Nitecore EAX Hammer XM-L2 T6 2000 Lumens Brightest AA LED Flashlight - Use 8xAA Batteries - including a 25 Lumens Bright Keychain Light

There are many extremely bright flashlights out there, but in my opinion the versatility in having different lumen outputs makes this flashlight the most adaptable and all-around best choice. Not only is its low-setting of 150 lumens easily useable in most situations, but its ability to accept high-capacity 2500 mAh NiMH batteries to a whooping total of 20,000 mAh make the EAX truly exceptional as an emergency or survival tool. If I were lost in the woods and needed a light that will stay lit for a few days, the 18hr rated life on 150 lumen mode should be enough to see me through (if my stomach doesn't give out sooner). Better still, with the higher capacity batteries like the Eneloop Pros that I've installed, I should be pushing nearly 24hrs on this mode, and easily past 30 DAYS on its lowest 1 lumen setting...and even that is useable in, say, "trapped in a cave" situations! When compared to the super bright 4000 lumen alternatives that have a max capacity of 10,000 mAh, I think that the EAX holds its own. The super bright lights are more niche products for very specific applications (blinding your friends, frying eggs), whereas the EAX is just more real-world oriented. It is even compact enough to fit just right into the storage compartment beneath my seat in my Audi R8, so whenever I'm at a rest station at night and I suspect vampires/werewolves, my trusty EAX will be ready to toast them critters. Overall, due to the huge capacity and multiple output choices, on top of solid construction and water proofing down to 1.5 meters depth, I give the EAX a well-deserved 5 stars.**Update**So, I went out into the woods near Greensfelder Park by St. Louis/Six Flags for a quick night trek, just to try out the light. First off, it is DAMN CREEPY out there, especially with the amount of fog that was there (it was around 11pm). I ventured around for just 15 min or so to try out the light. I've got to say, on its 2000 lumen setting, it is pretty bright--enough to light up the place well enough, and probably enough to be a bit blinding. BTW, Greensfelder is PITCH BLACK at night, especially with fog, so that's saying a lot. I would even turn it down a bit to 400 lumens so I wouldn't be blinded. However, when the thick fog started closing it and rushing by, I quickly turned it up back to 2000 to high-tail it out of there. It is freakin' creepy. I even had about 50 rounds of .45ACP for my Nighthawk 1911 at hand, but I still didn't feel exactly "relaxed" when mucking around on my "hike". Come to think of it, that was about the creepiest forest setting that I've ever been in, considering how the bright the light lit up all the fog around me and making it really tough to see far out into the woods. It was even attracting a ton of bugs. When I finally got back to the car and put it in reverse, I was damn scared to look into the parking camera...in case something/somebody I really did NOT want to see popped up in it ... it was that creepy. The light itself is plenty bright, but not quite enough to put you at ease if it's that dark out there. I'd say that if you wanted something that will set the night on fire then go for the TM26 2015 edition with 4000 lumens; otherwise, for most purposes the EAX is enough. Also, for the 15 minutes that I was out there the 2000 setting stayed nice and bright without issues, so the runtime ratings are pretty accurate. As a side test at home, I had the light on 2000 mode for about 1.5 hours while watching some movies before it started dwindling down eventually to 150 lumens. If you have a fresh set of batteries then 1.5 hours should be expected for you; the manual and rated runtimes are accurate. Also, the holster is well-built and holds it well, in case you were wondering. For about $130 bucks, I don't think you will be disappointed with the EAX--I certainly am very satisfied.

Good light. Compact and bright. Only thing missing is the capability to lock the flashlight in the ON position - must keep button pushed if you want light to stay on.

Batteries corroded and couldn't remove them, flashlight was dead when I needed it, bad design, always drawing a little power, corrodes and kills batteries, not reliable.

I have several high quality flashlights, Nebo, Streamlight and Bright Medic. The "Hammer" is by far the best flashlight I have found without paying big bucks. I read the reviews on this flashlight before I purchased it and had a question about one of the reviews. I asked a question and many of you and the seller answered my question. For the record, when you push the button to turn on the light it comes on full blast (2000 lumens). You do not have to keep holding the button down as one other reviewed wrote.This light is amazing and will light up everything within several hundred yards.

It truly is the BEST Flashlight EVER! I can only say WOW. It was delivered last night and I brought it to work this morning (2014 08 27). Good thing they have a lot of batteries here at work. LOL I also bought the Imedion by PowerEx AA batteries, so batteries will never really be a problem. On just high you can hold this flashlight a foot away from your hand and feel the heat. I think on Turbo you could cook eggs. It is a very well made Light. To be expected from Nitecore. I also own the Nitecore SRT7 and the CU6. All excellent lights.

Arrived defective... Burnt led on left side..... Shucks because I spent $110 bucks on 16 AA XX eneloops.

This is a car headlight in your hand! Unbelievable bright light. Flashlight is very well built and feels like it will last forever. Want to light up your entire backyard? This is the light to do that.

I got lot's of flashlights/torches. A few Nitecores. This is the first AA that is as bright or brighter than those that use 18650 batteries.