streamlight stylus pro c4 led comparison review

i was in need of a new small task light for miscellaneous odds and ends at my workbench. after some consideration how well its smaller brother the streamlight microstream held up over the last 2 years of edc i decided i would buy the streamlight stylus pro. i got the light on ebay for around 20.00 USD shipped internationally (got it in 8 days so kudos to the seller) to my supprize i had recieved the newer version of the stylus. looking around on cpf i couldnt find alot of information on it so i decided to make this thread to help any potential buyers.

stats! i copied them shamelessly from the streamlight website as reference.

• C4® LED technology, with a 50,000 hour lifetime.
• Unbreakable and scratch resistant polycarbonate lens.
• C4® LED (white): 1,033 candela peak beam intensity; 48 lumens measured system output; 6.25 hours runtime
• Powered by two "AAA" alkaline batteries (included)
• Push button tail switch – momentary or constant on operation.
• Tailcap switch for momentary on/off. O-ring sealed, shock proof and drop-tested construction. Water resistant per IPX4; in accordance with specification EN 60529:1992. Tear resistant nylon holster. Unbreakable pocket clip.
• L x D: 5.3" x .6" (134 x 15 mm)
• 1.64 oz (46.9 g)
• Matte Black, Silver, Blue or Red

box contents:
the light comes packaged in a clam shell with easily open-able perforated back. inside the packaging there is the light, a replacement boothswitch, nylon holster and 2 batteries (energizer) already inside the flashlight.



initial impressions
upon playing with the light i have to admit; the newer tailcap is ALOT more dificult to press than the old version on my microstream. the complaints i read about this issue are sadly true, i find myself losing grip on the light as it slips down in order to activate the forward clicky. the booth mooshes up as you try to press down on the switch, it will switch on but wont 'click'. the light is significantly brighter than the microstream (pics further down below) its lightweight, bright and relatively small for what you get. the finish is a nice shiny light blue unlike the darker blue it showed on both the streamlight website and on ebay. its slicker than the darker anodizing on the microstream. as a result of this the pocket clip on the stylus can rotate around on the light without much force. it fitted in the pen pocket on my sleeve of my work jacket and its skinnier then any permanent marker i have laying around here.

getting sick of the clicky after 1 day of use i screwed open the tailcap of the light and cut myself a small plastic spacer out of the clamshell it came with. it improves the light alot, i can now turn it on and off with some pressing. its not as 'easy' as the predecessor (knowing how some people complained about that switch too) but i found it to be much easier after i did this. still the old switch had a long travel yes but it wasnt dificult to activate, newer version has long travel and is very VERY dificult to press, after the shim you still really have to press down on it. (going to experiment with thicker plastic in a few days, will report results)

size comparison:
i grabbed a ruler, few other flashlights and made some pictures. should be insightful enough for hopefully most flashaholics on here.






differences new vs old:

the main difference between the older version and the newer version boils down to 2 things. they upgraded the emitter from a 0.5 watt to a c4 led and they changed the tailcap so that the rubber booth can now be replaced by users.


(c4 on the left, 0.5 watt on the right)


(very clean cut threads on both the lights. never felt any grit in them)



(the newer tailcap disassembled)

being curious i tried switching the tailcaps between the 2 lights.

it looks hideous but yes it will work. this might be interesting for people who want to upgrade but not use the newer switch as they can move the switch from their old light over to the newer version without problem.


beamshots:
knowing how improtant beamshots are i tried making some. theyre not that great but again it might help any potention buyers so ill throw them out on here


(iso 1600, microstream old version on the bottom, c4 stylus pro on the top at 1~ meter)


(iso 400, microstream on the left, stylus pro on the right at 1~ meter)

i hope this helped anyone who was interested in the newer version. if you have any questions feel free to ask

ozner1991 said:

[...] they changed the tailcap so that the rubber boot can now be replaced by users.

(the newer tailcap disassembled)

Click to expand...

Excellent, thank you for this very informative post, one of the first reviews on CPF about the new c4 version of the Stylus Pro, a reasonably popular budget penlight.

I can't believe that they made the tailcap difficult to press after the issues that they had with the first version. However, I'm greatly encouraged by your tailcap disassembly above, that is a very nice feature indeed. :thumbsup:

Is led centered ok in your c4?
I have one that seems to be somewhat misaligned, or the reflector is not symmetrical.

For the price I think this is pretty nifty light. I was losing interest in the earlier versions (microstream and stylus pro). But this new C4 led brings new life into it. The run time graph is great compared to other AAA lights I have.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-Pro-2AAA-run-time-graph-compared-with-others

@kestrel
thank you i have to say, adding a tiny shim into the rubber booth makes it alot easier to press though, even the thin plastic from the clamshell worked, improving the switch feedback by a lot. i might try different thicknesses of plastic as i come across them but for the moment, it works

@ perttik
yes, the emitter is off by a hair but it doesnt effect the beam in normal use, while white wall hunting though the corona has some teardrop shapes to it, only when really really white wall hunting though

I have been carrying my new C4 for a couple of months every day at work now. It has quickly become my favorite light and the most useful one I have.

I have brighter and more spendy lights but they don't throw like this and or are not aS easy to carry. I am now looking for a brighter AAA penlight that has decent throw.

finished some tweaking to the shim i had made out of the original clamshell.
first i tried to use some thick OJ container plastic but that turned out to be to thick and would activate the switch upon twisting down the boothcover.
tried again with some miscellaneous other pieces either being to thick or to thin until i finally cut a piece of a cheap customer card and sanded it a bit. also used a lighter on it and it seemed to be very heat sensitive as it instantly smelted or become very pliable. after messing with it for a while i squished it between 2 fingers and sanded off the edges so i wouldnt wear out the inside of the booth. it works better than the original plastic shim but not by much, its still a hard switch to press in comparison to the old switch unfortunately.

so for people who want a simple shim that works, use the clamshell that comes with the light.

Nice review and great pics. I really enjoy using my Streamlight Microstream...much more than I had anticipated. May just have to pick up the new Stylus Pro. You can't beat the price either.

little update to how its held up sofar

used the light with drilling some new wall sockets, 2 bike repairs and working on several computer cases. sofar its held up great, dropped it a few times from about a meter and its been smacked around, coating is still fine, cant see any scratches or chipping. im really glad i bought this light, its cheap, bright and at times a bit to bright with glare from items and its reliable.

New version definitely looks better.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks much for the review. Recently began looking for a 2xAAA LED light & this one has caught my attention. I'm looking for a TSA friendly model that can also provide some covert kubotan/koppo capability. (Yeah, I know a pencil will work). This one seems ideal except for the unprotected tail cap. Are there any compatible tail caps from Streamlight, aftermarket or DIY that can be a bit more "cap strike" effective? New to the forum. Have read the rules. Hope my question isn't viewed as a highjack or inappropriate. Thanks!

Not a bad light, but the switches need serious improvement. Had an earlier version and a C4 model both go bad.

Moving on now to a Quark Mini AA2 for EDC

I had thought about upgrading from the older .5 watt but decided against it. I prefer the older version for its nicely regulated run time. From Streamlight's own data the output on this newer version is declining. I use it as a back up light so the older version suits my needs better. The information about the switch design tells me I made the right choice (For me, your mileage may vary).

I just picked one of these up yesterday, and I'm thrilled with it. I got mine with the same old matte finish as the Microstream, so I could use a spare original tailcap I have sitting around. Both the tailcap design and the finish are less attractive than that nice shiny anodize, but it's a lot easier to use.

Even though there are far brighter lights in the same size, I EDC a Microstream because it's just so handy. It's bright enough for almost anything, easy to use one-handed, and has the perfect balance of throw and flood for the amount of light it produces. Even though it's less impressive, I actually prefer the Microstream over my Quark CR2 in actual use.

Now I've got this Stylus Pro, and it's all the same high points in a bigger, brighter package. It's not a pocket sun, but it's quite bright enough for most reasonable uses. The beam is just about a perfect compromise, and works very well with the amount of light it puts out. I'm surprised by how well the long, thin shape fits my hand; I've never had a 2xAAA light before, but I think I'll have to pay them a bit more attention in the future. Single-mode means I can hand it to anyone and they'll understand what's going on, and I don't have to baby it because it's cheap and easily replaced.

This is the sort of simple light I recommend to other (non-CPF) people, and this particular one is now my favorite example of the type. I think I'll be getting one for my mom, to replace her first-gen LED Mini-Mag.

@ ghost

personally i dont know of any aftermarket accessories for this light nor do i really think you would find any. having said that chances are if you ask some of the builders in the custom section of the forum they can make something to your liking, only downside being cost. once you spend that amount of cash on a 'cheap' light its in a whole new ballgame. id suggest looking at the 4 sevens preon series, they have several tailcaps which you might like

march 5 update

still going strong. i got used to the tailcap and it doesnt bother me as much anymore. threw it around, used and abused it with all kinds of tasks which needed a beaterlight. loaned it to non flashaholics without worrying and it survived it all. the finish still looks fine. no dents, chips or anything. i still recommend this as a simple 1 mode beater/family/friend light for less than 20 usd

Thanks for this thread, very informative. By chance I was in the market too for a 2 AAA battery penlight and ordered a Preon 2 this afternoon. About double the price, I hope it's worth it.

Does anyone know what their C4 led is? Is it what they call the Soul P4? or have they updated it since then?

I think that type of "C4" depends on model.
My stylus pro seems to have cree xp-c.