Olight Baton 4
1,300 lumens in a body smaller than your thumb, with magnetic charging that removes every excuse for a dead light. The proprietary cell is the price of admission.
Everyday Carry · Updated August 2026
EDC Flashlights, Explained Properly
Most flashlight coverage is a lumen number and an affiliate link. We care about the boring stuff instead: sustained output, whether the interface makes sense at 3 a.m., and if the thing survives a year in your pocket.
- Lights ranked
- 7
- Full reviews
- 4
If you just want an answer
- Best for most people: Olight Baton 4 — 1,300 lumens, thumb-sized, magnetic charging.
- Most dependable: Streamlight ProTac 2L-X — runs on a rechargeable cell or CR123A primaries.
- Best tiny: ThruNite Archer Mini — 34 g, USB-C, about fifteen dollars.
- Best keychain: Olight i3E EOS — 90 lumens on one AAA, weighs nothing.
Latest Reviews
All reviews →Streamlight ProTac 2L-X
Only 500 lumens — and it runs on a rechargeable 18650 or two CR123A primaries that keep for a decade. The light least likely to be dead when it matters.
ThruNite Archer Mini
34 grams, USB-C, IPX8, and a useful 18-lumen low — for about fifteen dollars. The cheapest way to stop being someone who doesn't carry a flashlight.
Start Here
How to Choose an EDC Flashlight
Lumens, candela, CRI, battery formats, IP ratings, and user interfaces — what each spec means, which ones matter, and which are marketing noise designed to move units.
The 7 Best EDC Flashlights
Ranked picks across every price point and pocket size, with the reasoning behind each placement — including who each light is wrong for.
Lumens vs. Throw
Why a 2,000-lumen light can be less useful than a 600-lumen one, what thermal step-down is really doing, and how to read an ANSI FL1 spec sheet.
Accessories That Actually Matter
Batteries, smart chargers, pocket clips, diffusers, and holsters. The cheap upgrades that change how a light performs, and the ones you can safely skip.
Why trust this site
We publish our reasoning, not just conclusions. Every recommendation explains what the light is bad at alongside what it's good at, because a review that finds no faults isn't a review — it's an advertisement. When specifications come from a manufacturer rather than our own measurements, we say so on the page.