Those 1 Million Lumen Flashlights On Amazon Aren’t What They Claim To Be

Ordering things from Amazon is extremely convenient, especially with all the perks you get with Amazon Prime. The trouble is, you don’t always get what you pay for. Sometimes, this is because of an error during the shipping process or a defective product. But in many cases, it’s simply because sellers can hugely exaggerate the capabilities of their products and Amazon does very little to stop it. Some of the most shocking examples of this can be found if you’re trying to shop for ultra-bright flashlights. There are scores of cheap flashlights on Amazon from brands you’ve never heard of, with many of them promising outputs of 1 million lumens or more for a price of less than $50. The best-selling examples among them have racked up hundreds or even thousands of reviews, many of which are positive. Some have even been given the “Amazon’s Choice” label by the retailer. 

Put simply, these output claims are completely false. Testing by 1Lumen shows that even the brightest flashlights in the world peak at around 200,000 to 230,000 lumens, and only a handful are capable of reaching the 100,000-lumen mark. These class-leading flashlights are bulky and very expensive, requiring their own built-in fans to stay cool enough to operate. To illustrate just how outlandish the claims of these budget Amazon flashlights are, Torque Test Channel measured the lumen output of various flashlights that had been purchased from the retailer. The very best of these budget flashlights achieved only 0.24% of its advertised lumen output, while the worst achieved just 0.05%.

The Torque Test Channel comparison took place in 2024, and at the time, the highest claimed output for one of these budget flashlights was 1 million lumens. Notably, at the end of the analysis, the YouTuber noted that the advertised output of some of the flashlights had changed even in the short time between ordering them and testing them. The outputs that sellers advertised kept going up even though the product being sold hadn’t changed, leading to the YouTuber joking that “2 million lumen flashlights will be right around the corner.”

Two years later, that prediction proved to be correct. Multiple sellers on Amazon now advertise flashlights with 2-million-lumen outputs, and some claim even higher numbers. One flashlight that we found on Amazon is sold by a brand called Gekiro and claims to produce 2.5 million lumens despite costing just $29.99. The flashlight’s description claims that 2.5 million lumens is “as bright as […] car headlights.” In reality, older halogen vehicle headlights average around 3,000 lumens, while modern LED headlights are often around 6,000 lumens. If the flashlight seller’s claims were true, that would actually make the Gekiro flashlight around 417 times brighter than modern car headlights.

It isn’t just Amazon that has a problem with sellers posting unrealistic outputs either. A quick search through eBay listings brings up a string of flashlights with claimed 1-million-lumen outputs, while some AliExpress flashlight sellers have taken things a step further and now claim outputs of 10 million lumens.

Until these retailers implement policies to properly regulate sellers’ advertising, these massively inflated claims won’t go away. That leaves buyers with the task of figuring out which flashlights actually live up to their maker’s claims and which are falsely advertised. A flashlight advertising a 1-million-lumen output is easy to spot as a lie, but a flashlight that claims to produce 5,000 or 10,000 lumens doesn’t immediately stick out in the same way.

The key to making sure you’re getting what you’re paying for is to ensure that any ultra-bright flashlight you buy has been independently tested by a professional reviewer who can validate its maker’s claims. The most powerful flashlights on the market have all been tested in this way, so if you can’t find any reputable reviews outside of Amazon for a product, that’s usually a red flag. It’s also well worth considering how much output you realistically need from your flashlight. We’ve previously argued that 1,000 lumens is more than enough for most camping flashlights, and 300 lumens might be fine in some cases. Too many lumens — or in other words, too much light being emitted — from a flashlight can actually be a hindrance rather than a help.

If you buy from a trusted manufacturer, check that independent reviews (not Amazon’s on-site reviews) back up the seller’s claims, and don’t overestimate the output you need, there are plenty of affordable, powerful flashlights to pick from. Ironically, most of those quality, affordable flashlights will be more powerful in the real world than a supposedly 1-million-lumen flashlight from a no-name brand on Amazon.