I was interested in the original Surefire Stiletto and had seen mixed reviews about it. I considered reviewing it, but kept finding other flashlights that caught my fancy. However, Surefire recently came out with the Stiletto Pro, an upgraded version of the older Stiletto Flashlight. With its high output of 1000 lumens, I was definitely interested in giving this one a try. So in this review I’ll be talking about the different features of this unique tactical flashlight and my general overall opinion regarding it.
Summary of Contents
Tactical Flashlight Design
First, I want to talk about the design of the flashlight as this is what caught my attention to begin with. Unlike your typical tactical flashlight design, the Stiletto Pro has a more unique shape to it. I know some people love this shape and some people hate it. The idea behind the design is to mimic that of a knife or a dagger for easy carrying and quick reaction. I personally quite like the design of the flashlight. I wouldn’t want all my tactical flashlights to have this design, but there’s definitely something comfortable about it. Pulling it out of the pocket and activating it is very natural.
One reason I didn’t care too much about the old Stiletto is because it was made from plastic whereas the Stiletto Pro is actually made with an aluminum alloy body which I prefer. It’s compact at about four and a half inches in length and is extremely easy to carry with you. It does have a reversible pocket clip so you can choose how you’d like to carry it. It’s always nice when you get that option as to how you would like to carry your torch especially with everyday carry flashlights which is what the Stiletto Pro would be considered.
Tactical Flashlight Operation
The operation of the Stiletto Pro is interesting to say the least. You have a tactical tail switch that activates a momentary-on as well as the high mode and a strobe mode. You have two side switches and one of those side switches will allow you to cycle through the different brightness levels. The other side switch actually allows you to change the settings of the light so that you can have a little more control on how you would like the light to operate. For example the brightness levels may cycle high-medium-low, and you can change that in the programmable settings to go low-medium-high. That’s pretty nice and I always like the ability to change the operation of the flashlight to suit your needs better.
Multiple Flashlight Outputs
As I mentioned before, the Stiletto Pro tactical flashlight does feature multiple outputs. You have four outputs total that includes three brightness levels and a strobe mode. You’ll be seeing a high brightness level of 1000 lumens and that gives you an hour of runtime. Medium mode is 300 lumens and it gives you a runtime of an hour and a half. Finally, low is 25 lumens and gives you a runtime of 23.5 hours. For the size of the flashlight the run times and the outputs are pretty great. For tactical use, you don’t really need more than three brightness levels and the spacing between the brightness levels is definitely good.
Rechargeable Tactical Flashlight
The good thing about this Stiletto Pro is that it is USB rechargeable! I am happy to see more and more tactical flashlights come out that are USB rechargeable. When you plug the flashlight into charge you’ll see a nice charging indicator to let you know when the flashlight is charging and when it is finished. That indicator will also glow when your battery is at a low voltage and needs to be charged. I would love to see more flashlights have a low voltage warning. Battery capacity indicators are always great, but for many lights, you can only see the battery indicator when you first turn the flashlight on. If you’re continuously using the flashlight, you’ll have to turn the flashlight off and then back on to see where the battery is at. With a low voltage warning you don’t need to worry about that. When your battery is low and it’s time to charge it, the indicator on the Stiletto Pro will light up and let you know.
This tactical flashlight has an integrated lithium polymer battery which can be considered a pro or a con. On the one hand, you don’t need to worry about changing out batteries. On the other hand, When it needs to be charged it’s unusable. Unlike many other rechargeable lights, you can charge them or you can simply replace the batteries temporarily to continue to use the flashlight. With the Stiletto Pro, you will need to plug it in and wait for it to charge before you’re able to use it again. Also, as the battery ages you won’t be able to change it. However, the battery does last an extremely long time so you’ll still have the flashlight for a very long time and I do believe Surefire has a good warranty to back up their products as well.
Final Thoughts
Pros: I really like the unique design of this tactical flashlight. It’s probably not for everybody, but If you give it a chance you may really love it. It’s a really easy flashlight to carry on you and the tactical user interface is handy to have. It really is a great everyday carry tactical flashlight.
Cons: The biggest con is going to be how pricey the flashlight is. For 1000 lumens, you could spend a lot less for a quality flashlight. However, Surefire lights are incredibly durable and extremely high quality. There are some users who swear by them.
Conclusion: This is such a unique tactical flashlight that if you’re a tactical flashlight enthusiast or you’re wanting something a little different from the typical tactical flashlight design, I would highly recommend the Surefire Stiletto Pro. It has a great user interface, a great beam pattern, it’s so easy to carry, and it’s rechargeable. It has a lot going for it. So make sure to check out the Surefire Stiletto Pro tactical flashlight.