asdalton
Flashlight Enthusiast
Review of Streamlight Twin-Task 2D
I just got this light today, and I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that this 2D light is pretty mediocre, both in the LED and incandescent performance. The good news is that these problems probably won't appear in the other Twin-Task lights, because all of those other flashlights use something better than two alkaline batteries in series. Read on:
Body
This flashlight looks nearly indestructible. The walls are made from thick aluminum, and the switch is deeply recessed to prevent damage or accidental activation. The rim around the lens extends out 1/4", providing some protection if the light is dropped.
The light feels comfortable to carry, even though it is quite heavy. The barrel, bezel, and tailcap are strongly knurled. The switch is easy to use, and the "titanium" color has a pleasing appearance overall. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
LED lights
The first click of the switch activates five of the ten LEDs. These have a bluish tint, but no more so than the LEDs in a lot of other LED flashlights. In a side-by-side comparison, this brightness level seems to emit about as much light as my Eternalight Elite X-Ray, which has only four LEDs (but overdriven from lithium batteries). The LED beam of the SL Twin-Task 2D is less weighted toward the center, too.
The second click of the switch activates all ten LEDs. I would expect this mode to be twice as bright as the 5-LED mode, but for some reason it's not. Part of the reason may be that the beam becomes broader rather than simply more intense. It is also likely that the power supply can't keep up with the current demand, causing the current per LED to decrease.
Whatever the reason, the 10-LED mode definitely doesn't appear twice as bright as the 5-LED mode. It also compares less favorably to other LED flashlights. My Trek 7 running on partially used batteries equals the brightness of the Twin-Task 2D (and the Trek's whiter, too), despite the fact that the Twin-Task has three more LEDs. My Streamlight 4AA, again with seven LEDs, noticeably outshines the Twin-Task with all ten LEDs running.
The Streamlight 4AA is an overdriven light, and it is not necessary bad if another LED light is dimmer. However, the Twin-Task shouldn't show such vastly diminishing returns when the number of LEDs is increased from 5 to 10. I attribute this problem to the fact that the 2D Twin-Task has only a 3-volt battery supply, and that it probably uses a voltage step-up in order to power the LEDs. Apparently, that step-up device isn't very good. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
Incandescent light
Streamlight calls this the "xenon mode," but I'll just call it "incandescent" since it's not any brighter than what you will get from a standard 2D krypton bulb. In the case of this flashlight, the xenon bi-pin bulb serves no purpose greater than being a PITA to replace. Like the LED dimness problem, I attribute the dimness of the incandescent mode to the use of only 2 alkaline batteries. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
The faceted reflector has some advantages and disadvantages. It does avoid the "onion ring" problem when the reflector is adjusted to a broad beam, but it also prevents the light from being focused to a thin, intense beam. When I end up with is a sort of semi-focused state, having a bright center and gradually diminishing brightness outward from the center. This beam would actually be useful if the bulb were brighter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif. As it is now, the beam ends up looking weak.
As an aside, I would prefer that this type of flashlight have a simple, pre-focused beam for maximum throw. If you want a broad beam, that's what the LEDs are for.
Conclusions
If you want to get one of the new Streamlight Twin-Task flashlights, don't get this one. I have inexpensive incandescent flashlights (Rayovac Workhorse) and inexpensive LED flashlights (Streamlight 4AA) that outperform this flashlight. The body of this light is impressive, but you should expect more power out of a light of this size and weight.
However, I expect both the LED and incandescent performance to be better in the versions that use 3 alkaline batteries, such as the Twin-Task 3C. With the 3C, the incandescent mode will be brighter due to the higher voltage, and advantages of the xenon bulb may become apparent. The LED mode won't need a voltage step-up, since the LEDs can simply be resistored down. It should be more powerful and less complicated.
I'm thinking about ordering the 3C soon, but I think that I've been buying too many flashlights lately. (As if that has ever stopped me before... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
Update:
It looks like my speculation about the effects of voltage are correct, based on data from the Streamlight web site:
Streamlight Twin-Tasks
2D 42 lumens
3C 70 lumens
3AA 46 lumens
1L 35 lumens
2L 72 lumens (!)
LS 35 lumens
So the 3AA version puts out more light than the 2D, and the 3C clobbers them both.
I just got this light today, and I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that this 2D light is pretty mediocre, both in the LED and incandescent performance. The good news is that these problems probably won't appear in the other Twin-Task lights, because all of those other flashlights use something better than two alkaline batteries in series. Read on:
Body
This flashlight looks nearly indestructible. The walls are made from thick aluminum, and the switch is deeply recessed to prevent damage or accidental activation. The rim around the lens extends out 1/4", providing some protection if the light is dropped.
The light feels comfortable to carry, even though it is quite heavy. The barrel, bezel, and tailcap are strongly knurled. The switch is easy to use, and the "titanium" color has a pleasing appearance overall. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
LED lights
The first click of the switch activates five of the ten LEDs. These have a bluish tint, but no more so than the LEDs in a lot of other LED flashlights. In a side-by-side comparison, this brightness level seems to emit about as much light as my Eternalight Elite X-Ray, which has only four LEDs (but overdriven from lithium batteries). The LED beam of the SL Twin-Task 2D is less weighted toward the center, too.
The second click of the switch activates all ten LEDs. I would expect this mode to be twice as bright as the 5-LED mode, but for some reason it's not. Part of the reason may be that the beam becomes broader rather than simply more intense. It is also likely that the power supply can't keep up with the current demand, causing the current per LED to decrease.
Whatever the reason, the 10-LED mode definitely doesn't appear twice as bright as the 5-LED mode. It also compares less favorably to other LED flashlights. My Trek 7 running on partially used batteries equals the brightness of the Twin-Task 2D (and the Trek's whiter, too), despite the fact that the Twin-Task has three more LEDs. My Streamlight 4AA, again with seven LEDs, noticeably outshines the Twin-Task with all ten LEDs running.
The Streamlight 4AA is an overdriven light, and it is not necessary bad if another LED light is dimmer. However, the Twin-Task shouldn't show such vastly diminishing returns when the number of LEDs is increased from 5 to 10. I attribute this problem to the fact that the 2D Twin-Task has only a 3-volt battery supply, and that it probably uses a voltage step-up in order to power the LEDs. Apparently, that step-up device isn't very good. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
Incandescent light
Streamlight calls this the "xenon mode," but I'll just call it "incandescent" since it's not any brighter than what you will get from a standard 2D krypton bulb. In the case of this flashlight, the xenon bi-pin bulb serves no purpose greater than being a PITA to replace. Like the LED dimness problem, I attribute the dimness of the incandescent mode to the use of only 2 alkaline batteries. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
The faceted reflector has some advantages and disadvantages. It does avoid the "onion ring" problem when the reflector is adjusted to a broad beam, but it also prevents the light from being focused to a thin, intense beam. When I end up with is a sort of semi-focused state, having a bright center and gradually diminishing brightness outward from the center. This beam would actually be useful if the bulb were brighter /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif. As it is now, the beam ends up looking weak.
As an aside, I would prefer that this type of flashlight have a simple, pre-focused beam for maximum throw. If you want a broad beam, that's what the LEDs are for.
Conclusions
If you want to get one of the new Streamlight Twin-Task flashlights, don't get this one. I have inexpensive incandescent flashlights (Rayovac Workhorse) and inexpensive LED flashlights (Streamlight 4AA) that outperform this flashlight. The body of this light is impressive, but you should expect more power out of a light of this size and weight.
However, I expect both the LED and incandescent performance to be better in the versions that use 3 alkaline batteries, such as the Twin-Task 3C. With the 3C, the incandescent mode will be brighter due to the higher voltage, and advantages of the xenon bulb may become apparent. The LED mode won't need a voltage step-up, since the LEDs can simply be resistored down. It should be more powerful and less complicated.
I'm thinking about ordering the 3C soon, but I think that I've been buying too many flashlights lately. (As if that has ever stopped me before... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)
Update:
It looks like my speculation about the effects of voltage are correct, based on data from the Streamlight web site:
Streamlight Twin-Tasks
2D 42 lumens
3C 70 lumens
3AA 46 lumens
1L 35 lumens
2L 72 lumens (!)
LS 35 lumens
So the 3AA version puts out more light than the 2D, and the 3C clobbers them both.
