ForrestChump
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Bug Out Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
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ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
First and foremost, this look at the Polytac 275 is a direct result of NH Lumens "Polytac Glovebox Light" thread.
It clicked that this may be the low cost / standby light for my BOB and to also serve as a "backup" to my HDS 325 for night Scrambling Zion Canyon. In short, its a winner.
@ $40.00 online ( I paid more as I bought local ) it is clear why the Polytac is a knockout in the non flashaholic community.
Some observations:
Materials:
It's lightweight coming in @ 5.6 grams lighter than the G2X pro and while the Polymer body isn't quite as nice as the Nitrolon on the G2X it is more grippy and feels like it could take just as much, if not more of a beating. The bezel is also plastic so gone are the days of a Nitrolon light with a nice fat scratch on the head. It sports a well protected glass lens that is unbelievably smooth and clear making it feel extremely scratch resistant and less brittle than that of the plastic G2X lens that seems to scratch if you look at it the wrong way. In the pictures the Polytac lens appears "smokey" but this is simply bad lighting on my part.
Robust:
It's tough, I count 3 springs and a floating positive contact (4 springs total). Drop rated @ 3 Meters Im sure it will have no problems holding it's own and it feels the part. There is no reasonable way to break battery contact that I can see and I would say without doubt upgrades were made to insure weapon mountable compatibility. On that design point alone, I would VASTLY prefer this to a G2X as the contact springs on the ends of my sample X lights were garbage (Although to be fair to the G2X didn't prohibit contact, but they were SHARP, one may wonder what that may do to a cell under stress). The Polytac contact spring at the tailcap is smooth and burr-less, and also "tucked" in. On my X series lights it was clear someone took wire clippers to finish off the springs leaving a sharp point as a final contact point to the cells both at the head & the tail ( I have heard this has since changed on the X series but cannot confirm.) Inspecting the outer contact springs; that make contact with the body, they are gritty and make for an icky feeling when assembling the light, but as I said before this is at the advantage of what seems to be a ridiculously well designed way to keep constant contact. That said, you loose any kind of lockout mode, which in my mind is the single most glaring fault of the light almost to the point of being criminal.
Waterproofyness:
Rated @ 1 meter 30 minutes naturally reads in flashaholic as 2 hours / 2 meters in a freezing cold pool with 100 submerged clicks. Nary a dripidy drop to be found. Test was performed with stock o'rings. That said, the rear o-ring sucks. It fits loose and feels less than excellent. Will it hold up over years and do it's job? Probably, but that didn't stop a trip down to The Depo Of Home to find o-ring bliss. 1/2 hour later and a few dozen opened packages we had perfection. $2.00 is cheap therapy. That said the stock front o-ring was more substantial and held the REMOVABLE HEAD on rather tightly. Removing your head will not void your warranty and there is no clay gunk ( loc-not-tite ) to clean off the threads. *COUGH*.
Switch Durability / Beam:
I commented in NH Lumens thread that the click mechanism felt slightly cheaper in comparison to the G2X switch. Upon closer inspection and a complete beat down of the switch itself OUTSIDE of the light, I don't think there is any loss in durability even though the G2X switch guts do look and feel nicer ( with the exception of the spring contact quality ). I have not done a G2X switch beat down, but I can say I was unable to render the SL switch inoperable after a good 5 minutes of deliberately trying to break it, in one final attempt I even tried drowning it in crazy glue. Sucker still worked flawlessly.You could say I was rather impressed. I stopped the test out of boredom and discarded it. The beam is ringy with a solid well defined hotspot for excellent throw. This may be an issue if you are in the world renowned and well respected sport of White Wall Hunting. In real life, it provides great spill combined with excellent throw and the rings are a none issue and seem to disappear in use.
The low mode PWM is seizure inducing. So much so that Im surprised it's not also marketed to check for epilepsy. I run single mode 275 Lumens @ 3 Hrs. While this may sound less on paper than the comparable G2X 320, you get a tighter beam, with more throw, that appears brighter, with a chunk of more regulated and declining runtime..... The only advantage of the G2X in this regard is the cleanliness and lack of rings in the beam, but for my personal / High only usage, this is a worthy trade off for the runtime. In an emergency scenario, the Polytac can almost be instantly programed for a 56 hour runtime @ 14 lumens, although it wouldn't hurt to keep a refuse bag handy for the low mode......:green:
In short, for 46% less than a G2X a Glass Lens, Beat Down & Waterproof, Lifetime Warranty and national local Service Centers in addition to near instant, super simple programming with "Ten Tap", the choice of a low cost backup Polytac is clear. SL is also easily accessible through email which is a breath of fresh air. Have a problem and need a fix right now? Find your local service center. If you're to inept to find it through the website, call or email them and the'll get you going in the right direction.
Done deal.
FORREST APPROVED. :thumbsup:
EDIT: I have since gotten used to the PWM on low. It now goes pretty much unnoticed. This was my first experience with a PWM light so I was caught off guard at the time. Very useful low beam despite the PWM.
First and foremost, this look at the Polytac 275 is a direct result of NH Lumens "Polytac Glovebox Light" thread.
It clicked that this may be the low cost / standby light for my BOB and to also serve as a "backup" to my HDS 325 for night Scrambling Zion Canyon. In short, its a winner.
@ $40.00 online ( I paid more as I bought local ) it is clear why the Polytac is a knockout in the non flashaholic community.
Some observations:
Materials:
It's lightweight coming in @ 5.6 grams lighter than the G2X pro and while the Polymer body isn't quite as nice as the Nitrolon on the G2X it is more grippy and feels like it could take just as much, if not more of a beating. The bezel is also plastic so gone are the days of a Nitrolon light with a nice fat scratch on the head. It sports a well protected glass lens that is unbelievably smooth and clear making it feel extremely scratch resistant and less brittle than that of the plastic G2X lens that seems to scratch if you look at it the wrong way. In the pictures the Polytac lens appears "smokey" but this is simply bad lighting on my part.
Robust:
It's tough, I count 3 springs and a floating positive contact (4 springs total). Drop rated @ 3 Meters Im sure it will have no problems holding it's own and it feels the part. There is no reasonable way to break battery contact that I can see and I would say without doubt upgrades were made to insure weapon mountable compatibility. On that design point alone, I would VASTLY prefer this to a G2X as the contact springs on the ends of my sample X lights were garbage (Although to be fair to the G2X didn't prohibit contact, but they were SHARP, one may wonder what that may do to a cell under stress). The Polytac contact spring at the tailcap is smooth and burr-less, and also "tucked" in. On my X series lights it was clear someone took wire clippers to finish off the springs leaving a sharp point as a final contact point to the cells both at the head & the tail ( I have heard this has since changed on the X series but cannot confirm.) Inspecting the outer contact springs; that make contact with the body, they are gritty and make for an icky feeling when assembling the light, but as I said before this is at the advantage of what seems to be a ridiculously well designed way to keep constant contact. That said, you loose any kind of lockout mode, which in my mind is the single most glaring fault of the light almost to the point of being criminal.
Waterproofyness:
Rated @ 1 meter 30 minutes naturally reads in flashaholic as 2 hours / 2 meters in a freezing cold pool with 100 submerged clicks. Nary a dripidy drop to be found. Test was performed with stock o'rings. That said, the rear o-ring sucks. It fits loose and feels less than excellent. Will it hold up over years and do it's job? Probably, but that didn't stop a trip down to The Depo Of Home to find o-ring bliss. 1/2 hour later and a few dozen opened packages we had perfection. $2.00 is cheap therapy. That said the stock front o-ring was more substantial and held the REMOVABLE HEAD on rather tightly. Removing your head will not void your warranty and there is no clay gunk ( loc-not-tite ) to clean off the threads. *COUGH*.
Switch Durability / Beam:
I commented in NH Lumens thread that the click mechanism felt slightly cheaper in comparison to the G2X switch. Upon closer inspection and a complete beat down of the switch itself OUTSIDE of the light, I don't think there is any loss in durability even though the G2X switch guts do look and feel nicer ( with the exception of the spring contact quality ). I have not done a G2X switch beat down, but I can say I was unable to render the SL switch inoperable after a good 5 minutes of deliberately trying to break it, in one final attempt I even tried drowning it in crazy glue. Sucker still worked flawlessly.You could say I was rather impressed. I stopped the test out of boredom and discarded it. The beam is ringy with a solid well defined hotspot for excellent throw. This may be an issue if you are in the world renowned and well respected sport of White Wall Hunting. In real life, it provides great spill combined with excellent throw and the rings are a none issue and seem to disappear in use.
The low mode PWM is seizure inducing. So much so that Im surprised it's not also marketed to check for epilepsy. I run single mode 275 Lumens @ 3 Hrs. While this may sound less on paper than the comparable G2X 320, you get a tighter beam, with more throw, that appears brighter, with a chunk of more regulated and declining runtime..... The only advantage of the G2X in this regard is the cleanliness and lack of rings in the beam, but for my personal / High only usage, this is a worthy trade off for the runtime. In an emergency scenario, the Polytac can almost be instantly programed for a 56 hour runtime @ 14 lumens, although it wouldn't hurt to keep a refuse bag handy for the low mode......:green:
In short, for 46% less than a G2X a Glass Lens, Beat Down & Waterproof, Lifetime Warranty and national local Service Centers in addition to near instant, super simple programming with "Ten Tap", the choice of a low cost backup Polytac is clear. SL is also easily accessible through email which is a breath of fresh air. Have a problem and need a fix right now? Find your local service center. If you're to inept to find it through the website, call or email them and the'll get you going in the right direction.
Done deal.
FORREST APPROVED. :thumbsup:
EDIT: I have since gotten used to the PWM on low. It now goes pretty much unnoticed. This was my first experience with a PWM light so I was caught off guard at the time. Very useful low beam despite the PWM.
Last edited:
Str8stroke
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
That PWM may be the hidden strobe feature.
That PWM may be the hidden strobe feature.
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Omitted.
Omitted.
Last edited:
880arm
Flashlight Enthusiast
Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Nice job. :thumbsup:
So is it one spring for the outer contact at the head, one for the outer contact at the tail, and then the battery contact spring at the tail? I think I see an outer spring at the tail but I'm not sure.
Nice job. :thumbsup:
So is it one spring for the outer contact at the head, one for the outer contact at the tail, and then the battery contact spring at the tail? I think I see an outer spring at the tail but I'm not sure.
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Thanks!
Tailcap - 1 spring to the cells, one outer spring that makes contact to the body tube.
Head - It has a floating button with a spring behind it to inhibit shock and make a nice flat contact with the positive end of the cells, then as in the pictures, the outer spring ( exactly the same as the tail cap outer spring ) to make contact with the battery tube.
4 springs in total.... not bad. My only nit pick is the larger springs have a gritty finish to them but do serve their intended purpose very well, and at the price point of the light is completely forgivable IMO. I feel this is a $50 light that sells for $43 (average) shipped online. Good stuff.
Thanks!
Tailcap - 1 spring to the cells, one outer spring that makes contact to the body tube.
Head - It has a floating button with a spring behind it to inhibit shock and make a nice flat contact with the positive end of the cells, then as in the pictures, the outer spring ( exactly the same as the tail cap outer spring ) to make contact with the battery tube.
4 springs in total.... not bad. My only nit pick is the larger springs have a gritty finish to them but do serve their intended purpose very well, and at the price point of the light is completely forgivable IMO. I feel this is a $50 light that sells for $43 (average) shipped online. Good stuff.
Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Thanks for posting this! I agree, it's a lot of light for the $$, something you can count on but not shed any tears when it hits the pavement (the polymer body hides scrapes and dings a lot better than anodized aluminum).
Thanks for posting this! I agree, it's a lot of light for the $$, something you can count on but not shed any tears when it hits the pavement (the polymer body hides scrapes and dings a lot better than anodized aluminum).
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Yup, Yup, Thank you,
USA Designed / Durable / Reliable / Handy / Waterproof / Cheap.
I dig it. Forrest Approved.
:thumbsup:
Yup, Yup, Thank you,
USA Designed / Durable / Reliable / Handy / Waterproof / Cheap.
I dig it. Forrest Approved.
:thumbsup:
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Waiting on beam shots from an HP so I know how to frame them.
Waiting on beam shots from an HP so I know how to frame them.
Last edited:
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Double post.
Double post.
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
It gives the impression that it is. I would love to see a head to head vs a G2X. :devil:
It gives the impression that it is. I would love to see a head to head vs a G2X. :devil:
Last edited:
Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Ive seen the aluminum bodied stingers look totally destroyed and still function like new , can't imagine what kind of beat down a polytac can take . The surefire looks rock solid too ..
Ive seen the aluminum bodied stingers look totally destroyed and still function like new , can't imagine what kind of beat down a polytac can take . The surefire looks rock solid too ..
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Just dropped it. *SMACK* No scratched Bezel. +1 Polytac.
Just dropped it. *SMACK* No scratched Bezel. +1 Polytac.
Last edited:
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Any long time Polytac pics out there all beat up? Never seen one in the beater thread...
Any long time Polytac pics out there all beat up? Never seen one in the beater thread...
Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Streamlights get no love here . :shakehead
But that might be a good thing as there're durable as hell .
Streamlights get no love here . :shakehead
But that might be a good thing as there're durable as hell .
Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
I love the one streamlight i have.. Microstream 35lm variant. It does seem very durable.
ForrestChump's post regarding the output modes just about killed me.. i nearly died laughing! It's too bad the polytac has such horrible PWM.
I love the one streamlight i have.. Microstream 35lm variant. It does seem very durable.
ForrestChump's post regarding the output modes just about killed me.. i nearly died laughing! It's too bad the polytac has such horrible PWM.
ForrestChump
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Yeah..... No love, maybe not a bad thing as if they get enough rep the price doubles and the quality halves...... we have seen examples of that.
And that PWM.....SUCKS. I think I may give SL a call just to fill them in on that. I'd 150% prefer single mode than that disco ball they call low.
Yeah..... No love, maybe not a bad thing as if they get enough rep the price doubles and the quality halves...... we have seen examples of that.
And that PWM.....SUCKS. I think I may give SL a call just to fill them in on that. I'd 150% prefer single mode than that disco ball they call low.
more_vampires
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Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Look out, FC is going to go full tiger-mode on SL like he did SF! :laughing:
Look out, FC is going to go full tiger-mode on SL like he did SF!
:laughing:Re: BOB Bag Hag - Streamlight Polytac - 275 Lumens
Its best to be closet Streamlighters then ... Lol
Yeah..... No love, maybe not a bad thing as if they get enough rep the price doubles and the quality halves...... we have seen examples of that.
And that PWM.....SUCKS. I think I may give SL a call just to fill them in on that. I'd 150% prefer single mode than that disco ball they call low.
Its best to be closet Streamlighters then ... Lol
