Triangle Tactical Podcast and Blog on Guns, Gear, and Competition Shooting
A few weeks ago I picked up a 5.11 ATAC PLx flashlight to be my new EDC (every day carry) light. I’ve previously carried a Streamlight Stylus Pro, which served me well for a number of years but eventually the pocket clip wore out, and I ended up losing the light shortly thereafter.
I really liked the form factor of the Stylus Pro, but instead of buying another one I decided to look and see what else was out there. After some looking, I found the 5.11 ATAC PLx light, which is just a smidge bigger around than the Stylus Pro, but offers a lot more output.
The ATAC PLx is 5″ long, and 0.7″ in diameter at the widest point. It puts out 69 lumens with 2 AAA batteries. This light also has a nice sturdy pocket clip that is easily removable (which is a huge plus for me, as I’m constantly over bending the clip, this allows me to remove it, and re-bend it).
The advertized 69 lumen output is surprisingly bright. I have no problem lighting up entire rooms with usable light, and with the momentary tailcap switch, I have no qualms about using the 5.11 ATAC PLx as a companion to a handgun for low light work.
The tailcap has a nice aggressive knurling on it making removing the tailcap a breeze. There’s also some knurling down the length of the light that keeps the light from rolling away when it’s set on a flat surface.
As I mentioned above, the tailcap switch is a momentary switch that you can also click to keep the light constantly on. This light only has a single output mode, which I actually prefer. I’ve had much more expensive lights in the past that required pushing certain sequences on the tailcap in order to get the light to go into different modes, and I found that to be extremely annoying, so I generally look for lights that have a conservative output, and only one mode, like the ATAC PLx.
With all of this said, one of the best things about the 5.11 ATAC PLx flashlight is the price! I paid under $30 for this light in May 2013, and as of the time of this review, it’s only $25 over at BladeHQ.com.
July 2014 Update: The light is dead. I pulled it our of my pocket last week to use it, and there was nothing. I then installed some fresh batteries, and it’s still dead. After 13 months of use, I feel like I got my $25 worth out of the light. Now it looks like 5.11 has an even brighter model in the same form factor, the CMC PLx.
I’ve been looking for a tactical light for a while. The mag is a bit much to use with a pistol. That’s a good price too. Thanks.