Terralux TLE-100S StreamStar20X

[houtex]

:thumbsup:After being asked several hundred times by police that I work with " how bout sumthin' for my streamlight to make it brighter? " I picked one from Lighthound this week and installed it last night. I was able to do a side by side comparison with the incan and the Terralux TLE-100S StreamStar20X . We all agreed the the Terralux is somewhat brighter,also of course whiter,but feel short of the throw of the original bulb. If this says anything though,the other 4 officers all wanted me to get a Terralux replacement for them.

 

[houtex]

I'm bumping this back up top in hope that more Monday morning eyes will see this. the light so far is being well received. The original officer for whom the light was purchased called me last night to tell me that two more of his co-workers are interested. I'm worried about it holding up to abuse .

 

[lastdefender]

Anyone else want to chime in who's upgraded to this product? My incan SL-20X is great but I do find that it does dim quicker than I'd like it to. Also, does anyone know if the LED is compatible with the dimmer tail cap?

Thanks in advance,
Gary

 

[houtex]

I have since gotten 2 more for other officers and another officer got one on his own. Of the 4 ,when compared side by side 2 white light,1 slighty yellow,1 slightly purple. I have since KINDA figured out how to use a P60 drop-in in the SL20X but it just floats in the head and need something machined for heat sinking.

 

[k9hutch]

I have had one. I think enough of it to leave it at home in the charger and carry my Malkoff M60 in a 6P for a primary on my belt. My Fenix TK11 is the backup.

It is not very bright and it produces a diffused type of light. Not for me.

 

[lastdefender]

I am rather surprised by the lack of comment on this modification given the number of SL20X's in service with public safety folks. I have had to resort to carrying a 3D mag with an LED upgrade in the vehicle as a back-up due to the poor running time of the SL20X.

That said, for the first few minutes of use, the Streamlight is much brighter and more powerful. I also have upgraded the bulb to the SL35X so that may be affecting my run time.

 

[lastdefender]

houtex,

Any chance of getting beam shot images?

Regards,
Gary

 

[houtex]

I have a SL20XLED right now but working on a different drop-in. The TerraxLux drop-in looks alot like a surefire E1L beam. The optic has a defined center then a large spill.

 

[lastdefender]

Anything more on this product?

 

[lastdefender]

Well I ordered one and will post the results upon receipt next week. :candle: I also ordered the upgraded 3500mAp battery. That will take a little longer to arrive.

 

[lastdefender]

The LED is here but no battery. Its on back order.:scowl:

 

[lastdefender]

I got the battery and the Terralux and it doesn't work. :scowl: The light is dim and I'm disgusted.

 

[k9hutch]

As my post above yours stated, a very disappointing product. I carried an Sl-20x for a long time and hated to shelve it. This drop-in may be good for a home or car repair light, but not for LE work.

 

[jaundice]

I'm surprised to hear this. In BigChelis' thread about actual lumens readings in an Integrating Sphere, they tested the latest Terralux Mag dropin, and it put out ~600 lumens. I would have thought these would be identical products, with the exception of a little machining to fit the different hosts.

-John

 

[lastdefender]

I sent my light back to Streamlight for a once over just to make sure that it wasn't something wrong with my flashlight. I doubt it was but you never know. I will of course update the this thread after I receive the light back.

For those smarter than me please help me with this question, I have the Streamlight Strion C4 Led. This light is as bright as the sun and is a tiny little thing. Why can't they make a good LED alternative for the SL-20x? The SL-20X has to have at least twice the battery capacity?

I just don't get it? :thinking:

 

[dano]

Streamlight doesn't approve of the use of Terralux products in SL products, and their own testing deemed them not reliable, mainly in drop tests.

I wouldn't be too surprised if SL releases a full LED based SL-20 sized light sometime in the not-too-distant-future....Not that I'd have an inside word, or anything like that.

 

[lastdefender]

Dano,

That would be fantasitic! If they can use the same style of LED (the C4) that's in my little Strion, I can only imagine the capicity of a true C4 LED SL-20X. I installed the dimmer for cone work as sadly the batterly life on this light is rather on the modest side. An LED would give hours of constant on time for cone work.

Given what you said about the relationship with Streamlight and Terralux, I'm glad I removed the Terralux LED from my light prior to sending it back for a service evaluation.

 

[lastdefender]

Okay I'm back with a new report. I have found the cause of my problem and that was my SL20-X had a dimming cap. This caused all my issues. I replaced the dimming cap with the standard cap and the LED came to life.

I will have additional reports on bightness and longevity later on.

 

[lastdefender]

I just completed a run time test on the Terralux upgrade. I turned the light on and let it run for over 1 1/2 hours. I have no fancy test equiptment, just my eyes. I noticed no reduction in output or brightness.

The light was warm to touch but not hot and could be easily grabbed with bare hands.

The light output/throw is typical LED, a crisp white light. I had the SL35x bulb in my light prior to the upgrade. This would produce more throw but had no where near the run time. How much more, I'd guess about 10%-15%.

What is lost in throw is more than made up for in consistant run time. On jobs I would notice my SL20x pooping out after 10/15 minutes of run time prior to the upgrade. I need a light capable of illuminating 0-50 feet. At this distance both the LED and the Incand bulb are about equal.

So if you need to light up a far away area for a very short period of time, stay with the current bulb. If on the other hand you'd rather have a very bright light for a longer period of time, and you operate in a 0-50ft range, consider the Terralux LED upgrade.

 

[lastdefender]

So I've used the Terralux LED upgrade now for several months in my Streamlight SL20X. So far it's performed quite well. On the last job I was on the light was on and off for nearly two hours without being recharged. It worked flawlessly.

More to follow.