Top pick
The Archer 2A C has a wide range of brightness settings and a versatile two-button interface, and it can run on either two AA batteries or an included rechargeable.
Of all the lights we looked at, the ThruNite Archer 2A C offers the best combination of high-end features at an affordable price, and it can run on either two AA batteries or the included single rechargeable battery. It has a two-button interface that lets you quickly cycle through the four brightness levels, one of which is the very useful, very low firefly mode. The Archer 2A C’s features are typically found on lights that cost more, which makes it a great value.
It comes with a rechargeable battery, and it also works with AA batteries. For lack of a better phrase, this is a “dual-fuel” flashlight. With the included rechargeable battery, its highest settings are much brighter, and its longevity on some settings is extended in comparison with its operation on two AA batteries. We appreciate the option to use AA batteries, which may be more practical during a power outage.
The two-button interface holds a setting. At the rear of the light is a button, a “tail switch,” that turns it on and off. When the light is on, you control the brightness levels with a second button up at the head of the light. The two-button design makes it easy to find the setting you want and stay there; many other lights, in contrast, force you to toggle through all the settings with every on/off cycle.
It has four brightness levels: high, medium, low, and firefly. At the high setting, we were able to make out the trees at the end of a 500-foot-long field. At the low end, the firefly setting could hardly illuminate a wall 10 or 15 feet in front of us, but we found it perfect for reading a map or checking on a sleeping child.
The good battery life really shines on the lower settings. ThruNite claims a run time of about 128 minutes on high and 27 days for the firefly mode, with the rechargeable battery. The simple interface helps you control the battery drain, and during our tests we’ve found that the medium and low settings are usually plenty bright for most uses.
The momentary-on feature is quick and quiet. With a half-press of the tail switch, the light activates until you let go. This is convenient for quickly turning the light on and off without fully engaging it or making a clicking noise.
The strobe setting is tucked away. The strobe, essential in an emergency, is not a setting you want to cycle through routinely (as is often the case with inexpensive lights we’ve tried). On the Archer 2A C, you activate this strobe with a long-press of the brightness button, an action that’s deliberate and simple enough to perform in a high-stress, high-adrenaline situation.
The ThruNite Archer models have a lot of fans at Wirecutter. Many of our colleagues own and use the Archer 2A V3, the previous version of our top pick and our current runner-up, and all have positive feedback. Software engineer Rachel Fee used an Archer 2A light during a 13-day stint at Burning Man in 2022. “Burning Man is super dusty, so it kills electronics, and that flashlight did fine,” she told us, adding that she clipped it, pointed down, to her bag and turned on the strobe for visibility. Writer Joshua Lyon enjoys the Archer 2A V3 so much, he wrote an ode to it.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s a little big for an EDC pocket light. The Archer 2A C is a bit bigger than a Sharpie marker, a shape typical of the two-AA lights we tested. It’s a comfortable size to handle, but it’s likely not something to keep in a pants pocket all day, every day. If you’re looking for something to keep on you with that kind of frequency, much smaller lights are available.
In its firefly mode, you can easily forget that the light is on. In any kind of daylight, it’s almost impossible to notice that firefly mode is even active. There’s no way to lock the switch, either, and we’ve put the flashlight away without realizing it was on. The good news is that in firefly mode the battery drain is so minimal that emptying a full battery takes weeks.
The battery requires removal for charging. Unlike many high-end lights with rechargeable batteries, the Archer 2A C has its charging port (USB-C) on the battery rather than on the flashlight, so you have to open the light and remove the battery to charge it. You also have to stow the loose end cap safely while the battery is absent.
