It’s been a pretty long time since I’ve done a flashlight review – 2012 to be exact.  I used to be on the list of journalists that received product from the now defunct 4Sevens flashlight company (yes, I know Prometheus bought them…but they are no longer trying to innovate the way the original 4Sevens did).  And I’ve done past reviews on many of the usual suspects in this product segment…Thrunite, Fenix, Olight, and of course SureFire.  But I’ve been out of that game for a few years now.  Some things have changed in that time, but something that hasn’t is my opinion on how to classify flashlights.

In my book, flashlights come in two flavors – “EDC” and “Tactical.”  An EDC light is what I call any multi-purpose flashlight that’s small enough to be easily carried and used daily.  A tactical flashlight, in my opinion, is a very simple device with a simple user interface that’s designed to use in conjunction with a firearm. It has an instant-on tail cap that, when depressed, activates the flashlight.  The light stays on while force is being applied to the tail cap switch, and immediately turns off when you stop exerting force on the switch.   In my experience, a lot of companies advertise their flashlights as being “tactical” when they really aren’t.  Simply put, a flashlight with a tail switch that can be manipulated to stay on constantly is bad.  Very bad.  As in, “can get you killed” bad.  Go back and read some of my old tactical flashlight reviews as I’ve written extensively on this topic as to why this is bad.”  It’s not hard to find a good EDC light.  It’s extraordinarily difficult to find a good tactical light.

My wife and I have been walking our dogs a lot more in the evenings, and during certain times in the Fall, Winter, and Spring it’s dark out when we walk – so I bring a flashlight.  Most of my current staple of flashlights are compact and don’t really have a very strong output – around 300 lumens tops.  That’s fine indoors, but when you get outside, I find these lights a bit wanting in certain situations.  So I thought it was time that jumped back into the flashlight world to see if I could find something that I liked better that the models in my current stable of flashlights.  Let’s talk a bit about my requirements for a new light.

–A light that’s more “EDC” than “Tactical”:  The most basic requirement I would have is that have strong output, both in my immediate vicinity and at distance.  Both of our Rottweilers tend to be a bit reactive to other dogs.  So I’d like to be able to see an approaching unleashed dog well before they get within a range of me that could cause our dogs to get “spun up.”  So at least 100 yards away, so that we have plenty of time to go to react.  I also want to be able to illuminate dark corners around the neighborhood for situational awareness.  In my research, it appears as though the output of EDC style lights has gone up considerably.  There seemed to be plenty of choices from several manufacturers that had output on the high end of close to 2000 lumens that could comfortable operate at around 500-700 lumens with a more than acceptable run time.

–Less Lethal Defense:  here’s where the lines blur in my own definitions of “EDC” vs. “Tactical.”  I like an EDC light to have the capability to flex into a “less lethal” defensive tool if needed – something less likely to kill like a firearm or even a knife.  If someone should (foolishly) attempt an assault while I’m walking my Rottweiler, I like a flashlight to be designed to be a used as a striking tool if need be.  Options are good.

–Rechargeable:  I like the idea of running the light while we’re out walking, then throwing it on the charger when I get home.  That way, I never have to worry about a battery dying on my in the middle of a walk.

With these requirements in mind, I did a bit of research, and narrowed down my selection to two different flashlights from two different manufacturers:  the Olight M2R Pro Warrior, and the Nitecore MH25GTS.  Both are “tactical” (as defined by the manufacturer, not me) flashlights with similar specifications, capabilities, and price.  Both retail for about $110.00, can tail stand, and both have a maximum output of 1800 lumens.  I couldn’t decide which I liked better based on their specs, so I decided to order both and see which one met my requirements better.  This was as it turns out a very good decision as I realized things about each of the lights that went beyond their respective specifications.

Instead of doing a deep-dive into the technical specifications of each flashlight, I’ll focus on the features and attributes of each that I both liked and disliked after doing a few days of testing.

Olight M2R Pro Warrior

PROS
-Cool Aesthetic
-Easy to use charging cable
-True tactical tail switch
-Versatile pocket clip

CONS
-Non-Turbo brightness only 750 lumens
-Less options to use defensively
-Beam has a warmer temperature/yellow color
-User interface less preferred

Nitecore MH25GTS

PROS
-Non-Turbo brightness 950 lumens
-More options to use defensively
-Cooler temperature beam color
-More and more useful brightness levels
-Preferred user interface
-Interface button easier to find in the dark

CONS
-Hard to use charging cable
-Tail switch not tactical

In the end, the Nitecore won out in terms how closely it met my requirements, which surprised me.  “On paper,” I liked the Olight better, but after using them it became clear that that the Nitecore did what I was looking for just a bit better.  For a more in-dept discussion on the “pros and cons” check out my video below:

I think it’s important to note that I didn’t dislike either flashlight – depending on your requirements, the Olight M2R Pro Warrior might be the better option.  But both certainly seemed like fine tools and representatives of this product segment.  If Olight ever updates this light and gives it a beam that’s both more floody and cooler in temperature, I’d probably buy it.