Nitecore lit up SHOT Show 2026 with new flashlights. Their EDC37 output a crazy 8000 lumens. I reviewed its smaller brother the EDC29 last year which outputs 6500 lumens and burned a hole in my vest.
Nitecore has also branched out into selling ultra-compact power banks.
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Power Bank https://youtu.be/flIm5WwJlOo
The G5 is an unusual, flat EDC flashlight that is about the size and form factor of a zippo lighter. But that isn’t what makes it unique. This flashlight has a pivoting emitter head that can rotate 180º and a pocket clip that can also rotate 180º. This allows a lot of flexibility in how this flashlight can be mounted, stored, and used as a work light or head lamp.
The controls are primarily analog. Sliding the lockout switch one click allows the primary button to function and sliding it all the way up, reveals a USB-C port. Under to the activation/mode button is a rotary dial which is a stepless brightness adjustment and when pressed into the RGB allows you to change the color of the light. A double-tap switches the flashlight into a colored emergency beacon.
I found the flashlight to be more than bright, exceeding 400 lumens in high mode. The G5 is IPX68 rated, which means it is supposed to survive underwater immersion, but when I tested it with a power washer, water got into the unit (probably through the analog switch or dial). After a few hours, the flashlight turned on by itself in blue light mode and wouldn’t turn off until the battery died. It would not recharge.
I contacted Wuben’s customer service. They have up to a 5-year warranty if you register your product with Wuben. My unit was a testing sample, so I did not have a receipt or order number so they couldn’t replace my unit. I had to contact my marketing contact at Wuben to get a replacement. So if you are buying a G5 be sure to keep your receipt or if giving it as a gift, include a gift receipt so that your recipient can register the product.
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Wuben G5: https://www.wubenlight.com/products/wuben-g5-edc-light?ref=wjotytoc
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G5
Max Brightness: 400 lumens
Max Throw: 82m
Modes: Low, Medium, High, Moonlight,
RGB, Beacon, & SOS
Battery: 3.7V LiPo (450mAh)
Charging: USB-C
Runtime: Up to 65 hours (low)
Waterproof: IP68
Material: Aluminum
Dimensions: 3.7cm x 1.5cm x 6.2cm
Weight: 52g (1.84 oz)
The Klarus XT11GT Pro is a traditional tactical flashlight that is 5″ long with a 1″ tube. It uses a standard 18650 (or 2x CR123) Lipo battery to drive an emitter with an output of 3300 lumens. It has a USB-C port to allow direct recharging of the battery inside the flashlight.
Its bell is impressively thick and reinforced with ceramic glass-breaking beads embedded in 3 of its crown teeth. The base of the bell is flared, similar to a sword pomel, to help prevent your hand from slipping when striking with the flashlight to break glass.
It’s operated via a primary clicky button, which activates its turbo mode of 3300 lumens. Along the rim of the tail cap is its Auxiliary control switch, which activates the flashlight in low, medium, high, SOS, and strobe. This dual button system makes for easier control but the angled Aux button prevents the flashlight from tail standing.
iThe XT11GT Pro is an incremental but significant upgrade. For those who are used to and comfortable with a traditional tactical light that will fit into many standard holsters, this is a great choice.
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XT11GT PRO
Max Output: 3300 LM
Max Throw: 450 yrds (410m)
LED: Luminus SST-70
Max Runtime Turbo: 1.8 hrs
Max Runtime Low: 120 hrs
Battery: 18650/2xCR123A
Charging: USB-C
Waterproof: IPX8
Length: 5.5″ (140mm)
Diameter: 1.38″ (35mm)
Weight: Approx. 4.3 oz (121g)
Olight has released the AkrPro, the newest model of their category-defining Arkfeld “blade style” EDC flashlight. This flashlight looks nearly identical to the Arkfeld Pro, but on closer inspection, the AkPro is slightly longer, and it has more upgrades in store.
On its left side, it now has a USB-C port hidden under a metal flap similar to the OClip. The ArkPro still retains the magnetic charging base, which also allows for a remote pressure switch accessory. When charging, a series of bars around the inside of the rotary control indicates the battery charge.
On its right side, it has a small button that activates the green laser pointer. Replacing the laser setting on the rotary wheel, the ArkPro now offers a FLOOD beam setting, which produces a broad flood pattern differing from the OLight’s “standard/spot” style beam. The UV light now offers a high and low output mode.
The ArkPro is everything you would want in an Arkfeld Pro and more, which makes me wonder why they would still offer the older model. The only thing the ArkPro is missing is an analogue Lock Out setting. Maybe that should be offered in an ArkUltra?
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Light: White LED, UV (365nm), Green Laser (510-530nm)
Max Brightness: Up to 1500 Lumens
Max Throw: 205 meters (672 ft)
Runtime: Up to 72 hours on low
Battery: Built-in (2000mAh)
Charging: USB-C & Magnetic
Water Resistance: IPX7
Material: 6061 Aluminum Alloy
Dimensions: 4.88″ x 1.06″ x 0.63″ (124x27x16mm)
Weight: Approx. 4.06 oz / 115g
When I received a Wuben X4 flashlight to test, I was struck by its futuristic industrial design. It looks like a device from a Cyberpunk fever dream or a component from a Gundam mech. It has a robust pocket/belt clip and has been described as a “flat” EDC, though I found it too chunky to be comfortably a pocket EDC.
The blockier form factor is required to accommodate a user-replaceable 18650 lithium battery. In addition to its cubist design, this flashlight is unusual for its use of analogue controls. The squared base is magnetic, incorporating a tail clicky plate with an additional rubber activation button on its side. Its modes are set by a sliding switch, and the settings are adjusted with a stepless dial. The layout is intuitive and responsive.
My only negative experience wasn’t with the X4 sample I tested but with Wuben’s customer service. I had a failure with a different flashlight, a Wuben G5 I was also testing. Despite multiple attempts to contact customer service through the Wuben website, they failed to respond to my request for help on the G5. While I can say that the X4 passed my performance, drop, and waterproof tests, I would not count on warranty support from the company in the future. If Wuben’s customer service was as good as its design, this would be an amazing flashlight.
Save 20%, $49.99 → $39.99
Wuben X4:https://www.wubenlight.com/products/wuben-x4-compact-multi-function-flashlight?ref=wjotytoc
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4oFP0GO
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Max Output: 1500 lumens
Max Throw: 205 meters
Side light Output: 100 lumens
Modes: 6
Color Temp: 4000K RGB
Battery: 18650, 3400mAh
Charging: USB-C
Waterproof: IP68
Weight: 137g w/battery
Dimensions: 3.8 x 2.6 x 9.5 cm
I’d never heard of the Hotligh brand prior to them contacting me to ask if I would be interested in collaborating and testing out their flashlights. Their name was probably an attempt at the words “Hot Light”, dropping the last letter “T” to trademark the name, but its unfortunate that nobody noticed that “ligh” can sound like “lie”.
Name aside, their flashlight came in a black box without accessories, save for a USB-C charging cable. The body is made of sturdy aluminum with a sci-fi style that wouldn’t look out of place in a video game or movie. The flashlight has a flattened blade-style design with a primary spot at the one end, a magnetic tail on the opposite end, and a large flood light on its flat side. It’s a bit too big and heavy to be an appealing EDC light but the flat shape and belt clip, facilitate stowing it in a pocket.
Each of the LED emitters is controlled by its own rubberized button. One press turns on its spot emitter on low and additional taps goes to high mode and then off. The flood button adds an additional UV mode and a double-tap on the flood activates an RBG breatihng mode on the otherwise blue battery indicator strip of small LEDs. Neither button offers mode memory.
In my initial testing both the spot and flood lights output about 1600 lumens but in retesting with a new unit, I found that the output was over 2000 lumens, the HOTLigh wasn’t lying. I find the lack of mode memory the only disappointing aspect in an otherwise great-looking, high-performance modern flashlight.
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ZF8313
Lumens High: 2000
Lumens Low: 120
Max Throw: 144m
Max Runtime: 15hrs
Spot Modes: Low, High
Side Modes: Low, High, UV, Breath
Length: 4.53″
Width: 1.77”
Thickness: 0.63″
Weight: 5.9oz
Battery: Lithium-Ion
Power Input: USB-C
The E06R looks like a Fenix E03R keychain flashlight had a growth spurt. It is a bit longer and thicker than the E03R with the addition of belt clip. It also has a higher lumen output, a magnetic tail, a UV lamp, and a laser pointer. Its feature set is closer to a full-sized EDC like the OLight Arkfeld than a keychain flashlight, while retaining the advantage of being lighter and more compact than a full-sized EDC.
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Max Lumens: 700
Max Beam Distance: 361 feet (110 m)
Max Runtime: 60 hours
Lighting Modes: Ten lighting modes including four brightness levels, four modes for the decorative ring light, UV light, and red laser pointer
Bulb Type: Two Luminus SST12 LEDs. UV light utilizes one Luminus SST-08-UV LED
Lens Material: Polycarbonate
Color Temperature: Around 6500K
Size: Length: 2.72” (69mm) Width: 1.14” (29mm) Height: 0.63” (16mm)
Weight: 1.90 oz. (24g) including battery
Battery: Built-in 750mAh battery
Klarus released an update to their E5 that I tested last year. The new E5+ looks nearly identical to its predecessor. Both are extremely flat, lightweight, minimalist, and fashion-forward EDC lights; a flashlight Apple would design. The Plus comes in 4 colors with matching metal belt clips: vibrant orange, OD green, grey, and black.
Physically, the E5 Plus looks nearly identical to the E5. Both have a magnetic tip that allows the E5 to tail-stand as a work light or be attached to the roof of a car as a warning signal. Klarus has staked out its position by offering the lightest, flattest EDC; about the length of a typical 3″ bladed folding knife. The E5 Plus weighs less than a pair of Apple AirPods with it charging case (1.4 oz). The new Plus is only 2 grams heavier than the original E5 and offers slightly more battery capacity and lumen output.
The EP5 has two light emitters. It’s primarily a clip-on lapel light for hands-free use; thin enough to slip inside MOLLE loops. Its main LED emitter is its larger round light on its side. Its auxiliary light forms the top end opposite its magnet. The E5 Plus adds a separate control button for the auxiliary light. The additional button improves the ergonomics of the light and addresses my main criticisms of the E5’s control and function scheme. Moreover, the two buttons make it easier to visually distinguish between a control button and the USB-C charging cover.
Pressing either control button for half a second activates the light. Tapping it changes the brightness mode. Additionally, tapping the primary button twice switches the primary white light to red-light mode, which now has a red-only flashing mode when tapped (instead of blue and red, which could affect night vision sensitivity). Both the main and the aux emitters now have mode memory, which the original E5 sadly lacked. The maximum output of the main light has been slightly increased to a maximum of 650 lumens.
Both the E5 and the E5 Plus are being sold simultaneously by Klarus. But given the similar price point (about $20) and much better ergonomics and feature set, I suspect the E5 will not be around much longer. The E5 Plus’s new features, like mode memory and two-button controls, make this a much more practical and functional EDC light.
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• Maximum Brightness：650 lumens
• Weight: 39g
• Thickness: 8mm
• Battery Capacity：500 mAh
• Charging port: USB-C
• Max runtime: 12hrs
• Waterproof: IPX4
I stopped by the Fenix booth at SHOT Show to see Fenix’s new offerings for 2025. I had tested the EO3R, which is a small flat EDC flashlight, about the size of my car’s alarm fob. The new E06R extends this design with a higher output and higher battery capacity. It’s also a bit longer by about 50% so it’s no longer a keychain sized EDC but not quite long enough to be a knife sized flashlight like the OLight Arkfeld. It’s about the size of the SW05R clip-on light that they sent me to test. I hope to get a sample of the EO6R to test out too.
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At SHOT Show 2025 Fenix showed me the update to their super bright 1200-lumen GL19R weaponlight. Fenix listened to user input and created the 2.0 following the principles of K.I.S.S. Not Rock-n-Roll all Night and Party Everyday, the other one: Keep it simple, stupid.
The GL19R 2.0 does away with the strobe and changeable brightness output. No fussing around with different modes or accidentally activating one. You get either Turbo (1200 lumens) or off.
The controls have been changed to mechanical finger-activated levers, which can either be flipped to constant on or pressed for momentary. There’s no fussing with the micro-seconds of pressure to activate momentary vs. constant. Moreover, Fenix includes 3 different levers with different lengths and heights. Finally, Fenix added a quick-release lever and innovative, tool-less adapters to use the GL19R 2.0 for either Picatanny or Glock rails.
The GL19R 2.0 retains the CR18650 battery which can be charged internally via a USB-C cable. Sometimes less is more. In the GL19R 2.0 having fewer brightness modes makes for a MORE reliable weaponlight.
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on the Fenix website https://alnk.to/eDSGwgw
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Max Lumens: 1200
Max Beam Distance: 1378 feet (420 meters)
Max Runtime: 55 minutes
Lighting Modes: One 1200 max lumen white light level
Bulb Type: Luminus SFT25R LED
Lens Material: Glass
Color Temperature: Around 6000K
Size: Length: 3.70” (94mm) Width: 1.22” (31mm) Height: 1.25” (32mm)
Weight: 4.20 oz. (119g) including battery
Battery: 8350 rechargeable li-ion
Included: ARB-L18-1100 battery, USB Type-C charging cable, Picatinny rail plate, Spare switch, Extended switch, Spare USB anti-dust cover, Allen wrench, Spare O-ring
Warranty: Limited Lifetime Guarantee from Fenix Lighting USA
