Just picked up a TL-3. WOW!

I've been wanting one of these for a while. Didn't really have a great thrower yet, and after all I've read about this thing, it seemed to fit the bill. I must say, after a brief night test along side my G2 and Peli M6, this thing is insane. It throws so freakin' far compared to anything else I have. The cool thing about it, that I wasn't expecting, is that it illuminates a wide area, even at a great distance. I was expecting it to throw a very tight spot for such long throw, but it actually has a much wider hotspot than my peli M6. It's much smaller than I had pictured also. Overall, I am very impressed and pleased w/ it so far. I can't wait for some real solid dark on my next camping trip, so I can really put this thing through its paces.

Weeeeeee. I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl right now. Nothing more exciting than getting a light you've been oogling forever.

You're talking about that 200 Lumen incan thrower right? A friend of mine has one. He said that he hates it? :thinking: Hmmm. . .I'm thinking something here—

Yea, I got really set on one in this thread:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=112230&referrerid=12784

There are some pics of it further down. This may be a chance for you to get a great thrower, and relieve a friend of his problems?

I've wanted one of these, since somebody recommended it to me in a thread where I was asking about a throw monster in G2 size.

SCBlur: I'm glad you are happy with it! The throw really is astonishing for the size, isn't it? And yes, now you mention it, the width of the hotspot really is quite surprising - a lot of stuff gets lit up at a distance.

InfidelCastro: I am quite happy to recommend the TL-3 to everyone, since, other than my headlamp, it is my most-carried light when out in the wilderness. I just don't see a better light on the market for combining light weight, small size and phenomenal throw. The small size is, in effect, reduced even further by the fact you don't need to carry a spare lamp assembly around - there's a spare bulb in the head.

While I can, and do, recommend the TL-3, and feel comfortable doing this because my experience with mine has been 100% positive, I feel this is a good opportunity to relate some of the more important negatives which other people on CPF occasionally mention about theirs:

(*) The big one is that some people find that their bulbs come out and fall into the reflector. It is recoverable with e.g. needlenose pliers, but clearly it is best if it doesn't happen in the first place! I see no danger of this happening with mine. However it seems that the problem some people are having is that the red ring at the base of the reflector grips the bulb too tightly, and/or the bulb isn't gripped snugly by it's socket, so that when the head is focussed or unscrewed, the red ring has a tendency to pull the bulb out of the socket. I don't know if this is a problem that Streamlight have addressed, but I have played about quite a bit with mine in order to "test" this problem, and there is no sign of it. Good to be aware in advance of something to look out for, though... Some people have suggested that bending the legs of the bulb a bit before insertion into the socket has solved the problem for them, on account of the better grip this gives in the socket...

(*) While I see the spare-bulb-in-the-head as being a great advantage over having to carry a separate bulb-and-reflector assembly, someone, I believe Paul_In_Maryland (but I can't find the thread any more) made the good point that you have to be careful how you handle these bulbs. It is well documented that deposits on the surface of human skin can have an unpleasent effect on bulbs at high temperatures. This means that it is at least important to remember to wipe the bulb thoroughly after handling it - that is all I have done, and I have had no problems.


I am sure there are other negatives, as there are with any light, but rather than get bogged down with negatives, I'll just repeat that this is a fantastic light that I've had no problems with whatsoever!

One downside though is that SL bulbs darken fairly quick.

I don't know why this light isn't one of my favorites.

It has such great throw. A quality beam with excellent spill. It feels very solid in your hand with a good heft to it. Has a nice clip. All and all it is a great light and an excellent value.

The only thing that bugs me about this light is the lack of a true lockout tail cap. You have to almost completely unscrew the tail cap in order to keep the momentary push button from activating. This may seem like a minor thing, but it annoys me for some reason. Streamlight would have a real winner if they improved this. I would pay extra for it in a heartbeat. If there is a better tail cap available for it, please let me know.

Having said that, I don't regret buying it and I like it enough to keep it. I am thinking of going to the rechargeable setup for it.

leukos said:

One downside though is that SL bulbs darken fairly quick.

Click to expand...

That's interesting, and perhaps sheds some light on something in a thread a while ago that I was involved in.

I quoted Streamlight's own lifetime estimate for their bulbs, which was a surprisingly low "3-5 battery changes." Other people were surprised by this, and said they had been using their TL-3 bulbs for much longer.

I haven't noticed my bulb darken yet (I think I'm now on my fourth battery change), but perhaps this darkening thing is what Streamlight bases its estimates on. I.e, the bulbs don't blow after say 5 battery changes, but perhaps SL feel that they will have darkened sufficiently to require replacing.

In terms of economy, however, if the 3-5 battery change (i.e. effectively 3-5 hours) estimate is correct (I and others feel it is perhaps a conservative estimate from SL), then compared to some lamp assemblies which have a nominal 25 hour estimate (perhaps also conservative), then there isn't much in it, when one compares the cost of a TL-3 bulb to a typical lamp assembly.

leukos said:

One downside though is that SL bulbs darken fairly quick.

Click to expand...

When I read this I went to get my TL-3 to see if this was the case with mine and I'm glad to say it isn't the case at all. I've had this light with the original bulb for almost a year and I'm sure I've gone through at least 7 or 8 battery changes in that time (even though I haven't kept count, so it could be more). The bulb is as clear as the day I got it and the beam is very white and clean. I was out walking after dark a few weeks ago while it was very foggy and I couldn't resist shining my TL-3 around (I always carry it with me in my jacket pocket with at least one spare battery change), I forget how bright it is sometimes and this really reminded me. Even in the fog it was able to light up objects at an impressive distance -- not to mention the beam looked pretty cool in the fog

Stream said:

Even in the fog it was able to light up objects at an impressive distance -- not to mention the beam looked pretty cool in the fog

Click to expand...

That reminds me, my TL-3 was absolutely invaluable a couple of weeks ago in heavy mist in the mountains.

I friend and I were walking at night, in mist and rain. We were looking for a spot that we knew, to set up camp by a lake. We knew that we had to pass down into and up the other side of slate quarries. It's fairly treacherous in daylight, slightly more treacherous at night, and extremely treacherous in the mist - not least because there are some steep slopes, vertical drops and sliding slate, plus it's quite a network of little dips and quarries and one could easily take a wrong turn.

Our headlamps weren't quite enough to look ahead and be certain we weren't heading into danger. We could have done it, but it would have taken a lot of walking around to check and re-check that we were always in the right spot. Fortunately the TL-3 made things easy. It still struggled in the really thick mist - but it just goes to show that if you really want to take on the elements, then you need something with the extraordinary power and tight focus of the TL-3. It also helps that it's so small and light that it's an easy decision to always pack it in the first place!

Tooner: I can relate to your thoughts about the tailcap. It seems that Streamlight went for a sort of compromise there, which just isn't the best solution. Typical lockout tailcaps seem ideal to me - however the "solution" with the TL-3 seems to create problems - i.e. hard to operate the momentary button with thick gloves, yet also hard to make it solidly "locked-out." I've always been careful how I pack mine for that reason - and am also considering looking for a cover (e.g. bottle top) to put over it, to prevent accidental activation. I haven't had an accidental activation yet, but woudn't like to learn the hard way.

I really like my TL-3 also. It isnt the first relatively high power, small light I bought, that would be the 9P with P91, but it is the first with a lot of throw. I hadnt been a real throw fan, and still love the wall of light in some lights, but the TL-3 and the LionHead on my Lion Cub, have gotten me interested in throw. Time to get a turbo head I think

You can run it on li-ions too if you make a small mod. Streamlight TL-3 w/ Pila 150s tweak (pics)

-LT

Hmm, all this talk about the TL-3 has got me intrested... Anyone have any beamshots of this monster?

I love my TL-3 also, tho I don't get to use it much. The red ring pulling out the bulb doesn't occur in all their xenon lights...it seems to be an issue with the older ones as I've seen less reports of the newer ones doing so. A possible resolution for the bulb pulling out issue is the available shockproof lamp assembly where the bulb is permanently affixed to the assembly and it's shock isolated via a spring for use on firearms. You lose the ability to carry a spare bulb, but you don't have to worry as much when you drop the light that the bulb can fall out or the filament break from the shock.

How does a TL-3 compare to a Strion ? Is it a good idea to buy a TL-3 if someone has a Strion and wants more throw ? From flashlightreviews.com:
Strion's throw: 85.12
TL-3: 94.00
Not too big difference in numbers.

How is it with carrying a TL-3 on a belt ? Is it comfortable with a clip ?
Can a friction between the tailcap and person's body unscrew the tailcap ?

I have to say, it's a great light, however I was slightly disappointed when I used the supplied CR123 batteries that came with it. It was not as white as my Pelican M6 and the throw and output wasn't that much more.

Same day, my 17500 from lighthound arrived and I charged them up and put them in, and WOW!!!!!!!!!!

It seemed like it was so much brighter. It definately put out a large hotspot that was bright white and now significantly out threw my Pelican.

As for the belt carry, it's not too bad on the belt with the supplied clip and the tailcap seems to be pretty secure however I have only had the light for 2 days now.

I have to say, it's absolutely amazing with 17500 batteries. A terrific buy.

Greg

I wonder if the bulb/lamp can be frosted to make a better beam? :thinking: Nevermind the "slight" reduction in "throw" of light. Just thinking out loud.

I got the new AW 17500 cells, and await litho's Carley 1499 bulbs for the ultimate output...

try the diffusing tape or press-n-seal on the lens - works great! (cuts down on the throw and makes for nice spill/floody) :rock:

I got AW 17500 li-on cells for mine and WOW. The beam maintains its brightness for 40+ minutes. The 17500 cells also stay charged for a long time. Very nice light. I agree with the tailcap comments though. Also, my bulb has fallen into the reflector as well.

If anyone is looking for a good holster Ripoffs makes good ones but I've got mine in a Pelican holster (#2357) that I gutted; no plastic inside.

-LT