Today, I’ll be giving you my thoughts on the Tacticon Armament Firefly V2 flashlight. Finding a quality pistol mounted flashlight under$100 is a rarity, so when I discovered the Firefly V2 I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, this isn’t the best flashlight by a long shot. However, if you need a reliable budget flashlight, this isn’t the worst option either.
Table of Contents
Fitting The Firefly V2 To A Pistol
Getting your flashlight affixed to your pistol requires a flat head screwdriver and a little patience. First, you need to loosen the retainer screw from the clamp. Removing it entirely will cause part of the clamp to separate from the flashlight.
You’ll notice that there is a spring attached near the head of the screw. Next, compress the screw to loosen up the clamp to fit onto your rail. Sometimes the side of the clamp opposite the spring will get askew, just press the screw and realign.
Position the flashlight along your picatinny rail and tighten the retention screw by hand. Finally, tighten the screw using a flat head screwdriver to prevent flashlight and laser movement while shooting.
Unlike the OLIGHT Mini Valkyrie, this setup isn’t as intuitive and it took me a second to figure out. Additionally, removing the flashlight from your pistol is a bit more involved and requires a tool to complete.
How Bright Is The Firefly: Lumen Output
A 220 lumen bulb definitely leaves the Firefly wanting, but adequately illuminates your target. For general home defense, the flashlight is sufficient, assuming you don’t live in a mansion. Of course, if you’re looking into the budget flashlight option, I’ll assume that isn’t the case.
Additionally, the minimal lumens makes the strobe function a little lackluster in anything besides pitch black darkness. However, the beam is extremely focused, allowing it to penetrate darkness further than I expected (as seen above). Think of the most focused setting on a Maglite, and that’s basically the pattern you’ll get from the Firefly.
If you’re looking for something with a little more light that’s still budget friendly, check out my review of the OLIGHT Mini Valkyrie. However, if your heart is set on this model, below is the beam spread for the Firefly.
Distance from Target:
3 Yards:
5 Yards:
7 Yards:
Inner Beam Diameter:
9 inches
19 inches
29 inches
How Easy Is the Firefly V2 To Use?
When determining whether a pistol flashlight is effective, there a few key indicators. First, is the flashlight has to provide sufficient illumination. We’ve already touched on that, so I won’t beat a dead horse.
Additionally, a good flashlight needs to be easy to operate, particularly under stress. Finally, the light should not impede the operation of the handgun. Usually, this means that it has a small profile and minimal weight to prevent the muzzle from dipping.
Firefly V2 Operation
The Firefly V2 has two different flashlight settings. First, the flashlight can be toggled on or off providing continuous light. Additionally, there is a strobe functionality. Lastly, the flashlight also has a laser setting which I’ll discuss later.
My biggest concern with the flashlight is the small buttons that are awkwardly placed. First, the buttons are in a recessed area on the attachment. Because they are not operated by a switch, it’s difficult to tell when your finger makes contact let alone when you’re positioned to turn on the light. And, on more than one occasion I’ve accidentally turned on the light/laser unintentionally.
Similarly, the buttons for the light and laser are equal size and not separated by much space on the flashlight. Therefore, until you are accustomed to the light it can be difficult to tell which button you are on without visual inspection.
Ambidextrous Operation
Besides the flaws with the buttons described above, the designers did make the Firefly for both right and left hand shooters. However, when using the thumbs forward grip, the buttons are out of reach of the off-hand thumb. Unlike the OLIGHT, I have to break my grip in order to operate the light. Although, it is better than having to hold a flashlight with your non-shooting hand, so there is that.
How’s The Laser?
The laser is better used for distance shooting. The dot created by the laser produces a duplicate, possibly from the lens at close distance. You can see the results above, which is done at 5 feet to exaggerate the duplicate. But, as far as budget flashlights go it does the job and allows you to place shots accurately.
If there is a difference between your point of aim and point of impact, you are able to adjust the laser. It’s actually quite simple to adjust the beam by using the provided Allen wrench. To adjust the windage (lateral placement) use the adjustment screw on the side. Adjusting elevation (vertical placement) requires you to use the screw on the bottom of the light.
Powering The Firefly: Battery Specs
Charging Your Flashlight
Running from dead, the Firefly takes about 2 hours to fully charge. A nice feature is the battery indicator lights located on the bottom of the flashlight. There are 4 green dots and one red dot to indicate when the unit needs charging.
Another nice feature on the Tacticon Armament light is that it does not require battery replacement. Instead, the designers use a similar setup as the OLIGHT which has a magnetic charger. The cord is a USB to USB micro adapter, which fits into the magnetic charging adapter.
Tacticon Flashlight Runtime
With the flashlight on and a static beam, along with the laser on the flashlight ran for just under an hour (57 minutes). Using only the strobe function the flashlight is capable of working for almost 2 hours (1 hour 55 minutes).
Therefore, intermittent use of the flashlight for home defense, the battery should last for a couple weeks without requiring a charge. If in doubt, turning on any feature of the flashlight reveals the battery indicator lights described above. However, if you’re looking to do some extensive low light training, you’ll have to break at hour intervals.
Firefly V2 Weight Distribution & Profile
Although the profile is a bit bulky, the flashlight weighs in at 1.83 ounces, and is one of the lightest flashlights I’ve come across. The profile isn’t terrible considering there is an undermount laser. However, I do prefer that my mounted flashlight not extend below the trigger guard. Although, this is strictly personal preference.
Parting Shots
If you’ve got a tight budget and are looking for a flashlight for home defense, the Firefly V2 from Tacticon Armament isn’t going to break the bank. The output of the flashlight is sufficient for most domestic applications. However, the flashlight does have a few shortcomings that you must be willing to overlook.
My biggest hangup was the actual operation of the light, which does take some getting used to. Do you have anything to add to my assessment? Do you think the flashlight is better than I made it out to be? Leave a comment for the rest of the community.
