Pelican 1910 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Which one of these aaa lights are better? Does anyone have any experience with them? I need another aaa light and they both intrigue me. I like my LD01, but want to try a little clicky.

Thanks

Should be Pelican 1910 LED

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

No one? oo:

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

I'm doing a review of the 1910 and 1920 right now (waiting on lithium AAA's to arrive for runtime testing), and the Pelican 1910 is pretty bright. It's 39 lumens and has a runtime of one hour. The latest model of the MicroStream is 28 lumens and has a two-way clip, but older models are 20 lumens and have a standard bezel-down clip. Both models have a longer runtime than the 1910, and it looks like the pocket clip will spin around when removing the tailcap.

The 1910 uses a Cree XP-C LED, so the beam pattern is not so well defined (hotspot looks like a blob). I don't know what LED is in the MicroStream.

The 1910 has a glass window, whereas the MicroStream has a polycarbonate window (no mention of anti-scratch coating), so pick your choice between breakable or scratchable. Neither is replaceable.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Robin, thanks for the reply. Do you think the Pelican with lithiums will have a much longer run time? Also, is the Pelican noticeably brighter that the Microstream? I'm trying to decide between the two.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

I should have an answer for you before the weekend. Based on calculations, around 1.5 hours.

Do you need more brightness or more runtime? I think that will be the deciding factor if the clip and window doesn't matter.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

A little of both. I like the lumen rating of the Pelican and if I can get 1.5 hours, that may be good for work, especially if it is noticeably brighter than the Microstream.

Thanks for running the tests, and I await your results. Beamshots would be great if you can compare them.

Thanks

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

I don't have the MicroStream, so I'm going off the ANSI data for it. I might review the MicroStream in the future, but you might not be able to wait...

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

I have the old/original model SL Microstream, and just received the Pelican 1910 last week, along with a 1920 and a Fenix E11 (Wheeee! )

The Micro has a cleaner hotspot, with a faint spill. The Pelican hotspot, like Robin says, is somewhat blobby (probably not a word, but oh, well) but larger and significantly brighter. The spill beam on the 1910 is also brighter in relation to the hotspot.

The tints are also different on my two lights when compared side by side. The Micro has a slight bluish tint, while the 1910 has a more yellowish tint.

As for battery runtime, I did not bother comparing them as the Micro, which is supposed to be the longer running of the two, does not run for very long before progressively dimming (direct drive?). I just buy aaa batteries in bulk.

In conclusion, the 1910 is brighter with bigger hotspot and brighter spill than the (older/original model) Micro. Although the 1910 is more expensive ($23.80 for 1910 vs. $16.95 for Micro where I got my 1910), I would recommend the 1910.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

arioch said:

As for battery runtime, I did not bother comparing them as the Micro, which is supposed to be the longer running of the two, does not run for very long before progressively dimming (direct drive?).

Click to expand...

It's a boost circuit because white LEDs won't run off 1.5V, but what is happening is that the battery voltage is dropping. Single-cell lights will have fairly high current draw (Pelican 1910 draws 800mA), so NiMH or lithium batteries will give much better performance than alkaline. You'll also get an additional performance boost from the higher voltage of lithium batteries (initially 1.8V open circuit).

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Nice and thank you. So how long will the Pelican run before it starts to dim, or will it run at full brightness for the entire hour+. I plan to use lithums but will carry alkalines at work as spares.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

With NiMH, it doesn't dim (or it dimmed so quickly I didn't notice), it just shuts off. I didn't run any tests on alkalines since there are already ANSI specs, but I would imagine it to be continuously dimming. Lithiums should be arriving today.

If you can wait until next weekend, I should have the 1910 side-by-side with a MicroStream. :thumbsup:

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Pelican 1910 shut off at the 2h 17m mark, so by ANSI standard, that would be 2h 15m runtime. I noticed some dimming just past 2h, but I would say it's at least 40%.

BTW, the L92 was 0.572V when it shut off. I'm thinking I might not be able to go to bed early today...Pelican 1920 and Maglite XL200 are still going strong, and it's 10:30PM. I hope to be done before 1AM... oo:

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Sorry for my ignorance, so I'm clear, in this light when the battery dies, the light will just shut off?

And, I can get about 2 hours run time at almost full power with lithiums?

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Yes, there's no dimming, it just shuts off (this is because it's a boost circuit). Once it shuts off, you won't be able to turn it back on until you change batteries.

You'll get 2 hours at near-full power and then an additional 15 minutes of reduced output before it shuts off.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

Thanks, now I have to go buy one.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

If you can wait until next weekend, I should have some comparisons of the Pelican 1910 and Streamlight MicroStream available.

Re: Pelican 190 vs Streamlight Microstream?

I just received my Streamlight Microstream. It's an August 2011 edition. However it's my only 1 AAA light so I have nothing similar to compare it to. All I can say is it's very similar in brightness to my old AA Fenix L1R.

Ok, so I picked up the Pelican 1910 today. Very nice light for the money. It has a tighter hot spot than my LD01 and makes it appear a little brighter (although itis heavier). It seems brighter than the 39 advertised lumens. If I can get more than an hour run time out of lithium primaries I will be very happy. It will serve as a work backup on my keychain.

I may pick up a microstream, but I really want a natural colored Maratac AAA, but they are out of stock...:scowl:

Thanks Robin24K for your help and input.:thumbsup: How are the runtime tests?

MicroStream hasn't arrived yet, but I'm not going to do any more runtime tests until I get the Extech SDL400. :devil:

It will be available in December, so unless I get a loaner for the meantime, runtime graphs won't be until then.

just got my microstream that i ordered last week yesterday. the tailcap is pretty hard to click, upon unscrewing therubber boots retaining ring, it was obvious to me that the plunger isn't long enough and has to be pushed in to the point to where the end of the plunger is flush with the surrounding surface. i cut a little bit of cardboard and placed it into the rubber boot to help some, but they should either make that plunger a little longer or have a little nipple inside of the rubber boot.

the beam on mine looks good, no dark circle in the middle of the hotspot and is a more neutral tinted cool white. now if my memory serves me well, my old micro was not that much brighter than my fenix l2t on low which is rated 15ish lumens at the emitter. i,m not sure how streamlight used to measure their lumens, but my new c4 is quite a bit brighter than my l2t, so i'm pretty sure there's a bigger jump in lumens than the 4 stated lumen jump from old to new.

i love the new 2 way clip, not only for it's versatility, but it doesn't catch on things like the old version's clip did. great light for only 15 bucks especially if you order from amazon with other stuff and get free shipping.