The Klarus ST10 flashlight may be one of the best everyday carry lights that you’ve ever seen. Let’s start by talking about the beam itself. It’s actually got one of the nicest beams on a light this size that you’re likely to find. This is probably a lot to do with the optical lens. It pretty much operates as advertised. It’s a very even, soft effect and it’s just very pleasant to look at. Very pleasant to illuminate things with. It’s like the beam is wearing a soft glove. It’s pretty nice. The beam goes up to 1100 lumens. Pretty great for a light this size, which we’ll talk more about in a second. But basically it’s about half the size of most lights that you would mount on a rifle that reached that 1000 Lumen marker. So it’s definitely smaller than most 1000 Lumen lights will having a nicer beam that’s also got some good range.
Summary of Contents
Beam
So normally on a flashlight this small you’re looking at range being cut down considerably. And it’s not going to win any contests as far as beam throw, but it does give you 115 meters. So 115 meters, you’ve got to figure that’s well more than a football field. So that’s a pretty great amount of range on that beam, and it’s probably more than what you’re going to need for just an everyday carry light. The body of the light itself is also extremely nice. Perfect for everyday carry business. Just about the entire body is covered in a nice pineapple texture. Feels comfortable in the hand and very slip-resistant, so overall just a very, very nice design.
Size
The size of the light is just about perfect. Any smaller and it almost becomes more of a key chain light or something. The ST10 is about four and a half inches long and the body is just under one inch in diameter, so it’s a very unobtrusive light. Great for slipping into your pocket. It’s got a stainless steel clip, so it hangs right there on your waist and it’s small enough that you’re not feeling it as you walk. And the weight is almost not there without the battery. This light weighs about two ounces. So it’s a pretty fantastic everyday carry option in all of these respects; dimensions, weight, and just general comfort. There’s no to spike or anything that’s going to bother you.
User Interface
Another thing that makes this a nice everyday carry option is that it’s just a good single switch light. You don’t have a bunch of switches all over it that you have to worry about. You’ve only got the single switch to take into consideration, and it’s got the handy dandy Klarus lockdown feature. So you hold it for five seconds and release and you’ve locked down your side switch. Now you don’t have to worry about the light coming on in your pocket. And as soon as you need the light, take it out, quick triple-tap on that side switch, and your light is operational. So it’s just about full-proof as far as stopping accidental activation.
The side switch itself is very useful. It’s got the standard Klarus battery indicator system. So it tells you how much battery power that you have left. The side switch gives you red for under 30%, yellow for between 30 and 70%, and green for above 70%. So it’s kind of a rough system. It’s not exactly a digital LCD display, but it’s enough to give you a rough idea of where you’re at and when you need to start charging at and that’s the thing. This is a rechargeable flashlight. Rechargeable flashlights are becoming much, much more popular these days. People are really taking taking notice and paying attention to how convenient they are. So we have the nice rubber flap Klarus typically uses covering up the micro US port. The ST10 can basically be charged with any standard micro USB to micro USB cord. While it’s charging, your battery indicator in your side switch is red, when it’s done charging it’s green. Very simple system and kind of all you need for most people.Construction
When I say ‘most people,’ you know, this is definitely a nice, sleek EDC light for the tactical flashlight crowd. I think they’ll especially appreciate the optical lens. But it’s also a great flashlight for just the regular non-tactical attuned people. The ST10 is just an extremely sturdy, very simple and easy-to-use flashlight for those who are not tuned into the world of dual tail switches plus side switch for programmable triple interface flashlights. This is just a flashlight that anybody can use. You can give this to your friend or your significant other, and even if they don’t know what’s going on with the rest your lights, anyone should be able to operate this very easily.
And it’s definitely built to withstand just about any kind of use. So even if you’re not aware of how hot these flashlights can get, and aren’t used to taking care of a tactical flashlight, Klarus has you covered. Like most Klarus lights these days it comes with an internal temperature system. The light is automatically self-monitoring as far as temperature. So if you’re using that turbo mode for a little bit too long, and the light starts to get hot to the point where the internals could conceivably be damaged, the light will automatically cycle itself down to a lesser brightness mode. So even an inexperienced user doesn’t need to worry about overdoing it with this flashlight.
Waterproofing
It’s actually a very tough light in a lot of ways. The ST10 is rated IPX8. So it’s totally waterproof. This thing could be submerged more than two meters underwater. I mean you can basically drop the light into most swimming pools with absolutely no problem. It’s completely watertight. It’s also impact-resistant up to a meter. So unless you’re just slamming it down on your driveway, you can pretty much bet this flashlight is going to keep operating after any casual drop. This is not just because the body casing is so good, although it is. The ST10 has the aircraft-grade aluminum body that’s become pretty standard for quality tactical lights at this point. But it’s also got very good shock resistance inside. So when you drop it, the battery is not going to knock around, the internals aren’t going to knock around too much. It’s pretty nice to have a good tactical LED flashlight with a bulb that’s going to last you 100,000 hours. But that’s not so good if you can’t reasonably expect the flashlight itself to last for anywhere near that time. This is definitely a flashlight that’s built to last and withstand some punishment and the rigors of of being used regularly for years.
Accessories
So let’s talk about accessories, because this light also does come with some nice accessories. You’ve got an extra o-ring for if that other ring starts to wear out, which after a few years that can happen. So you keep that in a drawer somewhere, and when the original starts to be a problem, that spare o-ring definitely extends the life of your light. You’ve also got the lanyard, so you’ve got another everyday carry option that can hook that around your neck or on your belt or somewhere and you’ve got another way that the light can easily be carried place to place. I’ve already mentioned the stainless steel clip, which is most people’s preferred method if they’re going to carry around a flashlight not in a holster.
Best of all of this light also comes with a battery, the Klarus 18650 2600 mAh, which is a pretty nice battery. It’s got a good amount of capacity on there that’s going to last you for about as long as you need. So it’s another way that the flashlight is great for people who might not be well acquainted with tactical lights. You’ve already got your special lithium-ion battery locked and loaded, ready to go, ready to be recharged. With the ST10, no other purchase is required to get the full value out of this light.
Conclusion
Other accessories are also available. You’d have to buy them separate but a holster is available if you prefer to carry your light in a holster. I’m not sure if the ST10 is necessarily aimed at the holster crowd, but that is definitely available if you want to grab that for it.
So just all in all a very solid, very elegant everyday carry flashlight. If you’re looking for something that’s just really tough but really simple to use that you want to carry with you every day, and something that’s going to give you a lot of brightness, that’s going to be easy on the eyes then the Klores as t10 is what you want to be looking into.