Rechargeable LED Flashlight Reviews and Comparison

By on February 7th, 2011

Flashlights are essential tools for professionals, such as law enforcement officers, whose jobs require a dependable illumination tool. Due to lower cost of operation and the convenience of “topping off” batteries between use, rechargeable flashlight systems such as Mag Instrument’s MagCharger and the Streamlight Stinger series have been quite popular. Nowadays, there are a lot more rechargeable systems available from a variety of manufacturers, and with the latest high performance lighting-class LEDs, rechargeable flashlights not only last longer, but also produce more output.

LED-Resource will be taking a closer look at some of the latest mid-sized rechargeable systems, so the goal of this article is to evaluate and compare these offerings and hopefully guide you to picking the right rechargeable flashlight for your needs. This page will be continuously updated with new information (rankings may change with new entries).

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Specification Summary

Brand Pelican Streamlight Streamlight Streamlight
Model 7060 Stinger DS LED PolyStinger
DS LED		 Strion LED
LED Type Cree XR-E Cree XR-E Cree XR-E Cree XR-E
Modes High High, Medium,
Low, Strobe		 High, Medium,
Low, Strobe		 High, Medium,
Low, Strobe
Output
(Lumens)		 160 180, 95, 45 185, 95, 45 160, 80, 40
Intensity 16,100 cd 17,000 cd 24,000 cd 10,000 cd
Beam Ratio 100 cd/lm 94 cd/lm 130 cd/lm 63 cd/lm
Runtime 2h 2h, 3h 45m,
7h 15m, 5h 30m		 2h, 3h 45m,
7h 15m, 5h 30m		 2h, 4h,
7h 30m, 5h 30m
Power Source 3.7V Li-Ion
2200 mAh
500 cycles		 3.6V NiCd
1800 mAh
1,000 cycles		 3.6V NiCd
1800 mAh
1,000 cycles		 3.7V Li-Ion
2000 mAh
500 cycles
Length 8.65″ 8.85″ 8.64″ 5.9″
Weight 10.5 oz. 12.8 oz. 11.9 oz. 5.2 oz.
Charge Time 4-5 hours 2.5 hours 2.5 hours 3 hours
Cradle Charge Yes Yes Yes Yes
Battery Charge No Optional Optional No
120V Charge Yes Yes Yes Yes
12V Charge Optional Optional Optional Optional
Lens/Window Acrylic Anti-Scratch
Polycarbonate		 Anti-Scratch
Polycarbonate		 Borofloat Glass
Body Material Polymer w/ Aluminum
Heat Sink		 Polymer
w/ Rubber Grip		 Polymer
w/ Rubber Grip		 Type II Anodized Aluminum
Switch Head and Tail Head and Tail Head and Tail Tail
Anti-Roll Yes No No Yes
Water-Resistant Yes Yes, IPX4 Yes, IPX4 Yes, IPX4
Warranty Lifetime† Lifetime‡ Lifetime‡ Lifetime‡
Pricing ~$140
MSRP: $210		 ~$120
MSRP: $155+		 ~$120
MSRP: $155+		 ~$95
MSRP: $126+
Release Date Mar. 2007 Jul. 2008 Jan. 2009 Mar. 2009
Review Date 3/2/2011 9/14/2011 3/21/2011 6/3/2011
Brand Streamlight 5.11 Tactical Inova LED Lenser
Model Stinger DS LED HP PC3.300 T4 M7R
LED Type Cree XR-E 3 x Cree XP-E Cree XP-G Cree XR-E
Modes High, Medium,
Low, Strobe		 Peak, Standard,
Strobe		 High, Medium,
Low, Strobe		 Boost, Power,
Dim, Blink,
SOS, Strobe
Output
(Lumens)		 200, 100, 50 200, 70, 150 227, 94, 16 210, 165, 27
Intensity 48,000 cd TBD 10,000 cd 13,800 cd
Beam Ratio 240 cd/lm TBD 44 cd/lm 66 cd/lm
Runtime 2h, 3h 45m,
7h 15m, 5h 30m		 13m, 45m,
2h 15m		 2h 15m, 6h,
48h 32m		 3h, 12h, 20h
Power Source 3.6V NiCd
1800 mAh
1,000 cycles		 Capacitor
50,000 cycles		 3.7V Li-Ion
2150 mAh		 3.7V Li-Ion
2200mAh
Length 9.65″ 8.75″ 8″ 6.14″
Weight 14 oz. 10 oz. 9.07 oz. 7.27 oz.
Charge Time 2.5 hours 90 seconds 3 hours 5 hours
Cradle Charge Yes Yes Yes Yes
Battery Charge Optional No No No
120V Charge Yes Yes Yes Yes
12V Charge Optional Yes Yes Optional
Lens/Window Anti-Scratch
Polycarbonate		 Polycarbonate Anti-Reflective Glass Polycarbonate
Body Material Type II Anodized Aluminum
w/ Rubber Grip		 Polymer Type III Anodized Aluminum Type II Anodized Aluminum
Switch Head and Tail Head and Tail Head Tail
Anti-Roll No Yes No No
Water-Resistant Yes, IPX4 Yes Yes, IPX4 Yes
Warranty Lifetime‡ Lifetime§ 3 Years* 5 Years
Pricing ~$140
MSRP: $170+		 ~$160
MSRP: $160		 ~$110
MSRP: $150		 ~$105
MSRP: $150
Release Date Oct. 2009 Mar. 2010 Nov. 2010 Jul. 2011
Review Date 2/10/2011 2/24/2011 3/28/2011 7/15/2011
Brand Maglite SureFire Coming Soon…
Model ML125 R1 Lawman
LED Type Cree XP-G Cree XM-L
Modes High, Low,
SOS or Strobe		 High, Medium, Low, Strobe
Output
(Lumens)		 186, 47 750, 150, 15
Intensity 16,725 cd 16,000 cd
Beam Ratio 90 cd/lm 21 cd/lm
Runtime 8h 30m, 30h 1h 45min,
5h 15min, 37h
Power Source NiMH
2500 mAh
1,000 cycles		 3.6V Li-Ion
2900 mAh
500 cycles
Length 11.1″ 8.1″
Weight 18.4 oz. 10.2 oz.
Charge Time 2 hours 4 hours
Cradle Charge No Cable
Battery Charge Yes No
120V Charge Yes  Yes
12V Charge No  Yes
Lens/Window Polycarbonate Anti-Reflective Glass
Body Material Type II Anodized Aluminum Type III Anodized Aluminum
Switch Head Head and Tail
Anti-Roll No Yes
Water-Resistant Yes, IPX4 Yes
Warranty Lifetime† Lifetime**
Pricing ~$100
MSRP: $120		 ~$350
MSRP: $455
Release Date Sept. 2011 Apr. 2012
Review Date 9/20/2011 4/26/2012

† Lifetime warranty does not include LED or battery.
‡ Lifetime warranty does not include battery or charger. 1-year warranty for battery and charger.
§ Lifetime warranty does not include charger. 1-year warranty for charger.
* 3-year warranty for LED, battery, and switch. Lifetime warranty for materials and workmanship.
** Lifetime warranty includes LED. 2-year warranty for electronics, battery, and charger.

Key Features

Light Output

  • 500+ lumens is the new standard for rechargeable flashlights as advancements in LED technology allow higher efficiency and outputs.
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • ~180-220 lumens is the average output of a rechargeable LED flashlight.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
  • At 160 lumens, the Strion LED and Pelican 7060 do not fall too far behind, and the difference isn’t very noticeable.
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight Strion LED

User Interface (Modes)

  • Single Output is the simple and straightforward on-and-off interface. Click once to turn on, click once more to turn off.
    • Pelican 7060
  • Multi-Mode provides different brightness levels for extended runtime. Common modes include low brightness or strobe.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman

Beam Pattern (Candela/Lumen Ratio)

  • Spot beams (greater than 100 cd/lm) are generally more optimized for outdoor use. A tight beam will travel a long distance and easily illuminates distant objects, but up close, the hotspot can be too bright.
    • Maglite ML125
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
  • Flood beams (less than 10 cd/lm) give off a wide area of light and are better suited for indoor use. A wide beam pattern results in less intense light, which creates less glare. These type of beams do not have much throw.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
  • In the middle-of-the-road is the orange-peel type reflector (around 50 cd/lm). The texture of the reflector smooths out and reduces artifacts from the beam, leading to a larger, but dimmer, hotspot.
    • Inova T4
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Focusable optics, which is LED Lenser’s patented feature, makes it easy to switch focus from spot to flood.
    • LED Lenser M7R

Runtime

  • Full-size rechargeable flashlights, which use larger batteries, have runtimes of up to 8 hours.
    • Maglite ML125
  • Mid-sized rechargeable flashlights have a peak runtime of about 2 hours.
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • The capacitor-powered PC3.300 has a peak runtime of 13 minutes, with an option of 45 minutes from a lower output.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300

Power Source

  • Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) is an older technology that is more robust and can be charged more times than other battery chemistries. NiCd is less energy-dense and heavier than other battery chemistries. Typical life: 1,000 cycles.
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
  • Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) is more energy-dense, so NiMH batteries will provide more runtime than a NiCd of the same size. Unless they are marketed as “low self-discharge,” stored NiMH batteries need to be recharged every six months to ensure that the light is ready to use. Typical life: 500-1,000 cycles.
    • Maglite ML125
  • Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) is commonly found in laptops and portable electronics. Li-Ion batteries pack more power and are smaller and lighter, but cannot achieve as many charge cycles as nickel-based batteries. Li-Ion has fairly low self-discharge, but often, protection circuits on the cells cause them to drain faster than NiMH. Typical life: 500 cycles.
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Capacitors are new to the scene of rechargeable flashlights, and they bring significant advantages, but disadvantages as well. Capacitors can be charged very rapidly (on the order of minutes) and are very light, but cannot hold as much power as batteries and lose charge within weeks. Typical life: 50,000 cycles.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300

Size and Weight

  • Tactical Size lights are small and easy to fit in a pocket. These lights are
    operated using a tailcap switch.

    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Streamlight Strion LED
  • Mid-sized lights are usually carried on a belt holster since these are too
    large to fit comfortably in a pocket. Many of these lights offer both a head and
    tail switch.

    • 5.11 Tactical PC3-300
    • Inova T4
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Full-sized lights are almost always carried on a belt holster or belt loop.
    These lights are operated using a head switch.

    • Maglite ML125

Charge Time (Fully Drained)

  • 90 seconds to charge capacitors.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
  • 2-3 hours is the average charge time for rechargeable flashlight systems.
    • Inova T4
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED (Fast Charge)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED (Fast Charge)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP (Fast Charge)
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • 4-5 hours.
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Pelican 7060
  • 10-12 hours is the standard charge rate for nickel-based batteries, which is generally unnecessary due to the extended charge time
    and limited benefit.

    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED (Standard Charge)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED (Standard Charge)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP (Standard Charge)

Charging Options

  • Cradle Charge is the most convenient way of recharging a flashlight and also provides a place to store or mount the flashlight. Just insert the light into the cradle, and charging begins.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman (Charge Cable)
  • Battery Charge allows batteries to be swapped, making the flashlight ready to use immediately (assuming a charged spare battery is available). Cradle charge takes time, during which the flashlight is unusable, but an additional step of removing the drained battery must be done in order to recharge by battery charge.
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED (Optional)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED (Optional)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP (Optional)

Charging Power Source

  • 120V AC adapter charge.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • 12V DC car charge.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • Pelican 7060 (Optional)
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED (Optional)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED (Optional)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP (Optional)
    • Streamlight Strion LED (Optional)
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • 5V DC USB charge.
    • LED Lenser M7R

Lens/Window Material

  • Anti-reflective coated glass windows allow maximum transmission of light, but glass is not shatter-proof. Glass is also naturally resistant to most scratches, although the AR coating could be damaged by scratches.
    • Inova T4
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Borofloat glass is a high temperature glass with good transparency, and is
    also naturally resistance to most scratches.

    • Streamlight Strion LED
  • Anti-scratch coated polycarbonate windows brings scratch resistance with the durability of plastic.
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
  • Plastic windows are prone to scratches, and a scratched window can reduce output and introduce artifacts into the beam pattern. This is especially a concern for lights in which the window is not easily replaceable (denoted by *).
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300*
    • LED Lenser M7R*
    • Maglite ML125
    • Pelican 7060

Body Material/Finish

  • Type III anodize (also called hard anodize) is the most durable type of finish for an aluminum flashlight.
    • Inova T4
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Type II anodize is a thinner aluminum finish, and is not as durable as type III.
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED (with rubber grip)
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP (with rubber grip)
    • Streamlight Strion LED
  • Polymer is lightweight, and unlike anodization, the color will never come off.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Pelican 7060 (with aluminum heat sink)
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED (with rubber grip)

Heatsink

  • Heatsinks allow the transfer of heat away from the LED, which allows for increased brightness levels and prolongs LED life. As a result, the entire light warms up during extended operation. Generally, most aluminum lights use the flashlight body as a heatsink.
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Without an aluminum body as a heatsink, these lights may reduce output to avoid overheating. Specific spots on the light may get warm or hot during extended operation, and lights with polymer bodies generally do not dissipate heat well (except in the case of the Pelican 7060, which has a aluminum heatsink around the LED module).
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED

Switch

  • Head switches are commonly found on larger flashlights, which are intended to be held mid-body.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • Maglite ML125
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Tail switches are commonly found on smaller, tactical style flashlights that are intended to be held around the tail cap area.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman

Body Design

  • Anti-roll design offers a solution to the annoying problem of runaway flashlights. The cylindrical shape of a typical flashlight allows it to roll away when set on a sloped surface, and a non-cylindrical design prevents this.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Cylindrical design gives the light a more traditional look and feel.
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP

Bezel Design

  • Crenelated bezels allow light to escape through the bezel, alerting the user if a light has been turned on and set head-down on a flat surface.
    • Pelican 7060
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • Flat bezel.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Inova T4
    • LED Lenser M7R
    • Maglite ML125
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED

Warranty

  • Lifetime warranties provide peace-of-mind about your illumination investment. Most lifetime warranties do not cover components such as the battery, which is a consumable that will eventually need to be replaced. Consult the Specification Summary footnotes for additional details.
    • 5.11 Tactical PC3.300
    • Maglite ML125
    • Pelican 7060
    • Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED
    • Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP
    • Streamlight Strion LED
    • SureFire R1 Lawman
  • 3-year warranty on major components, which include the LED, battery, and switch.
    • Inova T4
  • 5-year warranty, excluding accessories.
    • LED Lenser M7R

Comparison Results

Brand Pelican Streamlight Streamlight Streamlight
Model 7060 Stinger DS LED PolyStinger
DS LED		 Strion LED
Output 7 8 8 7
User Interface 8 10 10 10
Beam Pattern 8 9 10 10
Runtime 8 8 8 8
Power Source 10 8 8 10
Size and Weight 9 9 9 10
Charge Time 8 9 9 9
Charge Options 8 10 10 8
Charge Source 8 8 8 8
Lens/Window 8 10 10 10
Body Material 10 9 10 9
Heatsink 9 10 6 9
Switch 10 10 10 10
Switch Feel 6 10 10 10
Body Design 10 10 8 10
Bezel Design 10 8 8 8
Warranty 10 10 10 10
Total 147 156 151 155
Overall ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★
Brand Streamlight 5.11 Tactical Inova LED Lenser
Model Stinger DS LED HP PC3.300 T4 M7R
Output 8 8 8 8
User Interface 10 9 9 9
Beam Pattern 9 8 10 10
Runtime 8 5 8 8
Power Source 8 8 10 10
Size and Weight 8 9 10 10
Charge Time 9 10 9 8
Charge Options 10 8 8 8
Charge Source 8 10 10 10
Lens/Window 10 6 10 6
Body Material 9 10 10 9
Heatsink 10 6 10 9
Switch 10 10 8 10
Switch Feel 10 8 6 8
Body Design 8 10 8 8
Bezel Design 8 8 8 8
Warranty 10 10 7 8
Total 153 143 149 147
Overall ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★
Brand Maglite SureFire Coming Soon…
Model ML125 R1 Lawman
Output 8 10
User Interface 10 10
Beam Pattern 10 10
Runtime 10 10
Power Source 10 10
Size and Weight 8 9
Charge Time 9 9
Charge Options 8 8
Charge Source 8 10
Lens/Window 8 10
Body Material 9 10
Heatsink 10 10
Switch 10 10
Switch Feel 10 9
Body Design 8 10
Bezel Design 8 10
Warranty 10 10
Total 154 165
Overall ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Overall score is signified by the # of stars and weighted on serious drawbacks (scores of 7 or lower).
For tactical-sized lights, no points are deducted for lack of a head switch.
For full-sized lights, no points are deducted for lack of a tail switch.

Editor’s Choice: It’s difficult to put a price on an equipment investment so we didn’t include pricing as a criteria, but putting it back into the picture, our top picks are: Streamlight Stinger DS LED and SureFire R1 Lawman. While the SureFire R1 Lawman is our top pick, the Streamlight Stinger DS LED is a much more budget-friendly choice. We’ll leave our recommendation open-ended with these two, but other great choices for more specific requirements include the Streamlight Strion LED and Maglite ML125.

Each flashlight in our round-up were carefully selected for review, and all of them are excellent in their own right. The Comparison of Key Features section will empower you to consider each criteria and determine which is most important to you, then pick the rechargeable flashlight system that best matches your needs. We hope that this article has helped identify the right rechargeable flashlight system for you!

Categorized under: BATT: Rechargeable, LED Flashlight Reviews.

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