All posts tagged Streamlight flashlights for sale

You get what you pay for and I’ll say it again

SFX300U-A-2We often get customers that want us to tell them what will work for them, “is this a quality item” we often get asked and if we sell it to them and there is a problem, it’ll come back on us.  It’s very rare that we will endorse a product and as a retail business in the tactical industry, we really can only give you options to choose from.   We listen to the operators that are using various optics and weapon mounted lights and they almost always can tell us where the Fail Point is with them.   There different levels of durability but no flashlight or electronic devices has a zero failure rate in all conditions.   I haven’t used Pelican flashlights but we hear good things about them, but for personal flashlights, CCW flashlights and different grades of weapon mounted lights, we narrow it doesn to Streamlight and Surefire flashlights.

Both manufacturers offer good warranties and we often hear of very good customer service from Streamlight.   The Streamlight Protac 2L far outsells the smaller Protac 1L for CCW but besides the Streamlight TLR1s flashlight, the Surefire flashlights get far fewer complaints on weapon mounted lights.  Many of our Law Enforcement and Firefighters are using the Streamlight flashlights while Pelican, Surefire and Streamlight lean more towards the Military preferences.   It’s not our call, it’s your call on what you want.   Stick with the name brand manufacturers and not the high lumen cheap Chinese knock off flashlights you see at Gun Shows for a good price.  People will laugh at you if they see NcStar on your M4.

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Using Flashlights on weapons and for search, how many lumens do you really need?

Streamlight FlashlightsI remember upgrading from the XENON bulbs to LED Upgrades on several of my flashlights a few years ago.   I was using Streamlight Scorpions and Surefire G2 flashlights that I believe were around 80 lumens each and I was impressed back then at how bright they were.   The only piss off I had with them was how the bulbs didn’t really last that long and I didn’t really like the lack of reliability, regardless of how bright they were.   The Streamlight Scorpions were upgraded to about 130 Lumens with the Upgrade kit, and the first thing I did was mount them on my AR15 rifle.   I was very happy having a weapon mounted light on my guns when I was up in the woods of Pennsylvania but I also choose to put a flip on red lense because I learned in Boy Scounts that bright lights can ruin your vision at night.

The old Army Flashlights had multiple lense on them for variations on lense width always came with a red or blue lense.   I don’t know why people forget this when they buy high lumen Streamlight Flashlights and thing 300 Lumens of light is going to win a fight when having low light abilities and being fast on your feet is a much better strategy.    Streamlight is a very good company to choose from and their price points and warranties are going to make our customers feel like they spent their money wisely.   Remember that the light you have on your firearm is not the light that you should always use for searching for something.  Having two flashlights on  your person is really the way to go.

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Flashlights have gotten more powerful but the prices haven’t gone up!

streamlight TRL flashlightsThere’s good news for anyone that is looking for a good M4 Carbine light or handgun light but wanted something more powerful than the Streamlight TLR1 Flashlights.  Well, guess what?!   The new Streamlight flashlights that are coming out in 2013 are almost 80% brighter than the previous flashlights, same model and same price.  It’s very rare that something like this occurs in this industry, it’s almost like when Magpul came out with the Generation 3 Pmags that were actually a few bucks cheaper than the Generation 2 pmags.   We’ve been monitoring several of our distributors inventory to make sure we are only bringing in the new flashlight models.   Xenon bulbs are a thing of the past and LED is getting better all of the time.

I’ve been going back and forth between my quad rail LWRC M6A2 and trying to decide on a flashlight that didn’t rely on pressure switches.   I like the Streamlight TLR Flashlights but I thought that if  my Protac 2L flashlight was 180 lumens why would I put something like the TLR1S that was 160 lumens on my carbine.   I’ve always felt that 150 lumens was about the lowest I want on a firearm which is why the Surefire Scout 110 lumen flashlight didn’t cut it for me when I picked one up for testing.  I didn’t want to drop $500 on some of the Surefire products so Streamlight Flashlights and products were in play.

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LED Advancements in that tactical world

Flashlight technology has advanced more than most other items in the last few  years and LED technology really should make the average home owner, Concealed Carry holder and average citizen think about cleaning out the house and tossing  your older Mag-lite flashlights.   You can get far more out of a CR123 than you  use to get from several D batteries and the same flashlight that you use to take camping is the same one you can mount on your M4 Carbine.

LED technology has advanced so much in recent years that it truely is time to clear out your old flashlights and replace your home and traveling white lights. Fore handguns and Carbines we highly recommend Streamlight Flashlights for home or street defense.  The TLR-1 is one of biggest selling handgun tactical lights and is easy to mount and easy to use. If you are looking for a light and laser combo, the TLR-2 tac-light is what you’re looking for. The Streamlight Scorpion PolyTac is a good companion for traveling or for mounting on your M4 Carbine.

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Stocking Streamlight dealer

We carry a large selection of flashlights, from concealed carry lights that are small and bright, to keychain lights and rifle and shotgun lights. Not everyone needs a flashlight for the same thing and if you don’t need to spend $200 on a flashlight, why would you? There is such a thing as having too much light and features like strobe can be as much of a liability to use as an asset if not employed properly. The Strobe feature on many flashlights can buy you a second or two of reaction time and that can be extremely helpful to law enforcement.

Finding a flashlight in your price that has a history of holding up reduces the competition to virtually zero.   Most local police departments use Streamlight flashlights and the TLR-1S is the primary Glock pistol light. While some may wants more than 160 lumens, these flashlights can be reliable attached to modern handguns with rail systems. There is a reason so many big name firearm manufacturers are making handguns with rails from, Glock, Sig Sauer and Springfield XD. The Streamlight TLR flashlights are our number one selling weapons mounted flashlight.

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Surefire Vs. Streamlight

I guess that sounds like the beginning of a gun forum post but we get asked about this all the time.  There are many things that I prefer to not divulge to customers because so much of this is about preference and the job at hand.   If you are going to be using a flashlight for any length of time, and you have access to a charger, then you obviously want a flashlight that is rechargeable and has the appropriate battery packs.  Most of the Police around here are using the Streamlight Strion and Streamlight Stinger because they can charge them in their vehicles or the office and know where they are starting from, unlike batteries that have been in the flashlight that are already diminished.

If you have serious use of a flashlight, the differences between having a flashlight at 80% vs 100% is considerable.  If you are using streamlight flashlights for more than 8yrs, you’ll be able to relate to the improvements that have taken place with LED technology.   I originally had a Streamlight scorpion with a xenon bulb that only lasted a few battery changes before it need to be replaced.   I’ve had every ready Radio Shack flashlights that were tougher than that, but things have changed.   Surefire came in stock because of all of the requests for Carbine and Shotgun lights.  The Streamlight TLR-1 Flashlights are still king in this business, but Surefire has the hold on most AR15 and shotgun mounted lights.   We are actively monitoring requests for Veridian lights, but we’ve had very little experience.

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Suggestions for CCW Flashlights

There are always people that carry products that are outside the norm and everyone has a different reason for carrying what they want.  I knew a guy that carried a Desert Eagle and it wasn’t because he was a nut job, he actually worked on a farm and had issues with gators eating his dogs.   That’s not something I would expect my Sig 239 to  be dealing with but on the flip side, I also heard a story on the local news about a guy that just got his CCW and discharged his Desert Eagle into his hand and to this day it amazes me he has a hand.   There are always idiots in every flock but the vast majority of the product elements of society are very responsible and deserve to have access to the things they choose to carry. Pocket knives also vary and although I think Swiss Army knives are nice, clip on knives are more practical than something floating around in your pocket.   When I am looking for a flashlight that has  a proven track record there are very few companies I will place my money with, my Streamlight Flashlights are my primary home and CCW flashlights although I do have some of the Surefire flashlights on my M4 Carbines.   I am still in a testing stage for weapons mounted flashlights but according to all of the local Police Departments the Streamlight TLR-1 is their pistol flashlight.

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Handgun lights that never seem to be out done

I can still think of the time when my Grandfather use to come home from Radio Shack with some new powerful flashlight that was very impressive to a 9yr olds eyes.  That giant flashlight that took those giant D batteries seemed like modern technology was displayed for my eyes only.  Later it was the spoiled rich kids that showed up on camping trips with the expensive mag lites that their parents gave them because they thought you need that much candle power on a camping trip.

 

Well, there’s nothing wrong with a bright flashlight, nothing at all.  The flashlights that I see in stores like the Streamlight Flashlights are so bright and compact that the only draw back is having CR123 batteries in storage and the fact that some of these flashlights are easy to loose.   I have seen many weapons lights on M4 Carbines, but the one hand held flashlight that everyone seems to use is the Streamlight TLR-1.   This handgun light is still the staple for rail handguns and could be used on any shotgun or rifle.  The best thing about it too is most of them can be had for under $120.

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How much of a Flashlight do you need to carry?

I  have asked myself that question for several years now and have actually enjoyed learning about all of the options that are available.  One of my primary rules for carrying a flashlight is it can’t be too small or I’ll end up losing it.  There are plenty of very powerful flashlights that cost close to $200 and can fit in your pocket, but to me that is a one heck of an expensive thing to loose.   Flashlights should be small if you are carrying them all the time, but there is such a thing as too small.   If it is really small you might as well put it on a keychain.

Even though I’ve been impressed with the Streamlight Nanolights and how powerful they are, I don’t like the idea of putting them on a keychain.  I carry a  lot of keys already and having another thing hanging in the ignition like the Streamlight Flashlights that are on a keychain makes keys kind of clunky.    I find the Streamlight Polytac to be a very nice light for all around purposes because it fits my hand very well, but it’s too big to keep on a belt or in a pocket all the time.   I’ve been carrying a Streamlight PT-2  or ProTac-2.  There is a smaller version called  the PT-2 but that is a little too small for me.   The PT-2 is in the Warranty office right now because I dropped it and cracked the lense, but the flashlight still worked.

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Streamlight Polytac 90 flashlights

The Streamlight Sidewinder has an obvious purpose other than what a regular handheld flashlight is used for and if you need a flashlight like that, there aren’t a lot of options.   Finding a flashlight that gives you the lighting you need is going to get easier and easier these days and they are making them lighter and more powerful every day.   The Streamlight Polytac 90 is slightly shorter in length than the standard Polytac flashlight but it has a unique clip on the back to keep it in place, or  hand it on a belt or vest.   This smaller flashlight runs on 2 CR123 batteries.

Streamlight has an edge over other flashlight companies for firemen and emergency response primarily because Streamlight put the time into developing rechargeable flashlights that held up.   The Streamlight flashlights that we sell the most are the rechargeable and followed closely by the Streamlight Poltac 90.   I wish Streamlight would put a little more thought into the M4 Carbine world because although their flashlights are nice, they are not on par with what Surefire flashlights has out.    Surefire has a solid edge over weapons lights.

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