I've never been quite sure what a "tactical flashlight" is -- I do know what a weapon-mountable one is -- just as I've never been sure what a "tactical knife" is. To me, a "tactical flashlight" is a 6D cell Maglite and I doubt most people carry them for their paltry output...

But that aside, after getting a Fenix L2D Premium, I've never looked back and my CR123A Surefires are in my glove box, where the batteries will stay good for a decade.

I have way too many flashlights and nothing is as bright as the Fenix. Yeah, the Surefires look cooler, but for brightness and battery life, I love the L2Ds, which run perfectly on 2 AA NiMHs. It will light up a large parking lot at 185 lumens (for 2.4 hours) and you can also run it at 12/53/107 lumens. I EDC one, along with a Proton.