5.11's tactical-grade "Light for Life" flashlight impressed us in two big ways: it charges in only 90 seconds, and it features a clever 360° charging pad. The flashlight operates in three modes so, depending on how you use it, you can get up to two hours of use from that short 90-second charge.

The standard beam's 90 lumens strong and will keep up for an hour. A higher, wince-inducing 270-lumens setting can keep going for around 45 minutes and a third mode, strobe, works well with an optional flare cone. After each cutoff point, the light enters a 25-lumen standby mode for 30 minutes, and finally a 10-lumen emergency mode for another half hour. At a 90-second-to-two-hour ratio, you could run the flashlight 23.5 hours of a day.

The Light for Life fits into its charger any which way — no pins or shapes to line up. Instead the prongs we're all used to are pressed into concentric circles on the bottom of the flashlight (pictured below), making for a rugged 360° charging surface.

Still, that's not enough to bear the badge of tactical-grade, right? Right. Click Continue to read some more fun facts about 5.11's flashlight.

Said fun facts: Light for Life only weighs about one pound and is neutrally buoyant, water resistant, and is covered by a firearm-grade polymer body that guards against cracks and scratches. We're also told that in your average drop test — a five-foot fall onto a sheet of plywood atop concrete — the Light for Life survives upwards of 120 drops. Your average Maglite, because of its weight, is lucky to get through the 50s.

That said, you probably shouldn't bludgeon anyone with the Light for Life — name aside. It's not made for it, and it costs $170 for the torch, car charger and belt ring. Expensive? Yes. Then again, you probably won't need anything else until you run down the 50,000 hours on the LEDs. You and I probably won't need something as serious as the Light for Life, but that tactical grade design — not to mention the trio of hulking capacitors it's packing under the hood for that quick charge — bump that price up far beyond the $15 flashlight you'd buy at Target.

Via 5.11 Tactical