All posts tagged Streamlight Strion

Streamlight Profession Series 2L

I have been looking to replaced my Streamlight Scorpion flashlight for some time now, but I didn’t really have a clue from where to start.   I see so many flashlights being sold as CCW lights, but I really can’t justify spending $100 or more on something that is easy to loose.   I’d rather tote a $40 flashlight that is just a bright, but I know where it is at all times and it doesn’t disappear.   You’re reading from a guy that has lost gear inside a few tactical vests before because it’s just too easy to do.

I walked into a local gun shop and checked out a few Streamlights and the reason I have stuck with this brand is because I’ve never had a real reason to go to anyone else.  Streamlight flashlights don’t burn a whole in your pocket and the Profession Tactical series has a strobe that I find fun to use on guests as well as use it for CCW.  The prices are reasonable and I didn’t have a very good experience with a Surefire G2 that I first mounted on an M4 Carbine.

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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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Sometimes those small tactical and CCW lights don’t cut it

The Northeast recently got hit by an Earthquake and a Hurricane and several family members have come to our Employees and asked them about some of the flashlights that we sold.   We’ve told them  that the Everyready flashlights that they had 30yrs ago are beyond out dated and the technology in the flashlights has advanced tremendously.  LED technology has so improved flashlights that we are now able to use flashlights for hours that are 5-20x brighter then what we had even 10yrs ago.   One thing has not changed though and it is something to consider if you are keeping extra flashlights around the house for non-tactical reasons.

The size of a flashlight is still very important to the average citizen.   The flashlights that use to hold 2 D batteries are about the size that most people expect to use when they think of flashlights and for older people and younger people the size of the flashlight is really a comfort thing.   People want to be able to grasp the whole thing and if they drop it.   The Streamlight Flashlights that we usually recommend are the Poly Stinger or the Streamlight Strion.  Even though most of our tactical operators are using the Streamlight Scorpion or Polytac on their guns or for CCW, those are not what many of your family members are going to want around.

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Flashlights with variable power settings

The Streamlight PT 2l flashlight is now my favorite CCW flashlight and has easily replaced my Streamlight Scorpions.   I have had the Streamlight Scorpions for a long time and even had them when they were all Xenon bulbs before LED.   LED Flashlights probable took a big chunk away from the battery industry.    From what we are seeing the CR123 batteries are also out selling AA battery flashlights almost 2 to 1, but sometimes the AA batteries are popular because AA batteries are all over the place.   After the Northeast got  hit by a hurricane, it was funny to see what was left in the gun shops and Home Depots because the flashlights that were left were all the old fashion D and C flashlights.

The great thing about the Streamlight Professional Series flashlights is that they are variable powers.    Click it once for full  power, click it 3 times and hold and you’ve got your low-power setting.   Streamlight Flashlights have really put themselves in a very broad spectrum of the market.   Tactical lights, CCW lights, emergency lights, rescue lights EMS lights, Firemen lights and even key chain flashlights.  While there  are plenty of competitors out there, it’s easy to find a local dealer and show up and hold them in your hand without having to travel a 100  miles to find someone that stocks and ATN tactical light.

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Is pepper spray and mace a thing of the past?

I have been fortunate to have attended plenty of tactical conferences over the last year and it came up several times during training sessions that there is a move away from using mace like Sabre Defense products and towards  using tasers.   Tasers don’t have the blow back that mace has and of all of the times I have every trained with pepper spray or mace, my lips and eyes always got a little bit of it.   It’s still a very good thing to have on you if you want a less lethal and lower legal liability to use in a bad situation.   If I could name all of the times I have ever felt uneasy dealing with someone or was in a hostile situation, it was almost in or around a place serving alcohol.

Now that there is a lawyer  hiding under every rock, if you choose to carry a firearm for self defense you better be prepared to deal with the legal consequences of every action.   Streamlight flashlights are even being sold as defensive weapons for the strobe feature or the striking bezel.   Until tasers become smaller and more compact, I find them to be  a little too impractical to carry, but the time will come.  One of my favorites to this day is the Kimber Guardian II which looks and feels more like a gun but lasts much longer than bottles pepper sprays.   They are going to cost you more, but they are worth it.

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Putting flashlights on all of your firearms

Since we have been in the holster business, we’ve seen a lot of changes in the designs of holsters, many customers have unfortunately found out the hard way after buying a holster thinking it would work for their gun just because it says it is for a Sig 229.   Well there are many things that can change your holsters fit with a firearm, one of them is changing the sights, and the other is putting a light or laser on it.   There are plenty of good reasons to mount a flashlight on a firearms, but there are also reasons not to.    For Carbines and home defense weapons, yes, they can be helpful, but many people don’t realize that now that your firearm has a light, you better watch out that you are not violating an of the safety rules.

If you have to move through your home and you are using your gun mounted flashlight, you will be pointing the gun at everything your flashlight is.   Something like the Ultimate Retention Device from the now defunct Section 8 Tactical is a nice device and you can still get them from us.   These work very well with the Streamlight flashlights like the Streamlight Scorpion or Streamlight Polytac.   I’d give the edge to the Polytac or possible the Surefire G2 Flashlight.  The harder surfaces seem to grip the device a little better.

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Handgun flashlights should you mount it?

Should you put a flashlight on your handgun or should you keep it separate?   Go to an IDPA competition and check out the low light flashlight competitions and get back to me.   We see them dropped or competitors fumble them all the time.   We sell the Section 8 tactical Ultimate Retention Device which is a great an easy thing to add on to your finger when you are shooting but a less trained shooter is going to have some trouble getting use to using them.   Many handguns are now being made with rails under them and it’s becoming almost mandatory to have a white light on an M4 Carbine.

When you think about putting a light on a handgun, I would always suggest you think about what the gun is going to  be used for.   I believe that a home defense firearm should be configured to be used inside your home and sometimes that may mean not using a handgun, but an M4 Carbine or a shotgun with fragmenting bullets.   Streamlight flashlights can be mounted on handguns or rifles especially the TLR-1 light.   I’m a big fan of lights that are 110 lumens or more for home use because they will seem far brighter and easier to light up a room.

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Pressure switches and manual levers

My first experiences with the M4 was with an M4 that had all of the bells and whistles on it that you could possible put there.   The first thing I noticed when I mounted it on my shoulder was that the Eotech holographic sight was canted because the forearm of the firearm was not leveled properly.   The second thing I noticed was that the pressure switch was coming off of the foregrip.   The third thing I noticed about it was the pressure switch didn’t work.   How’s that for a first time experience.   I’ve learned to not point out everything wrong in the world and kindly mentioned that mounting all of the gadgets on the gun properly must have been hard.    The owner mentioned that it worked for him.

I have a nice quad rail on my LWRC M6, but I have still the time or the want to actually put anything on all of the rails.   I have plenty of Streamlight flashlights in my  home because my experiences with them have been slightly better than Surefire flashlights.   I still avoid pressure switches because they snag, can come off and they are another thing that can fail you at the wrong time.   When it comes to handguns flashlights, I do like the TLR-1 up to the TLR-3 which seem to be simple and don’t have reliability issues that more complicated light setups are.

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Sometimes CCW can be as simple as simple can be

Trying to find the right kind of flashlight to carry while that won’t take up much pocket space and still allows me to wear the least amount of layers of clothing is what Summer CCW should be all about.   As the weather warms up around here, it becomes harder and harder to carry a firearms in any way other than IWB or pocket carry.     One issue that I run into when pocket carrying is that since I’m left handed, my keys go in the left pocket normally, but when I pocket carry, my gun goes in that same pocket, well not at the same time, but it can get confusing if I’m not consistent about which gun I am going to carry.   Jumping back and forth between modes of carry isn’t a good idea unless you do it enough to know that you constantly have to adapt.

I have been moving away from trying to mount all of my gear on the belt line because I’ve found that people do brush up against you and having knives and flashlights on you usually is a heads up that you are a cop.   I recently got that question from a friend I had not seen in a long time and I had to say no, I wasn’t and then was in the awkward position of trying to explain when I carry a flashlight like I do.    There are some really cool Streamlight flashlights that will fit into a pocket, but be warned, you better be careful that you aren’t turning them on unknowingly killing battery life and switch life.   Sometimes the best thing to do is do the simplest things, like put a small flashlight on a key chain and keep your gun in the other pocket.

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