Mini Tactical Flashlight, 3-Core LED Rechargeable

The best torch is the one that is actually on you, which rules out anything the size of a baton. This is 80 x 32 x 26mm and 55 grams, roughly the weight of a couple of keys, so it goes in a jacket pocket and stays there until the night the power drops out or the trail runs longer than you planned for.

Three LED cores rather than one is why it punches above its size. Rated at 5W, it throws usable light out to 100-200 metres, so it is not just a close-range torch for finding things inside a tent. You can pick out a path, a gate, a reflective sign at the far end of a field. The built-in lithium battery recharges, so there is no scrabbling for odd cells at the wrong moment.

Some versions carry a magnetic tail, which changes what the torch is for entirely. Stick it to a car bonnet, a bike frame or a toolbox lid and you have a work light with both hands free. ABS body, in plain black or a yellow-green gradient, sold singly or in pairs. Hiking, night rides, dog walks late in the year, caving, patrol shifts, or simply left in the glovebox permanently. It is the kind of torch you stop thinking about, which is the highest compliment a torch gets.

• Three LED cores at 5 W noticeably more spread and punch than a single-emitter torch this size.
• 100-200 m beam range enough to read a gate or a sign at the far side of a field.
• 55 g, 80 x 32 x 26 mm small enough that carrying it every day costs you nothing.
• Built-in rechargeable lithium battery no hunting down odd-sized cells before a trip.
• Magnetic tail on selected versions sticks to a bonnet or toolbox and frees up both hands.
• ABS body keeps the weight down without the thing feeling like a toy.
• Black or yellow-green gradient, singles or pairs keep one in the car and one in the bag.