REVIEW – Tactical flashlights are known for being brighter and more durable than regular flashlights. Though often used by law enforcement and military personnel, they are also great choices for the rest of us. Whether I am looking for a lost dog, dealing with a power outage, or investigating unexpected noises in the back yard, a tactical flashlight is the perfect gadget. In this review I am looking at a new tactical flashlight from Speras, the EST Plus.
What is it?
The EST Plus is a tactical flashlight with a max output of 1600 lumens, a rechargeable battery, and a length of 5.5 inches. Spearas’ mission is to “light your way.”
What’s included?
- Flashlight with rechargeable battery and belt clip
- Lanyard
- Two spare O-rings
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- User manual
Tech specs
The EST Plus has the following specifications:
- Material: Aluminum Allow (6061) with anodized finish
- Max output: 1600 lumens (on turbo)
- Outputs: low, medium, high, and turbo as well as strobe and SOS
- Max runtime: 140 hours (on low)
- Range: Up to 2381 ft
- LED: Luminus SFT40
- Battery: 3800 mAh lithium-ion
- Charging port: USB-C
- Dimensions: 5.5 inches long; body is 1.0 inches wide and head is 1.57
- Weight: 6 ounces
- IP rating: IP68
Design and features
The EST Plus has a very typical design for a tactical flashlight. It’s short, lightweight, and all black, and it fits perfectly in my hand. There are side and rear buttons and a USB-port for charging. The front end is crenelated and the back end has slots for the lanyard. Speras has chosen not to stray from what is tried-and-true, a decision that totally works for me.
Assembly, installation, and setup
The Speras ESP Plus flashlight arrived in a no-frills box with simple packaging.
There’s a USB-C on one side that is protected with a simple rubber plug. I don’t think this is the most failproof way to protect the port from water, but it’s good enough for everyday usage.
I plugged in the USB cable and connected it to my Soundcore Wakey to charge. Speras says that it takes 4.3 hours to fully charge. There’s a small LED in the center of the side button that briefly turns on when the light is turned on. While the cable is connected, red means charging, green means charged, and orange means there’s a problem.
The basic use of the flashlight is simple: The rear button turns it on, and the side buttons change the brightness. When the light is on, double-clicking the side button changes it to a strobe effect and double-clicking it again changes it to an SOS effect.
I made a short 1080p video showing the basic features of the Speras EST Plus Flashlight:
A core feature of any flashlight is, naturally, its ability to light up the night. The lowest setting is most useful in the house, perfect for when I want to make sure I remembered to close the garage door without waking my wife up.
The highest setting, which Speras calls turbo, is most useful outside when I need to light up the yard and see as much as possible. At 1600 lumens, the EST Plus does a great job making everything visible. There is a tradeoff here. Speras estimates that it can run for a whopping 140 hours on low but for less than 3 hours on turbo and only for 4 hours on high. If I plan to use this light for an extended period of time, I will either need to purchase extra batteries or plan to use it on medium or low. When on turbo, this flashlight gets very warm, so warm that it almost burns my hand when I hold it near its head. If I am going to use this light on turbo for more than a couple minutes, it would be smart to grab a pair of leather gloves. (This gadget is not safe for small children.)
The ESP Plus has an IP rating of IP68, which means it completely prevents dust from entering and is protected from continuous immersion in water. Naturally, I tested this by submerging in water in my bathroom sink for over a minute. No problem!
The battery can be accessed by unscrewing the tail of the flashlight. There is a simple clip on the body of the flashlight. I found that it worked well to secure it to my belt or to my jeans pocket. This clip is removable.
What I like about the Speras EST Plus
- Strong and light
- Easy to use
- Brightens the night!
What needs to be improved
- Nothing
Final thoughts
The EST Plus is a tactical flashlight with 4 levels of brightness, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and a run time of anywhere from less than 3 hours to over 100 hours. I found that it was more than capable of lighting up anything in my backyard at night, which would make it great for any emergency situation that I might find myself in. It does get quite hot around the head of the flashlight, where the LED is, but other than that it worked great in my testing. If you’re looking for a tactical flashlight to illuminate the emergencies in your life, I recommend take a look at the Speras EST Plus.
Price: $79.99
Where to buy: Speras
Source: The sample for this review was provided free of charge by Speras. Speras did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
