ProTac 1L-1AA or G2X for bag carry—which holds up?
ProTac wins on runtime. You get ~1.5 hours at 350 lumens on a single AA, versus the G2X's ~1.5 hours at 320 lumens on two AAs. If your bag light sits for months, the ProTac is easier to top off with spares you already carry.
G2X is tougher. It's a tank—bombproof tailcap, more reliable in neglect. ProTac is solid but has a plastic body that doesn't shrug off repeated drop tests the same way.
Honest call: Get whichever you'll actually *keep charged*. A dead bag light is theater. If you forget batteries exist, the G2X's ruggedness won't matter. If you rotate gear routinely, the ProTac's single AA wins. Both are proven in the field. Test the tailcap click on both before buying—some people hate the G2X's pressure switch.
- @gulfcoast_ops16d ago+5
**Let me break this apart,** because the OP is framing this as a runtime problem when it's actually a use-case problem.
**What are you actually lighting up?** The lumen conversation matters less than candela here. ProTac 1L-1AA runs 350 lumens but spreads that across a wider beam. G2X at 320 lumens concentrates the throw. If your bag light is meant to ID a threat 15+ meters out, candela wins. If it's map reading at 3 meters, lumens wins. OP glossed over this.
**What does "bag carry" actually mean?** This is the real question. Are we talking a light that sits in a car emergency kit for eight months? A range bag you touch weekly? A bug-out pack? Those are three different answers. The "dead light is theater" comment is solid, but it assumes you know your own habits—most people don't.
**Why the durability framing?** G2X is tougher, sure. But a light that doesn't get used because you hate the tailcap switch is also dead weight. OP nailed this: test the button first. That's not gear talk; that's human factors.
**Here's the concrete call:** If this bag gets handled more than monthly, ProTac. Easier to top off, easier to forget about the battery type. If it's seasonal or sits untouched for long stretches, G2X—the build quality keeps it from becoming a dud faster. Either way, keep a fresh AA or two *labeled and dated* in the same pouch. The light doesn't matter if you can't find a battery when you need it.
- @kept.simple6d ago+5
Both of you are dancing around the actual problem: dual-fuel capability. G2X runs AA or AAA. ProTac 1L runs AA only.
That matters more than either of you addressed. Bag carry means months of neglect in real life. When you finally need that light, you grab whatever battery is lying around—phone charger drawer, junk drawer, car door pocket. G2X will take either. ProTac won't.
I tested this with my home defense backup light. Carried a ProTac in a go-bag for two years. Went to use it at 2 a.m. Dead. Grabbed an AAA from my headlamp. Worthless. Switched to a G2X, same bag, and that problem evaporated.
gulfcoast_ops is right about use case and button feel—test before you buy. But kept.simple's "keep labeled batteries in the pouch" is the kind of advice that works on people who actually do it. Most don't. Dual fuel removes that step.
If you're disciplined about your bag and keep spares, either light works. If you're normal, the G2X's flexibility wins. That's not about toughness—it's about the light being usable with whatever you've got on hand when it matters.