Streamlight TLR-1 HL 800 Lumen

FOG HORN March, 2016

Twobirds Flying Publication

Copyright 2016, Towbirds Flying Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Streamlight’s TLR-1 HL Dark Earth

Streamlight TLR-1 HL (2016) 2016

Copyright 2016, Twobirds Flying Publication, All Rights Reserved

Streamlight TLR-1 HL (2016) – the same TLR-1 your Dad used on the

outside but under the hood lives a beast.

By: Sal Palma

Streamlight launched its growing line of weapon

mounted tactical lights, with its first TLR-1, back

in 2006. Year over year the company has made

incremental improvements, like increasing

luminosity, but unlike many of its competitors,

Streamlight kept the TLR-1 form factor intact,

thus preserving the investment departments

and individuals have in light bearing holsters.

This is a hard dollar savings that also mitigates

the headaches of trying to find a suitable Level

2 or Level 3 holster for professional or duty

carry.

Shortly after its introduction in 2006, the TLR-1

entered service with law enforcement and the

military. The TLR-1 earned its way into these

lucrative markets by meeting three objectives:

performance, robustness and return on

investment.

Forgetting light output for a brief moment the

TLR-1’s success is directly attributable to its

reflector. The parabolic design produces an

extremely well collimated beam with a well-

defined and distinct hotspot with an abundance

of peripheral lighting to easily illuminate the

corners in any room, even at its initial and now

parsimonious rated output. Streamlight’s TLR-1

also offered a flexible mounting system and an

easy to operate paddle switch for temporary

and continuous modes. The TLR-1 also boasts

one of the longest run times in the industry on

two CR123A batteries.

In terms of robustness the TLR’s aluminum

housing is plenty tough and anything than can

leak is O-ring sealed. I have circa 2006 TLR-1s

with some rather ugly looking dings on their

bodies that still function and are still water

resistant.

A major improvement since the 2006 TLR-1 was

the migration to a TIR LED engine. The TIR lens

system delivers twice the central intensity of a

reflector system, resulting in a much brighter



and tighter beam capable of illuminating even

the finest nooks and crannies at a distance.

When you contrast the TLR-1’s development,

performance and robustness with its

departmental and agency pricing, the light

offers the best return on investment of ANY

tactical lighting product on the market; not a

trivial advantage given today’s tight budgets.

Now for the coup de grâce! Carry all of the

cumulative enhancements forward to 2016

adding 800 lumens of rated output with two

new finishes, Flat Dark Earth and Flat Dark Earth

Brown to match your weapon system

camouflage pattern, and what you get is an

impressive professional tool equally qualified to

serve aboard a sidearm or long gun, with the

optional long gun kit.

Now for a brief discourse on some of the

operational nuances of days gone by…

About 12 years ago, when weapon mounted

tactical lights first entered the market, they

were promoted as delivering an unprecedented

tactical advantage. I have vivid recollections of

those ads. However, it took about 6 months for

training and application techniques to catch up

with the technology, regrettably we saw a

number of incidents of officer-on-officer

accidental shootings because weapon mounted

lights were being used as search lights, and we

never want to point the muzzle at anything we

don’t intend to shoot. Many police departments

responded by reversing their positions on the

use of weapon mounted tactical lights and

would not authorize their use by patrol officers;

a condition that persists in several jurisdictions.

Yet another concern, arising from conducting

operations in hostile environments, is the

telegraphing of operator location from

improper uses of weapon mounted lights,

which serves to localize the officer, or operator,

making him or her targets. A few years ago an

entry team had two men down because they

were clearing a home with tactical lights on. The

perpetrator was able to use the light sources as

a point of aim taking out two officers.

Continuous use of lights reveals position and

successfully turns the operator into a target.

Having raised these issues, I’ll move forward by

saying that weapon mounted lights deliver

benefits far outweighing their risks, but risk is

best mitigated through training.

A weapon mounted tactical light’s benefit has

been widely advanced showing a bad guy

squinting in darkness; however, the “true” and

measurable benefit is the effect a light has on

an operator’s response time to a threat. The

weapon mounted light greatly enhances the

operator’s ability to acquire, ID and engage a

target quickly and decisively shaving lifesaving

milliseconds from response time.

Using a well designed and implemented light,

like Streamlight’s TLR-1 HL, the trained operator

reduces the time it takes for threat detection,

recognition and sight alignment (a well

illuminated target makes sight alignment quick

and accurate.)

Weapon mounted lights also aid operators in

successfully engaging a target, when he or she

is unable to use the primary weapon sight, by

using the light’s hot spot as a point of aim – this

is why having a tight well defined hot spot is an

important feature. Lastly, a skilled operator can

use a weapon mounted light to aid in

concealment; for example, by momentarily

operating the light and using available cover, he

or she can successfully navigate a dark space



while denying his adversary an aiming point.

Streamlight’s TLR-1 HL 800 lumen light delivers

on all of these tactical advantages, but there’s

one thought that I’d like to pass along.

When operating with high output tactical lights

you run a risk of accidently blinding yourself or

a teammate, especially in close quarters. So, as

light outputs increase this is an application

consideration to keep in mind. For that reason,

I’d like to see the next generation of TLR-1s

have a mechanism for regulating light output,

perhaps a rotating head or bezel. Lo, Medium

and High – lo being something in the order of

100 lumens, medium about 300 lumens and

high the rated maximum output.

Not wishing to beat a dead horse, caveat

emptor, if you’re crashing a short room or

working in confined spaces, be cautious on how

you use a high output weapon mounted light,

or you may find yourself at a tactical

disadvantage. The story changes outside at the

perimeter!

As you can see in the photo above Streamlight’s

800 lumen TLR-1 HL is not just extremely bright

it also throws a tightly focused beam with

excellent peripheral lighting - this shed is about

100 yards out. Streamlight advertises a 250

meter beam which is a believable and

conservative estimate. In an open field you can

expect to adequately illuminate out to 350

yards.

So here endeth the story, and if you find that

you’ve outgrown your older TLR-1, or just want

a light with more under the hood, then it’s time

for you to pick up the new 800 lumen TLR-1 HL

from Streamlight. You’ll enjoy the same rail foot

print, the same ergonomic paddle switch, the

same mounting flexibility, the IPX 7 water

resistance, 10 years of cumulative evolution but

more importantly the extraordinary value that

Streamlight’s TLR line delivers. You’ll be hard

pressed to find a more capable lighting

accessory, check it out.

-SP



Manufacturer Specifications

C4® LED technology, impervious to shock with a 50,000 hour

lifetime

800 lumens; 15,000 candela peak beam intensity; 245m beam;

runs 1.75 hours

Engineered optic produces a concentrated beam with optimum

peripheral illumination

Powered by two 3-volt CR123 lithium batteries with 10-year

storage life

Rail grip clamp system securely attaches/detaches quickly and

safely with no tools and without putting your hands in front of

the muzzle

Mounts directly to handguns with Glock-style rails and to all

MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) rails.

Includes keys for Glock-style, Picatinny, Beretta 90two, S&W 99

and S&W TSW

Machined aluminum sealed construction with black anodized

finish

Ambidextrous momentary/steady on/off switch

User programmable strobe can be enabled/disabled

Fits existing light bearing holsters

3.39” (8.61 cm); 4.18 oz (118.6 grams)

Operating temperature: -40°F to +120°F

IPX7 waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes

Lithium Battery Notice under TECH DOCS

Remote switches are available as optional accessories and must

be used in conjunction with 69130 or 69161 remote door switch.

All switches and door switch are sold separately. Reference TLR

Accessories Brochure in DOCS/INFO tab for more information.

Long Gun Kit available (#69262). Kit includes TLR-1 HL with

thumb screw, “safe off” door switch, remote pressure switch

and mounting clips, and two 3V CR123A lithium batteries.

Available in black, Flat Dark Earth or Flat Dark Earth Brown

Limited lifetime warranty

Assembled in USA

Streamlight TLR-1 HL 800 Lumen

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