I’m a little bit of a flashlight fanatic. I received’t classify it as full flashlight geekdom, in that I don’t go deep into the weeds on specs, however I do need sure efficiency options and hold attempting lights to see what’s new. Flashlight tech actually does advance and newer ones are usually higher than older ones. Not that an older mild nonetheless received’t do their jobs, mild is mild in any case, however newer ones are likely to do it higher. The Streamlight Strion 2020 is a degree in case.
The Strion 2020
Once I first began police work, greater than 20 years in the past, the Streamlight Stinger LED was fairly new, and the sunshine to have. LED’s normally have been nonetheless pretty new and having a chargeable, duty-rated bundle was superb. You had a lightweight a lot smaller and lighter than a Maglite, and that didn’t require costly CR123’s which weren’t all that frequent on the time both. They got here with a wall charger and car mount and most of us had a number of batteries for them, or not less than these of us that labored the night time shift did anyway.
It was an excellent mild and I used it for years, however know-how strikes on. I ultimately changed it with smaller, brighter lights, with higher battery life. I’ve upgraded an excellent variety of instances over time with each my work lights and lights I used off obligation for EDC, for tenting and basic utility use. Lots of the lights I’ve had have been Streamlights, and taking a look at my present rotation, I primarily use a Wedge and Wedge XT for EDC and have a Streamlight Scorpion XL as my present concern obligation mild. I even nonetheless have the previous aluminum D cell Streamlight I obtained once I was 14 or 15. I upgraded it with an LED bulb alongside the best way, and it nonetheless sees pretty common use.
The Strion 2020 is a brand new launch and it jogs my memory lots of that first Stinger I used, however loads has modified in 20 years. The Strion 2020 is a chargeable mild that’s slightly extra compact than these early Stingers at solely 6.33 inches lengthy, and weighs 5.7 ounces. It has three brightness modes, a 1,200 Lumen excessive, a 460 Lumen medium and a 120 lumen low setting. Battery life is 1.75 hours, 5.5 hours and 12 hours respectively. There’s additionally a strobe mode with a 3.5 hour run time. Just like the Mannequin T you may get it any shade you need, so long as what you need is black. It’s created from machined plane aluminum with an anodized end and has a knurled texture alongside the physique of the sunshine.
Going again to the opening assertion about being a lightweight fanatic, however not a geek, I by no means paid shut sufficient consideration to candelas earlier than. I all the time lumped it in with Lumens. They aren’t the identical although. Lumens are a measurement of complete mild, whereas candelas measure depth, or throw. So you may have a extremely vivid mild, with excessive lumens, however poor throw. Which means it might be vivid however might not have that a lot vary. Placing mild on course is what you normally need so if you would like a lightweight that reaches out additional, a better candela may very well be extra necessary than a excessive lumen score. Optimally you get a black of each for a basic obligation mild.
With that mentioned, the Strion 2020 has 28,000 candelas on excessive, 10,000 on medium and three,000 on low. So, on this case, as you step up in energy, you not solely get extra mild, however additional attain.
The Strion 2020 comes with a charger holder that comes with each a car energy port twine and a wall twine. Spare cords, chargers, batteries, lenses and holsters can be found. The Strion got here charged, however I tossed it on the charger simply to high it off anyway. Absolutely charging the sunshine takes 4.5 hours when you’re going from a lifeless battery. LED indicator lights on the charger point out charging standing and the facet mounted swap on the sunshine itself signifies present cost.
The Strion 2020 has two buttons and a swap. A facet and tailcap mounted energy button. A lightweight press offers you momentary mild, a tough press is for regular on. A 3-position swap on the facet of the sunshine, simply behind the sunshine head, permits you to choose low, medium and excessive settings. The sunshine defaults to no matter place the swap is in if you flip it on subsequent. I a lot desire this method to ones the place you need to cycle the mild utilizing the button to get the setting you need.
For police work or EDC at the side of a hid weapon, I usually need the sunshine to come back on in excessive mode. If I would like mild I need it instantly, I don’t need to cycle by way of settings to get the place I must be. On the flip facet, if I’m utilizing the sunshine tenting or as a utility mild, particularly in a tent, or in an enclosed house, I’d desire the sunshine come on in low mode. That usually gives loads of mild for utility duties and doesn’t blind you if you flip it on in a decent atmosphere.
Makes use of
I feel the Strion 2020 would make a superb obligation mild for police or safety officers. It’s far more compact than a D-cell Maglight or the previous aluminum Streamlights, however nonetheless slightly huge for pocket EDC carry. It could experience properly in a belt holder, which is obtainable from Streamlight, or in an obligation bag. It could even be nice for doing upkeep and restore work. The low setting is nice for working up shut however when you want some throw to examine the standing of one thing up on a phone pole, one thing mounted excessive on the ceiling or out on a roof, having the medium and excessive settings would come in useful. It’s additionally an ideal mild to have tenting or round the home.
I’ve used the sunshine over the previous couple months round the home, and on a tenting journey. Round the home is good as a result of I can pop it again into the charger between makes use of and simply go away it there, able to go. Battery life is nice, however it by no means hurts to remain topped off. I’ve used it for a myriad of issues on the low and medium settings in the home like once I wanted extra mild engaged on tasks within the storage, operating cable by way of my drop ceiling and out of doors at night time to see if the raccoons are moving into my hen feeders. The excessive setting undoubtedly has good throw to it, and I may simply attain out to the wooden line and have loads of mild on course.
Tenting additionally confirmed the utility of the variable mild settings. I Jeep camped, and the excessive setting could be blinding contained in the car, however low was excellent to get located at night time or discover issues after darkish. It was additionally good round camp to observe for tent and tarp pointers and navigate the campsite. Don’t ask me about tripping over the metallic hearth ring once I didn’t have a lightweight with me.
There was a pond adjoining to our campsite and that gave me extra distance to strive the assorted mild ranges out. Low undoubtedly didn’t have the throw to successfully mild up the far facet. Medium obtained me to the shoreline or so, however excessive had me lighting up the hillside on the opposite facet of the pond.
I used the sunshine an excellent bit over the three days I used to be tenting and didn’t recharge it in any respect. It was principally used on low or medium, with quick burst of excessive use, however I feel that’s a fairly typical use sample.
I didn’t not shoot with the sunshine, however it might work effectively with quite a lot of flashlight methods. Having each a tailcap and facet button offers you choices on the way you maintain and activate the sunshine.
Mild it Up
When you’re out there for a high-power, however versatile mild, the Strion 2020 is effectively with trying out. It’d be an ideal obligation or work mild, but in addition has nice potential for tenting and as a do-all round the home mild. The low setting permits you to use it for utility use with out killing your battery, and the excessive is sufficient to use for protection both to assist disorient an aggressor or to establish and interact a goal if want be. I like the twin activation buttons, and love that the sunshine low, medium and excessive settings have their very own unbiased swap. The truth that Streamlight offers you each a wall and automotive charging possibility proper out of the field is nice, too. The Strion 2020 is promoting for about $160 on-line and is obtainable on Amazon and thru different Streamlight sellers.
