REVIEW – A flashlight only has to do one thing well, and modern tactical ones keep finding ways to complicate it with modes you need a manual to remember. Klarus sent over the XT2CR PRO-V2, the latest refresh of their compact tactical light. The new version of the XT2CR PRO is a 2300-lumen unit that splits the job across two tail switches instead of burying everything under a bunch of confusing buttons and switches.
Note: This Klarus XT2CR PRO-V2 was sent to me by Klarus at no cost. They had no editorial input and did not see this review before it published.
Photos and video by Gregory Morley.
The Basics
The XT2CR PRO-V2 is a compact tactical light built around a Luminus SFT-42R LED, rated at 2300 lumens on Turbo with a claimed 360 meters of throw. It runs on an included 4000mAh 18650, charges over USB-C built into the body, and puts two switches on the tail instead of one.
The big clicky is the tactical switch, and one press puts you straight on Turbo with nothing to cycle through first. The smaller paddle beside it walks the four brightness levels, which is the one you want for anything that is not an emergency. Hold the paddle down and you get Strobe, double tap it for SOS and Beacon, and three clicks on the paddle locks the light so it cannot come on by itself in a bag.
The charging port earns its own mention. The light runs at full brightness while it is plugged in, and if the battery is flat or out of the tube entirely it will still run directly off a power bank, giving you High, Medium and Low from the paddle. Turbo needs the cell in place, but for a light that lives by the front door, a dead battery turns into an inconvenience rather than the end of the evening.
What You Get
- Klarus XT2CR PRO-V2 flashlight
- 4000mAh 18650 rechargeable battery (included)
- USB-C charging cable
- Holster
- Lanyard
- Removable pocket clip
- Spare O-ring
- User manual
By the Numbers
- Price: $74.95
- Max output: 2300 lumens (Turbo, manufacturer rating)
- Beam distance: 360m, 32,120 candela
- Modes: Turbo 2300 lm (3h), High 880 lm (3.3h), Medium 330 lm (7.5h), Low 30 lm (72.5h), plus Strobe, SOS and Beacon
- LED: Luminus SFT-42R
- Battery: 4000mAh 18650 included, or 2x CR123A
- Charging: USB-C, 5V/2A, roughly 2.5 hours to full. Runs while charging, and runs off USB with no battery installed (High, Medium and Low)
- Length: 131mm
- Body diameter: 26mm, head 25.4mm
- Weight: 143.5g with the battery and clip
- Body: 6063 aluminum, Type III hard anodized, with a stainless steel strike bezel and three 2mm ceramic beads
- Water and impact resistance: IPX8, drop resistant to 1.5m
- Warranty: 5 years
Design & Build
The body is 6063 aluminum with deep knurling that stays grippy through a wet or gloved hand, and at 131mm it rides in a jacket pocket or the included holster without feeling like a baton on your belt. Up front sits a stainless steel strike bezel set with three ceramic beads, which looks appropriately mean and does a thorough job on the inside of a pocket if you carry the light loose.
The two-switch tail is the whole argument for this thing. Press the big clicky and you are on Turbo, no cycling and no double tap to get there. The paddle handles everything calmer, walking up and down the four brightness levels. Each switch always does the same thing from the same starting point, and after a couple of weeks that turned out to be the part I appreciated most. You stop having to remember what state you left it in.
Late-Night Use
This has taken over from the older light that used to live by the door for late walks with my nosey pup, in a neighborhood that earns its reputation once the sun goes down. 2300 lumens is more than any residential street asks for. What matters is that reaching it takes one press while the other hand is holding a leash.
The throw is the other half of it. Klarus claims 360 meters, a 50 percent jump over the previous version of this light, and that covers the far end of a block well enough to work out what just made that noise, rather than lighting the four feet of sidewalk in front of you.
Strobe is a press and hold on the paddle, so it stays out of your way until you want it, and at 2300 lumens it is genuinely disorienting. The only thing I have ever strobed is a wall, and I would like to keep it that way.
What Could Be Better
Turbo is a burst setting, not a cruising speed. The light steps down to High to manage its own heat, which is standard for something this size and better than the alternative, and High is bright enough that the drop rarely registers. Worth knowing before you buy on the strength of the 2300, though, because that number is the peak rather than where the light lives.
The pocket clip is fierce. It grips like it has something to prove and it will work away at a pocket seam until the seam gives up. Between the clip and that bezel, this ended up being a light I carry in the holster.
No sub-lumen or moonlight setting exists, so the dimmest option is 30 lumens. That’s fine outdoors and far too much for reading a map inside a tent without waking whoever else is in there.
Watch the Review
Quick Questions
Q: How long does Turbo really last?
A: Klarus rates Turbo at three hours, but that is the ANSI figure and the light steps down to High along the way to keep its temperature in check. Treat 2300 lumens as a burst you can call on, not a level it sits at.
Q: Does it charge without removing the battery?
A: Yes, USB-C charging is built into the body, and it takes about 2.5 hours. It will also run at full brightness while plugged in, and it can run off USB with no battery in it at all.
Q: Why two tail switches instead of one?
A: The big clicky goes straight to Turbo in one press. The paddle cycles the four brightness levels, holds down for Strobe and double taps for SOS and Beacon. Three clicks on the paddle locks the light out entirely.
Q: Does it have a strobe?
A: Yes, press and hold the paddle. A double tap from there gets you SOS and Beacon.
Q: Is it waterproof?
A: It’s rated IPX8, which covers submersion rather than just rain or a quick splash.
Final Thoughts
The two-switch tail is what you’re paying for, and it delivers what the box promises. Turbo the instant you hit the clicky, the quieter modes on the paddle, and no guessing about what state the light was left in.
What you give up is a pocket clip that treats seams as consumable and a floor of 30 lumens on the nights you want less. Neither costs you much at the front door at eleven at night, which is where this one has earned its place.
Price: $74.95
Where to buy: Amazon or direct from Klarus
What I like: One press on the clicky gets you Turbo with no mode cycling, Strobe is a press and hold on the paddle instead of buried in a menu, USB-C charging built into the body, runs off a USB power bank with no battery in it at all, 143.5g with the battery is light for this class, five-year warranty
What I don’t: Turbo is a burst rather than a level it holds, the pocket clip is hard on pockets, no sub-lumen mode with 30 lumens as the floor
