7 Best Weapon Lights (by Platform): Ranked for 2025 By: Travis Pike

Surefire X300 Turbo

The Turbo lights are designed to prioritize candela over lumens.

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Surefire X300 Turbo

Surefire’s Turbo series has been a welcome refresh to their weapon lights. The Turbo lights are designed to prioritize candela over lumens. Don’t get me wrong, you’re still getting a healthy dose of lumens, but more and more candela than ever. More candela means more range and more power overall. The X300 is Surefire’s flagship full-sized pistol light. It’s long been the duty option for full-sized handguns.

The X300T combines 650 lumens with 66,000 candela. The beam utilizes the candela by employing an emitter and reflector designed to produce a tight, concentrated beam. This maximizes its long-range potential and pushes light through photonic barriers like a hot knife through melted butter.

The X300T series is built to last. They are incredibly durable and designed to take abuse and punishment. The light can withstand submersion for up to thirty minutes at a depth of one meter. The overall design of Surefire’s lights has always been bulletproof and does a brilliant job of resisting drops, recoil, and more.

Surefire owns the military and police market, and for good reason. With that in mind, the price is also pretty on par with military contracting. Meaning it’s pricey. The Surefire X300T is far from cheap. It’s built to last, so the price is a bit of an investment, but it’s a price you’ll only pay once.

If you want raw power, bright white light, and unbeatable durability, the Surefire X300T will scratch that itch as long as you don’t mind paying the cost of admission.

Surefire X300 Turbo Pros and Cons

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X

Streamlight’s upped the power of their compact light with 1,000 lumens and 22,000 candela, making this a do it all compact light.

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Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X Review

Streamlight’s little TLR-7 was a neat little light when it premiered. I liked it, as did most shooters. What most of us never expected was how quickly Streamlight expanded the TLR-7 lineup. It’s quickly becoming their flagship series with numerous models available. The various TLR-7’s keep the general idea of the original, make a small light for small guns. The HL-X just pushes that idea to the next level of brightness.

The HL-X packs 1,000 lumens with 22,000 candela. This is equivalent to the power of the full-size TLR-1 HL. It packs a lot of light into a compact package. The power might be the same, but the smaller reflector and the emitter don’t give the same massive field of view and wide beam. It’s a little more focused with a smaller beam width.

The TLR-7 HL-X packs a ton of power for such a small light. It’s bright and powerful. It fills up rooms with light and provides enough light to cut through the photonic barriers created by your typical urban environment. To reach max power, you need to use the rechargeable SL-B9 batteries, but you can hot swap CR123A batteries at the cost of lumens and candela.

The light does all this while remaining small and lightweight. It works with your typical concealed carry firearm. If it’s small and has a rail, the TLR-7 HL-X deserves a spot on your gun. It allows you to easily establish positive identification regardless of the lighting conditions.

Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X Pros and Cons

Cloud Defensive REIN 3.0

If you want to maximize your light and your effective range at night, the Rein series of weapon lights from Cloud Defensive will get you there.

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Cloud Defensive Rein 3.0 Review

The primary benefit of a rifle is its versatility. Rifles can hit at both close and long ranges with confidence and do so with relative ease. The range of a rifle is tough to match with a weapon light, but some can reach out a little further than others. If you want to maximize your light and your effective range at night, the Rein series of weapon lights from Cloud Defensive will get you there.

The Rein packs a lot of power, a lot of candela, and more than enough lumens. In fact, it gets you 100,000 candela, which is a metric ton. Or imperial ton, whichever is bigger. That 100,000 candela propels 1,250 lumens hundreds of yards. A massive 1.3-inch bezel light head throws the beam far enough that you need a magnified optic to get the most out of it.

The light throws a focused and concentrated beam with a distinguished hotspot. It’s super easy to see and looks more like a lightsaber than your average weapon light. If you hate the idea of darkness, then the Rein is for you.

The Rein series are modern lights that use modern rechargeable batteries, but the latest models are also dual-fuel, so they can use CR123A batteries. Of course, you lose some power taking that route. These lights are modern and modular, and designed to mount to modern weapons via M-LOK. They are compatible with some of the best pressure switches on the market and offer modern mounting options in various configurations.

The downside? It’s expensive. Really expensive. If you can get past the price, this is one of the most powerful, most capable lights on the market.

Cloud Defensive Rein 3.0 Pros and Cons

Nightstick LGL-160-T

The LGL-160-T is a reasonably impressive package when you look at the goodies it includes.

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Nightstick LGL-160-T Review

Since the AR-15 is, without a doubt, America’s most popular rifle, I’m betting a lot of readers will be interested in tossing a light on their rifle. I recognize that the Cloud Defensive Rein 3.0 is an expensive option, too expensive, so I wanted to include one more bonus option for your rifle, something in the more affordable realm. If I had to pick a budget-worthy tactical light, I’d go with the Nightstick LGL-160-T.

The LGL-160-T has a lot of hyphens, but even more candela. In fact, it packs an impressive 100,000 candela for around 150 dollars. That candela is pushing 800 lumens downrange and delivering a lot of light on target. It’s powerful enough to be useful on a rifle, and you’ll get the most success with a magnified optic. It’s that bright and that powerful.

The light comes with a pressure switch, which makes it even more affordable. The light comes with a standard mount and an offset mount. The LGL-160-T is a reasonably impressive package when you look at the goodies it includes. Nightstick has established a solid reputation for producing budget-friendly weapon lights that consistently perform well.

I wouldn’t jump out of an airplane or take it for a ship-to-shore insertion, but for the average user, it’s more than tough enough to take the abuse most people will toss at it. The Nightstick LGL-160-T isn’t the fanciest light, but from a modern perspective, the Nightstick performs well for $150.

Nightstick LGL-160-T Pros and Cons

Surefire DSF 

The easiest thing you can do is just turn your pump into a weapon light, and that’s what Surefire did with the DSF series.

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Surefire DSF Review

Lights on pump shotguns can be tricky. The pump must move to control the gun, making it difficult to manage a light while working a pump. The easiest thing you can do is just turn your pump into a weapon light, and that’s what Surefire did with the DSF series. The DSF series is produced for Mossberg 500 series guns and Remington 870s. This all-in-one system is the easiest way to mix a pump with a weapon light.

This system packs 600 lumens backed by 13,000 candela. The bezel diameter is a mighty 1.37 inches. This isn’t the most powerful option on the market, but for a shotgun, it’s well designed. The big bezel throws a wide beam that fills a room and fills your vision instantly. Shotguns are close-quarters weapons, and having a wider beam makes more sense than having a beam that goes out several hundred yards.

The DSF series can also reduce the lumens to 200 with the press of a button. This expands battery life for citations where overall brightness isn’t needed. Speaking of buttons, the controls are completely ambidextrous and easy to use. The buttons are big, and we have dedicated buttons for momentary and constant modes.

The DSF has to be both a weapon light and a pump, so how does it work as a pump? Stellar. The big hump that houses the light allows you to press your hand tightly against the pump and exercise an excellent push/pull for recoil mitigation. The downside is weight, at 18 ounces and some change, with batteries, it’s not quite light.

Surefire DSF Pros and Cons

Modlite PDW 350

The Modlite PDW 350, paired with the PLHv2 head, strikes the perfect balance between lightness, size, and weight.

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Modlite PDW 350 Review

If you prefer your repeating claymore to be semi-auto, then the Surefire DSF isn’t going to work for you. What are your options? This might sound like an unusual option, but the Modlite PDW 350 is ideal for semi-automatic shotguns. It’s designed for micro-sized PDWs, but works exceptionally on semi-auto shotguns. Semi-auto shotguns don’t have the same issues as pump shotguns with lights, so we can be a little more traditional.

PDWs and shotguns share many similarities. Namely, their short-range capability. The Modlite PDW 350, paired with the PLHv2 head, strikes the perfect balance between lightness, size, and weight. Modlite produces exceptional lights that are designed to last and deliver exceptional brightness. The PDW 350, equipped with the PLHv2 head, produces 1,350 lumens and 54,000 candela.

This creates a bright light with an impressive array of power. It has more range than you need, and it is incredibly bright. It will shine light into nearly every crack, corner, and place darkness tries to hide. The mixture of candela and lumens is absolutely shocking considering the compact nature of this light.

At 4 inches long and weighing only 5ish ounces with the battery, the Modlite won’t weigh your gun down. Modlite makes their lights to last, so shotgun recoil won’t be anything it can’t take. The light features a slim, inline design that mounts with ease, allowing for a compact setup.

Like any high-end light, the Modlite is pricey. It’s not a cheap setup, but users of reliable semi-auto shotguns are used to high prices, so it shouldn’t be too demanding. If you get past the price, you’re getting a duty-ready weapon light designed to complement a semi-auto shotgun that’s not too big, too heavy, but still bright and powerful.

Modlite PDW 350 Pros and Cons

Streamlight TLR RM2

The TL RM2 comes with a ramp-style button for instant on, and hidden right under that ramp is a pressure switch port if you want to take that route. I really love the ergonomics of the ramp-style switch.

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Streamlight TL RM2 Review

Subguns are what I call large-format pistols that resemble submachine guns. Stuff like the AP5, the CZ Scorpion, the MPX, and other fun little guns. These guns tend to be excellent home defense weapons thanks to their compact nature. They excel at being lightweight, easy to use, and maneuverable, so you want a light that emphasizes those same features. We can also recognize that we don’t need 100,000 candela for a gun designed for use within 100 yards.

The Streamlight TL RM2 fills that role well. We get a unique body that resembles a ramp. Its integrated mount keeps things tight to the body of your gun, and it’s extremely compact overall. The TL RM2 comes with a ramp-style button for instant on, and hidden right under that ramp is a pressure switch port if you want to take that route. I really love the ergonomics of the ramp-style switch.

The TL RM2 gives you 1,000 lumens and 22,000 candela with a compact emitter. It’s not a ton of power, but for indoor use, it’s more than enough. The beam pattern is fairly wide, but a designated hotspot is still visible, which can be used to bounce light off walls, the roof, and more. The light has both a momentary and a constant mode that’s easy to activate and simple to use.

The TL RM2’s unique design gives it an edge that’s needed for small guns. It’s micro-sized in design, super lightweight, and easy to use. It has enough light to be effective in pistol ranges and works well on guns with limited rail space. The sacrifice you’re making is fairly low power compared to other lights on this list.

Streamlight TL RM2 Pros and Cons