Help me upgrade a SL-20XP

The local police department just bought everyone SL-20XP's

http://streamlight.com/sl-series_specifications.htm

A mistake IMHO. They are dim and they can't hit anyone with em I bid them Stinger HP XT's and they went for the cheaper alternative. Now all the officers want to upgrade these in some way.

Any suggestions on how to make these SL-20XP's brighter?

Best regards,
Randy

Are these the 3 Watt or 8 Watt version?

They're the 8 Watt version. Sure doesn't seem like it though. Isn't an SL6 a 8watt light too? It's nowhere near as bright.

Best regards,
Randy

Hi Randy,
Will the SL-35X or 20X lamp assy. fit in the 20XP?
Regards,
Greg

I remember someone saying that you can put SL35's lamps in SL-20X? maybe you can try that? Of cos you will get a shorter run time

Here's what I would do, and have done. USe a Sl-20X lamp in that 20XP, runtime will be reduced to about 45 minutes, but the light output would be worth it. Don't usa the 35X bulb, as it burns too hot for the polymer body of the light.

It's a good light, and surprisingly durable. I like using it, when I throw it into my duty rotation, mainly because it's lightweight, and the neoprene grip isn't temperature sensitive.

--dan

DIM?????????????????????????

An SL-20? Ya gotta be kidding. I knew they had "watered down" the quality of the flashlight with a cheaper switch and a few other cut corners to pacify the bean counters, but you're saying the current lamp assembly isn't 20,000 candlepower worth of bright? I think that's what the original claims were...

Mine was purchased in 1978, has been rebuilt once (due to an unscheduled departure from the hood of my unit at about 60 mph), is on it's fifth or so battery and third or fourth bulb/reflector assembly, is beat up all to hell and looks really ragged. But that sucker is still as blindingly brilliant as it was the day I bought it.

I have examined some recent production, and was rather underwhwlmed. But I never did so in dim light, so I didn't realize the beam was less too.

Another icon falls...

Thanks to all for your help. I ordered a few SL-20X lamps to try. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Best regards,
Randy

I think I'll buy one of them a Tigerlight and let the rest of em drool over it

Originally posted by Steve C:
DIM?????????????????????????

An SL-20? Ya gotta be kidding.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Steve,

There are 3 versions of the SL-20. A 10 watt, 8 and 3 watt version. The 8 and 3 watt versions are polymer. The 10 watt version is the traditional, Policeman's standby that untold tens of thousands of police officers depend on daily.

Some "officials" are afraid of police using their flashlight in an improper way, so they like giving them plastic lights to reduce liability.

I say, that is a big load of crap. A "bad" LEO will beat the crap out of somebody regardless of what light they may or may not have. A good LEO, on the other hand, should be given every tool at his or her command to defend their life!

Duh!

Your routein traffic stop all of a sudden (A split second) becomes a life and death situation. Why NOT use your light, if you can?

I do not understand people.

Anyway, on my list of lights yet to own, is a Streamlight SL-20xl, with a SL-35 bulb.

Just curious -
Do they allow you to buy and carry your own light while on duty nowadays?

- Scott

P.S. About your sig - travelling at light speed and turning on a flashlight: The light will come out at the speed of light relative to you, so my physics teacher (post doctorate teacher) told me.
I couldn't grasp such things, and did poorly as a result.

Originally posted by Scott Packard:
Just curious -
Do they allow you to buy and carry your own light while on duty nowadays?

- Scott

P.S. About your sig - travelling at light speed and turning on a flashlight: The light will come out at the speed of light relative to you, so my physics teacher (post doctorate teacher) told me.
I couldn't grasp such things, and did poorly as a result.

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">yup...if you're sitting in a car, relative to the car you're stationary but relative to someone outside the car, you're moving at the same speed of the car.

so if you were to throw a ball forward in the car at 10m/s, the ball would be travelling at 10m/s relative to you and the car but to someone not moving outside the car, the ball would be travelling at the speed of the car + 10m/s.

so if you're travelling at the speed of light, the light from the flashlight would travel at 2 times the speed of light (speed of spaceship + speed of light = speed of light + speed of light).

I didn't realize the PC (plastic) SL-20s were of less power.

Budd, I know all about police administrators who are either liberal weenies or are scared to death of ACLU lawyers. I've been a cop for 24 years. Fortunately, that sort of attitude is still rare where I work.

Scott, it just depends upon the agency. There has been a widespread trend in the past ten years toward the issuance, by the agency, of all necessary "safety equipment"; as opposed to requiring the officer to buy his own. Some places require that you use only what they give you, while others have a list of approved goodies that one is free to purchase and use on his own.

We issue Stingers, but a lot of the older hands have and use SL-20s & 35s. A few cheapskates have MagLites.

A friend of mine who was a local deputy was in a fight and on the loosing end. This was on duty, domestic dispute call. Rather than being killed he used his SL-20, with great effect. One blow, then he recovered his baton, hooked up the subject and off to CJ. The result was he was fired for hitting the bad guy with his flashlight. I guess a dead deputy requires less paper work. He was picked up by another agency right away and is still working. It takes a special person to be a LEO. And maybe an SL-20XP

Originally posted by kiffvegmgt:
.....Rather than being killed he used his SL-20, with great effect. One blow, then he recovered his baton, hooked up the subject and off to CJ. The result was he was fired for hitting the bad guy with his flashlight.....

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I live in a big city and have some idea of what LEO's have to put up with. I have never considered myself a conservative, but your horrific story made me very angry.

It is hard to understand this kind of administrative caving. I could understand it if the deputy had a history of confirmed brutality incidents, was regarded as a loose cannon or was regarded as a liar.

But if he was a decent cop, just doing his job and trying to stay healthy, and if the details of his story are accurate, then the brass who fired him should themselves have been fired.

How can any LEO feel comfortable in his work if he knows that he won't be backed up by his "superiors"?

Brightnorm

Unfortunately the details are accurate. My friend was a good deputy, no priors. Like I said he was picked by another agency in a short time. That badge sometimes looks like a bullseye.

BRIGHTNORM,

According to the streamlight website:
http://www.streamlight.com/sl-series_specifications.htm

SL-20x
metal, 10 watt bulb
Run time 1.5 hours

SL-20XP
light weight polymer, 8 watt bulb
run time 1.5 hours

SL-20XP
light weight polymer, 3 watt bulb
run time 3.75 hours

Whoops, just re-read your question, and it is about the US vs the SL-20, 10 watt, but I will leave the info posted above for reference.

SL-20X™
Battery Nickel-cadmium 6 Volt, 2.4 amp hour, ½ D; rechargeable up to 1,000 times
Lamp 10 watt, hard glass halogen pre-focused in spun reflector
Material Machined aluminum anodized against corrosion inside and out; unbreakable polycarbonate lens.
Color Black
Weight (with battery) 1.9 pounds
Length 13 inches
Run Time 1.5 hours of continuous use between charges
Candlepower* Up to 30,000 pre-focused
Special Features 100V, 120V, 230V, or 240V AC or 12V DC chargers

UltraStinger™
Battery Nickle-cadmium 6 Volt, 1.8 amp hour, sub-C; rechargeable up to 1,000 times.
Bulb 6.3 Volt, 10 watt, xenon-halogen gas filled bi-pin.
Material Machined aluminum housing anodized against corrosion inside and out; unbreakable polycarbonate lens.
Color Black
Weight
(with battery) 1.1 lbs.
Length 11.75 inches
Run Time 1 hour of continuous use between chargers.
Candlepower* Up to 75,000
Special Features 100V, 120V, 230V or 240V AC, or 12V DC 10 hour charger.

So, the US is lighter and shorter than the SL-20x

I THINK (and I do not have the lights in front of me to look at) that the SL-20x is a wider light, whereas the US is more of a narrower beam

I am going to start a new topic on LEO's flashlights and defense

BuddTX -
With respect to that post-doctorate physics teacher, I asked him the same thing: What would the stationary observer see - 2x light? He said "no", but he'd see the light shifted to the blue end of the spectrum. The observer would see both the person travelling at 1x light and the light at 1x light at the same exact time.
Again, it never sat comfortably with me (and still doesn't).
He also said he had the only Calif. license plate that said "tachyon", which is an imaginary particle that always travels faster than the speed of light.

The other people: Thanks for the LEO info.

- Scott

I can tell you that the TigerLight has saved my life in combat. I'm a 15 year LEO and the abilty to spray the guy in a split second gave me the time to get my weapon out get a clean shot.

As for the rediculous mentality of disarming officers, because some unfortunate individule got cracked on the noodle during a fight. Following that logic, all of NYPD will loose their weapons due to the Diallo incident.

Flashlight as a weapon yes not only wes but heck yes. It is in your hand and the LEO can respond in a split second.