Streamlight ProTac HL 750 Lumens

As titled, looking for feedback on this light. Not sure when they made the leap from 600 to 750, but it looks like a great light.

Thoughts? Opinions? Owner feedback?

ForrestChump said:

As titled, looking for feedback on this light. Not sure when they made the leap from 600 to 750, but it looks like a great light.

Thoughts? Opinions? Owner feedback?

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Yet, another tactical light. The ability to program which mode set should be interesting though.

insanefred said:

Yet, another tactical light. The ability to program which mode set should be interesting though.

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No doubt the term is overused, but this accurately fits the description being designed to operate as a handheld with side arm.

However, It has one spring in the tailcap and is not fit for weapon mounting per SL like the PolyTac is.

I love the programming on the ProTac 1 AAA I have. Only thing is PWM on low.

looks just like my 600 lumen ProTac one of the worst lights Ive ever bought. Super squishy switch, questionable out put claims, I think the emitter is a Luxeon? Beam profile a diffuse mess. The awful switch leads one to accidentally go into different modes etc. I remember I got the Pro Tac and a 2014 PD35 on the same day. The Fenix ate the streamlight and seems like it still will. Tactical light? Not with its awful switch. I really wanted to like the Streamlight. The build quality was 2nd rate. This new light is IPX7 rated so it falls short there as well. Can only use CR123's. There are dozens of better lights of this size or smaller that are just better at every point. For the price of this new Streamlight you can get an ET XP-L V5 T25C2 that takes different battery types, has much better build quality, for real 1000+ lumens and is IPX8, has far better grip and comes with a holster. I would hate to have to get into a gun fight with the ProTac in one hand and a gun in the other. The "programming" is near impossible until you get used to the awful switch. Streamlight makes much better lights than this.

CelticCross74 said:

looks just like my 600 lumen ProTac one of the worst lights Ive ever bought. Super squishy switch, questionable out put claims, I think the emitter is a Luxeon? Beam profile a diffuse mess. The awful switch leads one to accidentally go into different modes etc. I remember I got the Pro Tac and a 2014 PD35 on the same day. The Fenix ate the streamlight and seems like it still will. Tactical light? Not with its awful switch. I really wanted to like the Streamlight. The build quality was 2nd rate. This new light is IPX7 rated so it falls short there as well. Can only use CR123's. There are dozens of better lights of this size or smaller that are just better at every point. For the price of this new Streamlight you can get an ET XP-L V5 T25C2 that takes different battery types, has much better build quality, for real 1000+ lumens and is IPX8, has far better grip and comes with a holster. I would hate to have to get into a gun fight with the ProTac in one hand and a gun in the other. The "programming" is near impossible until you get used to the awful switch. Streamlight makes much better lights than this.

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Interesting. Thank you.

Good, bad or indifferent all feedback is welcome. It seems to get pretty good reviews. How bout the ProTac 2L? Anyone have any experience with that light?

Guys. Not all at once. Im just one person and it will take me some time to get around to all your input and experiences about the above mentioned lights. I will do my best to respond and thank each person for there feedback if time permits. This thread is just so popping it's hard to get a grips on it and respond to everyone. Thanks for your patience.

- Forrest

I own both the protac hl and the 2l. As for the jump to 750 I'm not quite sure about that. I've noticed in multiple different stores that they have the old 600 lumen packaging with just a yellow sun shaped sticker saying 750 lumens over where it says 600 on the front but didn't bother with the specs on the back. At first I thought that one store was trying to make their old product seem like the updated version but after seeing this at multiple stores I feel like it's something streamlight did themselves. Possible packaging error that was too costly to fix I assume. I've only owned the HL for a couple weeks but so far it has been great. I love the brightness and smoother/floodier beam as opposed to the hl3 and the battery life isn't as awful as it would seem in real life use. As long as you don't plan on running it full blast all the time the runtime is acceptable. It has a very useable 35 lumen low mode which runs for I believe 18 hours, perfect for walking around at night and use in the house without completely murdering your night vision. It fits in my pocket well and is used as a backup to my hl3.
The protac 2l is my edc light that I've had for much longer than the HL and I absolutely love this thing. I find that I really enjoy streamlights switching system and set my 2l to the low-high setting. Low setting is perfect for seeing in the car at night without blinding yourself and high makes a very useable ringless floody beam that goes a respectable distance perfect for illuminating a whole bike paths width in front of you. I've dropped it multiple times on concrete and it still works like new. It fits very well in the pocket and the clip has never failed me. The only con I can think of is when the batteries finally start to go the light drops in steps which kind of caught me off guard while out peeing in the woods one night.
I highly recommend the 2L and so far think the 750 lumen hl is a great light for anyone that uses it in short bursts and likes the level of the low mode.

P.s. if either of them comes on in momentary fine but shuts off after you click the switch they aren't broken you just need to tighten the tail cap ALL the way. Had this problem a couple times and panicked then laughed at my own stupidity. Any way I hoped that helped you out in one way or another. Cheers

Very interesting thanks! I noticed you had tighten the tail cap issue.....On the their lights the cap design has to be tightened all the way as thats how the connection is set up, while other lights you can get some play out of the tailcap without issue. I currently own the ProTac 1AAA, Key-Mate, and am sending back a ProTac 2L as the bezel has leaked water....... The ProTac AAA has been fantastic and reliable but I had to initially clean / tighten the tailcap. I got a replacement cap to see if it would help with it coming slightly uncrewed and have not had any issues. It's been rock solid. I really like the ProTac HL but sense Im sending back my SL for water ingress and this video makes me leary. It seems they do meet the 1 Meter 30 minutes but in my experience on the 2L....literally.

The ProTac AAA ( a new model ) and the PolyTac have been extremely waterproof, swim grade 2 meters no problem. I wonder if I should go back to the PolyTac....

Even with these slight "issues" I really am starting to warm up to the brand, they make some great lights just got to make sure the tailcaps tight. They seem robust and have for the most part been issue free. Im a stickler for reliability and even thought I haven't had 100% perfection, the ones that have been perfect have been rock solid. I also got old new stock on the 2L I had an issue with........at the price point and excellent customer service, it's difficult to complain.


Thanks for the feedback!

:welcome:

Ive had the 750 lumen version for months now and it is a decent light for the money. An officer friend of mine has the 600 lumen version and with new batteries mine IS brighter. I have it programmed to run low and high modes. Ive had no problems with the switch on mine and my first set of batteries are just now being replaced. As long as you dont blast it on high all the time the runtime is acceptable. It tailstands, ten tap programmable which I like. It does get hot if let on its highest setting for more than 5 minutes so be weary of that. Besides it getting hot its my wifes beat around the yard light. Use it on low setting when taking the dog out at night and high setting whenever something moves.

Bigburly912 said:

Ive had the 750 lumen version for months now and it is a decent light for the money. An officer friend of mine has the 600 lumen version and with new batteries mine IS brighter. I have it programmed to run low and high modes. Ive had no problems with the switch on mine and my first set of batteries are just now being replaced. As long as you dont blast it on high all the time the runtime is acceptable. It tailstands, ten tap programmable which I like. It does get hot if let on its highest setting for more than 5 minutes so be weary of that. Besides it getting hot its my wifes beat around the yard light. Use it on low setting when taking the dog out at night and high setting whenever something moves.

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Thanks!

Yeah, the switch might be confusing for people that don't own them. Just to clarify for the lurkers: it's not the switch guts that get loose an leave you hanging until you can tighten ( they are actually very easy to work on, pliers not required, you can do a full swap with a sturdy pen if needed ) it's the actual tailcap tightness. I have experienced this on other lights but it seems the slicker lube you use for the threads...the more potential for slight loss of contact. Although as stated my new switch is very much an improvement on the ProTac AAA, the original was slightly less snug. 0 issues now.

Also, On the leaking 2L the gasket is noticeably pinched uneven on 2 sides, from my observation this is exactly where the water slowly makes it's way in. I was wondering if I swap it for another with an even gasket if that would be an improvement? I need waterproof. One thing I noticed is mine is Copywrited for 2012 while the new ones I checked out are 2013 and seem to be very consistent with the front gasket. Another consideration is like the thread title, bumping up to the HL.... but that video also shows slight water ingress in excess of 30 minutes on the 3 HL....as mentioned the PolyTac is like a submarine weapon mountable light. Huge springs, huge gaskets. Although I do like the tailstaning and window breaker on the ProTac.........The PolyTac is also easier to activate as there is no switch protection during transit.

Any issues with water ingress on the 2L or HL? Or were these leakers mentioned a fluke?

Being a flashaholic is a full time job......

OH NO! Since you mentioned the uneven seal on your lense I had to go check all of my lights and noticed this issue on my protac 2AA. I tried pushing it in with a thin guitar pick and it seems to have helped but I really hope i don't have the same water issues. I've given it a "bath" before with no issue but never really submerged it. I guess I don't plan on swimming with it ( which would be inadvisable anyway) so as long as it keeps rain out I should be ok... Hopefully.

Ponis said:

OH NO! Since you mentioned the uneven seal on your lense I had to go check all of my lights and noticed this issue on my protac 2AA. I tried pushing it in with a thin guitar pick and it seems to have helped but I really hope i don't have the same water issues. I've given it a "bath" before with no issue but never really submerged it. I guess I don't plan on swimming with it ( which would be inadvisable anyway) so as long as it keeps rain out I should be ok... Hopefully.

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From my experience, the gasket is supposed to be exposed where the lens & bezel meet. If you look at pics online, all the detail pics show the gasket visible, not tucked in.

I exceeded the recommended IPX Rating of 1 Meter 30 Minutes. I believe this is the "minimum" with room for production fluctuations. I doubt you would have any issue with it outside of swimming / submerging. So, if you really have no reason to submerge it, I wouldn't sweat it. How old is your light out of curiosity? The seal on my 2L was simply pinched on 2 sides were the water entered. On all other SL's I've tested the lens seal was great to perfectly even and you could feel it with a small screwdriver around the inner diameter of the bezel, total submarines with 0 issues greatly exceeding the IPX7 rating. The 2L I have now I get metal rub on 2 spots with a mini flat head driver. The seals on the smaller lights are much harder to see than say a PolyTac. Although, on the ProTac 1 AAA the lens gasket is a beast. Like I said, Im a stickler for reliability and if I thought SL was a dead end...well read my posts. I simply would not pursue them further.

All things considered, in my searching, I have seen some seriously beat up ProTacs / Streamlights online - some used as window breakers, hammers, LEO duty, all the ano worn off, mounting non mountable lights for extended periods.... and every kind of war story you could think of. All around excellent beater lights, which is exactly what I want, but I need that waterproofing for my application.

This is a great example of the "numbers" argument, only it's actually true this time. "Well there are thousands of XXXFires out in the field so you'll get a few lemons". I have seen more StreamLights than any other light on the net for professional applications X 100, and the complaints are far and few in between. Much more positive than negative feedback.

I will be contacting SL tomorrow via phone. I will update.

Have you considered using waterproofing grease on the threads? There is a grease simply called green waterproofing grease sold at autopart stores that shouldnt harm gaskets and will add a little waterproofing to your light

Bigburly912 said:

Have you considered using waterproofing grease on the threads? There is a grease simply called green waterproofing grease sold at autopart stores that shouldnt harm gaskets and will add a little waterproofing to your light

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Interesting. Although Im against modifying, I prefer the light o'rings do the job instead of doing patch work.

I will google it thought, thanks for the input.

Sent it to SL. I asked the phone rep is this was a common issue, of course the answer was no. He also said the light isn't waterproof, let me check.... So maybe I didn't explain myself, maybe waterproof was an intimidating phrase. IDK. He did say it wasn't supposed to leak.


I opted to see if I could swap with a PoyTac as I know that design is solid and consistent, it's a very simple build that you just can't mess up. On the 2L the tolerances are a little tighter so if you over tighten the thinner gasket it's gonna get pinched. But like I said the ones I looked at @ the store looked all even and within intended spec. Anywho, there is no way to swap lights, even if it's cheaper, the light you send in is the light you get back. Im good with that as I really like the light, I just need it to be on the same level of waterproofyness as the other SL's I have and owned.

7-10 business days. We'll find out.

What I meant by uneven o ring was that part of it was pinched out towards the center of the lense as opposed to down into the body. The issue seems to be resolved though so I'm glad it wasn't pinched in the other direction

Ponis said:

What I meant by uneven o ring was that part of it was pinched out towards the center of the lense as opposed to down into the body. The issue seems to be resolved though so I'm glad it wasn't pinched in the other direction

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Ahhh.... Sounds like an easy fix, should be good to go. Mines pinched in. Squashed.