Chad Wallace

February 3, 2024

Review

Powertac WOFT

Chad Wallace

February 3, 2024

Review

When it comes to handheld flashlights, there’s a ton of them around. The ultimate question is how do you know which one is right for you? I would go check out reviews and specifications. Which is probably why you are here. Powertac has been doing some pretty interesting things with handheld lights. I’ve reviewed a few of their lights in the past and they performed well. They sent out one of their new lights, the Powertac WOFT tactical EDC light. This light is a collaboration with WOFT (Where Our Families Train) training.

The Powertac WOFT light is very compact. It has a length of 4.28 inches. A head diameter of 1 inch and a body diameter of 0.85 inches. This makes it fit in the pocket nicely. I usually just throw the WOFT light in my pocket. But for those wondering, it does have a pocket clip. The pocket clip is dual purpose, so it can be clipped onto stuff in either direction. So basically, button up, or button down, whatever suits your carry style. I did find it useful, if you needed to use the Powertac WOFT light as a headlamp. Just clip it to your hat brim and light up wherever your head is facing. The clip can be located around the flashlight body in 4 different locations. The Powertac WOFT is compact enough to make it easy to carry everyday.

Function of the Powertac WOFT is pretty self explanatory. For instance, the button on the rear tailcap turns the light on and off. One press on, one press off. To momentarily turn the light on, just lightly push the button down. If you double tap the rear switch, you turn on the strobe mode. This works both in momentary and click options, depending on if you want the strobe to stay on or just use it for a wee bit. The tailcap button also has two ears sticking up to protect the button.These ears allow you to stand the light upright on a flat surface. I’m a big fan of a light that can stand up and be used to illuminate a whole room, similar to a lantern.

Front Target stands are 50 yds, Rear are 100 yds. Anything within 50 yds is easily identified

The Powertac WOFT also has 5 brightness settings. These are: Firefly, Low, Medium, High, and Turbo. The Light ALWAYS turns on in the Turbo made. This is great for a tactical flashlight application, because if you need it, you want it on the highest setting. After the initial turn on, you can cycle through the lights settings by using the side button, which is located on the side of the flashlight's head. Since the WOFT light turns on in the Turbo mode, the first press of the side button takes you to the Firefly mode. Then each consecutive press takes you to the next level. I’m a big fan of tactical EDC lights that always turn on at the highest setting. Powertac hit this option spot on. I also really like the Firefly setting as a task light in dark settings.

Now what everyone is waiting for, how bright is this Powertac light? It’s plenty bright at 1200 lumens for the Turbo mode. The Turbo mode also spews out a candela rating of 14,400. This gives a good combination of spot and flood. It’s plenty enough to disorient an aggressor. Powertac specs it out at a 240 meter beam distance, we all know that about half of that is useful distance. But that’s plenty for a small handheld light. The light runs off of a rechargeable 14500 cell. Extra are easily found on Amazon and other places. Powertac includes a magnetic usb charging cord that works great for onboard charging of the battery and light. For all you geeks out there (me included), here’s a list of those brightness modes and run times:

Lumens and Run Times:

Firefly - 0.41 lm for 3.4 days

Low - 19 lm for 9.69 hrs

Medium - 140 lm for 3.68 hrs

High - 600 lm for 47 mins

Turbo - 1,200 lm for 43 mins

Strobe - 1,200 lm for 1.18 hrs

In the box are a few other items. The Powertac WOFT comes with 3 different bezels: a smooth one, a medium aggressive, and a pretty aggressive one. They just screw on, so they are easily swapped. Of course I used the most aggressive one. If I have to use it as an impact weapon, I want it to hurt. But the choice is yours. Also included is a wrist lanyard. I left it in the box, but it’s included if you have a need for it. The included extra bezels are a nice addition.

The Powertac WOFT has become my EDC light. I carry it daily. Mainly because it has great light output for its size. I like that it’s not too large in diameter. Most other lights in this category seem to have a larger diameter, with a similar length and output. If I had one complaint, it would be run times, but I can’t expect that in such a small light. At first I had a little sticker shock on the price, but after using it for months, I get why it costs what it costs.

Powertac and WOFT did a great job putting this EDC light together. From its small size to its impressive output, it does what a pocket edc light should do. Always coming on in the turbo mode is what a tactical light should do, at least if it has more than one output. If you are looking for an edc pocket light, I’d recommend checking out the WOFT light at Powertac, as well as the other lights Powertac offers

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Bright, small, rechargeable handheld light

Target Market:

Anyone needing a small, bright, handheld light

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

1200 lumens max output
14400 Candela max
6 different settings that include 5 levels of brightness plus a strobe
14500 Rechargeable Battery
Interchangeable smoothed, scalloped, & aggressive bezel
Magnetic USB Charging
Length: 4.28” (108.6mm)
Bezel Diameter: 1” (25.4mm)
Body Diameter: 0.85” (21.5mm)
Weight: 2.61oz (74g) without battery
Deep-carry bidirectional pocket clip
Reverse polarity protection protects from improper battery installation
O-ring sealed
Machined from aircraft grade aluminum with type III anodized finish
Tempered glass to resist breaking and scratching upon impact
Double coated glass lens to give maximum OTF (Out The Front) brightness and beam distance
IPX8 waterproof Submersible up to 2 meters under water
Lifetime Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5 out 5 stars at Powertac.com

This flashlight is a BEAST

There are some fantastic features packed into this bad boy. I love how quick and easy it is to switch to strobe for home security or signaling, then back to Turbo. The WOFT lights up my whole street in Turbo mode. Nice build, well done Powertac!

Our Rating:

Pros:

Small size
Bright beam
Good beam pattern
Always turns on at Turbo setting
Multi-Directional pocket clip

Cons:

Run Time
Price

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link: Powertac M5 G2 Review

Chad Wallace

July 23, 2022

Review

Powertac M5 G2

Chad Wallace

July 23, 2022

Review

Once upon a time, I wanted a new pocket carry tactical flashlight. I liked the Powertac light that they had previously sent for review, but it was physically longer than I wanted. Then, Powertac came out with their M5-G2. This was almost exactly what I wanted in a handheld light. High lumens, good candela, and a shorter package. So I purchased one. A few months later, I received another one because of Powertac’s affiliate program.

The M5-G2’s normal functions are pretty intuitive. The tail cap button turns it on or off. It also has momentary on, if you just push the button down slightly. The button is recessed into the tail cap. I’m really glad that Powertac did this over the E9. It allows the flashlight to stand on end with the light going up and out. This way you can light up a whole room by setting the light on a table or floor without it falling over. When I say the button is recessed, there are still cutouts on each side, so that you can have easier access to the button.

I also want to say that this light is bright. On “turbo”, which is the highest output mode, it produces 2030 lumens with 27,225 candela. Because of the candela, the beam on this light is pretty focused. This is good for lighting things up at longer distances. It also produces a noticeable “spot” in the beam pattern. I really like the beam pattern as I like to see what the flashlight is pointed at. Because of how bright the beam is, it does still supply plenty of light spill outside the “spot”. It will definitely light up a room.

Along with the “turbo” mode, the M5-G2 also has 4 other brightness modes. All the brightness modes can be cycled through using the side button. This is, of course, after the light has been turned on using the tail switch. The side button is located at the front of the flashlight. Just push it once for every time you want to increase the brightness, from “firefly” to “turbo”. Whatever brightness you have the light set on when you turn it off, is what brightness it turns on at. The strobe function also uses the side button. Just hold the button down for about 1 second and the light starts strobing. When you want to turn the strobe function off, just tap the side button and it will return to the regular light.

As mentioned, the Powertac M5-G2 has 5 levels of brightness. These levels are using the supplied 18650 battery. 2-CR123’s can also be used. See the chart below for these runtimes and settings. I found the “firefly” mode to actually be very useful in full darkness. It gives me just enough light to see what I’m looking for, but not too much to be blinding. It may also work as a good task light under night vision. I usually end up using the “medium” setting for everyday use. I usually turn it to the “turbo” mode before turning the light off, just in case I actually need the light for identification. I never use the strobe function, but some might.

The M5-G2 comes with a lot of standard EDC light features. First off, it has a removable and swappable pocket clip. It can be swapped from top to bottom for either light up or light down carry. I’m not keen on the pocket clip as it is a little flimsy. If you catch it on something, it can either bend or pull off of the light completely. It’s a good thing I don’t use the pocket clip. In the box is also a wrist lanyard that hooks into the tailcap. If you like lanyards, this one is pretty decent. I like that the M5-G2 uses a 18650 battery and that it is included. To charge the light, Powertac includes a magnetic charger cord. This cord plugs into a usb on one end and then snaps onto the magnetic charging port at the front of the flashlight. The charging port is on the opposite side of the mode button. When charging, the mode button turns red. When finished charging, it turns blue. The M5 is also waterproof down to 2 meters. So yes, it does actually work underwater. But probably more important is that it will work in rain and snow.

At a little under 5”, the Powertac M5-G2 is a good size. The smaller size, of this light, is exactly what I wanted. At 1” in diameter, at its largest part, it is extremely narrow also. To top it all off, it only weighs a hair over 4 ounces with the battery and pocket clip!

As you can tell, Powertac did a really nice job with the M5-G2. It is everything needed in a good pocket EDC light. It’s bright, has good light throw, and is lightweight. Did I mention it’s only 70 bucks. If you’re looking for a good edc light option, definitely go check out Powertac lights and the M5-G2.