Streamlight Stylus

How do we feel about this little light here. just got a couple of them and am very impressed.

sorry guys - I meant to ask about the streamlight STYLUS - the drop down box got confused

to continue from the other (misplaced by me) thread in Incan - I agree with gunner12 that the AAAA batteries can be a bit of a pain to get - but they are relatively easily available here in Oz although you do have to go looking for them and three of them seem to last forever in the Stylus.

I bought at least a dozen Styli when R.S. was selling them for 5$/each. I have yet to have anyone tell me they need new batteries. They sell the AAAA/'s @ R.S., and I've also heard you can pry open a Duracell 9volt and there are reversed-AAAA's inside, but I haven't tried it yet.


Great pen-light to have around!
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who/what is R.S.?

but yes, great penlight to have on you - light and strong.

who/what is R.S.?

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I'd say Radio Shack.

I haven't used my stylus's for a while. I have had some battery issues. I had one that the batteries leaked out. You might as well throw them away after that. It's hard to get anything in the tube to retrieve them.

Good little lights though otherwise. I used to carry one every day when I was turning wrenches for a living.

arent 9V batteries constructed of AAAA batteries?

just tear one apart.

Yeah, just tear apart a 9V for cheap AAAAs. The Duracells are welded together, but not all are. I'd go for the ones that don't have to be unwelded.

I have been pocket EDC-ing a modded Stylus for years. I just scored 50 Energizer AAAA's on Ebay for $21.50.

I have a few of them and they seem to be tempermental to good spring / switch contact depending on the luck of the draw. Sometimes I've gone to use them and they're dim. The AAAAs seem to be prone to leaking so it's probably a good idea to check them one a month.

The AAAAs in 9V batteries are a little bit short and it's nec. to stretch the switch spring out to make good contact. AAAAs are cheap enough now that it might just be easier to buy them.

7histology said:

who/what is R.S.?

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Yes- as aforementioned; Radio Shack. Sorry for the confusion.

I didn't know the AAAA's are prone to leaking - I'll have to check mine.

I love this little light.

I run AAAA's taken from a 9V, and have replaced the LED with an SMJLED, and changed the resistor from 4.7 to 3.3 ohms. The result is 125 mA to the LED.

I have white wall shots of the origional LED with the 3.3 ohm (about 100 mA) and the new SMJLED with the 3.3 ohm (about 125 mA)

Incredable difference. I'll post them here tonight.

I have a UV stylus that is really great. Another good penlight is the UK 2 AAA eled penlight S. I run it on a couple of eneloops.

Fitsbain said:

I have white wall shots of the origional LED with the 3.3 ohm (about 100 mA) and the new SMJLED with the 3.3 ohm (about 125 mA)

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I'm sure it's pretty sweet for now, but it won't last. The SMJLED doesn't respond well to be overdriven because it can't dissipate enough heat. Remember, it's four dies in the space of a single 5mm package. Spec is 80mA (20mA at each die), so you're overdriving it by 56%. Who knows, it might work out, but I have serious doubts in the long run.

Someone here did tests and found it was stable up to 100 mA. Got hot at 135 mA and died quickly at 150 mA.

I have a multi LED light with 8 SMJ's at 104 mA each that gets warm but has had no problems with over 1 hour run times.

The stylus never even gets warm (better cooling, and shorter run times).

Gnufsh said:

I have a UV stylus that is really great. Another good penlight is the UK 2 AAA eled penlight S. I run it on a couple of eneloops.

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+1

I've owned a lot of penlights over the years. No other penlight has been as handy and practical for close up work as the UK 2AAA eLED Penlight S.

The Stylus may work out better if you really want or need a slimmer light in your pocket, but I much prefer the UK 2AAA eLED Penlight S for its better durability and easy cell availability.


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I have been EDCing a Stylus for several years (about to be replaced with a T5!!)

I learned that the Stylus does not work with Duracell or Radio Shack batteries because the "+" button is too short to engage the contact in the head of the light. Energizers are the only ones that I've found to work.

Radio Shack sells a Stylus knock-off that will work with any of the AAAAs.

Isn't the Stylus I got at Radio Shack's clearance a real one?

Nomad said:

Isn't the Stylus I got at Radio Shack's clearance a real one?

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Yes it is a real Streamlight, the only difference may be the warranty.

ringzero said:

The Stylus may work out better if you really want or need a slimmer light in your pocket, but I much prefer the UK 2AAA eLED Penlight S for its better durability and easy cell availability.

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Not only are they more available, but AAAs have nearly double the energy density of AAAAs as well. I always though it strange that Streamlight opted for AAAAs in the Stylus. OTOH, it is about as slim as it gets. Maybe we do need Li-ions in 2xAAAA size.

I have quite a few of the Stylus lights (bought before I discovered CPF and Arc) and all are still working.

Switches -- they do get erratic; I've found there can be a hard black deposit on the inside of the tube where the switch makes contact, that needs scraping off; corrosion on the copper ring on the plastic switch itself; corrosion on the spring inside the plastic part of the switch. But the switch pushes right out of the tailcap, and a little electronic parts cleaner takes care of the problem (after scraping the black crud out of the inside of the tube at the contact point.

LEDs -- can be pushed down into the tube with a pencil eraser; they're just pushed into a little plastic carrier and the leads trimmed, so easy to replace (notice the orientation).

I have some of the older 2-AAAA Streamlights. These are _great_ hosts for the SMJLED, with no resistor at all. I carry one with the cut-off LED that's like pocket moonlight for walking, makes a very broad even illumination in any unlit, truly dark area that's plenty for walking safely. And the point source is still plenty bright to catch the attention of someone driving out of a garage or toward me in a crosswalk at night.

I've learned over the years that all batteries leak eventually. At this point I only leave batteries in my daily use lights and in the household PALights for emergency darkness, and keep lots of batteries handy for my other lights.

In fact I'm sure batteries are more likely to leak in flashlights than in drawers. I dunno why. Ventilation?