Best AR15 Tactical Light Under $100

If you’re here, chances are you are looking to save money and find the best tactical flashlight for under $100. There are a variety of tactical lights on the market, but only a handful can be considered purchasable, and even less can be considered great tac lights. Right now, we are going to examine the best tactical flash light under $100.

We selected the $100 price point because it is the bare minimum price point to purchase a viable light, but this is also the best budget tactical light, the best inexpensive AR15 tactical flashlight, and the most affordable AR15 flashlight.

In today’s market, you are going to notice minor drop-offs in product performance. That is okay! Not everyone needs a Surefire sight for $500, and we would argue that most do not. You can enjoy the benefits of an affordable red dot sight for target shooting, fun, hunting, and sportsmanship for under $100.

Our best AR15 tactical light under $100 is the Streamlight 88058 Pro-Tac 350 Lumen Multi-Fuel Weapon Light. There are a plethora of variations of Sig’s red dot sight, but this one is the only that comes under the $100 price point.

The reason the Streamlight 88058 is the best tactical light $100 is because it is durable, bright, lightweight, and functional. Does it do any of these things as well as a Surefire? No. Does it perform as well? No. However, if you want to replicate the shooting experience of a higher priced light, this is the perfect one to accomplish those goals.

Before we begin reviewing what we believe is the best tactical light under $100, it is important to note that there are only a handful of tac lights under this price point. Most of these are not worth purchasing because the product is so poorly made that you will not be satisfied with it.

PROS

• Price: $101.29
• Multi-Fuel Innovation; uses one AA alkaline or one CR123A battery; can also accept one AA lithium battery
• TEN-TAP Programming; Choice of three user selectable programs; High/Strobe; High Only; Low/High
• Top loading battery compartment with integral brightness control featuring 10 daytime and 2 NV settings
• Remote pressure switch features momentary and “Constant on” operation
• Integrated rail clamp attaches to MIL-STD-1913 rails; Easy to attach with secure mounting
• Includes remote pressure switch, push-button tail switch, remote retaining clips, double-sided tape and zip ties

CONS

• Pressure switch mounting can be awkward depending on AR15 build
• Less lumens than other lights limits effectiveness to CQC ranges

Customer Reviews of Streamlight 88058

Great weapon light!

“Makes a handy durable light for an AR platform. It makes a good duty light for LE/Security applications. This has held up great for years of work, training classes and 3gun matches. Mounted these on department issued and officers personally owned guns for years. It’s definitely a good lower cost option compared to Surefire similar sized lights. I’ve had zero problems with them over several years and several different lights on numerous platforms. You can spend a lot more for high end lights and you get marginal long term durability gains. If you’re going to go on deployment surefire might be a better choice but for at home or regular duty use these lights have held up to everything I’ve thrown at them or on them!“

Quality light, affordable and bright!

“I wanted a reasonably priced rail mount light. I’ve used Surefire Scout lights in the Army, and they’re incredible, but also incredibly expensive. I shopped around and found a different brand light that was incredibly cheap from a popular optics/accessories retailer and decided to order it. The light came, and I was immediately disappointed with it.

What I should have done in the first place is ordered the Streamlight Pro Tac Rail Mount 1. After realizing that the light I bought had a feature that was incredibly bizarre, and completely counter intuitive, and the tape switch mount was sub par at best, I got on Amazon and ordered the Streamlight.

Most online reviews from the “Tacti-cool” gear crowd regard Streamlight products as a great alternative to Surefire. I agree. The Streamlight puts out 350 lumens of good light with a CR123 battery. If you’re planning on using it for a home defense gun, 350 lumens is plenty for everything but a 20,000 square foot mansion with 100′ long hallways. In most homes, it’s enough light to do what it’s intended to do, which is identify threats in a darkened area. I haven’t tested the light output while using a AA battery, which this light can also accept, which is a huge bonus, since AA batteries are the most common type of battery, and much less expensive than CR123s. The light output would obviously be less with a double A, but they’re far more widely available in any given area.“

Quality meets affordability.

“Overall great Mini scout light by stream light. You won’t regret your purchase like you would with Inforce.”

Cheaper version of Surefire.

“This light appears to directly compete with the Surefire Scout M300C. While the machining and finish is not as nice as the Surefire, the output is practically the same. You basically have a cheaper version of the Surefire that comes with a pressure switch which costs extra from Surefire. While I am not sure if this light will be bomb proof like the Surefire it is sure worth a try at $99. So far very happy. This light appears to have an identical interface as the Surefire Scout lights and should fit scout mounting options. I plan on running this hard to see if it will fail.”

Budget Tactical Light Buying Guide

There are a variety of factors to consider when searching for an affordable tactical flashlight: quality, price, performance, and vendor. Each of these will vary based on your specific buying needs.

Quality

When buying any accessory, quality does not mean how can I get a $500 Surefire for $100, but rather how can I get a product that will perform to my expectations at my price point. One of the easiest checks for quality is to examine customer reviews of the optic. Customers will always make note of quality with specific comments such as “feels like the real thing” or “cheap”. I could ask you to compare metal alloys, but if you were into that much detail, you’d already own it.

Price

This is self explanatory when buying a tactical light (or anything really). You want to get as much as possible for the price you pay and you want to pay the lowest price for the accessory you want. Be sure to watch for sneaky extras on price such as shipping charges or price swaps when selecting different reticle configurations.

Performance

When buying an AR15 tactical light, performance will depend on your goal for your light. If you are using it to mount on an airsoft gun, you’ll have different needs than someone mounting it on an AR15. Consider what you want your light to do and select accordingly. If you want a light just for looks, then that can be had for a much cheaper price point than one that performs.

Vendor

This one doesn’t seem as intuitive as the others, but there is a chance you will not like your optic. How easy will it be to return? How fast will it arrive? We recommend using Amazon if you do not have a local gun shop near you because of the incredible price (they’ll price match anyone), delivery speed, and ease of return.