls, while its overall design is waterproofed to protect it against water damage. So it is a flashlight that you can rely on despite tough outdoor conditions or a bit of rough handling.

The flashlight has two light outputs – a lower output of 25 lumens and a higher output of 315 lumens. I call the lower output the survival output. You can use it for 41 hours, which is perfect, especially if you are in a situation where you cannot get new batteries.

This flashlight has a lifetime warranty against artistry and materials defects. This shows you how confident the manufacturer is about its quality and how reliable you can expect this flashlight to be.

The only thing you may not like about this rechargeable is the fact that it is battery-powered. This means it is not as convenient as rechargeable tactical flashlights and it is also not environmentally friendly.

This is the current price of these COAST PX1 315 Lumen Pure Beam Focusing LED Flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

10. TerraLUX TLF-3002AA-BK flashlight

Last but not least in this guide is this brilliant TerraLUX flashlight. It is a highly rated flashlight on Amazon and has gotten many positive reviews on the same platform.

Among the features people who have bought are most impressed about is its aluminum design. This design protects it and makes it reliable. So if you want a reliable flashlight under $50, you better get this one.

The more than 3 hours run time on its high 300 Lumen output is also something users like about it in the reviews.

This high-quality flashlight under $50 also includes a wrist strap for security. This is a very convenient feature, especially in the outdoors. It makes it difficult for you to lose the flashlight when out there in the dark.

Lastly, this flashlight is cheap to operate. You only need to purchase two AA batteries to get it going. You do not need three, as is the case with similar flashlights. And the batteries are included in the package, so there is no need to start shopping for batteries when you receive this flashlight.

The one issue I have with this flashlight is the fact that it is battery-powered. This is not environmentally friendly.

This is the current price of these TerraLUX TLF-3002AA-BK flashlight available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com)

As you can see from the guide, there are dozens of incredible tactical flashlights on the market. Moreover, while this guide only includes cheap flashlights or torches, some of them are pretty decent. And they are criminally underpriced, in my opinion.

From the guide above which is based on extensive research and experience, the best tactical flashlight under $50, in my opinion, is the EcoGear FX TK120. It is one of the brightest torches on this list, it is water-resistant, and it is zoomable.

Moreover, it is perhaps the best rechargeable flashlight for under $30. Everything about it is brilliant. The only flashlight that comes close to it in this guide is the Sofirn 1000.

So there you have it. You now know the best affordable flashlights on the market. So get the one you want now while stocks last.

Christian Smelling

Christian Smelling is a soldier who has been in the tactical flashlight field for nine years. He is an expert in the field and has learned a great deal about how to use tactical flashlights during combat.