I'm looking to buy a new handheld flashlight & I'd like to hear opinions about Streamlight and Surefire. From what I've read, both seem to be well made. I really like some of the tactical lights I've seen on Streamlight's website. How do they compare as far as durability, reliability, brightness, etc?
Thanks for your opinions.

I don't know about the Streamlight, but I have had nothing but bad luck with the Surefire. Not durable at all as far as I'm concerned.

__________________
jj

Both brands have held up well from my experience. That being said I am one of two people in our aircraft maintence shop that uses surefire over stream light. However, that is the reason I picked surefire, because if you set a streamlight down on a table for a few minutes and walk away, everybody else thinks that is their flashlight. I think this "preference" for streamlight is more about the fact that the snap-on guy sells that brand and not surefires, not a quality issue.
From a more practical standpoint, it really depends on what your uses will be. The only drawback to surefire flashlights is that almost all of them run on the CR123A batteries. This is fine for normal use, but if you plan on using it a lot, like say inspecting aircraft (I have fixed this by using special rechargable CR123A batteries when at work and normal batteries everywhere else), you go through a lot of expensive batteries. Streamlight has the simple drop in chargers which rememdy this for their flashlights but they tend to be bigger and have a shorter battery life then my surefires do. Both brands are about the same brightness, but, in my experience the surefires have a more solid and even beam. Both brands make all different sizes and both tend to be more significantly more expensive then standard mag light, dorcy, etc brands, but are much better made.
While this probably hasn't helped much, I will say I just added the Surefire E1B to my everyday carry collection and it has proved to be a great little flashiight.

__________________
J.D. Roy

I have both. A Surefire A2 Aviator (every day carry) and a Streamlight TRL1. Both very good lights. If you are looking at LED lights, IMHO Streamlight LEDs are superior to Surefire's, much brighter. I can say that Surefire customer service and warranty service is outstanding. I broke (and I mean into pieces) a Surefire weapon mounted light while FAST Roping. I sent it to Surefire to get a repair estimate. They sent me a brand new upgraded model, no charge.

Model for model, surefires are more expensive, sometimes more than twice the amount...but they are made in the USA as opposed to China for Streamlight...both will serve you well so it comes down to price and patriotism.

I'm in the market for a new single cr123 LED and have narrowed it down to the Streamlight PT-1L and the Sure fire EB1....very similar lights but big price difference.


Streamlight
http://www.lapolicegear.com/streamlight-protac-1l.html

Surefire
http://policelink.monster.com/produc...-surefire-eb1#

__________________
Thirty characters. Exactly...

I like the Surefire led lights. In my experience they are very durable. I carried mine in Iraq and use it for all kinds of training and hunting. I have never had a problem with mine.


snakeman

They are both good brands, you just have to pick the model that best suits you. I am a Flashaholic (as well as a Smithaholic ), and am a member of Candlepowerforums. I have spent tons of money buying parts to mod my own lights. My current EDC (every day carry) is a Surefire L5 modded to accept P60 drop in's, and has a body extension so that I can use two 18650 rechargeable batteries for a loooong runtime. I can use 123 primaries in a pinch, but I use the rechargeables to save money. Guilt-free lumens we call it. Price 123 batteries in bulk and you'll see what I mean. 123's can also be dangerous, if you accidentally mix new and used batteries. It can KaBoom on you (aka *disassemble with pyrotechnics).

It is my opinion that a light that uses 1 or 2 18650's, and has a Cree XP-G emitter, is going to be a good bet.

I'll tell you what a good budget light is.....a Solarforce L2P with a Cree XP-G P-60 drop-in. It's hard to go wrong with that light. Yeah, it's made in China, but it takes good batteries (18650's), and you can put a drop-in in it that will put 250 lumens out the front, all for about $60-$70. If a newer LED comes out next year and you want one, just get the drop-in that has it, unscrew the bezel, replace the drop-in, and screw the bezel back on. That's it. LED technology is moving forward in leaps and bounds these days. Nailbender on Candlepowerforums makes the finest drop-ins I know of with the latest cutting edge LED's in whatever tint you like, cool, neutral, or warm. I use them. The best quality 18650 cells are made by AW. He can be found on Candlepowerforums.com, and Lighthound.com carries them, among others here in the states.

Here's my EDC Surefire L5. I couldn't live without it.


Here is a seven Cree MagLite I built. Super bright. A conservative 1400 lumens




This a Surefire C2 Centurion that I modded an SST-50 LED into. I also bored the body to accept an 18650 battery. About 400 lumens.


Having some fun with it at a bar. The guy I shined it on looks like he thought a policeman was shining a light on him. See how he put his hands up? The light was so bright we couldn't even make out his face. He looks like a glass of milk

I have a Surefire 6P and an E2E Executive. Both take two of the aforementioned batteries that are quite expensive. Last night the Executive stopped working even with new batteries. A check of the website said it is the bulb, a new one was about $18 at my local store. I've only had this light about a year and have not really used it heavily, so that seems to be a rather short life for a bulb. I am pleased with their performance, but am considering a rechargeable unit. I want it about the same size as the Executive, so the search continues.

I've owned three surefires over a ten year timeframe. Two of them had failure of the lamp assembly on the first set of batteries (a known issue). The second time I was told by many surefire fanboys to call them and let them know and they would take care of it.

It's been five years and I've not received anything.


Granted, a surefire body would be great if you replaced it with a quality LED like a Malkoff. They are also brighter than any LED surefire can come up with.



I've bought about 8-9 Streamlights since 1994 and I never had any issues with any of them. They ran from the handcuff light all the way up to the 20XP that I once dropped out of a moving truck at 35mph (it was lit up the entire time it bounced on the road).

__________________
I miss my 4546 the most.

I've owned them both, and decided that a new Maglite AA LED light was perfect for me. Plenty bright with great white light, and a great price as well. The Surefire and Streamlight both are too hard on expensive batteries, and the beams weren't ONE BIT better than the Wal Mart Maglite.

__________________
MARK

Yes, Malkoff is top shelf stuff, whether it is one of his P60 drop-ins or a complete light.

Take a serious look at the EagleTac lights before you decide. Nicely made, and a whole lot o' lumens for the buck.

I got the Surefire A2 Aviator when it was the only dual mode light available (incandescent and LED in one light.) Working at the time as a tactical medic and a flight medic I needed the dimmer LED option for stealth and in-cockpit use, but also needed the bright white light for seaching and shooting. It was perfect! Still use it at FD and for backpacking. If you want to research lights you really should check out candlepowerforums.com. There is a great big world of lights on the market nowadays. Good luck!

__________________
Jon

I own 2 surefires and 1 streamlight and can say without a doubt the quality is fine for both brands. My sure fires were purpose bought to be carried on my duty belt or in a pocket, so I can't offer anything on weapon, helmet, or any other mounted/tactical lighting. But the streamlight has got to be the brightest flashlight I've ever seen! I can see a visable beam using this light at least 2 or 3 blocks down the street in front of my house. And thats a city street with street lamps to diffuse the light. I love it and so far I haven't had any issues other than when a friend of mine swept me with it when I was showing it to him and let him play with it. I felt like I had seen a welding arc or something lol.

Both are excellent brands...and both are widely used by law enforcement and in the military. I have used a number of lights from both over the last 13 plus years and have always been very satisifed with their performance.

I do think Streamlight makes superior rechargeable lights than Surefire. However, the light I have on me everyday is Surefire's E1B Backup LED.

Figure out what you really want the light for, and how you will actually use it, then pick a light that suits your specific needs and anticipated use. Brand wise, both are winners.

__________________
Trust, but verify - R. Reagan

I have used many different brands lights over the years including Streamlight and Surefire. I have been unimpressed with the units that I have used, but then that was before the big LED technology advances. I still like my 2 foot aluminum club that doubles as a flashlight, an old 6 cell Maglite. I occasionally pull a bit of security duty at work and not being able to be armed at work the Maglite makes a dandy weapon. I have replaced the xenon bulb with a Malkoff device to extend battery life and it throws a good light across the across the property.

For my pocket carry lights I really like the bang for the buck that I get from Fenix lights. I EDC a Fenix LD10 and like the single AA size, ample power, and the price.

__________________
Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

We were asked to compare only Sure Fire and Streamlight, but as others are mentioning additional brands, I've been pleased with my Inova.

And I use a number of Princeton Tec lights, too. Their Impact II has VERY long battery life, even if used to read with in camp. Their little Rage (four conventional alkaline AAA batt.) is brighter than my old four C cell Kel-Lite!

T-Star

Big companies like Surefire and Maglite have trouble upgrading their product line quickly because they are SO big, and the technology is improving rapidly in LED lamps right now. Smaller companies like Fenix and Eagletac make great lights at a fair price with the brightest and most energy efficient lamps. I have a Surefire 6P and bought an R2 lamp about 4 years ago it is incredibly bright, but now the R5 lamps are pretty common and they are even brighter and more efficient. The CR123 batteries are about 5 bucks/each at Walmart, or about $3/each at Lowes for the Surefire brand. I'm a cheapskate and buy them from Deals Extreme for about $.85/ea but they probably are not as high quality. Rechargeable batteries are much improved over 10 years ago and they are probably the best way to go in the long run. Home Depot just started carrying a Maglite LED twin pack that has the 3D cell LED and 2AA LED with 3 levels of brightness and the twin pack is about the same cost as one flashlight at $29.95 and it is a GREAT value for the dollar.

If you want to really research your selection, you might ask here:

CandlePowerForums - Powered by vBulletin

The generally opinion there is that Surefire is the alpha and omega of flashlights, but I think you will find more cops carrying Streamlight products. Both are good.

Flashlights, like guns...are a personal thing...you will find yourself leaning towards a certain look or feel...check out a bunch of them here..this company doesn't sell anything of low quality....the Fenix line is highly regarded and costs much less than Surefire...

Fenix Lights - 4Sevens.Com

__________________
Thirty characters. Exactly...

I agree and hear real good things about the Streamlight. But, my number one criteria is reliability during hurricanes. The light has to work every time, even when the power is out, so Surefire it is. I own six different Surefire models, weird I know but I have fun.

I would think you buy the light that best meets your needs which may be very different from the next guy.

Bob

I'm partial to Streamlite, but I carry an Insight Technologies HX150R in my pocket daily at work. It's a good light, durable, decent battery life, and very bright. There are lots of excellent lights out there. It's basically a personal decision.

I think this is the main point. For example, I mentioned earlier that I use my flashlight to inspect aircraft. For me any light over 120 to 150 lumens is really too bright be able to do up close inspections and they really hurt when reflected back at my eyes from the inspection mirror. Since these are used as tools for me, the added expense doesn't bother me that much. Now if I was just going to stick it in my cars glovebox, I would just buy a 2D maglight and call it good. You will mainly want to look for you requirements for brightness (use lumens and not candle power) and runtime.
Overall you can't go wrong with either surefire or streamlight. Also, even with these large companies make upgrades in their LED lines. I know Surefire just upgraded their line of LED lights again as all of my Surefires are using discontinued LED's. For instance, my 6P original was upgraded to an LED about 2 years ago with an 80 Lumen output. The new 6P LED puts out 120 lumens. Anyway, hopefully you find the right light.

__________________
J.D. Roy

My biggest complaint is that streamlight and surefire measure their output in different units. Does anyone know how to convert one unit to the other unit?

If you are keeping the light for emergencies...CR123s are the way to go since they have a 10 year shelf life...rechargeables are great if you are using the light regularly.

__________________
Thirty characters. Exactly...

A vote for the Inova, I would say they are as reliable as possible and duty-ready. I carried a 5.8watt version (from a weak moment at target) for a year at work.

It is carried daily in my go-bag as a backup because it has ALWAYS worked. Their keychain light works well too but I still have a ten year old Photon II on my keychain. The Inova is clipped to my sunvisor.

__________________
I miss my 4546 the most.

I have a small collection of streamlites, some xenon and one led. The xenon gulps cr123 batteries dry quick.

I like the led for when I'd go look for the dogs at night. Something about the wavelength that makes their eyes stand out real bright.

__________________
9tenz

I have been using Surefires since the first 6P's came out. I am still using the first two of them I bought, way back in the day.

My every day carry, EDC, is the E1e. I have it in my pocket 100% of the time...

When I leave the house I add the A2 Aviator with the white LED.

I always keep an M6 in my hunting pack, and I keep a few Nitrolons around for spares.

I have a few Surefire dedicated weapon lights in use, as well.

Surefires are the beat handhelds on the Planet IMHO.

I have been to the SureFire "factory in Calif. and I was impressed with the operation, the "workers", the "big cheese" and the scientists as well.

As Oscar Wilde once said, "I have the simplist of tastes, I am always satistified with the BEST"...

And THE BEST, is Surefire...

I've used Streamlight for years (starting with the very first SL-20!). I currently use the Scorpion LED. I started with the regular Scorpion, to replace the old AA Mini-MagLite. It's easy to carry on a duty belt, plenty bright, and easy to hold and use. (I learned early in my career to have a flashlight on my belt even on dayshift!) Only downside was how quickly it consumed CR123 batteries. The LED version solves that problem- at least 3-4 times the hours on a set of batteries, and the LEDs will start dimming when it runs low, instead of going from "bright" to "nothing" in a matter of minutes! The LED head makes the flashlight a little bit longer (due to cooling concerns for the LED), so it took a while to find just the right holder.

__________________
LEO since 1981.