When choosing a flashlight, it’s easy to default to the brightest white light available. But what if your flashlight offered more options? The new Nightstick Barrage USB Tactical Flashlight now offers both red and green light in addition to the white light.
Having these alternate colors is beneficial in many situations, especially in low-light environments. Red light preserves your night vision, ideal for map reading or moving quietly in the dark. Green light enhances contrast, making it easier to identify details while still preserving your night vision.
I’ve been a big fan of Nightstick for some time and carried their lights on duty for years. Here is a quick rundown of the new Barrage USB Tactical flashlight.
Nightstick Barrage USB Tactical Flashlight
One of the things I liked right away about the Nightstick Barrage is that it’s simple to use. With three brightness settings of white light plus a red and green light, I expected it to be a little more complicated. I’ve reviewed some lights that required studying a manual just to operate. But when you’re in the field, simple is better right?
When comparing its overall size to other lights, this is what I would call a small, handheld flashlight. Not compact, but not full-size either. It’s easy to carry it in your pocket, backpack, vehicle, vest or on your belt.
The Barrage light is 900 lumens of white light on high but also has a medium and low setting. To cycle through these settings just hold down the power button for a few seconds. As you hold it, the light will cycle through the brightness settings until you reach the one desired.
To switch from white to red or green, turn a rotating sleeve on the light. I like this because it allows you to change the light color before you turn on the light. You can also rotate the sleeve to “off” or “charge.”
Rechargeable battery
Like many of their other lights, this one uses a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. A charging cord comes with the light so all you have to do is turn the sleeve to charge (which exposes the power port) and plug it in. If you don’t have time to charge the light, you can also use two CR123 batteries instead.
A charging light comes on to let you know it’s charging, but I will say the charging indicator is a little dim. It’s not a huge deal, but I had to turn off the lights to see that the red-light indicator was on. I’m not sure why it’s so dim, it is.
Nightstick used a push-button tail switch only on this one this light. Some of their other lights have a switch on the back and the side. I kind of like the switch only being on the back so I don’t accidentally push it when grabbing the light.
Durability and testing
This flashlight’s housing is made from aluminum and its impact resistant. It’s rated IP-X7 waterproof, meaning it withstands immersion in water for up to 30 minutes at a depth of one meter.
I didn’t go all out on this one and throw it out windows or run over it in a car, but I did perform a few tests. At a minimum, I like to freeze any light or optic, place them in the dryer and/or oven, soak it in water, and perform some drop tests. This one held up great which didn’t surprise me because I’ve done the same tests on a lot of other Nightstick lights.
Specs:
- Lumens: 900 (white spotlight)
- Beam Distance: 205 meters (white spotlight)
- Run Time: 3 hours (high white mode), 6 hours (medium white mode), 31 hours (low all three colors)
- LED Colors: White spotlight, Red and Green floodlight
- Battery Type: Rechargeable lithium-ion (included)
- Charging Method: USB
- Waterproof Rating: IP-X7
- Material: Aircraft-grade aluminum
- Weight: 6.9 oz (including battery)
- Dimensions: 5.9 inches long
Why Red and Green
In previous articles, I’ve discussed why red and green lights are crucial for tactical and outdoor scenarios. But we will cover it again briefly.
Red lighting has long been the go-to for preserving night vision. When using a standard white flashlight, your eyes lose their ability to see clearly in the dark once the light is switched off. And of course, the brighter the light, the more night vision you lose. If it’s bright enough, you will lose all vision for a while and your eyes will need to adjust.
This adjustment can take anywhere from a few minutes up to 20 minutes depending on the brightness and exposure time. Even just a few minutes feels like a long time when you can’t see anything.
Red light doesn’t have this effect, allowing your eyes to maintain better natural night sight. It’s perfect for situations like reading maps, navigating dark environments, or maintaining stealth.
Green lighting, on the other hand, improves visual acuity and contrast in low-light conditions. This makes it ideal for hunting, wildlife observation, or even navigating trails in the dark.
Green light penetrates foggy and misty conditions better than white or red. It’s also beneficial for extended use, as it causes less eye strain than other colors.
Both colors help to keep your presence discreet in tactical situations. The green is just a little easier for someone to spot than red, but it’s also harder to see detailed objects with the red. This is why I like having both options on my light.
Have you tired Nightstick lights?
Even if you don’t think you will ever use a red or green light, it’s handy to have on your flashlight just in case. This one is ideal because it functions like any other light, has three brightness settings plus the other colors.
I like the fact that this light has an “off” setting so you can disconnect the power from the tail switch. It comes with the re-chargeable battery, power cord, and metal belt clip.