Strion v Stinger v SL-20L

I have been studying the streamlight line of duty flashlights and have always wondered why the performance of the full sized lights seems so poor when compared to their smaller counterparts. To help analize this observation I have worked out the following metri

Streamlight Strion HL = 500 lumens * 1 hour = 500 Lumen-hours
Streamlight Stinger HL = 640 Lumens * 1.25 hour = 800 Lumen-hours
Streamlight SL-20L = 350 Lumens * 2 hours = 700 Lumen-hours

Streamlight Strion HL = 500 Lumen-hours / 5.2 ounces = 96 lumens-hours / ounce
Streamlight Stinger HL = 800 Lumen-hours / 13 ounce = 62 lumens-hours / ounce
Streamlight SL-20L = 700 Lumen-hours / 27 ounce = 26 lumens-hours / ounce

If the SL-20L had the same performance as the strion, then it would have something on the order of:

96 lumen-hour / ounce * 27 ounces = 2600 lumen hours

OR

2600 lumens for 1 hour
or
1300 lumens for 2 hours
or
640 lumens for 4 hours

A SL-20L with the above performance seems reasonable and would be a fantastic platform but I wonder why the full sized lights are such dogs compared to the smaller lights.

Why would you even want to carry a sl-20 as a duty light. It's too big. I use both a stinger and strion. The stion is the best in my honest opinion, easy to carry when searching houses and cars. The stinger is awesome and it's just big enough for you to tell easily of its still on your belt when you get out of your patrol car, the strion not do much. With the sl-20 most of the officers will forget them in the car when getting out on traffic stops or calls. That's something I'd NEVER want to do so the stinger and strion are better for me. I always leave them on my belt.

You raise some interesting questions here. I've wondered the same. I believe what's at play are the following factors:

-The Strion, being Li Ion chemistry has the highest energy density (compared to nimh and nicd which are the only chemistries used in the Stinger and SL-20L) thus it's possible to pack more juice in less mass.
-Li-Ion factor aside, you would expect the Stinger to be more in line with the SL-20L but there are different emitters in each. For example the SL-20L being optimized for throw most likely has some flavour of XPG while the Stinger HL should be an XML. SL doesnt advertise which LED bins are in use instead opting for the catch-all dumbed down marketing of the "C4 LED." There could be efficiency differences between the platforms given the different LEDs.
-Lastly i think probably the biggest factor is that the SL-20L was introduced with the goal of maintaining a familiar form factor . . same look and feel of the line they have had for decades. . same charger they have had for decades. . In so doing the light was not optimized for efficiency. There is a void of wasted battery-tube space now with the new SL-20L . . the battery is much smaller than the incan predecessors. I suspect this was done in order to keep the weight down.

Why hasn't Streamlight introduced Li-Ion in the SL-20L you might wonder. . and i suspect it's to keep the cost and complexity down. However I for one would be willing to pay extra though for a high capacity full size Li-ion light that's targeted for public safety professionals. Yes I know there are lots of options with 18650 based lights but a charge-cradle light (that u dont have to remove batteries to charge) is a must for me.

True to CPF form, i tend to like way too many lights, but despite its efficiency shortcomings i do appreciate the fact that a hefty full size light such as the SL-20L could function as an impact weapon in a jam. It also has a super deep reflector making it a throw monster.

Strion Vs. Stinger Vs. SL-20L

County said:

.....Why hasn't Streamlight introduced Li-Ion in the SL-20L you might wonder.....

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Actually, my theory (much like County mentioned) is that they want to be able to continue to allowing end users to use the same chargers that are already in service. Unless I am sadly mistaken, the lithium ion batteries need a different type of charger than the nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries.

Fast LT1 said:

Why would you even want to carry a sl-20 as a duty light. It's too big.....

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While I certainly agree with you, keep in mind that change can come slowly when it comes to public safety agencies. So, look at the history. Many cops were carrying Mag-Lites and Kel-Lites when I got into cop work in 1980. Why, you may ask, well they were the brighest readily available at the time. Sure, they were incandescent, but that is way before the popularity of LED flashlights of today.

Also, don't forget the 800 pound gorilla in the room when we discuss lights. They were also used for defensive purposes. Fast forward to today and using a 6 or 7 D cell light is frowned upon for defensive purposes in most places around the US.

The first time I saw a cop with a Streamlight SL-20 (NOTE: Not the X.) I thought "Wow." Now by todays standards, if you would see a legay SL-20 you might think, "Meh!"

My first "modification" was popping an SL-35 module in an SL-20. Sure, it didn't have near the run time, but it was bright. It did light up the interior of a vehicle pretty well on traffic stops!

Hey, if guys want a bigger light for traffic stops, give some thought to a Pelican 8060. Ironically, I have read that it isn't all that much brighter than a Pelican 7060, however.

When I started police work we didn't even train to shoot much in low light/no light scenarios. Things have changed a lot since I started and so have illumination products.

Re: Strion Vs. Stinger Vs. SL-20L

I fully understand that full sized lights are of somewhat limited application in today's environment. However, I'm looking for an excuse to buy another light and I already have small and mid-sized covered. I was hoping to justify this if the SL platform could provide additional capacity in terms of brightness and/or run time. Disappointingly that does not seem to be the case.

Re: Strion Vs. Stinger Vs. SL-20L

I still carry an SL20X...Why? Because its size is useful for tasks that smaller lights cannot do, i.e. breaking windows, knocking on doors (i recently used it to break down doors during a fire evacuation), and my dept still has training for these full sized duty lights, as an impact weapon.

Full size lights still have their place.

Re: Strion Vs. Stinger Vs. SL-20L

kb0rrg said:

I was hoping to justify this if the SL platform could provide additional capacity in terms of brightness and/or run time. Disappointingly that does not seem to be the case.

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Agreed regarding capacity not justifying the size or the purchase, but if you like throw . . the SL-20L by FAR out-throws all of the lights mentioned in the comparo due to its small XPG LED and huge deep reflector.

SL-20L: 60,000 candela (cd) and 490m FL1 beam distance
Stinger LED HL: 22,000 cd, 297m distance
Strion LED HL, 10,000 cd, 200m distance