brio
Newly Enlightened
The Streamlight Pro Polymer 4AA Xenon light is my "meat and potatoes" flashlight. When I need some light, this is the first thing I grab. The 4AA isn't the brightest light out there, nor is it the smallest; it's.......well, just right.
I bought mine in the neon yellow because my philosophy on flashlight bodies is: When you need a flashlight, it's usually dark. So......it's easier to find a bright colored body of a flashlight than a black one. I also like cool colored flashlights, and the black model didn't impress me. But that's me...
The body is made out of a tough nylon-like polymer (hence the name), which seems like it would hold up to just about any abuse. The head is made of a rubber material, and the tail houses the tail switch. Because the body is oval-shaped, it has a nice feel in the hand and doesn't roll easily when set down. I think there was an older model of this light with a momentary switch on the back, and a twist head. This model seems like a definite improvement.
The tail switch is recessed slightly, which helps prevent accidental turn-ons, but I don't think you would have a problem with this switch turning on easily. At first the switch seemed to push hard (strong spring), but I just held it down really hard one time for about a minute, and that took some of the "spunk" out of the spring. Now it feels....well, just right.
The light runs on standard alkaline AA's, which is something I really like, since most of my flashlight collection, as well as many of my electronic gadgets, all run on this battery format. Being standardized on AA's, and to some degree AAA's, is something I try to do. I've heard lithiums are not good to run in this light though.
Inside of the 4AA, you'll find installing batteries very easy. There is a convenient label to show you which way to install the batteries. The lens/lamp assembly is keyed to fit back in only one way. You'll also notice a pressure release valve by the threads. I think this is to relieve any pressure buildup that may occur inside. This would seem like a good idea, considering how sealed this light feels when you put the front-cover back on. I think the light is rated 200 foot water depth. All I know is that if you took this light into the harshest weather, it would hold up just fine IMHO. Speaking of taking it to harsh environments; the body of this light is splattered with text for all kinds of UL hazardous ratings, so it should be ready for just about anything. Speaking of text on the body; the StreamLight part numbers for the Xenon lamp are right there too, in case you need them.
The lens/lamp assembly is what impresses me most about this light. A PR type lamp would seem to be the better choice because you can mix and match different bulbs, but Streamlight has done an excellent job of calibrating this bulb with the lens to make a perfect beam the first time. The beam is bright. The beam is white. The beam is as near perfect a beam as I ever seen with no apparent rings or dark spots. Because the lens/lamp is fixed at the factory, you just turn the 4AA on and use it; no need to fiddle with focusing. The lens is textured, which is probably what helps smooth out the lamp ouput so good. The cost to replace the len/lamp is around $8 from brightguy; with a life expectancy of 30 hours.
The beam shot of the 4AA is with a stock Mini-Mag. The 4AA had been run for maybe 20 minutes already, so the brightness output should be closer to its average.
Well, that's about it. I really like this light!
I bought mine in the neon yellow because my philosophy on flashlight bodies is: When you need a flashlight, it's usually dark. So......it's easier to find a bright colored body of a flashlight than a black one. I also like cool colored flashlights, and the black model didn't impress me. But that's me...
The body is made out of a tough nylon-like polymer (hence the name), which seems like it would hold up to just about any abuse. The head is made of a rubber material, and the tail houses the tail switch. Because the body is oval-shaped, it has a nice feel in the hand and doesn't roll easily when set down. I think there was an older model of this light with a momentary switch on the back, and a twist head. This model seems like a definite improvement.
The tail switch is recessed slightly, which helps prevent accidental turn-ons, but I don't think you would have a problem with this switch turning on easily. At first the switch seemed to push hard (strong spring), but I just held it down really hard one time for about a minute, and that took some of the "spunk" out of the spring. Now it feels....well, just right.
The light runs on standard alkaline AA's, which is something I really like, since most of my flashlight collection, as well as many of my electronic gadgets, all run on this battery format. Being standardized on AA's, and to some degree AAA's, is something I try to do. I've heard lithiums are not good to run in this light though.
Inside of the 4AA, you'll find installing batteries very easy. There is a convenient label to show you which way to install the batteries. The lens/lamp assembly is keyed to fit back in only one way. You'll also notice a pressure release valve by the threads. I think this is to relieve any pressure buildup that may occur inside. This would seem like a good idea, considering how sealed this light feels when you put the front-cover back on. I think the light is rated 200 foot water depth. All I know is that if you took this light into the harshest weather, it would hold up just fine IMHO. Speaking of taking it to harsh environments; the body of this light is splattered with text for all kinds of UL hazardous ratings, so it should be ready for just about anything. Speaking of text on the body; the StreamLight part numbers for the Xenon lamp are right there too, in case you need them.
The lens/lamp assembly is what impresses me most about this light. A PR type lamp would seem to be the better choice because you can mix and match different bulbs, but Streamlight has done an excellent job of calibrating this bulb with the lens to make a perfect beam the first time. The beam is bright. The beam is white. The beam is as near perfect a beam as I ever seen with no apparent rings or dark spots. Because the lens/lamp is fixed at the factory, you just turn the 4AA on and use it; no need to fiddle with focusing. The lens is textured, which is probably what helps smooth out the lamp ouput so good. The cost to replace the len/lamp is around $8 from brightguy; with a life expectancy of 30 hours.
The beam shot of the 4AA is with a stock Mini-Mag. The 4AA had been run for maybe 20 minutes already, so the brightness output should be closer to its average.
Well, that's about it. I really like this light!
