REVIEW: Klarus XT11 flashlight

Flashlights are an essential tool in any tactical application, whether it be in the military, police, or security services, providing a way to see at night, give visual signals, or blind the opponent should always be on hand. In fact, nowadays users often carry multiple flashlights with them. Whether it's a field light, headlamp, searchlight, or a tactical light, it depends on the requirements and preferences of the user. Today, we will focus on a tactical flashlight, namely the Klarus XT11. But before we delve into the product, we should first examine what makes a flashlight "tactical." While all flashlights generally serve as tools for use and guidance, "tactical" flashlights are primarily designed and optimized as operational tools. They are meant to help us maintain clarity during searches, person and vehicle checks, and serve as a multiplier in the field of self-defense and combat due to their high luminosity and strobe mode.

In terms of guidance functions, such as serving as a signal light or temporarily securing an accident site, they can only perform these tasks to a very limited extent, as incorporating multiple light and color modes with additional switch patterns and buttons would compromise ergonomics or, especially, stress resilience.

Now let's talk about the XT11 from Klarus, as this otherwise fairly conventional LED flashlight (why reinvent the wheel?) takes a completely new approach when it comes to stress resilience. Lessons learned from various deployment reports show that under contact situations, the user's fine motor skills decline significantly. Therefore, all important switches (strobe, on/off) of a flashlight should be located in one place and easily accessible. This becomes particularly problematic when considering the compact format required for tactical flashlights. Most manufacturers circumvent this problem either by omitting functions like the Strobe, or, even worse, using complex series circuits and/or rotary switches. These solutions often result in the activation of the wrong lighting mode or no mode at all during sudden light demand.

The Klarus XT11 operates via a rear-mounted dual switch, two buttons placed one below the other, to be precise. The main switch is about twice as large as the secondary switch and is reserved for turning the light on and off; the light burns at the maximum luminosity of 820 lumens when activated. The secondary switch is smaller and located deeper, activating the strobe mode or cycling through different brightness levels when the primary switch is on.

This design ensures that in, for example, a self-defense situation where reflexively clenching fingers is normal, the strobe mode or the strongest lighting mode is ALWAYS activated. This is a feature that is missing in most other flashlights.

On the other hand, the basic structure of the XT11 is quite conventional, with dimensions of 149mm in length and 35mm in diameter, as well as requiring 2 CR123 batteries or rechargeable batteries for operation. These power sources provide a relatively long runtime of over 3 hours on the highest lighting mode of approximately 820 lumens, 10 hours at 160 lumens, 73 hours at 11 lumens, and a full 6 hours in strobe mode (820 lumens). Regarding the Strobe feature, it should be noted that it is a strobe with varying frequency to prevent the eyes from adapting too quickly to a rhythm. Whether this makes sense or not is debatable, as the strobe in all variations is very quickly paced and lacks longer pauses. What may be acceptable in close-quarter self-defense can quickly become a danger in combat situations, as eyes react differently at a distance. In our tests, it was more effective to quickly turn the XT11 on and off in succession.

At 820 lumens, it's almost too much of a "good" thing, as especially in confined spaces, it can quickly cause "whiteout," making details unrecognizable due to excessive light exposure.

A real downside is the lack of a switch that immediately activates a more moderate lighting mode for reading IDs, for example, without blinding the person. This could have been located on the sides of the housing due to its less "tactical" function.

Furthermore, the XT11 also comes with an almost common nowadays crown bezel, which can be used as a glass breaker, impact tool, or for applying pressure points. It is practical that this crown can also be removed to adapt to changing operational requirements or to avoid an overly martial appearance. The flashlight easily withstands solid blows against a sandbag, even with the switch pressed, there were no loose contacts or problems with the tailcap. This speaks to the quality of the flashlight manufactured in China, which also includes a practical pocket clip.

CONCLUSION: Overall, the Klarus XT11 is currently one of the flagship tactical flashlights. It performs its core functions excellently and is especially stress-resistant. However, the developers may have gone a bit overboard. Do we really need 820 lumens? A varying strobe mode that is so fast that you don't even notice the changes in pace, is not particularly advantageous. Despite these shortcomings, we give a clear recommendation for this excellent flashlight.

You can find the Klarus XT11 at GEARMANIACS for 79.90 Euros.