In this review, police and firearms trainer Mike Boyle takes a look at the Streamlight Strion 2020 flashlight. This compact tactical light runs on a rechargeable battery and throws a lot of light: 1,200 lumens and 28,000 candelas with a stated run time of nearly 2 hours. Those are impressive measurements for a flashlight twice its size. But, how did it hold up? Boyle tells the tale here. The Strion 2020 rechargeable flashlight was provided to the author by Streamlight for review.
The fastest evolving category in tools that might be used for personal defense is light technology. What was state of the art a few short years ago has now been eclipsed by even better lights that are more powerful, have longer run times and are smaller than what has come before. Today’s crop of flashlights and weapon-mounted illuminators are far more rugged, and battery technology has also taken a quantum leap forward.
I have long felt that if you carry a gun, either as a law enforcement officer or responsible citizen, you need to have ready access to a light. Even during daylight hours, you might be caught in a dark place and a light can help cut through the confusion. While a light source can indeed be used as a shooting aid, it is frequently used for more mundane tasks such as navigation, probing the unknown or locating lost items. There is more to threat management than shooting, and in a confrontational scenario a light source can be used to control the situation and avert the need for deadly force.
Where It Began — Streamlight SL-20
The first flashlight I was issued during my law enforcement career was a Streamlight SL-20. Being low man on the totem pole, I was actually on a year or two before I was blessed with the SL-20 as the powers-to-be wanted to make sure I was going to stick around. Prior to that, I had a long hand-me-down that had a generous appetite for alkaline batteries. My new SL-20 was brighter, a bit shorter and was rechargeable, putting an end to those frequent trips to the store for more batteries. While that particular SL-20 served me until retirement, over the years its role changed.
Mini-flashlights had been around for some time but came up short for any sort of serious application. By the 1990s, small tactical flashlights had started to make an impact, and Streamlight was a prime mover in their development. Unlike the original crop of mini-lights, this new generation of tactical lights was powerful enough to bet your life on and could be carried with ease. On my job, I continued to use my SL-20 for utility tasks, but a small tactical light I could carry on my person, either in or out of uniform, became a constant companion.
Strion 2020 — A Better Mousetrap
The original Streamlight Strion was introduced in 2001 and quickly became a personal favorite of mine. I particularly liked the fact that it was rechargeable, compact enough for discreet carry, and projected more intense white light than the torch I was using before. Recently, Streamlight introduced the Strion 2020 with expanded features that will no doubt find favor with discriminating users.
Like the original the new Strion 2020 is rechargeable, and my kit came complete with both an AC and DC snap-in charger. Its lithium ion battery fully recharges in 4.5 hours, and the Strion 2020 has a run time of 1.75 hours on the highest setting. The Strion 2020 is also outfitted with a battery status indicator so there are no surprises.
Another feature I am fond of is the intuitive mode switch where the user can select the desired light intensity. The highest setting is rated at 1,200 lumens and 28,000 candelas, the medium at 400 lumens and 10,000 candela, and low at 120 lumens and 3,000 candela. In the not-so-distant past, a 120-lumen light would have been considered a “flame thrower”!
I really like “the set it and forget it” mode selection, which is more efficient than cycling through multiple settings to get the desired result. In any event, the medium and low settings are sufficient for a great many tasks and increase battery run time significantly. The switch to change between the different light intensities is located just to the rear of the bezel is easily manipulated with the thumb.
The Strion 2020 is equipped with both a tailcap and side button switches. Although I favor a tailcap switch in a tactical light, the dual switch arrangement does afford greater flexibility, particularly when utilizing a flashlight-assisted shooting technique. A quick double tap on either the tailcap or side button switch will put the Strion in strobe mode, which will play havoc with an aggressor’s night-adapted vision and thought processes.
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I did note that Strion 2020 is slightly longer than the original, measuring 6.33” in length. Weight is 5.70 oz. Whether or not that makes a difference depends on your real-world applications/needs. The Strion 2020 is shock- and water-resistant, and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
A Quality Tactical Light for the Real World
In my informal evaluation, the Strion 20220 exceeded all my expectations. To get some perspective, I lit up a storage shed on the corner of my property with both the new Strion 2020 and my old-school Streamlight Scorpion. Quite frankly, it wasn’t much of a contest.
As an analogy, I would offer matching up a World War II vintage P-51 Mustang against a contemporary F-35. The Mustang was indeed a state-of-the-art back in the day, but would be totally outclassed in every way by a modern jet fighter.
Quite simply, at 15 yards or so, the Strion 2020 turned night into day and would be a tremendous aid in identifying threats at that distance or even greater. On the highest setting, the 28,000 candela pierces the darkness and enables the user to define objects and people at extended distance.
Final Thoughts on this Streamlight Flashlight
So where does it fit? As indicated earlier, the Strion 2020 comes in just under 6” in length, which makes it a bit long for discreet carry in the pocket. For staying under the radar, I will continue to favor my Streamlight ProTac 2L-X. When carried in a pouch on the belt, the greater length of the Strion 2020 was not an issue and, should you favor loose-fitting casual attire, this will not be a problem. To my thinking, it may very well be a top choice to wear on a police duty belt. There is no doubt in my mind that the Strion 2020 would also be an excellent choice for the outdoorsman.
There is no getting around the fact that it is dark roughly half the time and criminal behavior spikes in the evening hours. For the responsible, armed citizen, a quality flashlight is a requisite as it gives the capability to spot potential problems and hopefully avoid them. Should things go off the rails, a light source affords a huge advantage and goes a long way in helping you arrive at the right decision. The reality of the matter is your light will more than likely be used for more routine tasks in low-light environments, but it does provide an additional ring of safety should things get ugly.
The ability to easily switch to different intensity modes, a super-bright LED emitter and a quick recharging lithium ion battery puts the Strion 2020 clearly in the winner’s circle. Ultimately it pays to go with a quality light, and the Strion 2020 will not disappoint.
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