When I first laid my eyes on the Olight ArkPro Ultra flashlight at a press event, I was skeptical. “So it’s flat and rectangular,” I thought. “Big deal.” When Olight introduced the original Arkfeld in 2023, there was a huge fuss over its rectangular shape. When you picture a flashlight in your mind, you imagine a round, cylindrical barrel. This one looks more like a garage door remote—a slim rectangle with buttons on top. It earned fans quickly, who swore by the practicality of the design. I remained unconvinced that it could make such a big difference.

And then I took Olight’s most recent version of the design, the ArkPro Ultra, for a test drive, and was forced to swallow my skepticism. Both the rectangular body and magnetic end cap turned out to be much more useful than I’d expected. And I wasn’t surprised when I noticed our team added it to our guide to the Best Flashlights. It seems like such a simple thing, but changing the shape of your flashlight can instantly make it easier to carry, which also makes it easier to use day to day.

It’s Hip to be a Rectangle

Olight is often referred to as the “Apple of flashlights” by both its admirers and its detractors. On the one hand, it’s revered for popularizing modern quality-of-life features in flashlights, like a dial knob switch and a magnetic charging end cap. It has also been scorned by its critics for its luxurious (read: high) prices.

The ArkPro isn’t the only rectangular flashlight on the market, but it’s one of very few. The RovyVon Angel Eyes E30 and Cyansky Ark II have similar shapes, but those are really your only options from a trustworthy brand. It’s a shame, because there are some really helpful benefits to ditching the classic cylindrical grip. It won’t roll away when you put it down, solving what has felt like an age-old problem for tinkerers everywhere. The back of the flashlight, opposite the bulb, is magnetic, too, so you can stick it to a nearby metal surface when you need to go hands-free.

For me, though, the shape is so helpful because it makes the flashlight so easy to carry. When I don’t need it, it effectively disappears into the front pocket of my jeans. While testing this flashlight, I’ve twisted my body in all sorts of awkward shapes to mimic when I’ve worked on cars, assembled furniture, or loaded moving trucks. No matter what I did, I couldn’t even feel it.

Had it been a traditional flashlight, I’d be aware of it straining to burst through my pocket fabric and digging into my leg. My go-to pocket flashlight of choice has, for many years, been the Fenix E20 V2.0. I’ve got no complaints about its durability or performance, which is why it’s outlasted two presidents. It fits into my front pocket just fine, but I’m always acutely aware that it’s in there.

And that is an issue with most EDC flashlights: They’re compact, and the best models provide strong illumination for their size, but they’re often better off in a kit or a bag if you aren’t wearing cargo pants or a jacket.

Which ArkPro Do You Need?

Olight’s current rectangular flashlight line, ArkPro, comes in three flavors. There’s the $80 Olight ArkPro Lite, $100 Olight ArkPro, and $130 Olight ArkPro Ultra. All three feature the things that I really love. We recommend the Ultra because it is the best version but, as I’ve said already, these are pretty pricey flashlights, so I can understand why you might want to go with one of the cheaper models. Given that, here’s what makes each one shine:

True to its name, the ArkPro Lite is the lightest and smallest light. Measuring 4.37 inches, it’s half an inch shorter than its bigger siblings, and it weighs a hair less than the others–3.7 ounces, versus the 4-ounce ArkPro and 4.2-ounce Ultra. The Lite spits out 1,200 lumens up to a distance of 94 meters.

The Lite does drop a few features found in the other models, such as magnetic charging and a laser pointer. On the other hand, you get an ultraviolet mode for detailing leaking fluids, which is helpful for household chores, and a red light for low-level illumination that won’t prevent your eyes from adjusting to the dark.

The standard ArkPro increases the battery size roughly 50 percent to the same 2,000 milliampere-hours as the Ultra. On its most economical mode, battery life jumps from 10 days to 14 days. The ArkPro is noticeably brighter, too, at 1,500 lumens at up to 205 meters.

The ArkPro Ultra, our recommended pick, takes things up another notch. It’s slightly brighter than the ArkPro at 1,700 lumens, and the UV light is also 200 milliwatts brighter than the other ArkPros. The bigger difference, I think, is in its durability: It’s coated with “O-Aluminum,” which makes the Ultra more dent- and scratch-resistant. Olight claims the Ultra is roughly 75 percent harder than the other ArkPros’ aluminum alloy bodies. I tried scraping mine along a piece of rough metal fence post to see how it held up. It came away scratch-free.

The whole ArkPro line is relatively expensive, but you’re paying for what I’d say is a genuinely innovative and helpful evolution of a product that most people don’t think much about. Like all the best tools, that extra care leads to a product that just works, without making any demands on your attention.