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Detailed
Information:
This new version of the TL-2 LED is a significant improvement
over the original TL-2 and displays Streamlight's commitment
to constantly improving their illumination offerings.
The body, made of anodized (Type II) machined aluminum
is cut with deep lands and grooves in an interrupted
ring pattern. It is very hard to drop one of these lights
as a result of a poor grip. The tailcap has longitudinal
grooves to facilitate twisting on and off.
On the side is a spring steel clip with a black finish.
The clip can be removed with a small hex wrench. At
the end of the clip is a lifted cutout which serves
as an attachment point for the included lanyard.
Inside the bezel is a reflector, LED, and regulation
circuit contained inside an aluminum receptacle. There
is a texture to the reflector to help smooth out the
beam produced by the lighting element. A Luxeon I high
dome LED is used as a light source. As a result, it
cannot "blow" like a regular bulb and no spare
bulbs are needed. The LED is considered permanent. Behind
the reflector is a module which contains the regulator
circuit.
On the outside of the head of the light is one of the
new additions - a raised ring with 3 flat edges machined
into the sides. This serves as an anti-roll device so
you light doesn't tumble away from you when you set
it down on the hood of your car.
The switch is the standard "tactical" style
tailcap. Twist for constant on/off, push in on the button
on the end for momentary on, release the button and
it shuts off. Streamlight has made the momentary button
on the end flush with the rest of the tailcap so that
the light can stand on it's tail end and also to help
prevent accidental activation of the light. Although
the light does not have a lockout type tailcap, twisting
the tailcap backwards two full turns makes it very difficult
to activate the pushbutton switch by accident.
The light is sealed throughout with O-rings and plenty
of silicone grease to prevent the entry of water or
other elements of the environment.
This light takes 2 lithium 123a batteries for power.
Where as before the TL-2 LED would run about 3-4 hours
fairly brightly but diminishing throughout, then giving
a marginal amount of light for a long time after, this
version with the regulator runs about 1.75 hours at
the same level of output, then drops rapidly to a low
level for about another 2 hours. The benefit? Constant,
non-dimming output for a good amount of time followed
by backup light so you can find your spare batteries!
To change the batteries simply remove the tailcap, drop
out the old and drop in the new.
Runtime Graph: Runtime is advertised as approximately
1¾ hours regulated output followed by 2 hours
diminishing. I must say that I am thoroughly surprised
by Streamlight's estimates of runtime because they are
wayyyy off. 1¾ hours regulated output? HA! Try
2½ hours! The runtime graph shows that it actually
ran much longer than Streamlight said it should. It's
really good to see that some manufacturers are using
conservative estimates for runtime instead of the usual
outrageous exaggerations that have become commonplace.
Runtime
completed with included "Streamlight" batteries.
More information on runtime plots is available HERE.
Included with every light is a nice nylon lanyard with
a pair of spring stops for adjusting it to fit.
What I Liked: Water resistant, Tough/impact
resistant, Regulated, Bright, Easy battery change, Lightweight,
Stands up on end
What I Didn't Like: Not much at all
Other Things I Noticed: The LED was slightly
off center in the bezel and no amount of fooling around
could get it in the exact center. Don't worry, though,
the textured reflector smoothes everything out and prevents
the slightly off-center beam from being any kind of
a problem.
PILA BATTERIES: You can use Pila
168S rechargeable cells in this light, but with
reduced output. Overall output was reduced by about
20% from 2800 to 2280.
Conclusions: Very nice. Cumulatively we have
1.75 hours regulated, very good output, very small size,
easy and comfortable to use and very durable. Highly
recommended.
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