Well.... sometimes you miss a topic the first go-around.
I own two SL Protac 2L-Xs. I own over two dozen SureFire lights. Most of which are clip-carried 2xCR123 models. The 2L-X is the light SureFire should have made. Yeah, I said it. It's true. This is the light that should have been their latest version of the E2E LED. But for some bizarre reason, SF discontinued the E2E. They made a latest version E2D LED. But until recently, there was no latest Gen. E2E. There is now. But they're not offering it with a bezel-down carry-clip. Something that would truly make it less obvious. I like that. I like being more low-profile.
Do you get SureFire's level of ruggedness with the 2L-X? No. But it's still far from fragile junk. And unlike SureFire, Streamlight's switch on this light, (due to how it works) means that you're not going to accidentally get the lower setting when you want the higher one. You can re-program it to be single-output 500 lumens only. But ironically, there's no need to do that.
Yeah, Streamlight's customer service is absolute garbage. But it's rare for them to make a model that is a failure. (Their Night Fighter models are an absolute miserable failure that Streamlight is determined to not improve in any way, shape, or form. And happy to keep "as is" in their catalog. But thankfully that type of light is the rare exception, rather than the rule.)
I don't see myself EDCing anything but the SL Protac 2L-X anywhere in the near or even distant future quite frankly. And I'll freely admit that I recently ordered both a SureFire G2Z MV, and SureFire G2X Yellow. 800 lumens and 600 respectively. But not as replacements for my Streamlight Protac 2L-X. Durability, beam pattern, combination of throw and flood geared more for throw, dual cell capability, and a fantastic U.I. is why I ordered a 2nd 2L-X in case anything happens to my first one. Maybe years down the road after it has been "improved" into something less useful or outright discontinued.
Oh yeah, beats comparable SureFire models in price too. $50.oo all day long for a 2L-X. Shop around a bit, you can find one for just over $40.oo; online. The only thing I wish was better is the clip. But it works. Not great. Gets the job done.
Anyone wants a high quality 2xCR123 (1x18650) actual tactical light, check out the 2L-X. Give it a serious look. Yes, even over SureFire's offerings. And that's coming from a SureFire collector. The only gripe that even remotely makes sense about the 2L-X, "Oh, it's not made in America." I used to buy into that as well. I don't anymore. If that's important to anyone, okay; spend your money the way you see fit. And I'll do the same. Buying American caused me to end up smashed up against the stonewall of an exit ramp in my American-made car with no anti-lock brakes after someone hit my vehicle and the brakes locked up during a mild rainfall. Almost getting two broken wrists and actually getting a blasting cap exploding in my face when the airbag went off, causing me to nearly choke to death when I couldn't breath. Later, when I realized that for the same money, I could have gotten a foreign-made Hyundai with anti-lock brakes and been able to avoid the stonewall; I began to re-think that old philosophy. But again, that's just me.
For those wanting a rechargeable option, Streamlight now makes 18650 batteries that can be directly charged using a common USB cable. No need for a dedicated and bulky charging cradle you have to carry with you if you want to use one 18650 with the 2L-X. Even better, get yourself an 18650 delrin battery locker from County Comm. Put a small split-ring through the hole on top. Put a clip or a mini carabiner through the ring. Now you can carry a spare 18650 with you, clipped to a belt loop. Need to swap out batteries? Put the dead 18650 in the locker until you have a chance to recharge it later.
Just an absolutely wonderful light that has flown underneath the radar of most CPFers. Mainly due to the fact that it's a Streamlight. And that company gets very little fanfare tossed in its general direction.