After owning a Streamlight Strion HL for a few months, I've effectively fallen in love with Streamlights primarily because of their rock solid build quality and their blinding cool white beams. The Strion HL has exceeded every one of my expectations, and I feel like the exorbitantly high retail price of ~$135 is justified after having used it on long bike rides and at work where my most valuable weapon is my flashlight. After reading countless reviews, it's clear that the consensus on the ProTac HL and PolyTac is equally positive. But I've noticed that a lot of the reviews on the latter two products come from non-flashaholics. Meanwhile, there are definitely outlier reviews that might scare off flashaholic buyers. I think one of the reasons why we don't hear very much about Streamlights is because they stick to a strict CR123A diet, which happens to be expensive for people who use their flashlights often and don't get free batteries. Sure enough, the ProTac and PolyTac can take rechargeable CR123s, but it's a hassle considering most us have already built our arsenal around 18650s. I was troubled to hear a reviewer on YouTube go on an all out diatribe against the ProTac HL when comparing it to the Thrunite TN12. So I thought that I'd share my perspective on these three lights over the course of my initial ownership. I just took delivery of the ProTac HL and PolyTac, so you can consider this post as my initial observations...
The ProTac HL (750 lumen model)
The beam itself is very smooth and clean, and appears to be slightly brighter than the Strion, as expected. The build quality on the host is as good as I expected it to be. However, the boot is definitely a disappointment. To put it briefly, it feels very cheap. There is a lot more travel in the boot than necessary, and there's a very small contact area just behind the rubber boot, which makes presses feel less direct and not confidence inspiring. I like the ten tap programmability, but the light is not as responsive as I'd like it to be with my light presses, which makes switching between modes somewhat awkward. I think the source of my disappointment here is due to the impeccable boot I'm used to on the Strion HL. The Strion requires just the perfect amount of input for a light press, and responds to all inputs faster than any light I've ever owned. In fact it's so responsive, there's no need for a strobe mode when I can just use the nimbleness of the boot to make my own strobe. The tint on the ProTac HL is definitely a warmer white than on the Strion. That's unfortunate, since I'm not a fan of anything other than the coolest of cool whites. The retention on the belt clip is way too tight, and the PMW is almost unbearable if you're sensitive to it.
The PolyTac (275 lumen model)
This is the most impressive light you can buy for ~$30 imo. The rubber boot is smaller than that of the ProTac's. It's crazy lightweight, and yet feels just as substantial as the ProTac. The belt clip might not have enough retention for your taste, but it doesn't bother me. The beam is tighter and significantly cooler in tint than the ProTac's. The quality of this housing is very solid. I'm not sure what LED this uses but it's smaller in size to the one in the Strion and ProTac. This makes a perfect EDC if you would rather have fewer modes that can be controlled with one hand. But alas, there's one very minor drawback: no tail standing, just like the Strion. The ProTac can tailstand. PMW is equally as seizure inducing as the ProTac.
The Strion HL
There's a reason why it's used by cops almost everywhere. It's a solid workhorse, as reliable as it is expensive. The beam is a perfect balance of spot and throw, the tint is exactly the kind of cool tint an LEO appreciates, and the brightness/runtimes seemingly very conservative. In real world experiences, I will much rather take the Strion than either of the other two or a PD35 or a TN12 out with me anywhere. The Strion, however, does not come without any faults. The PMW is still present, and not particularly fun to see on the medium or low modes. It's still not as bad as the other two. I should mention that on high, you obviously don't get PMW on any light. Also, as solid as the paint job might appear, scratches seem to make their way on the heatsink very easily. That shouldn't be a reliability concern, since we all know the Strion can take a beating. The charger is very awkward to use, clasping very tightly to the Strion, which can't be good for the finish over time. At ~$110 street price, you expect the Strion to be better at just about everything than the ProTac (~$65) and the PolyTac (~$30), and it does, with the exception of the ProTac being slightly brighter, so no surprise there. But the other two are definitely worthy lights to own with a few drawbacks.
Anyway, I hope this information is useful for anyone contemplating buying one or more of these lights.
The ProTac HL (750 lumen model)
The beam itself is very smooth and clean, and appears to be slightly brighter than the Strion, as expected. The build quality on the host is as good as I expected it to be. However, the boot is definitely a disappointment. To put it briefly, it feels very cheap. There is a lot more travel in the boot than necessary, and there's a very small contact area just behind the rubber boot, which makes presses feel less direct and not confidence inspiring. I like the ten tap programmability, but the light is not as responsive as I'd like it to be with my light presses, which makes switching between modes somewhat awkward. I think the source of my disappointment here is due to the impeccable boot I'm used to on the Strion HL. The Strion requires just the perfect amount of input for a light press, and responds to all inputs faster than any light I've ever owned. In fact it's so responsive, there's no need for a strobe mode when I can just use the nimbleness of the boot to make my own strobe. The tint on the ProTac HL is definitely a warmer white than on the Strion. That's unfortunate, since I'm not a fan of anything other than the coolest of cool whites. The retention on the belt clip is way too tight, and the PMW is almost unbearable if you're sensitive to it.
The PolyTac (275 lumen model)
This is the most impressive light you can buy for ~$30 imo. The rubber boot is smaller than that of the ProTac's. It's crazy lightweight, and yet feels just as substantial as the ProTac. The belt clip might not have enough retention for your taste, but it doesn't bother me. The beam is tighter and significantly cooler in tint than the ProTac's. The quality of this housing is very solid. I'm not sure what LED this uses but it's smaller in size to the one in the Strion and ProTac. This makes a perfect EDC if you would rather have fewer modes that can be controlled with one hand. But alas, there's one very minor drawback: no tail standing, just like the Strion. The ProTac can tailstand. PMW is equally as seizure inducing as the ProTac.
The Strion HL
There's a reason why it's used by cops almost everywhere. It's a solid workhorse, as reliable as it is expensive. The beam is a perfect balance of spot and throw, the tint is exactly the kind of cool tint an LEO appreciates, and the brightness/runtimes seemingly very conservative. In real world experiences, I will much rather take the Strion than either of the other two or a PD35 or a TN12 out with me anywhere. The Strion, however, does not come without any faults. The PMW is still present, and not particularly fun to see on the medium or low modes. It's still not as bad as the other two. I should mention that on high, you obviously don't get PMW on any light. Also, as solid as the paint job might appear, scratches seem to make their way on the heatsink very easily. That shouldn't be a reliability concern, since we all know the Strion can take a beating. The charger is very awkward to use, clasping very tightly to the Strion, which can't be good for the finish over time. At ~$110 street price, you expect the Strion to be better at just about everything than the ProTac (~$65) and the PolyTac (~$30), and it does, with the exception of the ProTac being slightly brighter, so no surprise there. But the other two are definitely worthy lights to own with a few drawbacks.
Anyway, I hope this information is useful for anyone contemplating buying one or more of these lights.
