Streamlight's new 630 Lumen TLR-1 HL

[ra2bach]

Yep... Lumen ratings are a selling point. The extra light is nice but in a lot of cases, I'd rather have longer run-time. Who wants to be changing batteries all the time? You hit the nail on the head, brother - the 200 lumen Surefire head on my 870 is plenty enough, maybe overkill in many situations. It all depends on the beam profile though. Flood is great for illuminating a large area and would be better served within a squad - a more focused beam can be better for an individual shooter - allowing a point of reference of aim even - and often allowing greater useful distance.

Everyone is talking about mounting their lights at 12 o'clock - well I don't believe that these new ULTRA output CREE XM-L units will work as well in that mounting position - the spill back could blind the shooter as well as the perp/opponent. My two cents.

whatever "spill-back" you get isn't going to be 1/10th as worrisome as being IN FRONT of that light...

[VIP3R 237]

Just playing with it at Streamlight's booth at Shot and shining around the building and 'accidentally' strobing my brother in the process it is very bright. Just shining it on my hand hurt my eyes. Outdoors on a carbine this thing would kick ass. Inside i could see where it could cause some whiteout to the shooter, but i would 100x rather be behind it than in front of it.

[SW-Shooter]

I went ahead and backordered one, I'll post a review when I get it. I also ordered the TLR 1S-HP for one of my carbines, luckily I have enough AR's and not enough lights.

[LMT42]

I know very little about weapon lights, and how they're manufactured, but would a dimmer switch be a plausible addition?

It'd be nice to have a light bright enough for outdoor use, but capable of dimming for indoor use. I find my TLR-1 is a little bright for indoor use in the middle of the night when my eyes aren't adjusted. Especially if I catch a mirror with it.

[lobstradomus]

I know very little about weapon lights, and how they're manufactured, but would a dimmer switch be a plausible addition?

It'd be nice to have a light bright enough for outdoor use, but capable of dimming for indoor use. I find my TLR-1 is a little bright for indoor use in the middle of the night when my eyes aren't adjusted. Especially if I catch a mirror with it.

The issue with multi-mode lights and adjustable brightness switches is the potential for accidentally selecting the wrong output or fumbling with complicated switches/rings/etc. in high stress situations. You might be better off with something like a flip down diffuser, not only would it help to cut down the output a bit but it can soften the hotspot some.

[FlyingHunter]

When are these going to hit the market?

[Ky Bob]

Not a bad price considering what I paid for my Inforce.

[Shao]

whatever "spill-back" you get isn't going to be 1/10th as worrisome as being IN FRONT of that light...

True... Though another major concern of mine with the TLR/Surefire X series lights is the inability to quickly change out the batteries if needed. I don't want to fumble with catches or have to dismount my weaponlight in a combat situation - One of the reasons why I sold my TLRs and X200/300s. They're great lights, but I like having the ability to simply unscrew the bezel and drop a new cell/cells in - takes all of about 8 seconds (much less if you practice a lot).

The issue with multi-mode lights and adjustable brightness switches is the potential for accidentally selecting the wrong output or fumbling with complicated switches/rings/etc. in high stress situations. You might be better off with something like a flip down diffuser, not only would it help to cut down the output a bit but it can soften the hotspot some.

It all boils down to training and UI. With a good UI and proper training, a multi-mode light can be every bit as good if not better than a single mode light. That being said, I'm a big fan of flip down diffusers/filters. If your light is floody as is, the diffuser will just act to cut lumens (for example, I ran a diffuser on a Malkoff M61 equipped light and there was NO difference at all in beam profile and only about a 30% reduction in output). If you have a thrower, the diffuser excels in helping spread the light around. I personally prefer a red flip filter as they usually cut the light siginificantly more than a diffuser and also help to preserve night vision.

[BigLarge]

My TLR1/2s have always worked well. Was going to order a x300u, but the price-point on the HL is much better. I think im going to order one to try out....

[BigLarge]

Found a killer pre-order deal, so decided to order one. I'll post a review when it arrives in 2-3 weeks