(New) Streamlight Protac HL-X
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Cobraman502
Enlightened
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Not sure how much of a surefire fan you are but I just got this and Randy (PflexPro owner) tests the lumen output and provides you data on you light with your order. Also there are a lot more modes to choose from if you are interested. Read up on the driver it is awesome.
http://www.pflexpro.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=L2P-3.8-AP-IC
dano
Flashlight Enthusiast
Fantastic light. Truthful output numbers, good Streamlight quality, and the beam is even, no rings or artifacts. Negatives: that long pocket clip, and 123's will rattle in the body, though, it won't lose electrical contact when shaken.
When I saw the Utube SHOT Show video for this one my initial impression was the audience will yawn with this one. To make matters worse the pitchman they chose seemed to be some kinda QVC seller who was handed a flashlight and told "in 30 seconds you need to talk about this flashlight for 3 minutes"...
Being a fan of Streamlight products I know this one is probably a well thought out tool and a cut above many other 1000 lumens products out there. And the 400 lumen medium should be GREAT!!
But for me, I'd rather have seen Streamlight stick with the 700+ HL lumens and increase the runtime instead of touting 1000 lumens about a year after everybody else did.
It would be great competition to Elzettas Bones and their dual fuel system would have put them ahead of the Bones in my view. That and the ten tap system could've made this one a standout in my mind. Instead it's just another version of their ProTac HL.
It's probably a better thrower, and probably just as reliable as previous Streamlight products. And hopefully lots of local police departments will update issued SL20's with these. I know several police personnel who'd rather carry a hand held junk than their dept issued SL lights if for no other reason the potential liability of a perp swearing Johnny Law bashed him in the head with it. They tell me they mainly use them for armpit hold while writing tickets.. ok anyway this is probably a GREAT cop light.
Being a fan of Streamlight products I know this one is probably a well thought out tool and a cut above many other 1000 lumens products out there. And the 400 lumen medium should be GREAT!!
But for me, I'd rather have seen Streamlight stick with the 700+ HL lumens and increase the runtime instead of touting 1000 lumens about a year after everybody else did.
It would be great competition to Elzettas Bones and their dual fuel system would have put them ahead of the Bones in my view. That and the ten tap system could've made this one a standout in my mind. Instead it's just another version of their ProTac HL.
It's probably a better thrower, and probably just as reliable as previous Streamlight products. And hopefully lots of local police departments will update issued SL20's with these. I know several police personnel who'd rather carry a hand held junk than their dept issued SL lights if for no other reason the potential liability of a perp swearing Johnny Law bashed him in the head with it. They tell me they mainly use them for armpit hold while writing tickets.. ok anyway this is probably a GREAT cop light.
Capolini
Banned
I have mentioned this a few times. There plant is 7 miles from my house in Eagleville,Pa. Most of the local police use them because of availability and easy access for repair..That comes from one of the local cops.
I do not know much about this version, I am assuming it takes 123's as someone mentioned who posted above. Can it take rechargeable 16340[RCR123]? If not that is a definite negative for at least 2 reasons! I do not get why a lot of these Streamlight and Surefire lights can only take cr123's,,,,makes no sense to me.Nothing wrong w/ cr123's for emergencies but ALL the lights should accept RCR123[16340] for a more economical choice for the consumer.
I ran into a guy named Bob on the trail last year and he has whatever the Protac model was about 18 months ago. It was a a decent light but let me tell you once you have modified lights "most" of these stock lights seem very weak! My T25C2vn which is considerably smaller had almost as much lumens w/ an XPG2 and out threw it by at least 150 yards!
With the newer LED'S of the last year or so the manufacturers are catching on to what the modders[Vinh/OSTS[Michael] have been doing for years!
I do not know much about this version, I am assuming it takes 123's as someone mentioned who posted above. Can it take rechargeable 16340[RCR123]? If not that is a definite negative for at least 2 reasons! I do not get why a lot of these Streamlight and Surefire lights can only take cr123's,,,,makes no sense to me.Nothing wrong w/ cr123's for emergencies but ALL the lights should accept RCR123[16340] for a more economical choice for the consumer.
I ran into a guy named Bob on the trail last year and he has whatever the Protac model was about 18 months ago. It was a a decent light but let me tell you once you have modified lights "most" of these stock lights seem very weak! My T25C2vn which is considerably smaller had almost as much lumens w/ an XPG2 and out threw it by at least 150 yards!
With the newer LED'S of the last year or so the manufacturers are catching on to what the modders[Vinh/OSTS[Michael] have been doing for years!
I just received one of the new Streamlight Protac 2L-X lights. The published spec are:
Using 18650 battery
500 lumens for 3hrs 15m
40 lumens for 30hrs
The above is with a 2600 mAh 18650, I'm hoping a 3500 mAh will do even better.
anytime you have a light where it runs 18650's natively and you want to run 123's you can run a sleeve to prevent that from happening...
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...eeve-spacer-for-18650-host-tubes-(solarforce)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...eeve-spacer-for-18650-host-tubes-(solarforce)
Let me know how that works out, I had been eying that one as well as more of an edc light...
Capolini
Banned
Streamlight does not endorse RCR's in this one because they don't make RCR's. But they said (at least for the HL 4 anyway) that RCR's won't damage it.
Hey Tusk, if you have a previous ProTac, is this one more neutral tint? They seem to be getting away from the copy paper white beam of their previous line up. My PL1 and HL4 are much more gentle on tired night adapted eyeballs over some of my other Streamlights.
Hey Tusk, if you have a previous ProTac, is this one more neutral tint? They seem to be getting away from the copy paper white beam of their previous line up. My PL1 and HL4 are much more gentle on tired night adapted eyeballs over some of my other Streamlights.
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It's nice that Streamlight is finally supporting 18650s, but the HL-X doesn't seem especially competitive compared to say, an Armytek Dobermann Pro. They're about the same size, about the same price, use the same batteries, both made in China, etc... but the Dobermann has higher output, sensor-based thermal regulation, a boost driver for stable output and optional warm tint, which most people answering polls on other forums prefer over the default cool white.
dano
Flashlight Enthusiast
But, if the Streamlight breaks, I can send it in, no issues. If that Armytek breaks, I need to be a master videographer to send them a silly video, to even start the warranty process. And, almost all of the Chinese based manufacturers lie about output. Compared to my 2000 Lumen Eagtac, the Streamlight is brighter, using the same 18650's. Comparing output is dubious at best.
If by EDC you mean in a day bag or briefcase than the 2L-X might work well. It has a neutral tint and well balanced beam profile, both of which IMO are about right for the kinds of things most folks would want a light for. The UI is simple (a plus in my book) and the Protac line has proven to be both reliable and durable. At a little over 5" long and 1" wide I don't think it's small enough to be a pocket light and it's not a thrower, so if either of those things matter to you then this isn't the light for you.
Just my opinion and worth what you're paying for it but if you're looking for something to actually carry on your person then I think the Protac 1L-1AA is a better general purpose EDC light.
I have a Protac 1L-1AA which, to my eye, has more of a warm tint. This light is definitely cooler but I would still rate it in the neutral range. It retains very good color rendition. The max on the 1L-1AA is 350 vs the 500 lumens of this light. In real life that's not that big a difference and the throw on both lights is about the same (about 160 yards). However, between the higher lumens and slightly cooler tint the effect is that of a much brighter light. Over all I like it. I'm hoping for some really good run times as well, given the battery options.
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As I have broken or given away all of my more expensive lights my current EDC is a combination of a pair of inexpensive coast lights (the HX5 and the G20) I like having lights that have simple on/off click interfaces without lots of modes and I enjoy having the low power smooth pleasing light of the G20 for lots of tasks I do at work where it is easy on the eyes inside panels and cabinets where you don't require 500+ lumens to illuminate what you are seeing. OTOH the HX5 makes a nice semi-tactical front pocket lite with good output and flexibility to run AA or Lithium 14550 Cells and its nice and light. I would like if the switch stuck out just a tad more but for $20 its passable and good build quality.
I have owned a couple of small Olights and gotten rid of them because I hate the side switch turning on in my pocket all the time, so useless. Gave away my fenix PD30 also because it had to many modes. I liked my Surefire 6PX Pro but it broke and I lost it before i could send it in for warranty repair... so I started back with the cheap stuff again and began looking for a good rechargeable light. Last rechargable I had was my polystinger back in the day.
I have an update to the thread.
I received both a Protac HL-X and a Protac 2L-X in the mail the other day.
There are some really good points and some real downsides to both of these lights.
Good Points:
*Very Bright Tight Hotspots with Nice less intense Spill around the edges gives a balanced beam pattern with good throw.
*Good battery life so far on the included streamlight brand CR123 cells (it was nice that a set came with the light)
*Good Knurling on the body and I'm really digging the deep carry pocket clip, though I don't see really using a light this big as a headlamp. The clip could be used though to clip the light on a pocket from the outside.
*Light can be programmed to several different modes and I was able to find a mode that I preferred on each light for its intended purpose for me. on the 2L I went with the LOW/HIGH and on the HL-X I went with High Only since it is for me a Tactical Light.
Bad Points:
*I would prefer on the 2L that the mode be (High/Low) rather than (Low/High) this way if you jam the switch in excitement or stress you will get a high beam rather than a low beam. This is not an option on the small light. Neither is High Only on this particular light. At least you CAN disable the strobe feature which I find annoying on an EDC light which is what I purchased this to be...so in the end I am fine with (LOW/HIGH) since I carry a separate Tac Light that is High Only.
* Standard 18650 button top protected cells don't fit the light! I purchased some quality protected 18650 cells from a local dealer (who allowed me to return them after i discovered they did not fit my application) They are the maximum comfortable length that will fit in my Nightcore D4 charger but the Button Top won't make good contact with the Positive Contact in the light because it does not protrude far enough out to touch. Our solution was that he gave me some flat sides cells that were slightly larger and he welded on a flexible metal tab that could be folded over to fit in the slot of the shroud around the contact that streamlight has down in the tube. It appears that they have engineered this light to ONLY work with their cells unless you mod some other cells to fit it... That pisses me off since their cells are $15/ea and I can purchase these for half that locally. Thanks streamlight.
Its not worth my time to return this light to the vendor, and its actually a great light that I like the performance of. I would just have like to have known going in that they had engineered it to not allow anyone else cells to work. (I will say that I don't have an extremely broad variety of cells only a couple of brands to try but neither of them would make contact.)
Shame Shame Streamlight! Had I Known I'd probably have just spent a little more and bought the surefire I was considering.
I received both a Protac HL-X and a Protac 2L-X in the mail the other day.
There are some really good points and some real downsides to both of these lights.
Good Points:
*Very Bright Tight Hotspots with Nice less intense Spill around the edges gives a balanced beam pattern with good throw.
*Good battery life so far on the included streamlight brand CR123 cells (it was nice that a set came with the light)
*Good Knurling on the body and I'm really digging the deep carry pocket clip, though I don't see really using a light this big as a headlamp. The clip could be used though to clip the light on a pocket from the outside.
*Light can be programmed to several different modes and I was able to find a mode that I preferred on each light for its intended purpose for me. on the 2L I went with the LOW/HIGH and on the HL-X I went with High Only since it is for me a Tactical Light.
Bad Points:
*I would prefer on the 2L that the mode be (High/Low) rather than (Low/High) this way if you jam the switch in excitement or stress you will get a high beam rather than a low beam. This is not an option on the small light. Neither is High Only on this particular light. At least you CAN disable the strobe feature which I find annoying on an EDC light which is what I purchased this to be...so in the end I am fine with (LOW/HIGH) since I carry a separate Tac Light that is High Only.
* Standard 18650 button top protected cells don't fit the light! I purchased some quality protected 18650 cells from a local dealer (who allowed me to return them after i discovered they did not fit my application) They are the maximum comfortable length that will fit in my Nightcore D4 charger but the Button Top won't make good contact with the Positive Contact in the light because it does not protrude far enough out to touch. Our solution was that he gave me some flat sides cells that were slightly larger and he welded on a flexible metal tab that could be folded over to fit in the slot of the shroud around the contact that streamlight has down in the tube. It appears that they have engineered this light to ONLY work with their cells unless you mod some other cells to fit it... That pisses me off since their cells are $15/ea and I can purchase these for half that locally. Thanks streamlight.
Its not worth my time to return this light to the vendor, and its actually a great light that I like the performance of. I would just have like to have known going in that they had engineered it to not allow anyone else cells to work. (I will say that I don't have an extremely broad variety of cells only a couple of brands to try but neither of them would make contact.)
Shame Shame Streamlight! Had I Known I'd probably have just spent a little more and bought the surefire I was considering.
Capolini
Banned
^^^^^
Get a modded light and you won't go back to stock!
More output/more options[UI/Tint ect.] and you will know what battery it takes/fits before you get it!
I have 15 of them from EDC to High powered throwers whose beam go over 1 mile!
One of the most popular modders below:
https://skylumen.com/collections/v54-lights
Get a modded light and you won't go back to stock!
More output/more options[UI/Tint ect.] and you will know what battery it takes/fits before you get it!
I have 15 of them from EDC to High powered throwers whose beam go over 1 mile!
One of the most popular modders below:
https://skylumen.com/collections/v54-lights
Either your 2l-x is broken or you're doing something wrong, "high only" is an option. I bought an Orbtronic 3500 protected 186550 and it fits in the light just fine. Maybe you should try a different battery?
