Spotlights are great, so much brighter and more powerful than a traditional flashlight. And as much as people rave about hands free versions, sometimes it’s just soo much easier to use a handheld spotlight, so you can get the light exactly where you need it to be.
It’s a handy piece of kit for many people, and is generally fairly affordable too, so if you feel you need one on a regular basis, then you should certainly get one. Handheld spotlights can help you to see much further into the darkness than the light given off by your cell phone.
The good news is that there are plenty of good quality handheld spotlights out on the market today. And better yet, we’ve been looking around for the best ones around, and we’ve handpicked our Top 5 favorites to show you, all best sellers. We’ve done the research for you.
After that we’ve also got a handy buying guide for you which runs through everything you might want to think about before you buy. This also gives you the chance to see how we came up with our Top 5.
If you want to scroll down to the buying guide first though, that’s cool. It may actually help explain some of the technical jargon and such that we use to talk about the products in the reviews.
Top 5 Best Handheld Spotlights
OUR TOP PICK
There’s a lot to love about this handheld spotlight from CSNDICE!
It’s a powerful little gadget that can throw out a whopping 9000 lumens of light output. It has two levels of brightness you can use (so you don’t have to blind anybody). And even the lower setting is fairly bright at 2500 lumens, and will light up a distance of a long 400m, while the top setting will light the way for a staggering 800m.
It’s made with high quality materials, such as shock proof and dust proof ABS plastic, so it can take a drop into the gravel. And it can even take a drop into a puddle because it has a waterproof rating of IPX4 (but don’t leave it in the puddle). And if it were to fall in a river it will float to the surface.
The handle is positioned above and parallel to the line of light. But if you need to give your hands a break or need to hold something else, that won’t be a problem because it comes with an adjustable shoulder strap.
Another thing we love about it is that it's rechargeable, so you won’t need to keep buying batteries that can easily get lost. And it comes with both a USB charging cable and a car charger. Better yet though, when not in use, the spotlight doubles as a power bank for your mobile devices - how handy is that!
It’s worth noting at this point that using the top brightness setting drains out the battery a lot more quickly than the lower setting. But that said on the high setting the battery will last a full 8 hours. But that’s tripled on the low setting, which can give you a whopping 24 hours of light.
CSNDICE’s confidence in their product shows, in that they offer a full year warranty with the spotlight.
Pros
Adjustable brightness
Even the low setting is bright
Shoulder straps included
Doubles as a power bank
Car charger included
Cons
You cannot charge the spotlight with a universal USB lead, you will need to use the one provided
EDITORS CHOICE
This is a 3 in one spotlight from Buysight.
It has 3 different light modes, you can use the main light as a super powerful flashlight, use the side light as a hands free lantern by resting it down, or use the side light to activate a Red & Blue warning light. This side light is actually really effective and will help you to see even in fog.
In terms of the main light, you can choose from a strong light, which throws out 6000 lumens of light, or a weak light, or in an emergency you can activate a SOS light signal.
We love it’s ergonomic handle which sits underneath at a 90 degree angle to the light, much like the handle of a handgun.
Depending on what setting you’re using you you could get up to 24 hours of battery life on a full charge. Speaking of which, it’s entirely rechargeable, so never have to worry about packing batteries. And better yet it also doubles as a power bank for your mobile devices, which is a feature that’s gone down well with many customers.
It has a durable build Made of a High Quality Aviation Material Aluminum Alloy that won’t crack, scratch or chip when dropped.
Although it doesn’t come with a shoulder strap, there is a dedicated hole to attach one if you want to. We also like how you can mount the spotlight on a tripod, thanks to the included bracket which is easy to put on and take off. It also allows you to adjust the angle of the spotlight.
The other thing we love about it is that it comes with a lifetime guarantee. Lifetime! And there's an always available after sales service, which is great if you’ve taken it on holiday and need advice ASAP.
Pros
Doubles as a lantern
Red & Blue warning mode
Comes with a tripod bracket
Cons
Some customers have mentioned that it needs a lot of recharging
BEST VALUE
Now here’s a light from a top brand that you know you can trust. Dewalt have made a big name for themselves with their wide range of tools and jobsite products.
It’s light output is great, coming in at a very bright 1000 lumens. The handle is nicely positioned, sitting much like the handle of a handgun. This handle has a flat bottom, allowing you to rest it down.
And better yet, the head can pivot up to 90 degrees, so you can easily get it to light up a dark corner without having to keep hold of it.
It has adjustable brightness with 2 levels of brightness and to choose from. And if you should need to preserve your night vision, you can set the spotlight to emit red light rather than white.
Although it’s not rechargeable, it runs off 20 volt batteries which provides it with an excellent total run time. Such batteries are readily available from online retailers (Amazon has them).
Moreover, it doesn’t just come with a one year warranty, but a 3 year warranty. Soo much more reassuring.
If you decide to buy this light from the Amazon page, please watch out for whether you’re selecting the spotlight or the flashlight, as they are 2 different products.
Pros
Red Light option
90 degree pivoting head
Can be used hands free
Includes a belt hook
Includes 3 year warranty
Cons
Not rechargeable
Premium product at a premium price
RUNNER UP
Here’s another great handheld spotlight, again from another great, well known brand in tools, Stanley.
The main handle is positioned underneath at a 90 degree angle to the light, much like the handle of a handgun, and the brightness settings are set using the trigger button. You can set it to high, low or off.
There’s also a pivoting piece on the top which could also be used as a handle or alternatively used as a stand, allowing you to go completely hands free. And although it doesn’t come with a shoulder strap, there is a dedicated hole to attach one if you want to.
The high brightness setting throws out a whopping 2,200 lumens, and it can run for up to 7 hours on the lower setting, which is sometimes the duration of the entire darkness of night.
It is rechargeable, which really seems to be trending in handheld spotlights at the moment, and it doesn’t need charging very often, just once a year should be enough. And as well as coming with a DC charger, it also comes with a vehicle charger besides. Better yet the spotlight also doubles as a portable power bank charger, which can sure come in handy.
We also like that you can use a red lens when you need to alert those who can see it that there’s an emergency.
Look out for deals where you can - at the time of writing this article Amazon are doing nearly 30% off the recommended retail price.
Pros
Well established brand
Collapsible pivoting stand
Emergency red light
Cons
Runtime could be better
No shoulder strap or belt clip
RUNNER UP
This spotlight is very popular for use on job sites. But it also has great power for long distances.
It has 3 different light modes, high for a super bright and far reaching light, low for a less intense beam which conserves the spotlights power, and there’s also an emergency signal.
It throws out a bright 550 lumens in high mode, and at this setting it will run right through the night, a full 10 hours. And this light will help you to see up to a whopping 625 meters. On the lower setting the distance shortens to 178 meters but will last more than 8 times longer.
The main handle is positioned underneath at a 90 degree angle to the light, much like the handle of a handgun, and there’s also a wrist strap which is handy when you need your hand to grip something else. And, there’s also a pivoting section on top which you can use as a stand for the light, allowing you to go completely hands free.
It runs off 4 readily available "C" Alkaline Batteries, but if you’re using it indoors, you can hook it straight up to a DC socket for unlimited runtime.
It comes with a 2 year warranty, downloadable from the Amazon page.
Pros
Emergency signal
Stand to go hands free
DC power good
2 year warranty
Cons
Noticeably lower brightness than other spotlights in our Top 5 Picks
Not rechargeable and batteries aren’t included, but it can run off DC and there’s a DC cord included
Best Handheld Spotlights Buying Guide
How do you want to hold the spotlight?
One of the ways in which handheld spotlights can vary is where the handle lies in accordance to the projected light. You can either have one with a handle that lies above and parallel to the line of light or one with a handle underneath at a 90 degree angle to the light, much like the handle of a handgun.
We can’t say that one type is necessarily better than another, this comes down to personal preference. That’s the honest truth.
Light output
Light output is typically measured in lumens, which is a measure of light emitted per second. As a general rule of thumb, the greater the number of lumens, the further the distance you can see in white light.
A low light output can be achieved by 25 lumens, and 750 lumens would be classed as high. But as you may have seen from our Top 5 Picks, you can get handheld spotlights that throw out yet more light besides.
However the number of lumens is not a measure of brightness per se, since this is also determined by whether the light is shone as a focused beam, or is made more diffuse.
Thankfully, by definition spotlights can generally shine a very focused beam when required, no wider than 45 degrees, giving you plenty of bright light when you need it.
Adjustable Brightness
You may think that the brighter your spotlight is the better. And sometimes that’s spot on, but other times there is such a thing as a light being too bright and hurting somebody’s eyes. So different brightness settings is something worth looking out for.
Runtime / Battery Life
If you want your spotlight to work for the entire night or weekend, then you will need a spotlight that’s up to the task.
These days rechargeable batteries are trending, and one of the reasons they are so popular is because they can double up as a power back for other mobile devices. But that’s not your only option by any means.
It’s worth noting at this point that the higher the brightness, the quicker it will drain the battery.
Lightweight
Carrying something heavy for a long period of time on your back or your shoulders isn’t much of a problem, but when it comes to carrying something in your hands for a sustained period, then it helps if what you’re carrying is as lightweight as possible.
That’s why wherever possible we’ve tried to include the weight of each spotlight in our reviews.
Waterproof
If you intend to take your spotlight outdoors, which many if not most people do, then you’ll need it to be able to handle the weather conditions, like rain for example. In this instance, it’s far better to get a spotlight that is not merely water resistant, but waterproof.
An object’s level of water resistance is typically measured by its IP rating. IP stands for Ingress Protection. An IP rating consists of two numbers, the first number representing resistance to dust and the second number representing resistance to water. Higher numbers correspond to greater resistance.
We would recommend that you go for a spotlight with an IP rating of at least IP54 as a minimum if you’re likely to use it in the rain, but IP67 or IP6X would be more preferable.
That’s why wherever possible we’ve tried to include the IP rating of each spotlight in our reviews.
Special Features
You may feel you don’t need any special features on your handheld spotlight, but when you have them, you often wonder how you would have managed without them.
For example, you may well want to keep the light focused in one area while using your hands to do something (anything) else. So to that end you might want to consider getting a spotlight that you can use handsfree if you need to, like our Number Pick, the .
Or if you’re out in the countryside then you might want to consider a spotlight that can emit an SOS or warning signal, like our Number Pick, the .
Warranty/Guarantee
If possible, it’s always good to go for spotlights that come complete with a manufacturer’s warranty. Not just because it means that you can return or replace the product free of charge, if for any reason you’re not entirely satisfied with it. But also because it’s a sign of quality. If a manufacturer offers a 1 year warranty, that generally means that they expect the product to remain in good working condition for the duration of the period.
