Do you really NEED the world’s brightest flashlight?

When it comes to lumen output, more means better, right? Well, not really. The UltraFire 18T6-20000 for instance produces over 20 000 lumens. To put that in perspective, your average car headlight produces about 1500 lumens, so the 18T6 produces over 13 times that!

20 000 lumens is enough power to set paper on fire and even cause blindness. That’s not quite like staring into the sun, but it’s pretty close. The 18T6 has some serious cornea-melting power.

So, when will you ever need that much power? The answer is – probably never. It’s hard to think of a good reason why you would need to carry around a portable sun in your backpack, but you never know.

Regardless of why you would need it, there are practical things to consider as well.

These mega-flashlights make a lot of heat and as efficient as LEDs are, losing energy in the form of heat is bound to happen. In some cases, just the heat can set paper alight or even char wood. Battery life is also something that needs to be considered. In order to power a massive light that produces 20 000 lumens, you’ll need a battery the size of a backpack.

Rather than going for the most powerful, over-the-top flashlight in the world, why not instead choose a power flashlight that is also practical? Like the Klarus RS80, which produces 3450 lumens. 

Take a look through Klarus Light’s broad range of innovative, durable and powerful flashlights, these flashlights are guaranteed to be a great investment, even though their beams can’t start a forest fire!

The world’s brightest flashlight

Brightness is usually indicated in lumens, which is a measure of the total output of a light source. A classic mini Maglite flashlight peaks at around 15 lumens. A typical LED headlamp puts out around 50 to 100 lumens, and a 100Watt light bulb clocks in at around 1,750 lumens.

The world’s brightest and most powerful flashlight from Wicked Lasers is called The Torch and it blinds all the competition with a whopping 4,100 lumens – that’s enough power to cook an egg or set paper on fire!

Here are some examples of lumens to compare to the Torch:

- A dinner candle provides about 12 lumens
- A 1 million candle power spotlight 580 lumens
- A 20 million candle power spotlight 3300 Lumens

If that much juice is a bit too much for you to handle, take a look at the torch selection on the Klarus Light website. You can find a flashlight that won’t ignite everything you shine it at.

Back to the Torch. It is a compact, handheld little devil that powers a 100Watt halogen bulb with a rechargeable battery system specifically designed for the Torch. The casing is made from military grade aluminum, with a simple push-button on/off switch at the base. 

But, it’s not exactly the most practical torch. The extreme heat from the bulb causes the metal casing to become dangerously hot within a few minutes. The Torch user manual suggests you use protective gloves when using it.) The battery life is almost non-existent and a full charge only lasts 5 to 10 minutes, and it’s not exactly cheap.

However, if you want to start a fire or cook an egg with a beam of light, then this is just the toy for you!

Watch the Torch burn paper, set a cigarette alight and scramble eggs here...