June 19th, 2024
7minute read
The right tools can make all the difference.
This high-performance flashlight uses a simple streamlined design and is built tough.
Five years of constant use have proven its reliability to me.
The SureFire G2X Tactical flashlight is a solid choice for self defense and duty use. It is bright with a flood-type beam. Affordable and rugged, this flashlight is made in the U.S.A.
An affordable price point combined with simple functionality makes it very user-friendly.
And yes, it throws a generous amount of bright white light.
Thetactical flashlightwas not provided by the company.
The SureFire G2X Tactical flashlight has a bright center with a significant amount of flood. It allows you to see everything in a room while still providing enough throw to ID a subject across the front yard.
My Perspective
Ive been accused of being a flashlight snob.
I can understand why some folks might have that opinion.
If they die, it is inconvenient but not critical.
SureFire uses a high efficiency LED to produce a bright white light on a pair of CR123A batteries. The flashlight is rated for a peak output of 600 lumens.
What Is the SureFire G2X Tactical?
SureFire is well known in military, public safety and self-defense worlds.
The company enjoys a solid reputation.
The G2X Tactical is waterproof to one meter for up to 30 minutes. The author tested this in his pool at 1.5 meters for 45 minutes. There was no water intrusion and the light has continued to function normally for years.
Trust, but verify.
The G2X Tactical is a standard handheld flashlight typical of the self-defense category.
This eliminates the potential for any confusion under stress.
With the G2X Tactical, SureFire uses a polymer body. The body proved completely reliable withstanding drops and continuous use in all conditions.
I know I prefer it.
Fully depressing the tail switch clicks the light on.
Repeating the process turns it back off.
Shown here is the SureFire G2X Tactical runtime as measured by the author. Testing exceeded the specifications with 60+% output for more than an hour making it impressively efficient.
you’re able to make a partial press for momentary on activations.
The rubber-coated button is textured to help ensure your thumb does not slip even if your hands are sweaty.
The head of the light is aluminum with a mil-spec hard anodized black finish.
The SureFire flashlight was exceptionally well suited for building searches. It provided plenty of light, even after a hour of runtime.
The body of the light is polymer.
SureFire uses large oval reliefs in the body to provide a reasonably grippy texture.
Overall, the light is a touch over 5 in length.
The author’s EDC loadout includes the SureFire G2X Tactical flashlight and a Springfield Hellcat Pro.
About 3 of that is the exposed body that fits easily in the hand.
In my experience, it is exactly long enough to hold onto without any excess length.
The G2X Tactical runs on a pair of CR123A batteries.
SureFire includes a pair with the light to get you started.
To install them, you screw off the tail cap.
The end cap threads are precise and smooth.
With the rubber O-ring, the flashlight is well sealed against the weather.
In fact, SureFire rates the light as being submersible for up to 30 minutes without issue.
Regardless, 600 lumens is a substantial amount of light output.
The flashlight throws a wide beam of light.
It does an excellent job of evenly illuminating a living room or the passenger compartment of a car.
For self-defense use, I prefer this pop in of beam wide and even instead of a tight spot.
Traditionally, flashlight standards provided guidance on runtime reporting.
That time was the one listed on the package as theflashlights runtime.
Read this to learn more about what these terms mean:Candelas, Lumens and Everything Else.
SureFire is not one of those companies.
I found this was also the case with the G2X Tactical.
Runtime to 10% the industry accepted standard was closer to 1 hour 40 minutes.
A small, but measurable difference in favor of the consumer.
To me, the most important aspect of runtime is the time to 50% of output.
That number is around 50% of the initial output.
Runtime to 50% output was excellent 74 minutes.
At this point, Ive run hundreds of flashlight tests.
From the perspective of a light matching its rated specifications, this is one of the best Ive tested.
Field Use
Ive put this flashlight through its paces.
Its been in the Florida heat, sand and even a pair of hurricanes.
Ive dropped it on concrete, tile and asphalt.
Ive knocked it off tables, the fender of my truck and over the side of a two-story deck.
Its gone swimming at the bottom of my pool and walked several hikes through Maine in the sub-zero wintertime.
Frankly, its gone everywhere and survived without any problems.
Ive had no intrusion of water, sand or dust into the body or head of the light.
The O-rings remain soft and are seemingly impervious to anything to which I expose the flashlight.
The polymer body and switch show hardly any marks or scars.
The aluminum head has picked up some nicks and dings.
A bit of bare aluminum now shows through, giving the light a bit of character.
It just keeps on working.
Final Thoughts
I dont think Ive ever been accused of being a fanboy of any flashlight company.
I am, however, a fan of this flashlight.
It has proven its reliability through years of use.
Its brightandhas a very respectable runtime.
I dont believe personal protection gear should ever be purchased based solely on price.
However, I would be remiss if I failed to point out the affordability of this model.
It has a suggested retail price of $89.
For a top-tier tactical light that is made in the U.S.A., that is downright cheap.
I suspect SureFire can offer these at such a reasonable price because of the polymer body.
I think we can move beyond the outdated belief that polymer isnt durable.
I recommend checking it out when you go looking for your next light.
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