Streamlight TLR-2 HL Review

Here is the deal.  By no means am I a gun or gun accessory expert.  However I am a guy who loves them and is learning about them everyday, which I know a lot of you guys are too.  We also know we have received a tremendous amount of emails asking for more tactical, guns, knives and flashlight reviews, so we thought we would start with the Streamlight TLR-2 HL.  Before I get started I just want to make it clear I am a little bias toward Streamlight in general.  I love their products and trust them.  I have the Survival Streamlight light and love it.  If you read my other review of the Buckmaster, then you know why I like Streamlight.

What I found out is that having a light on a gun is either a strong yes or no.  I have heard plenty of people tell me I don’t want a light on my weapon as it will give up my position. That’s fine I can appreciate that view.  For me, I want one.  For me it’s not about giving up my position, it is about hitting the right target.  If I wake up in the middle of the night because I hear something in the other room or glass breaking, I am not going to pull a Biden and just fire through the door.  I want to see my target and make sure it’s the right target, not the pizza guy.  It’s not like I will be walking around my house with the light and bells on.  I can wait for the target to get in view, turn the light on right away and decide if its a friend or foe.  Since this is something I need to rely on, I am going to put my trust in the hands of Streamlight, the TLR-2 HL.

What I like about this light is that it is not only a bright light, but it also has a red laser.  Setting up the light on a gun really couldn’t be easier.  Streamlight designed this light to set up on a wide array of guns.  They include different keys for different types of guns.  The system comes with four keys for glockstyle, picatinny, beretta 90two, S&W 99 and S&W TSW.  I have a S&W M&P and it fits perfect.  Basically it mounts directly to handguns with Glock Style rails and to all MIL-STD-1913.  To mount this system, you don’t need any tools.  Just loosen the screw, press onto the weapon and tighten.  It’s that easy.  Once the light is in place, it will stay there, even under jarring or other hard conditions.

Once the light is in place, that is where this really shines, sorry about the pun.  The light puts out 630 lumens (12,000 candela peak), which is amazing.  The C4 LED Technology, which is impervious to shock has a 50,000 hour lifetime.  The run time on the light is 1.25 hours or 45 hours with laser only mode.  The unit is powered by two CR123 batteries which has a 10 year shelf life.  Okay so speaking of tough, this light is made from a machined aluminum and has a black anodized finish.  The unit is sealed for protection and has a IPX4 water resistant rating.  On top of all that it comes with a limited lifetime warranty.  All right, enough about the stats, let’s talk about the light and the use.

You already know it’s easy to put on and off the weapon, but one thing I like is the ambidextrous switch.  The location and position of the switch makes this light very easy to use.  Right below the on/off switch is a small metal switch.  Put the small switch all the way to the left and it just has the red laser.  Move it to the middle and it is just the light. Move it all the way to the right and you have both the light and laser.  Now back to the ambidextrous on/off switch.  As I said this makes this light very easy to use.  Just flip it one way and you have a momentary light.  Let it go and the light turns off.  Now if you move the switch in the opposite direction, the light will stay on without you having to hold it.  However if you want the light to be in blink mode, just hit the switch up twice fast and it will start the strobe mode.  However if you don’t like this feature, you can disable it.  A couple other notes is that with this unit on a hand gun, it will still fit existing light bearing holsters.  Oh let me guess you want to know the dimensions.  Length is 3.39″ long and weight is 4.78 oz and that is with the batteries.

Streamlight TLR-2 HL

Bottom line, this is a great accessory to have.  I don’t care whether you are into having lights on your gun or not, you have to appreciate the Streamlight TLR-2 HL and how Streamlight created an awesome tactical accessory for your weapon.  The unit is light, easy to attach and even easier to use.  What else could you want from something that your life might have to depend on?