Nightstick has established itself as an industry leader in tactical, duty, and weapon lights. With good reason. The company has been around for 15 years as a subsidiary of Texas-based Bayco, one of the world’s leading professional and industrial light manufacturers since 1984. The experience is there.
I’ve been running Nightstick weapon-mounted and handheld lights for some three years, and their performance and toughness have always impressed me.
So, I was delighted when I got the opportunity to test two new Nightstick handheld lights, the USB-568XL Barrage and the USB-588-T Turbo Dual Light. These solid, mid-sized lights are ideal for home or vehicle use or attached to a duty belt or tactical rig. Let’s look at their features and how they have performed for me over the last couple of months.
Nightstick USB-568XL Barrage
The USB-568XL Barrage immediately grabbed my attention for its choice of beam colors: white, red, and green. All in the same unit. As the light’s designation implies, it’s also rechargeable, using the included USB-C cord. A red and green charging indicator tells you when the light is charging, or needs to be charged, and when it is fully charged.
The light also includes a CR123 battery carrier if you prefer that to the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The two power systems are easily swapped out, though the light does not come with CR123 batteries. Runtime is three hours on high beam, six hours on medium, and 31 hours on low.
The aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum housing is solid, and the Type III hard anodized finish adds toughness. The Barrage is IP-X7 waterproof rated, meaning it can withstand immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
The light is compatible with numerous Nightstick accessories, like mounts, holsters, and attachable safety cones. Nightstick also offers USB adapters.
Barrage Beam Options
The Barrage’s white light has three brightness settings, operated by the tail switch. Those settings pump out 900, 450, and 50 lumens, respectively. The corresponding candela ratings are 12,081, 7,439, and 756.
The white light’s beam distances, per setting, are 230 meters, 174 meters, and 55 meters. This is a powerful, versatile light, even before you count the red and green floodlights, which are selected via a rotating collar. The collar selector also provides access to the USB charging port.
A red beam is ideal for low-profile map reading and such. I don’t claim to need that capability, at least not until the Zombie Apocalypse, but perhaps you do. But it could also be useful for emergency signaling if your car breaks down or in other situations.
The Barrage is my first-ever experience with a green beam, and I’ve been quite impressed by how cool it is. It illuminates objects almost as well as the white setting, but it’s easier on my eyes. I find myself using it in my house because it doesn’t kill my ability to see when I take my elderly dog out at 3 AM, which is every night. I really like it. I’m also told that green is great for tracking after dark, so this light will accompany me into the deer woods this fall.
Nightstick USB-568XL Barrage Dimensions
- Length: 6.125 inches
- Weight: 6.8 ounces
- Handle Diameter: 1 inch
- Head Diameter: 1.25 inches
Nightstick USB-588-T Turbo Dual Light
The USB-588-T Turbo Dual Light doesn’t offer different colored beams, but its other features make it one of my favorites. The Turbo is rechargeable, just as the Barrage, but the charging port is accessed via a textured, sleeved collar that protects it when not in use.
It has the red and green charging indicator and the CR123 battery capability, like the Barrage. Runtime is three hours on high beam, eight hours on medium, and 30 hours on low.
The 6061-T6 aluminum housing and Type II anodized finish make it just as rugged as its brother. It is also IP-X7 waterproof rated and compatible with numerous Nightstick accessories. Both lights are chemical, heat, and impact-resistant, and are serialized for easy identification.
Turbo Dual Light Options
The Turbo’s salient feature is its dual light capability. The main flashlight is activated by a tail switch, while a bezel-mounted button works the down-facing flood light, located on the bezel’s opposite side. Both are white lights. The tail switch allows momentary or constant-on for the flashlight. It only took a few minutes to master the tail switch operations.
The flashlight has three brightness settings, operated by the tail switch. It cranks out 1,100 lumens on high, 450 on medium, and 150 on low. Corresponding candela are 85,000, 29,050, and 9,242, respectively. Effective illumination distances, per setting, are 547 meters, 341 meters, and 192 meters.
The floodlight’s performance isn’t as high, but it doesn’t need to be. I use it to illuminate the ground where I’m walking, and I don’t want it reflecting back up at me. The floodlight has a single brightness setting that generates 370 lumens. Nightstick doesn’t provide candela or distance ratings for the floodlight. The maximum runtime for the floodlight is five hours.
Dual mode allows you to use both lights at once, providing a nice all-around illumination if that’s what you need. High lumens on dual mode is 850 with a max runtime of three hours. Dual mode candela and distance are not provided, but they are more than adequate.
I love the Turbo’s dual capability. I have a powerful flashlight if I want it, or I can use the lower-profile floodlight that allows me to keep my hand at my side. A simple operation enables both lights at once. It’s a versatile light that keeps it close to hand, much like the Barrage.
Nightstick USB-588-T Turbo Dual Light Dimensions
- Length: 6.625 inches
- Weight: 6.8 ounces
- Width: 1.1 inches
- Handle Diameter: 1 inch
- Head Diameter: 1.45 inches
Final Thoughts
Like I said, I have numerous Nightstick lights at this point. Every one of them has performed.
I have other brands of lights that are well-made and do their jobs. But my Nightstick flashlights all have a bright, focused central beam that stands out within the wider candela effect. That’s why many of those others have been relegated to my extra gear closet. These two lights have that same beam quality, which rivals that of a much more expensive brand that I’ve run but do not own.
Which leads us to value. I think my Nightstick lights provide that in spades. I could pay a lot more for my lights. But I don’t feel like I have to do that to get a quality, capable, rugged light that runs.
The Barrage and Turbo are cut from that same cloth. I have the utmost confidence in their capabilities. Every Nightstick light that I own is part of my system. Not one is in the extra gear closet. That includes four flashlights and five weapon lights. That’s about as high a recommendation as I can offer. Give them a try. I bet you’ll like them too.
