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Detailed
Information:
I'm going to go out on a limb and make a rare prediction.
I'm willing to bet that his light is going to become
the next big duty light for a lot of law enforcement
people out there. It's just barely longer (and in some
cases the same length) as a 2 x 123A flashlight, has
about the same runtime, in the same brightness class,
and charges in only 2 hours. For someone who needs a
bright light for relatively short periods of time and
can plop it back in the charger between uses (e.g. in
a car), this light is perfect. Since it's rechargeable
it will provide tremendous long term cost savings over
123A lights. Since it's lightweight and small, it's
unobtrusive on the belt and doesn't drag your pants
down. This is the next evolutionary step in duty light
technology.
The body of the light is made from Type II anodized
aluminum and is only 5.3 inches long. There is a wide
raised band of diamond shaped checkering around the
center of the body. The tailcap is also checkered. At
the head there is a focusing ring with vertical grooves
for grip. Machining is clean all the way around with
no digs, burrs, or sharp edges.
The bezel contains a tempered glass lens, focusing
ring, textured silvered reflector, and the 3.6 Volt
6.12 Watt BI-pin bulb that produces a very intense light.
By twisting the focusing ring at the front of the head
of the light, you can change the focus from a narrow
beam to a wide flood of light. Although the reflector
is textured, the predictable"holes and rings"
do appear once the light is unfocused past a certain
point, however they are not as bad as would occur if
the reflector were smooth.
An interesting characteristic that I never noticed
before in Streamlight flashlights is in the way the
bulb is held in place. It can be seen by carefully looking
into the reflector. There is what appears to be a silicone
O-ring around the opening in the reflector where the
bulb penetrates. This ring actually fits snugly around
the bulb in the Strion and keeps it in alignment in
the center of the reflector. It also provides some resistance
so that dropping the light on its face will not cause
the bulb to easily dislodge and should also provide
some shock resistance to lateral forces.
Output is in the form of a bright white incandescent
light. It is in the same output class as the Stinger
and most 2 x 123A flashlights on the market. A very
pleasant spillbeam provides adequate illumination of
the area around the user even when the light is focused
on a distant target.
Runtime Plot: Nice! Over an hour to 50% output.
More information on runtime plots is available HERE.
The switch is a typical "tactical type" tailcap
switch. A large flush button in the center of the tailcap
is pressed for momentary illumination. Twisting the
tailcap in the direction to tighten will turn the light
on for constant illumination. A spare bulb is included
in the tailcap of the light.
The switch is actually in the head of the light in
front of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Pressing
or tightening the tailcap presses the battery forward,
activating the switch. I tried shaking and snapping
the light forward to see if the light would blink on
when the momentum forced the battery against the switch
and I could not get it to do so. The springs in the
head seem to hold the battery in place quite well.
Ergonomics: This light is very small, very lightweight
and fits comfortably in the hand. Activating the tailcap
switch is easy with the thumb for momentary use, and
with the thumb and forefinger for constant-on use. All
edges are rounded and pose no hazards to the user's
skin. The gripping surfaces provide moderate retainability,
but the slick Type II anodize subtracts a bit from this.
The Strion takes a replaceable lithium-ion rechargeable
battery. Lithium-ion batteries are curious creatures.
They should not be over charged or over-discharged.
As a result, the battery itself has a protection circuit
inside it that detects the state of charge of the battery.
As it runs down, the light may suddenly shut completely
off. This is the internal protection circuit protecting
the battery from over-discharge. The light will not
come on again until it has at least partially charges.
Be aware that if the light goes out rather suddenly
it does not mean that the bulb has blown. Drop it back
in the charger for a bit and it should light right up
again.
Two charging bases are included in the package, and
two charging cords - one for 110V AC and one for 12V
vehicle DC. Charge time for a completely discharged
battery is about 2.5 hours. The arms of the charging
bases are spring loaded so the light can be quickly
retrieved by pulling straight out from the base. The
light may be inserted into the base by pressing it between
the arms or sliding it down through the arms. Either
way, when the red LED turns on, the light is being charged.
The LED blinks when the charge cycle is complete. The
charging contacts on the head of the light are in the
form of two recessed concave screw heads located in
a plastic triangle, similar to that found in the Streamlight
Stinger rechargeable setup.
The entire light is sealed with O-rings, and should
be considered "dunkable" but is not intended
for underwater use.
What I Liked: Water resistant, Tough/impact
resistant, Decent battery life, Very Bright, Charges
in 2.5 hours max, Lightweight, Stands up, Smallest dedicated
rechargeable I've encountered yet, Ring in reflector
to maintain proper bulb alignment, Spare bulb in tailcap.
What I Didn't Like: Nothing significant
Other Things I Noticed: Nothing significant
Conclusions: If you need a bright light that
will be used often for short periods of time, the Streamlight
Strion is a great option. Small, lightweight, fast charging,
this light has all of the benefits of a 2 x 123A with
the only drawback being that you need to recharge if
you use it to the point of battery depletion instead
of just dropping in new batteries for instant re-use.
Over the long term though, the Strion will pay for itself
in 123A battery savings. I expect that Law Enforcement
Officers will especially love this light for its output,
size, and convenience.
Comparison
between Streamlight Stinger and Streamlight Strion -
A changing of the Guard?
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