Streamlight Task 3AA LS

treek13 · May 22, 2003

Streamlight's buying power should enable them to request good bins if they want them.

On the other hand if they produce anywhere near as many lights as I think they do, they won't have time/resources to bother checking that each individual luxeon is any good (ala Arc). Don't forget even within reels of supposedly the same bin, luxeons can vary outrageously.

Time will tell,
Pat

*Edit: At the very least, these won't have that goofy giant plastic head like the CMG Reactors.

Raven · May 22, 2003

After some thought, I've decided against buying the 3aa lux star. Here is my reasoning, and I'm curious what you think. First, the sl 3aa lux-star is too long to be an edc, so it has to compete against other "tool box" size flashlights. If that is the case, then why not just get a sl 3c 10led? Surely the 3c with 10 leds will hold it's own against the 3aa lux star, and you'll get extra run time to boot. Now the 3c is much larger than the 3aa lux, but since neither is going to be edc, why would that matter.

The only reason I can see going with the 3aa lux is because you want your pocket light and full size light to both use the same battery type, and only aa size allows for either pocket size, belt size, or full size compatability.

Raven

N162E · May 22, 2003

[ QUOTE ]
treek13 said:
On the other hand if they produce anywhere near as many lights as I think they do, they won't have time/resources to bother checking that each individual luxeon is any good (ala Arc). Don't forget even within reels of supposedly the same bin, luxeons can vary outrageously.

Time will tell,
Pat

*Edit: At the very least, these won't have that goofy giant plastic head like the CMG Reactors.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think size and experience is a plus here. SL should be capable of quality control second to none. Another thing they won't do is gamble their reputation by dumping a second rate product on the public and then trying to defend their actions. The SL stylus has been out for several years and from the get go they were bright and WHITE. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

llvo · May 22, 2003

my white stylus is horribly blue and dim
the batonite light is white blue(lens diffused)
the SL4AA-LED is again blueish white and heat up so much.

that's my Streamlight history.
(Al's 'off-topic' justifies mine?)

e=mc² · May 22, 2003

IIvo, you must have gotten a bum led on your stylus. I have three and they are all very WHITE and bright. In addition, SL has that lifetime warranty, and I can say from experience, they DO stand behind it. I had a batonlite that had a LED quit while I had to use it as a mini club on some chucklehead who was trying to obstruct an investigation in progress. The shock that his skull imposed on my poor batonlite was sufficient to loosen a solder joint that holds the LED to the tiny PCB. Streamlight merely replaced the unit. Our troop must spend 1000's annually on Streamlight products, so they didn't balk at our warranty claim, but I'm sure they would do the same with their consumer market.

Ed Einstein

GlockDoc · May 22, 2003

[ QUOTE ]
Graham said:I got the impression that it uses a reflector...
Graham

[/ QUOTE ]

I did think to look and it does use a reflector. They had a Browning 10 LED 3C there too, and the SL seemed brighter and was waaaaaay whiter. While the multi-LED lights do kickA in the runtime dept, 28 hours of good light is useful to me and for the weight savings I can carry extra batteries. It is, in fact, the light I wanted the batonlite to be.

JohnK · May 22, 2003

Glockdoc-The pics of the 3AA Lux looks like it has an unusually deep reflector. Is so ?

GlockDoc · May 22, 2003

Yup, really deep! In fact when I first looked at it I thought it was a high quality SL knock-off of a Gaglite.

Knurling is really deep and sharp and the whole thing has a heft that feels good to me. If they made a 7 cell version (a la the old Cold Steel AA light, Brute?) it would be a watermelon smasher!

Graham · May 22, 2003

[ QUOTE ]
GlockDoc said:
[ QUOTE ]
Graham said:I got the impression that it uses a reflector...
Graham

[/ QUOTE ]

I did think to look and it does use a reflector.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds good - I was hoping it wasn't just another light using the collimator..

Graham

Tim Flanagan · May 23, 2003

Here's a quickie review I sent to a few folks:
-----
SL Luxeons have come in- I'm impressed. It's my new airline light. I'm going to be calling it the "Persuader"®. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif It's 8.6" long with 3AA's. 28 hour runtime listed- we'll see. The one I'm keeping has a touch of pea-green to it, but not significantly. It's at least as bright as my E2e/KL1 with brand new batteries. It's certainly not an easy pocket carry for regular dress, but might work in 5.11's and definitely in a jacket. Button is a downer (side-mount) but I can adjust since it's not a tac light. Clickie switch on a thin barrel is a nice addition. The output/throw goes farther than the KL1 due to a larger, more focused reflector. The KL1 puts out more useable light at closer ranges. For nighttime walks, the SL is pretty damn good. Definitely would double as an impact "tool" and will be on the plane with me. AA battery cost is a plus too.
-----

Catapult · May 23, 2003

Nice review. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif What color finish did you get yours in? I'm having a lot of trouble trying to pick a finish. Getting both colors is not an option.

Tim Flanagan · May 23, 2003

Pretty much I only order black versions. The only exceptions are the Inova X5T's- the silver outsold the black versions and with SF's it's the Hard Anodized. Other colors tend to sit on the shelves too long. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

K-T · May 23, 2003

Here are some pictures Tim sent me to post (they are larger and you can view them in their original size by adding orig.jpg /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

E2e&KL1 illuminated by SL Lux:

SL Lux illuminated by E2e&KL1

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Catapult · May 23, 2003

Very nice!

MR Bulk · May 23, 2003

Hay K-T, is the camera picking up the true beam colors on these?

Badbeams3 · May 23, 2003

Oh, oh. Do I see that infamous green tint? It looks like the beam is wider on the SF...dare I say brighter too. Well, the price is less...and the batts are cheap and run a long time. Looks like the luck of the draw might be the case. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

FalconFX · May 23, 2003

Just swipe out the LS and stick a Q3 onto it if it's too pee green...

Badbeams3 · May 23, 2003

Given the low cost of the SL perhaps a more fair comparision might be to run it against the CMG 3 AA LS. Of course we have rarely been fair when comparing lights...if it`s a new LS...it should be the brightest and purest, at any price...right?

FalconFX · May 23, 2003

Well, considering everybody's going to compare the TwinTasks to the A2 anyways, even though they're different animals on most fronts, you just have to compare a $40 LS to a $140 LS...

It would be fairer to compare it to a Reactor III, but then again, I'd hate to see it compared to, say Lambda's Adrenaline Pro or MrB's LGI...
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

Badbeams3 · May 23, 2003

Right you are! I want to see if the SL 2D`s 10 led`s can bring the KL-1 A2 to it`s knee`s...forever humbled. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Streamlight Task 3AA LS

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