You Won’t Find a More Versatile Flashlight Than the Olight ArkPro Ultra. Here’s Why It’s My Go-To EDC Pick.

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• The Olight ArkPro Ultra has a floodlight, spotlight, UV light, strobe, and laser pointer, making it the most versatile flashlight I've tested.

• The flashlight is also compact and fits comfortably in my pocket or in the side sleeve of my backpack.

• The battery on the ArkPro Ultra is rechargeable, and the flashlight comes with a magnetic charging port that snaps onto the base.

A flashlight is a crucial piece of everyday carry (EDC) gear. But for it to actually be useful in scenarios like finding something buried in your backpack or checking electrical panel breakers, it needs to meet specific criteria. Along with plenty of brightness and good battery life, it should be compact and highly portable, feature a variety of beam types, and be able to withstand the elements. Olight has achieved all of that with the ArkPro Ultra .

The flashlight has five different beam options—including a floodlight, spotlight, UV light, strobe, and laser pointer—a rechargeable battery, and a durable aluminum body that's slim and comfortable in the hand and in a pocket. It's also waterproof, with an IPX7 rating, and has a handy exterior clip for attaching to a loop on your pants or backpack. It's truly the most versatile flashlight I've ever tested, which makes it my top choice for your EDC. It isn't cheap at $130, but you won't find another option that offers this many features that's still relatively lightweight and compact.

This Five-in-One Flashlight Feels Good in Hand

While bright, most EDC flashlights of this size lack multiple light types or fields of light range. The ArkPro Ultra is the exception. During our lumen test , its spotlight fell 400 short of the brand's claimed 1,700, but we found it incredibly bright nonetheless. In fact, it's much brighter than several other options we recommend, including our best value and best tactical flashlights, which have 600 and 1,000 lumens, respectively.

As I held the ArkPro Ultra, the transition from spotlight to floodlight to UV light was smooth via the thumb dial on the top. On the flashlight's right side, there's a separate button for the green laser pointer. This design lets you use any of the lights in tandem with the pointer. There's also a strobe light, which you switch on by holding the button in the center of the thumb dial for three seconds. Plus, both the spotlight and the floodlight have three degrees of brightness to cycle through using the button.

This level of versatility is tough to beat. While testing the ArkPro Ultra, I was able to light a path in front of me and point out trees, animals, and stars during long walks in my childhood suburban neighborhood. On a camping trip, the floodlight on the ArkPro Ultra did a fantastic job brightening the inside of my tent. And the UV light even helped me find stains on my patterned carpet.

Long-Lasting Battery, but Not Replaceable

According to Olight, the ArkPro Ultra runs for up to 14 days on the lowest light brightness setting. That translates to an hour or so of use each day. Anecdotally, after testing the flashlight for several weeks, I didn't have to recharge the battery once.

When it's time to top it off, there are two charging options—and this is one of my favorite aspects of the ArkPro Ultra's design. The first is a strong magnetic ring at the bottom of the flashlight that connects to a circular charging disc.

All I had to do was get the disc close to the flashlight and it clicked into place and started charging. There's also a USB-C charging port on the side with a protective rubber cover.

And you don't have to guess as to how much battery life you have. The brightness level of each light, along with the flashlight's battery life, are indicated on the dial by a series of green and white bars.

My only real issue with the ArkPro Ultra in general is that the battery isn't replaceable. That said, the lithium polymer battery is rated to maintain 80 percent capacity after more than 500 charge cycles. It would take several years of heavy use to require a replacement flashlight even if you charged it every week.

It's Durable and Waterproof

The Olight ArkPro Ultra has a somewhat atypical shape for a flashlight. It's rectangular with a slim profile, and it sits in my pocket without digging into my leg. It's also more durable than most, built with Olight's proprietary aluminum alloy. I dropped the flashlight several times from waist height onto hard concrete and asphalt surfaces, which caused nothing more than a couple of surface-level scratches. And to avoid drops to begin with, each side has a textured grip to prevent the flashlight from slipping out of your hand.

The ArkPro Ultra's waterproof IPX7 rating is another major plus, as it can survive submersion in up to a meter of water without moisture getting inside. This is in line with many other tactical and EDC flashlights, but the ArkPro Ultra's rating is notably better than our best overall flashlight pick, the Maglite ML150LR LED Flashlight .

Who the Olight ArkPro Ultra Is For

Like any other EDC item, the goal is real-world practicality and portability. In that vein, the ArkPro Ultra impressed me more so than other flashlights I've tested over the last two-plus years. There are five light options, all of which are intuitive to switch on and off. It's also slim and comfortable in hand, as well as in my pocket.

I've yet to find a flashlight with this many useful features that's also compact, relatively lightweight, and super rugged—all reasons why there's no better option for everyday carry. If that's what you're looking for, the ArkPro Ultra delivers, though its $130 price tag may not be as attractive.

If you want something portable and light, but at a more affordable price, consider our best value pick, the Energizer Jeep flashlight . Similarly, if you're searching for something with exceptional brightness for your home, we'd steer you in the direction of a Maglite .

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More Flashlights We Recommend

MagLite ML150LR LED Rechargeable Flashlight

Streamlight PolyTac X Tactical Flashlight

Energizer Jeep Rechargeable LED Flashlight

ThruNite Archer 2A V3 Flashlight

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