Streamlight Stinger 2020

Streamlight has released a new Stinger upgrade, more lumens, better ergonomics, a little bit shorter and a little bit lighter compared to the Stinger DS LED.

https://www.streamlight.com/en/products/detail/index/stinger-2020

https://www.streamlight.com/docs/default-source/fact-sheet/355.pdf

• High, medium and low modes plus strobe:
  • High for a high lumen beam: 2,000 lumens; 315m beam; runs 2 hours
  • Medium for bright light & longer run time: 850 lumens; 200m beam; runs 4 hours
  • Low for extended run time: 100 lumens; 70m beam; runs 24 hours
  • Strobe for disorienting or signaling: runs 3.25 hours
• Intuitive mode switch for easy selection of High, Medium or Low
  • "Set and forget it" - no need to cycle through the settings to get to the desired mode
• Features Independently functioning head-mounted and tail switches
• Uses two SL-B26™​ protected Li-Ion USB rechargeable battery packs
  • Charge with existing Stinger chargers, USB cord or lithium ion bank charger
• Aluminum alloy body with ergonomic, anti-roll body design and textured grip
• Corrosion resistant, gasket-sealed Borofloat®​ glass lens
• IPX7 waterproof; 2m impact resistance tested
• 7.67" (19.48 cm); 12.3 oz (350g)
• TAA Compliant
• Limited lifetime warranty

Videos:

Streamlight Stinger® 2020: The Next Evolution in Work-Ready Lighting Tools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pg7O6jtjg4

Streamlight Stinger® 2020: The Next Evolution in Duty-Ready Flashlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_v7P7aW6js


My opinion:

It looks nice, but they have now gone the down the route of trying to compete in the lumen wars, I'm guessing because they are seeing Olight eat some of their market.

Looking at the runtime chart, it shows the high of 2000 lumens drops down to half within mins, so if you are using the light on high for short bursts you'll only get less than 1 hour, which sucks.
Personally I liked the older regulated chart for longer runtime on high, so your light doesn't die right at the start of a 10 hour shift.

Stinger DS LED:
https://www.streamlight.com/docs/default-source/fact-sheet/201.pdf

I think this light will be popular with those that want all the lumens, but I think a better choice for most officers would be the ASP XT DF. Better quality, longer runtimes, better UI, great belt case, 18650, CR123 backup.

GoVegan said:

...they have now gone the down the route of trying to compete in the lumen wars, I'm guessing because they are seeing Olight eat some of their market.

Click to expand...

An interesting point for discussion. Sometimes I think companies take the wrong tack to chase lumens. Is Olight grabbing market share because of lumen output, or lower cost?

I think some companies run the risk of chasing lumens to the detriment of other factors, namely quality and cost. I'm sure it is difficult to "sell" quality. It's so much easier to say that a light puts out XXXX lumens, which is why it costs YYY dollars. Much harder to say that a light is AAA times more reliable, and that's why it costs BBB dollars. I feel like I've already seen this trade being made in some of my preferred brands.

Sen

Sounds like a great upgrade. Especially the independent switches and set n forget features.

850 lumen medium with 4 hour runtime, 200m (figure 100 useful) is pretty useable.

Not bad Streamlight. Not bad at all.

Meh. Too many lumens not enough throw. The lumen wars are getting tiresome.

The 3 position switch looks good, assuming that it holds up in service. The new switch kinda negates the need for ten tap programming (the old stinger should have ten tap). Would much prefer a 400 lumen medium mode. Not sure I like the double proprietary battery set up, but it is good that it can use the old stinger chargers.

How bizarre, they've created a new body to accomodate 2 x 18650 batteries, when they could have used a 21700 in the existing Stinger and reduced the body length by 2"!

Nitecore have a 21700 with both +/- at the same end, so it wouldn't have been difficult to develop at Stinger 21700.

Body roll on the existing stinger is prevented by the triangular lump of metal that locates the flashlight in the charger.

It'll be interesting to see a hands on review.

Dave D said:

How bizarre, they've created a new body to accomodate 2 x 18650 batteries, when they could have used a 21700 in the existing Stinger and reduced the body length by 2"!

Click to expand...

Dave, I was thinking along the same lines, I thought maybe they went with the 18650 format as they have already done testing and certification on these cells and maybe they don't have contracts and/or a supply chain for 21700 cells. So maybe not the best design, but for them the more practical and cost effective. At the end of the day most decisions are usually made on costs, unless their name is Henry S. or Don.

Well, on the plus side; no one will mistake it for the older version that's for sure.

But I think that overall funky design will hurt their sales.

Monocrom said:

Well, on the plus side; no one will mistake it for the older version that's for sure.

But I think that overall funky design will hurt their sales.

Click to expand...

I can deal with the flat sides, but the finger groove looks horrible!

I mean, a company like Streamlight really should know better. A good-looking light (like their older model Stingers) is just going to sell better than one that isn't nearly as nice to look at, but is a pragmatic improvement over the older version in nearly every single way.

I picked up a 2020 yesterday. My first two biggest observations are that:
1. the button press is super deep to latch. I've been using Stinger LEDs for over 12 years, and it took me multiple attempts to be able to press either button deep enough and fast enough to activate the strobe mode. To me it's an odd choice for a duty light since they spend most of their use "clicked" on.
2. There aren't any holsters, not even from Streamlight. Which for me isn't a big deal since I will just get a pouch made for my vest.
The light seems bright (I haven't had a chance to use it at night yet) and the 3 position switch seems solid. The buttons will take some getting used to.

Thanks for the info zimm.
I wonder why they chose such long travel to enage the switch.

Welcome to CPF.

zimm9106 said:

I picked up a 2020 yesterday. My first two biggest observations are that:
1. the button press is super deep to latch. I've been using Stinger LEDs for over 12 years, and it took me multiple attempts to be able to press either button deep enough and fast enough to activate the strobe mode. To me it's an odd choice for a duty light since they spend most of their use "clicked" on.
2. There aren't any holsters, not even from Streamlight. Which for me isn't a big deal since I will just get a pouch made for my vest.
The light seems bright (I haven't had a chance to use it at night yet) and the 3 position switch seems solid. The buttons will take some getting used to.

Click to expand...

:welcome:

Thanks for letting us know regarding your impressions of this SL light.

Bit surprised they did that with the switch.

Great thoughts on this light.

What about the fact that the beam is so yellow? Is this a deal breaker? What other lights would you suggest that would carry a similar beam pattern and is as powerful?