Streamlight 4AA LED or Streamlight 3AA Luxeon ?

[Cosmic Superchunk]

The title says it all. I've heard that the Streamlight 4AA LED is a superb light for the money and very bright, but how does it compare to the Streamlight 3AA Luxeon Task light?

 

[JohnK]

The 4AA is a better short range flood; the 3AA Lux gives MUCH better throw, and is brighter.

Both great lights for the money. I have and use both a lot.

 

[Mrd 74]

I have no experiance with the 4AA but I absolutely love my 3AA Luxeon with kroll switch installed.Got lucky, the beam on mine is pure white with great throw and nice spill light for medium to longer distance. Its too bright for close up but thats what the Arc AA is for.
Mike

 

[JJHitt]

I have both and prefer the 4AA. The TL-3AA is a nice bright Luxeon light, but it's beam is too tight for my uses. I prefer a lot of side spill and dont care much about "throw".

 

[Owen]

Here's some beamshots.
My grandmother confiscated my last 4AA7LED, so I'll have to use an old pic with that includes the 4AA and a KL1, and compare it to a pic with the 3AA and the KL1.
In this shot, the KL1 is on the left, Inretech LS 2AA Mag conversion next, then an Inova X5 (circled) and SL 4AA7LED on the far right.

The SL4AA is almost as bright as the KL1, but with a broader spot and spill. It is actually WHITE, but the camera seems to have adjusted itself to the KL1's brighter spot. I have no explanation for why the SL4AA looks blue in the pic compared to the KL1 which actually has a blue/red tint, but there it is.

Here's the KL1 next to the SL 3AA. My 3AA has a yellow/green tint.
Both shots 8 ft. from the same off-white wall with a yellow tint, which IMO brings out the blue in the KL1, and cancels out some of the yellow tint in the 3AA, making it look greener, and again the camera seems to have adjusted to the brighter spot on the 3AA.

Summary minus the yapping, and camera voodoo affected pics:
The 4AA7LED is much whiter, and has both wider spot and spill. The 3AA has alot more throw, with decent sidespill, is much brighter, and my particular one is yellow/green courtesy of the inconsistency of LS LEDs.
Hope that helps.

 

[radellaf]

I'm hoping the Impact XL proves to be the golden combination of those two lights. 3AA is just too long.

 

[ken_nith]

Couple months ago, I have the same question.
My solution: get them both.

Brightless: Luxeon wins
Lanyard: luxeon come with
price: 4AA is cheaper
Run time: 4AA wins
Throw: Luxeon wins
Size: 4AA wins
Weight: They are roughly the same(with batteries)

Both of them are good light, though nothing is perfect.
4AA led, a good flood light, however it gets warm after about 30mins countinuons use. (Becasue of this I prefer Luxeon)

Luxeon, there is a chance that you might get a green LED. (I have a green one)
And the length of the light is abit long to me.

Hope this help.

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

Thanks for the pics and replies. So many lights, so little money! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I just picked up a Streamlight TL-2 LED and it's even whiter than my Arc LSH-S, but I guess when it comes to Luxeons, there's still a chance of getting one with a greenish-yellow tint. I'll most likely end up with the 4AA Propolymer since I kind of prefer the smaller size.

 

[LightScene]

If you want a luxeon that's easier to pocket and weighs less, and is cheaper, the CMG Reactor 3 is nice. It has a warm white tint which is really nice when you are walking outside, as it renders the natural colors.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it takes 2 hands to turn it on or off (no instant on), and I'm frequently carrying something in one hand when I want to turn it on or off.