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With a few exceptions, I carry a gun anywhere I legally can. I’ve never had to use it, for which I’m grateful. A gun is not the only thing I always have on me, though. There are several other things that I find far more useful in my daily life.
- Pocket knife; not some tacticool drop point, Tanto, switchblade, window breaking knife, whatever else whizbang feature, either. A Swiss Army knife. I’ve been carrying a pocketknife since I was about 10 years old, and my grandpa gave me one.
- Pepper spray
- Fingernail clippers; it’s better than the knife for things like hanging threads and such. Not to mention hangnails.
- A flashlight. That’s the subject of today’s review.
Table of Contents
Basics.
The Surefire G2X Tactical is a flashlight. It does what flashlights have always done. Push a button and light comes out of the clear end. It just does it better than any of the ones that have come before it, and it’s a lot smaller than the older ones, too.
- Length: 4.3”
- Weight: 4.7 oz.
- Diameter (body): 2.5”
- Diameter (widest part): 3.2”
- Lumens: 600
- 123A lithium batteries
We’ve come so far.
When I watch old science fiction these days, I have to laugh at the lights they have. They’re huge and throw very little light. Right now, I’m thinking of Star Trek: The Next Generation and those things they had strapped to their wrists. The way things have improved lately I’d expect lights by then to be embedded in our foreheads and activated by some sort of blink code and be enough to light up Mammoth Cave.
Anyone remember the old three, four, and five cell Maglites? They were great lights for their time, but they didn’t exactly fit into your pocket. Just for kicks I looked up a three cell Maglite. It puts out 600 lumens, which is exactly what this Surefire does. I will readily concede the large flashlights make better clubs; that’s just not on my priority list.
What led me to this not-inexpensive light.
I’ve done, and still do, delivery work on the side. Sometimes this happens at night. If you’ve never delivered stuff, I’ll tell you that, GPS notwithstanding, it’s a lot easier when you can read the addresses and street signs. I’ve ended up with a long string of cheap flashlights that use the ubiquitous 18650 rechargeable battery. I’ve also gotten a few with built-in rechargeable batteries that I had to plug into a USB charger.
Some of them were fine; some weren’t. I once ordered a three pack from Amazon and was content when two of them worked. The upside of those lights is that if I dropped one and it broke, I didn’t really care all that much. I always carried at least two, plus a headlamp of some kind.
These lights also tended to have a lot of features that needlessly complicated the function of the light, which was to show me things I couldn’t see in the dark. It was nice having not spent a lot of money to find out what I did and didn’t like, want, or need but eventually I needed something I could count on.
Enough preliminary.
I settled on four main criteria.
- At least 500 lumens.
- Small enough to fit in my palm and discreetly in my pocket.
- No modes.
- Soft on capability.
- End cap switch.
I’ll expand a bit.
500 lumens.
I have a couple that were rated at 300 lumens; they’re fine for around the house but I need more when I’m out in the world. Yes, I use flashlights around the house. You know how some people stash guns? I stash flashlights. And cheap reading glasses, but I digress.
My place does not really have good lighting. Especially in the bedroom. The main part of the room is fine, but any closets, shelves, or cabinets are shadowed. I could put LEDs in them, I guess, but I keep a flashlight in there, instead. Works fine. Looking under beds, chairs, and tables is also much easier with a light.
Size.
I don’t need a club; I need something I can carry while I’m also carrying a phone and at least one package. I also need something I can efficiently put in and take out of a pocket.
I want this with me all the time; the smaller ones make this easier.
Modes.
Some of the cheap lights I had appeared to be trying to add value by putting all these modes in. Several of them had five different modes: high, med, low, strobe, and SOS. I can see a use for the strobe for disorienting an attacker. But the rest? Nope. Not if it makes me push the switch multiple times to get what I want. I want to know what happens every time I hit the switch.
There are other versions of the G2X that have other modes and a brighter beam if that fits your needs better.
Soft on.
This one was important. See previous about having to keep hitting the switch. Slight depress turns the light on until I release, then the light goes off. Pushing until the switch clicks gets you continuous on. I use the soft on far more than I use the continuous.
End cap switch.
I think most of the “tactical” lights these days have an end cap switch. There’s a reason for that. I have a couple that have one on the side. Your first indication that you’ve accidentally turned the damn thing on is when your leg starts getting really hot. So, no side switch.
This wasn’t important, but I dislike the bright orange, yellow, or green switches. Black is fine, thanks.
The G2X meets all of these.
- The light is bright and clear.
- It’s a really good size; fits in my pocket just fine.
- On and off. That’s it. Full power on the light and no complicated switchology to learn.
- Soft on and on. That’s it.
- And the black switch is on the end cap.
Disadvantages?
It does have one disadvantage, and a couple other traits that could be disadvantages for some. Most notably, it just comes with the light and some batteries. No pocket clip or lanyard. Fortunately, I’m not the only one to notice this discrepancy. I ended up buying this clip on eBay. It works great and is the world’s easiest thing to “install”. Unscrew the end cap, put the loop part on the light, and tighten the end cap. I’ve had this clip for months, carrying daily, and it is showing no weaknesses. It’s designed so that you can clip it either direction but I only use light side down.
The beam isn’t adjustable. A lot of lights you can slide the light bezel in and out to adjust the tightness of the light beam. I’ve used that feature with other lights, but I really don’t miss it. It reduces the simplicity of the light, so I’ll call this neutral.
In the same vein, the batteries are not rechargeable. They’re lithium and pretty inexpensive on Amazon; it takes two of them. I’ve had this light for over a year and I’m on my second set of batteries. The first set lasted just over a year. They have a 10-year shelf life, so buy the 12 pack with confidence. When the ones in it start to go you can tell. It’s not subtle.
Conclusion.
The technical advancements of the flashlight are one of the unsung marvels of the modern world. A light that put out this much light would, at one time, have made a fair club. Now it fits into your palm. This light is reliable, practical, and effective. It’s been flawless in the year that I’ve had it. Whether you’re trying to find a dropped contact lens, disorienting an attacker, or just seeing where you’re going it’s hard to beat the G2X. If you’re in the need of a good flashlight, and you are, you can get one at Amazon.
