Short Description:

The Streamlight Clipmate is a hands-free 3 LED light produced by Streamlight. This light is available for purchase from Pocketlights.com. The model reviewed had a black body and green LEDs. The white LED model is intended for general purposes. The green LED model is advertised as preserving your night vision. More on this particular claim, below.

The body of the light is of polymer construction with an oblong shape, flattened on one side. The body of the light is available in 2 colors: yellow or black, and has 2 LED colors: white or green. The bezel contains the 3 LEDs in a triangular configuration housed within a silvered reflector that directs some of the side spill light forward. The LEDs are protected by a clear lens and a rubber protective covering that surrounds the bezel. The outer covering of the bezel has ribs for improving grip.

The unit is opened by twisting the battery compartment cap on the opposite end of the light. The cap turns counterclockwise a few degrees, releasing the catches on the widest points of the cap. Interestingly, while the outer cap turns, the inner portion of the cap with the seals stays in place due to a pivot point built into the cap (see pictures below). Inside the cap is the O-ring seal and 4 springs which make contact with the batteries and the circuit return contact. The 3 AAA batteries are dropped into the body with the outer 2 going in positive first and the center one negative first. The cap can then be replaced and twisted until it snaps, sealing the unit. Battery life is advertised at 120 hours.

The reason the Clipmate has its name can be found on the end of the tailcap. There you will find a spring loaded clip on a ball joint allowing the light to point in almost any direction once clipped to a surface. The socket of the ball joint has a notch on one side which allows the clip to rest flush against the bottom of the light. The clip has teeth in its jaws to prevent it from slipping off of a surface it is clipped to. The headband (included) has a mated set of teeth on the connection plate that result in a very positive attachment when the light is clipped to the headband.

The green LEDs on the unit tested produced beams that had some rings. The 3 beams overlapped nicely, however, resulting in a very usable wide spot of green light. Twisting the ribbed rubber bezel turns the light on and off.

Accessories included in the package: 3 AAA "Heavy Duty" batteries, the headband for the light and a very nice lanyard with a breakaway safety catch.

Reviewer's Impressions:

The Streamlight Clipmate is a very versatile light which can serve many purposes. It can be clipped to a ballcap, used as a handheld light, clipped to the headband for hands-free use, clipped to a jacket or treestand, or hung on its lanyard around the neck.

Fit and finish are quite good. No rough edges were to be found and the mold seams were minor. The clip mates perfectly with the attachment plate on the headband. Quality of the unit also seems good. The springs in the contacts are firm and substantial and the plastic is resilient when bumped or banged.

Output is OK, and about what is to be expected from a 3 LED light, weighing in at about 80 Lux at one meter. The beam with the green LEDs displayed swirls and rings, but this is not unusual for green LEDs and is not very noticeable in practical use.

Now, about the "night vision preserving" qualities of green LED light, or rather the lack thereof. Briefly, our "night vision" or "night adaptation" is based on the part of our eyes which is sensitive to just about every color except red. If a light of any color besides red is used at an intensity level where you can identify the color of the light, you are compromising your "night vision". So in essence, a bright green light will immediately compromise your "night adapted vision" no matter what. Green light is used in conjunction with military "night vision equipment" which has nothing whatsoever to do with human "night vision". This appears to be where the misconception that green light preserves "night vision" came from. If you want to preserve your "night vision", use a somewhat dim red light since the "night vision" part of the eye cannot see red light and is therefore unaffected. More detailed information on this topic can be found HERE.

Water resistance is very good and the unit can survive rain and dunks in puddles without damage.

The clip on the unit works very well and allows it to be clipped to a variety of surfaces. When attached to the headband I found it to be a little front-heavy with the cliplight pointing forward at the trail ahead. It was very easy to direct the light anywhere I wanted as a result of the ball and socket joint on the clip.

Changing the batteries, although simple, required a little dexterity to hold onto the battery cap around the clip and apply enough pressure on the cap while twisting to get it to snap shut. The difficulty is the result of having to compress the 4 springs in the tailcap. Although not overly difficult to overcome, it did take a a few tries to get comfortable with it.

+ + + Pluses: Water resistant, Tough, Long battery life, Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight, Stands up

- - - Minuses: Green light does not preserve night vision, Cannot stand on end

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