When you're thinking of purchasing a flashlight, you're probably looking for a simple handheld device that can make a dark area visibly brighter. However, flashlights come in many different forms, for just about every part of the light spectrum. On its own, such a device wouldn't be especially helpful, but when paired with a pair of night vision goggles, an IR flashlight can suddenly become quite invaluable. IR light is typically used as a means of connecting devices wirelessly, like the IR beam fired from your remote to your TV to send it signals. Rather than just shining a beam that you can see on its own, an IR flashlight "paints" your surroundings in IR light, which can then be picked up by light-sensitive equipment like night vision goggles.