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Posted: 6/28/2013 4:14:05 PM EDT
| The department issues M3's on our glocks with the bulbs and they are subpar. I'm looking for a new weapon light for my personal 1911 and G21, looking primarily at the TLR's and Surfire 300U models. The new C4 TLR is what I think I want as I don't need or like the strobe effect. But there is also th TLR HL models with more lumens but I believe I've read that it's a wide/flood beam and I like the tighter throw. If its only a couple bucks then I would get the strobe model just to have it. Is the Surefire worth double the price, I would rather have 2 then 1 light as I don't like changing lights around. Looking for comments and suggestions, thanks. |
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The surefires are great lights but in my opinion not worth the price. I would go with the Streamlight for sure!!!
I'm not a huge fan of the strobe either. I know people who swear by them and really appreciate the distraction That a strobe can provide. To me tho! The strobe ends up screwing my eyes up for me to effectively use it. I've had a TLR 1 for years. There super strong, tough, and really reliable. I love the the light. The C4 is just Streamlights newest brightest version. If you want simple and bright. Go with the TLR1 C4. You can always find them in various sales online. You'll be able to outfit two guns for the same price as a surefire. |
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The department issues M3's on our glocks with the bulbs and they are subpar. I'm looking for a new weapon light for my personal 1911 and G21, looking primarily at the TLR's and Surfire 300U models. The new C4 TLR is what I think I want as I don't need or like the strobe effect. But there is also th TLR HL models with more lumens but I believe I've read that it's a wide/flood beam and I like the tighter throw. If its only a couple bucks then I would get the strobe model just to have it. Is the Surefire worth double the price, I would rather have 2 then 1 light as I don't like changing lights around. Looking for comments and suggestions, thanks. Both are good lights; pros and cons to each like everything I suppose.... To see the X300U and TLR-1 HL's output compared side by side check out my test/review below. 
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the TLR-1 320 lumen is plenty bright. it will give you 2.5 hours of runtime on a pair of batteries. it is available with single mode only. you can find it on sale for 90-100.
the TLR-1 HL i recently purchased i have fallen in love with. it is a very wide, very floody beam but it still illuminates to 100+ yards quite easily. it DOES have strobe though unfortunately and last i checked there was no single output mode (like you, i'd rather not have it). runtime sucks, its about 1.25 hours (same as the x300 though, it just comes with the territory of high output). price wise the cheapest i saw was 130 on midway when i bought mine so it is a few bucks more than the standard model. i have a few x300s but i've started buying TLR1s lately. it's every bit as good as the surefire (imo) but quite a bit cheaper. a few key differences: the beam is a little different (better, worse, your call). it's a very focused hotspot that projects far, but still has good side spill. the switch on the back IMO is superior to the streamlight rocker switch. if you mount it on a carbine the x300 has a shorter profile and won't interfere with your sight picture as much in the 12:00 position. inforce APL is a pretty neat new light that i've been meaning to try. it's very light and does 200 lumens for 2 hours on ONE cr123. it has momentary and constant on, no extra modes. the profile is slimmer than the x300 or tlr1. price range on it is about 140? it uses paddles on the side for activation which look much more convienent for pistol use than working rocker switches. BTW, they do have LED upgrade head assemblies for your m3 which would boost your output and run time quite a bit and it's reasonably priced. i doubt your dept would care if you bought this on your own dime if it's something that you're interested in. 65$ on midway |
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Thanks for the idea about the different head and that's a good idea. I believe our lights are being phased out this year and I'm sure it will get better. I plan on putting the numbers, price-agency wise when I get to it in a couple months. I will so watch the vid to see a difference but in the last 10 years I've got along fine with the duty weapon light as I always have a streamlight stinger on the belt and usually take the big light when I get out of the car, also an led. I always overdo things but the TLR will be way more than sufficient. Does anyone know of any 4th of July deals?
Nice review by the way |
| primary arms came in and posted a hint about one they will be having the other day actually. most of the major retailers will have deals though. best thing to do is just get on the mailing lists and/or start browsing their web pages a couple days before a holiday. |
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the TLR-1 HL i recently purchased i have fallen in love with. it is a very wide, very floody beam but it still illuminates to 100+ yards quite easily. it DOES have strobe though unfortunately and last i checked there was no single output mode (like you, i'd rather not have it). runtime sucks, its about 1.25 hours (same as the x300 though, it just comes with the territory of high output). price wise the cheapest i saw was 130 on midway when i bought mine so it is a few bucks more than the standard model. 65$ on midway The TLR-1 HL I recently received has the Streamlight "ten tap" programing which allows you to disable the strobe mode and have single output. Don't like strobe, just program it away. Paladin |
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After watching the review posted above I do like the HL version but an hour run time is really short. But on the other side if the fence the only time I would ever need to use the light would be the worst case scenario besides training.
In the review posted above the HL is a lot brighter considering the lumens but from what I watched it/heard the TLR is the original not the 300 lumen model. Am I correct in model difference. Also while streamlights website list peak candlelight at 12,000 but while looking at a industry partner website it shows the TLR C4 put to 7,000 and the HL 12,000? |
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After watching the review posted above I do like the HL version but an hour run time is really short. But on the other side if the fence the only time I would ever need to use the light would be the worst case scenario besides training. In the review posted above the HL is a lot brighter considering the lumens but from what I watched it/heard the TLR is the original not the 300 lumen model. Am I correct in model difference. Also while streamlights website list peak candlelight at 12,000 but while looking at a industry partner website it shows the TLR C4 put to 7,000 and the HL 12,000? Dont sweat the runtime. You don't use these like you use a flashlight when walking the dog. |
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the TLR-1 HL i recently purchased i have fallen in love with. it is a very wide, very floody beam but it still illuminates to 100+ yards quite easily. it DOES have strobe though unfortunately and last i checked there was no single output mode (like you, i'd rather not have it). runtime sucks, its about 1.25 hours (same as the x300 though, it just comes with the territory of high output). price wise the cheapest i saw was 130 on midway when i bought mine so it is a few bucks more than the standard model. 65$ on midway The TLR-1 HL I recently received has the Streamlight "ten tap" programing which allows you to disable the strobe mode and have single output. Don't like strobe, just program it away. Paladin well thats what i get for not reading the manual. thanks for the tip, no more strobe :-) |
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the TLR-1 HL i recently purchased i have fallen in love with. it is a very wide, very floody beam but it still illuminates to 100+ yards quite easily. it DOES have strobe though unfortunately and last i checked there was no single output mode (like you, i'd rather not have it). runtime sucks, its about 1.25 hours (same as the x300 though, it just comes with the territory of high output). price wise the cheapest i saw was 130 on midway when i bought mine so it is a few bucks more than the standard model. 65$ on midway The TLR-1 HL I recently received has the Streamlight "ten tap" programing which allows you to disable the strobe mode and have single output. Don't like strobe, just program it away. Paladin well thats what i get for not reading the manual. thanks for the tip, no more strobe :-) Yep. I have a TLR-1HL and you can turn the strobe function off. ETA: Right now, Primary Arms is having a 4th of July sale. The 300 lumen TLR-1s is $88 and the HL is like $112. I got one of each. 
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I'm interested in the Streamlight TLR-1 model. Can I mount it, either on my colt 6920 MP, on a Magpul 5 slot rail as well on my Glock 35? Is it easy to mount and unmount the light between these two guns? if you use the universal mount yes. its just a thumb screw on the side that holds it on, no tools or anything. if you want a better fit on the rifle you'd have to use the 1913 key which is held in by an allen screw, and you'd have to change the key back to put it on your glock. |
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the TLR-1 HL i recently purchased i have fallen in love with. it is a very wide, very floody beam but it still illuminates to 100+ yards quite easily. it DOES have strobe though unfortunately and last i checked there was no single output mode (like you, i'd rather not have it). runtime sucks, its about 1.25 hours (same as the x300 though, it just comes with the territory of high output). price wise the cheapest i saw was 130 on midway when i bought mine so it is a few bucks more than the standard model. I love this light. It would be tough for me to make a case for another weapon light for general or outdoor use. I was lighting up a boat tonight at 140 yards; far enough that you'd need magnification in addition to the light for target ID. Switch is nice and smooth (it's the main reason I bought it over the 300), and the spill is impressive. I have a couple of Surefires and have nothing against them but they're not the only option any more. |
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I ended up getting the TLR-S from primary arms, couldn't pass it up. Good call. I honestly don't think you can get anything better for $88. I bought one from them also and just got it in the other day, mounted it to a Ruger P345. Got 2 myself. Its plenty of light for a non magnified optic. |
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