streamlight or fenix?

I don't know what happened but the post I typed up didn't go through
because somehow I was logged off. To make a drawn out post short and save myself from all the typing, My main question is which light would you
choose? Streamlight Strion LED or the Fenix TA30. This is a big purchase for me and I want to be sure I'm making the right choice.
The main uses will be for hunting and power failures. I'm leaning towards the Fenix because the specs look better overall.

Thanks
Greg

The strion will have more of a floody beam...if thats what you are looking for it may be your best choice.

The TA30 felt as tough as my old SF M3 combat light (this is high praise) Had a great beam, worked with primaries or 17500 aw rechargables...and is very water resistant.

Either is a good light.

Never been a fan of the Streamlight proprietary rechargeables.

The Strion is definitely more vanilla than the Fenix but if you're only using it for hunting and around the house, that may be what you're looking for.

I might even eschew that for a toned down Fenix, maybe the TK20?
That would be more comparable to the Strion.

If one of your main uses is for power failures then the Strion will only be good for the charge of the battery. After that the Strion will be usless since it does not accept primaries. (Unless you have a spare Streamlight proprietary battery).

I have the Strion LED and it is a great light but I wouldn't want to rely on
it in a power outage. I think the lowest mode is rated to last about 7 hours.

I do like the looks of the Fenixs' longer run time and higher output(to out do our PD Sgt.:devil Also the ability to have the low setting for reading or looking at topo maps. I would like to carry it in my bunker jacket(volunteer fire fighter) but wouldn't want to chance losing it. I can't believe how many choices there are for lights. I can't afford to become a flashaholic at this time. I guess I answered my own question.

Greg

My experience over 5 years is that the Fenix is a better product in every way. YMMV.

Fenix with my eyes closed!

Owning both, I can say the Strion's output is stronger than the Fenix's.

Big drawback with the Strion, though, is the use of a proprietary cell. If you dont have spares during a lengthy outage, you may be out of luck.

I don't have much experience with streamlight's but I do love Fenix lights. I have a couple of them and they have been great.

snappy12 said:

Also the ability to have the low setting for reading or looking at topo maps.

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I think their "low" is not that low. Of course, you can use that amount of light to map reading too :nana:

I had to look. The Fenix specs say a low of 9. A Steamlight Stylus white LED
says 10. SO THERE :nana:

Greg

Streamlight is a solid company with solid products. Ask any police officer, firefighter, etc. Fenix is a gimmick. All my Fenix lights have worn out the body in 2 years or less of use. Aircraft AL they say, what a joke, more like base metal.

marinemaster said:

Streamlight is a solid company with solid products. Ask any police officer, firefighter, etc. Fenix is a gimmick. All my Fenix lights have worn out the body in 2 years or less of use. Aircraft AL they say, what a joke, more like base metal.

Click to expand...

how true is this? anyone else care to comment?

i got myself an ld20 some months back and right now i'm waiting for an order of the tk40 to arrive.

by the way, hello. i'm headophile and i'm a (relatively new) flashaholic lovecpf

marinemaster said:

Streamlight is a solid company with solid products. Ask any police officer, firefighter, etc. Fenix is a gimmick. All my Fenix lights have worn out the body in 2 years or less of use. Aircraft AL they say, what a joke, more like base metal.

Click to expand...

i'm interested to know more as well.
What's metal base?

I have a fenix & love it the tk11 & also can say theres no chance on mine wearing out the body and i use it everynite as im a security gaurd so its constantly on & off for about 10 hours a nite 5 nites a week also waiting for the l2t v2.0 to arrive although i have no experience with streamlight so i dont even know what the battery type they use is like im guessing its not as simple as some 18650 rechargables or normal batterys ?

berry580 said:

i'm interested to know more as well.
What's metal base?

Click to expand...

I'm no metallurgist, but I gave noticed some of the China lights are a little softer than the Streamlights and Surefires. I know parts on these lights are probably made in China too, but to different specs. I have found it's not the hardness of the coating that's important (HA II or III) but how soft or hard the aluminum is underneath. I have a DBS which after using it for a couple of weeks in the field is pretty beat up, but it is an HA III hardness coating (not bashing, its one of my favorites!). I have an eight year old Stinger which has been beat to poo, but still looks pretty good and its only HA II. Both are aluminum, so the Streamlight must be a harder alloy of aluminum. Just an observation. Like I said, I'm no metallurgist.

I will try to word this very carefully, so the thread can remain open, and not to start the 5,000,000,001 Fenix vs. Surefire thread....which would quickly be closed.

Fenix is not a gimmick. Their T series light are as tough as any (in my opinion only) of the 11+ Surefire lights I have owned, including 2 M series lights.

Does that mean every one is perfect..no , Just because I have never had a bad one..some people have, in the same way, I have never had a bad Surefire...but some people have.

I have not had a strion, but have had a scorpion w/ c4 led...and it was a tough light. I have also had a ultra and regular stinger...and several suvivor lights...all have worked fine.

Bottom line though, I would trust (my persional opion again) a Fenix T series light over any other brand of light I have owned...if my life depended on it working no matter what. Again, thats just me.

marinemaster said:

Streamlight is a solid company with solid products. Ask any police officer, firefighter, etc. Fenix is a gimmick. All my Fenix lights have worn out the body in 2 years or less of use. Aircraft AL they say, what a joke, more like base metal.

Click to expand...

I'm a 14-year LEO and SWAT officer as well. I have owned surefires, streamlights and fenix. I feel the fenix is a good quality, tough light (the T series in particular) Last year, on my recommendation 12 guys on my SWAT team did a group purchase of Fenix TK10 lights. Some keep them in their TAC vests and some use them every night on the road. Results after one year: all are very happy with them and through demonstrating them to other guys 'on the job' more and more people are buying them. Last night on the range one of the Sergeants had a Strion LED model. Nice light - liked it very much. Guess what happened though....he forgot to charge it before coming to night fire and IT DIED!!! And, as stated above, he didn't have a spare Streamlight proprietary (an 18650 no doubt) and had NO LIGHT!!!

So, I will stick up for Fenix, and, based on what happened last night - I'd opt for the Fenix solely based on its ability to run on different battery options.

:devilevil's advocate in me makes me do it: why not look at the Jetbeam Jet III-M R2?? Takes CR-123s, RCR-123s and 18650s. Sturdy square threads, fit and finish superior to the TA-30 in my opinion!! Not as big and bulky as the TA-30 either. I own four Jetbeams and they are OUTSTANDING lights.

http://blackforce.stores.yahoo.net/jemi.html

Here's a great review of it:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/211631

All this said, I got to try a TA-30 and found it to be very nice.

Good luck with your choice!!:twothumbs

headophile said:

how true is this? anyone else care to comment?

i got myself an ld20 some months back and right now i'm waiting for an order of the tk40 to arrive.

by the way, hello. i'm headophile and i'm a (relatively new) flashaholic lovecpf

Click to expand...

Its a joke. That is my comment.

What the heck is "base metal"? There are many grades of "aircraft aluminum", but I do not find my Fenix lights to be considerably softer than my other lights.

What would I know. I am only a machinist.

Fenix, hands down. Best bang for the buck.