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How to choose the best flashlight for your needs

Leslie MolinMarket Segment Manager - Personal SafetyOctober 26, 2021

Are you looking for info on picking the best flashlight?

Then you've come to the right post!

You'll learn about:

  • what makes a flashlight bright
  • the best battery option, and
  • the highest performing light types.

man holding pen flashlight

Lumens and candela:

Lumens and candela are technical measurements that help define the performance characteristics of a lighting tool.

These features can help you find the best flashlight with a bit of knowledge.

  1. Lumen: A measurement of the entire output of the light emitted. Focus is not considered.
  2. Candela (or peak beam intensity): A measure of the brightest spot in a focused beam.

More about lumens

A lumen is a measurement of raw light output.

For example, imagine a lamp with no shade on it.

The lamp makes a lot of lumens, but without something like the shade to direct the light, it goes everywhere.

Lumens without direction, shape or shade can be hurt people's eyes.

Better candela = more distance

close up shot of vulcan 180 flashlight being held by a firefighter's hip

Candela (sometimes called candlepower) is a measure of beam concentration. Candela directly impacts how far away you can see with a beam of light. A reflector, lens or shade built into the flashlight creates candela.

For example, the headlights on a car. The reflectors in the headlights direct the light to illuminate objects on the road.

Choosing the right flashlight for your tasks:

When choosing the right flashlight for your job, make sure the beam distance rating — usually measured in meters — is adequate for the job.

For example, if you’re inspecting a utility distribution line, you’ll want a light with a long-distance rating of 1,000 metres.

Close-up tasks like inspections or repairs, a light with many lumens is important but too much can be blinding. Instead, choose a light with a distributed beam that doesn’t have much distance capability.

Streamlight work lights often don’t have a distance or candela rating because they have a soft beam to eliminate shadows and reduce eye fatigue. Their flashlights for close-up tasks will also have softer colour LEDs for better colour differentiation and to further reduce eye fatigue.

stringer switchblade being used to illuminate car engine

Low to medium lumens with low or no candela/distance capability


Performance Characteristics

Typical Uses

Examples of Available Products

  • Even, soft 'flood' beam
  • Low or no candela/distance rating
  • Good close-up illumination
  • Reduced eye fatigue
  • Detailed maintenance and repair operations
  • Up close quality inspections
  • Vehicle maintenance



Medium to high lumens with medium candela/distance capability


Performance Characteristics

Typical Uses

Examples of Available Products

  • Good illumination
  • Good distance capability
  • Delivers balanced performance
  • Provides a good level of candela
  • Confined space
  • Mining
  • Fire and EMS
  • Construction



Medium to high lumens with high candela/distance capability


Performance Characteristics

Typical Uses

Examples of Available Products

  • High candela beam
  • Delivers long range lighting
  • Sheds a bright peripheral beam
  • More light on your target at a distance
  • Search and rescue missions
  • Marine transportation
  • Structural firefighting


Battery type:

Streamlight flashlights come in rechargeable and disposable battery options.


Disposable batteries: Disposable alkaline or lithium batteries have excellent storage life (7 and 10 years respectively). While they have a lower initial purchase price and are easy to keep spares on hand, they have a much higher operating cost than rechargeable lights.

streamlight disposable AA batteries

Rechargeable: Rechargeable batteries using nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) or lithium-ion batteries have low operating expenses and are great for frequent use. Their initial purchase price can be higher but save money over the total life of ownership.

streamlight rechargeable battery

Light type:

Most flashlights are equipped with LED lights today. LEDs are cost-efficient, long-lasting and produce an exceptional amount of light.

Streamlight flashlights adjust the output and beam pattern to meet a customer’s needs by using LEDs.

LED: Lasts 100,000 hours and does not require periodic replacement. Can run for long periods on little power. Streamlight flashlights create an intense beam of light by pairing LEDs with reflectors.

‘Chip on Board’ (COB) LED: Multiple LED chips (usually nine or more) packaged together as one lighting module. The LED looks more like a lighting panel than multiple individual lights when lit up.

Combination LED/COB LED: Combines the intense brightness of an LED for distance lighting and a COB LED for a smooth, flood beam for up-close work.

Work light safety ratings explained



Find the best flashlight for you:

The first place you should go is our flashlights product page. We've grouped many of the Streamlight flashlights we carry by industry.

Then, using the information you've learned on this page, you can narrow down the choice to the best flashlight for your needs.

Have a question? Contact us. We're always here to help answer any questions you may have.

Why choose Streamlight flashlights?

Streamlight manufactures more flashlights for industrial markets than any other professional work light supplier.

Streamlight work lights include features like:

  • LED lights
  • rechargeable battery
  • intrinsically safe options
  • clips for hats, helmets and shirts for a hands-free light source
  • innovative beam patterns to spread more light
Vulcan® 180 Haz-Lo®

Vulcan® 180 Haz-Lo®

  • 180° articulating head
  • Three LEDs for tight beam
  • Rechargeable
  • 400 lumens
2AAA ProPolymer® Haz-Lo®

2AAA ProPolymer® Haz-Lo®

  • Compact and lightweight
  • Water resistant
  • 2 AAA batteries
  • 60 lumens
3AA Dualie® Flashlight

3AA Dualie® Flashlight

  • Spot and floodlight beams
  • Magnetic clip
  • IP67 waterproof rated
  • 245 lumens
Stylus® Pro Penlight

Stylus® Pro Penlight

  • Low battery indicator
  • Pocket-sized
  • IPX4 water resistant
  • 100 lumens
JR F-Stop® Multi-Use Work Light

JR F-Stop® Multi-Use Work Light

  • Spot and flood lighting
  • Pocket-sized
  • IPX4 water resistant
  • 250 lumens
Stinger® 2020

Stinger® 2020

  • High, medium, low modes plus strobe
  • Aluminum construction
  • Rechargeable li-ion battery
  • 2,000 lumens
Waypoint® 300 Rechargeable Spotlight

Waypoint® 300 Rechargeable Spotlight

  • 1,000-metre beam
  • Pistol-grip spotlight
  • 3 light modes
  • 1,000 lumens
Rechargeable Portable Scene LED

Rechargeable Portable Scene LED

  • 6 LED lights
  • Diffuser settings to adjust beam
  • Choose wide flood beam or tight spotlight
  • 5,300 lumens on high
3AA Dualie® Flashlight

3AA Dualie® Flashlight

  • Spot and floodlight beams
  • Magnetic clip
  • IP67 waterproof rated
  • 245 lumens
Microstream® Pocket Light

Microstream® Pocket Light

  • 41m beam
  • Designed to clip to hat brim
  • Push button tail switch
  • 45 lumens
Stinger Switchblade® Light Bar

Stinger Switchblade® Light Bar

  • 5 lights in one
  • Folds in half for storage
  • Fits into tight spaces
  • 800 lumens
Protac® HL-X USB Flashlight

Protac® HL-X USB Flashlight

  • Integrated micro-USB port
  • Three modes: High, low, strobe
  • Pocket clip
  • 1,000 lumens
Portable Scene Light II

Portable Scene Light II

  • Stackable up to 3 units
  • Rotating head
  • 5 levels of light output
  • 10,000 lumens
Vantage® 180 X USB Flashlight

Vantage® 180 X USB Flashlight

  • 3 positions:
    • Helmet mounted
    • Right-angled light
    • Handheld flashlight
  • 250 lumens
Survivor® Right-Angle Light

Survivor® Right-Angle Light

  • Four lighting modes
  • Clip attaches to turnout gear
  • Class 1, division 1 rated
  • 175 lumens
2AA Propolymer® Haz-Lo® Flashlight

2AA Propolymer® Haz-Lo® Flashlight

  • 96m beam distance
  • IPX7 waterproof rated
  • Intrinsically safe
  • 65 lumens
Protac® 2L-X USB Tactical Flashlight

Protac® 2L-X USB Tactical Flashlight

  • Integrated micro-USB port
  • Three modes: High, low, strobe
  • Pocket clip
  • 500 lumens
Knucklehead® Flood Light

Knucklehead® Flood Light

  • Hang hook for hands-free use
  • 210-degree articulating head
  • Dual LEDs
  • 200 lumens