Streamlight LS Comparison

I am currently using my Streamlight 3AA Luxeon for my night walks but would like an LS that would throw its beam farther.Would Streamlights TL-2 LS fill my needs or should I look at something else? I'm not concerned about spill because I also carry my Inova X5.

Would you consider the Streamlight TL-3 LED? I don't have a TL-2, but I love my TL-3. The 5-watt LED blows away all of my 1 watt LS LED's by a long shot. It was worth the $85 I spend for it IMO.

-Keith

i was under the impression the TL2 throws farther than the TL3..

i'unno why.

Quickbeam's site should answer that.

The TL2 has the longest throw of the three SL LEDs in Task or Tactical series. The TL3 has the most light output.

The TL2 might be a good choice.

But none of these throw really well.

The throw to an arbitrary level of 1fc can be measured in feet by taking the square root of the candela output -- the same as lux at one meter.

So the 1100cd of the TL2 will throw about 33 feet while the Task 3AA will throw about 18 feet.

The SF L6 throws about 40 feet.

The SL TL-3 incandescent throws about 100 feet.

If you want more or less than 1fc, then adjust accordingly. Double the distances to 1/4 fc.

Cheers,

Richard

Cheers,

Richard

Looking over Quickbeam's throw and output charts, I still think the TL-3 LED would be a better light for walking. The TL-2 LED has 10% more throw according to his measurements, but approximately 50% less overall output. The TL-2 will reach a very small bit farther, but have a much smaller hot spot. When I'm out walking or hiking after dark, I'd rather have a light that puts out more overall light with a larger hot spot, even if I had to sacrifice a little throw. I guess some people may prefer the opposite.

I don't have a TL-2 LED to compare with my TL-3 LED, but compared to my other 1 watt LED's (ARC LSH-P, Madmax, KL1, LED Corp 3-D Mag drop-in), only the Mag with its reflector and adjustable beam could out throw the TL-3 LED (with a tiny hot spot on the Mag).

Keep in mind too, that my TL-3 is the current release without an adjustable beam. The TL-3 and TL-2 no longer have adjustable beams, while the earlier models tested by Quickbeam did have adjustable beams. Unless you can find an earlier model, you're stuck with the non-adjustable beam SL gives you. Quickbeam's measurements may not accurately reflect the throw of the current models since they are no longer adjustable.

I don't think a person could go wrong with a TL-2 or TL-3 LED, both seem to be great lights. It would be nice to see an updated comparison of the two lights with the fixed, non-adjustable bezels though.

-Keith

[ QUOTE ]
rlhess said:

Cheers,

Richard

Cheers,

Richard

[/ QUOTE ]

Richard, You full of cheer tonight? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif