4aa PT Impact verses 4aa SL Pro Polymer

[Raven]

Both flashlights are led.
Both flashlights use four aa batteries.
Both flashlights are roughly the same size.

On paper it looks like a toss up, except for the fact that the Pro Polymer has 7 leds, and the Impact only has one. Now that seems like a huge deal to me, and yet the Impact is spoken very highly of, here at cpf.

Raven

 

[PJD]

Raven...It really depends on what you're looking for. Appearance-wise they're very similar. But the the similarities don't go much further. The Impact is spoken highly of, but so are most other PT products. PT puts out quality products. From what I've read, most here seem to prefer the SL ProPolymer. In terms of light output, it puts out FAR more than the Impact (7 LED's versus 1 LED...). The Impact will throw it's beam considerably farther because of the optics that project a tightly focused beam. Most here seem to prefer LED lights that have more of a flood-type beam and have a tendency to leave the "throwing" to the incandescents. I have an Impact, and like it...but I found it to be WAY too big for a single LED light (before the Impact II came out...). I put my Impact buisness end on a Tec 20 and powered it with 2 3.7V SAFT batteries. 1/2 the size, same performance. I don't have the SL 4AA ProPolymer LED yet, but from all the reviews and good feedback I've read about it, I WILL be getting one. Also, the Impact is a twist-on light, and the SL has a switch, making 1 handed operation possible...in my book, a BIG plus!

PJD

 

[Raven]

Well right now my EDC light is a uk4aa that I attach to my belt. It's a great light for it's size, but it has a pretty crummy beam. Unfortunately, the new model uk4aa seems to have a worse beam than the old model. At least mine does. It's bright but ugly.

Then I read several post here that said the impact had good throw for an led, so I thought it might be a suitable replacement for my uk4aa.

I have considered going with the stream light 4aa led, but I know it wouldn't have the throw that my uk4aa does, and for urban safety applications, I'd have to say that throw is more important than beam quality.

I guess my hope is that the impact has both.

Raven

 

[JimM]

Raven,
I put some writeRIGHT on my uk4aa and found it to improve the beam quality. The throw seemed pretty good as well.
Jim

 

[Albany Tom]

The impact is a weird light. The lens project virtually projects an image of the top of the LED onto the target. It's nowhere near the amount of light that the UK 4AA puts out, and nowhere near the throw. The hot spots of the two lights are about the same, but while the 4AA has a dimmer wide area of illumination in addition to the hot spot, as most incandescent lights do, the Impact doesn't. It's a miniature spotlight. The Impact does out seem to barely out throw the UK 2AAA light, and very much the Streamlight 4AA LED, though. (Remember, Streamlight puts out a wide flood of light.)

I think the Impact may become my new glove box emergency light, though. It puts out a decent amount of light, and lasts a long time on a set of batteries. It should last forever on lithiums. Hopefully that won't be much of an overdrive...

 

[Steve Andrews]

I'm not impressed with the Impact. A tight circular beam. No way near as useful as the Streamlight. No contest.

 

[Eric S]

I like my Impact also but, it is no comparason to the SL 4AA. The SL puts out enough light even in flood, that the Impact just can`t match with 1 led w/optics. It`s just to dim, even though you can see it`s circle of light at a moderate distance, is hard to make out what you are looking at.

The SL 4AA puts out more light than most 1w LS do, just not as bright. If you are in a dark field or in the woods on a dark night, you will (IMHO) appreciate the SL 4AA more so than a LS.

Eric

 

[Bobvvue02]

I have a SL4AA(7 LED). We did some tests and the thing is a bit brighter than the SL 3C(10 led). Of course, the 3C will last longer, but general thought here at work is the 4AA is a heck of a nice little light.