Icon Logo Gun Mart

Klarus XT 20 Torch

Klarus XT 20 Torch

The Klarus XT20 is certainly different from the run of the mill torches we are used to and tend to use as gun lights. It’s probably best described as primarily a tactical or rescue light. Most obvious is its twin bulb design with two separate lamp housings combined in a single, flat head. Each contains a CREE XM-L U2 LED and runs off either 2 x 18650 re-chargeable cells or 4 x CR 123A Lithium disposable batteries. This combined output gives a quoted 1200-lumen, which is rather impressive.

Strobe Too

The build is as expected with a hi-strength, aluminium alloy body hard anodised ‘military grey’. It’s 218mm long with a 28mm diameter and weighs 250 grams (less batteries). The head is 33mm wide and 67mm high. Operation is by twin, tail-mounted, rubber-covered switches. The large round one is the ON/OFF selector, which also gives momentary illumination when lightly pressed. The smaller (MODE) allows you to cycle up through three levels of illumination – high, medium and low. Plus you can also select a strobe function with ‘momentary’ with the torch switched off or ‘press on’ when it’s switched on.

Typically the CREE LEDs are rated with a 50,000 hour life, which is good. Power consumption differs as to brightness with high beam giving the quoted 1200-lumen for two hours, medium drops to 370-lumen at five hours and low 10-lumen at 205 hours. The strobe runs at the full 1200-lumen for four hours continuous. Included in the package are a QD lanyard, finger ring for easy one-handed operation, spare O-rings and a replacement rubber tail cap cover. Useful too is a nylon belt holster with Velcro flap along with a belt loop and D-ring. The nice thing about the design is that the flat head allows it to lie close to the body and not get in the way.

story continues below...

Torch To Gun?

Fitting the Klarus to a rifle was not a problem as there are any number of torch to scope mounts available. Though no remote kit was supplied there is one available – the ED 10. I tend to fit all my gun torches either on the scope with a Fig-8 mount, or if I have a Picatinny rail on the forend as with my Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22, up front and operate it with the thumb of my supporting hand.

The effective range was the next question as the reflectors though quite short are none the less well angled, but given the primary function of the XT20, I thought it would probably throw a wider than longer/slimmer beam. In use this proved the case with a fair bit of light spill around the gun; however that 1200-lumen is very bright and to a degree makes up for this. I reckon you could see and shoot out to 150 -200-yards given the conditions!

For
A good torch for the money

Against
A reasonably wide beam

Verdict
Different but effective

  • Klarus XT 20 Torch - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Klarus XT 20 Torch - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Klarus XT 20 Torch - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

Arrow