Streamlight Flashlight: Definitive Review (2024)
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Welcome to our Ultimate Review of the Streamlight Professional Flashlight 2024.
We’ve taken this beauty along on our testing trips and we’ve used it for our late night dog walks, and we can confidently say we love it.
We compared it to some of the top-rated Streamlight flashlights, as well as a handful of products from other manufacturers.
In this comprehensive review we’ll cover:
- Brightness versus beam quality (and why it matters)
- How many hours battery life you can expect
- What activities this flashlight is best suited to
- And lots more…
If you’re ready to buy your next great flashlight, you’ll love this guide.
Even better, we loved this small Streamlight flashlight so much we awarded it our Editor’s Choice in this category.
Want to know why?
Here we go…
- Manufacturer: Streamlight
- Battery Life: 4.5 hours on low mode
- Light Output: 615 lumens
- Construction Material: Aluminum
- Weight: 150g
Bottom Line : A professional flashlight offering extraordinary brightness
Pros
- 50,000 hour lifetime
- Rechargeable up to 1000 times
- High brightness
- Ultra-compact
Cons
- Can heat up easily
Our Verdict: Streamlight Flashlight
This handheld flashlight combines pretty much all of our favorite features in one small package.
Let me tell you what they are…
The tail-end power switch is easy to use one-handed (and gloved) and allows you to scroll through the different modes with ease.
This flashlight is built to last… with the aircraft-grade aluminum barrel capable of standing up to even the toughest use.
Dropped this flashlight down a mountain?
No problem.
Watching as your child lets it fall into a stream?
Don’t worry.
High impact resistance and waterproof ratings mean this flashlight will still come out shining brightly.
All that said… it does have a few small issues
The barrel does heat up with very prolonged use during tests, but for everyday use, we found we never kept the flashlight on long enough for this to be a problem.
The beam isn’t as adjustable as some other models – that might be an issue for you but it certainly wasn’t a dealbreaker for us.
On the whole, if you’re looking for the best Streamlight tactical flashlight you won’t regret choosing this for a second.
With flashlights making it onto the 10 Essentials List For The American Hiking Society, this is one purchase you want to get 100% right.
Related: 10 Best Rechargeable Flashlights
Our Analysis, Comparisons & Test Results
This flashlight was one of 47 that we tested in as many different environments as we could – from camping trips in the mountains to a late-night check around the farm with the dog, we well and truly put this flashlight through its paces.
And everyone who used it loved it.
We used a range of metrics to judge the performance of this flashlight against some of the top competitors.
We considered battery life, beam quality, and ease of use – among others.
During our tests, we found this all-rounder is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a compact and lightweight flashlight offering an impressive battery life.
But, if you’re looking for the brightest flashlight then it’s not the right choice.
In that case, you’ll be wanting our Top Pick, the Stanley Fatmax with a HUGE 2200 lumens of brightness.
The Fatmax is pretty chunky though.
Now, let’s take a look at what makes this our Editor’s Choice.
Battery Life
When you’re camping (or even using it around the house), the battery life of your light is an essential feature.
There’s no point having a flashlight that looks the business and has great levels of brightness if the battery only lasts an hour.
Battery Life Rating
You’ll be pleased to know…
Our Streamlight performed very well in this category.
With a run-time of 4.5 hours on low mode, it allows you to get plenty done before it needs recharging.
The battery is good for 1.25 hours on high.
In terms of longevity overall, the battery is good for 50,000 hours overall, or roughly 1,000 recharges.
If you choose to use standard AAAA alkaline batteries to power this flashlight, you can expect a run time of 60 hours.
All in all, an impressive performance.
Brightness
When it comes to selecting the best flashlight to suit your needs, brightness is one of the first things you should consider next after battery life.
Why?
Trying to cook after dark, or find exactly where you stowed your toothbrush isn’t much fun if your flashlight is emitting a sad glow which can’t sufficiently illuminate your immediate surroundings.
Brightness Rating
We tested the Streamlight Professional Flashlight under a range of different conditions when judging its brightness.
And we were pleasantly impressed.
While it’s true this isn’t the brightest flashlight available, or even Streamlight’s brightest, we found the 615 lumens to be more than enough for carrying out everyday activities.
This level of brightness gives a beam distance of 219 meters, which is ample to illuminate your camping ground while pitching your tent, or to locate a dog who’s decided to wander off in the dead of night to investigate some wild Ibex in the valley – hmmm… not mentioning any names Jude.
You can also switch between high, medium and low brightness settings.
This is one of our favorite features.
While the high setting is great for flooding larger areas with loads of light, the low setting is perfect for reading in your tent or using round the house in a power cut.
Let me tell you more…
The high setting, as we’ve mentioned, offers an impressive super-bright light of 615 lumens. This is perfect for illuminating large areas, using outside on night-time dog walks, or for setting up camps at night.
The medium setting provides 320 lumens, which is still plenty enough to use around your camping ground, inside your tent or around the house.
Last but not least…
On the low setting, you’ll find a lumen level of 160 lumens. We love this setting for reading at night, or using in the tent when you don’t want to wake the other occupants.
It’s worth noting…
As we mentioned briefly before, this isn’t the brightest Streamlight available – that award goes to the Stanley Fatmax 88052 Professional Tactical Flashlight, sometimes called the Streamlight ProTac.
If you’re interested, this is also included within our main review of the best rechargeable flashlights.
Beam Quality
What’s the difference between brightness and beam quality?
It’s a great question.
You can have a bright flashlight, but if the beam quality is low you won’t be able to focus on a specific spot.
Beam Quality Rating
The HL beam pattern of this flashlight is designed to provide a wide beam pattern that gives maximum illumination.
The brightest point will be across the center of the beam.
This makes the Streamlight Professional an excellent multi-purpose choice in terms of beam quality.
There’s more…
…by switching between the 3 modes of the low, medium, and high beams you can vary the distance and intensity of the beam.
The professional quality high power LEDs used within the Streamlight provide a crisp white light, while the electronics are optimized to provide a constant intensity no matter how long you keep this flashlight on.
Ease Of Use
There’s no use having a super bright flashlight that’s hard to use.
Factors we consider in this metric include location of the power button, whether the barrels heat up when used for extended periods, and any design features which provide an extra user-friendly experience.
Ease Of Use Rating
But there’s more to tell you…
This Streamlight pocket flashlight performs well here, scoring 7/10.
The push-button tail switch is super easy to use and allows you to cycle through the different modes without a second thought.
The barrel provides a firm grip thanks to its knurled design with multiple grooves.
That’s not all…
It’s a bugbear of ours that some small flashlights roll away when you set them down. There’s rarely a perfectly flat table at our campsites and there’s nothing more annoying than your flashlight hitting the deck when you’re trying to cook dinner in the dark.
Thanks to its anti-roll head with a flattened section, that’s never going to be an issue with this flashlight.
And for that, we’re very grateful!
Durability
When you’re investing money in a new flashlight, you want to be sure it’s going to last for more than just a few seasons.
Luckily…
… the best Streamlight in that regard is this one.
Durability Rating
The hard-wearing outer is made from aircraft-grade aluminum.
In fact, this flashlight is a favorite of professionals, including law enforcers.
This makes it probably the best Streamlight flashlight for police.
It’s also been given a water-resistance rating of IPX4. That means it’ll still function after being submerged in water.
We tested whether it was capable of resisting multiple impacts of up to 2 meters.
Cue ladder.
Once again we were super impressed.
And let’s be honest… there’s a strong chance you’re gonna drop this at some point!
You can have peace of mind, knowing it’ll survive.
Features
The Professional is packed full of features that made it easy and intuitive to use.
Let’s tell you more…
Features like a simple and easy charging method, dual power option and variable light settings all combine to make this pretty much the best tactical flashlight we’ve had the pleasure of testing.
Features Rating
In fact, it’s become our go-to choice for the majority of our trips
But one of our absolute favorite features?…
… the LIFETIME WARRANTY.
If you experience any issues at all with your flashlight, simply contact Streamlight and they’ll take good care of you.
Our Final Verdict: Streamlight Flashlight
While several other flashlights might have scored more if you’re wondering “what is the best Streamlight flashlight?” – we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Professional.
There’s a good reason it’s our TopNotch Editor’s Choice in its category.
Its super combination of durability, ease of use, and that winning lifetime warranty more than sealed the deal for us.
Conclusion: Streamlight Flashlight
Let’s round things right up…
At this point…
… you should have gained a pretty good idea of the main features that the Streamlight Professional has to offer.
We love the super compact size and comfortable shape of this flashlight.
So much so, that it’s become our go-to flashlight for both everyday use and camping trips.
While we admit it’s not the cheapest flashlight out there, in terms of value for money you’re definitely getting a great deal.
Combining all these factors meant it was easy to award the Streamlight Professional Flashlight our TopNotch Editor’s Choice.
If you’re looking to illuminate your life with a high-quality flashlight that’s also comfortable and easy to use, not to mention extremely durable, then this just might be your perfect flashlight.
It’s certainly become one of ours.
We’ve made our choice – now we hand over the baton to you to do the same…
