The best $150 light is not what you think 

If streamlight watches your content (they friggin SHOULD!) they need to release a light with the exact performance of the protac2 but with a reflector design that gives a better hotspot. They could easily push into the premium performance realm if they'd put a higher precedence on candela. Flood is still necessary, but it has the raw lumen output to be a solid contender across the board and not just in the "budget" realm if they'd improve the hotspot, it certainly has enough space in the head to fit a better reflector to boost the performance at distance.

Simple use of graphs and data earned a sub, thanks man

Excellent content, as usual! Not only is it produced with top notch testing gear, I appreciate you covering the gamut of price ranges.

I agree that a streamlight is the best budget light. But I think it’s the actually the protac HL-X Pro that takes the crown. Less lumens (1k) but a lot more candela (50k vs 17.7k of the 2.0). Plus you get the ability to run it off cr123s or the rechargeable battery interchangeably. And they an be found for around $100 (just the light and cr123s) up to $136 (rechargeable battery pack plus kit). I got one (cr123 plus mounting kit with switch) for $110 shipped. Can’t beat the value to performance at the under $150 price point imo.

I hope the rifle light series continues and the Night stick lights are tested. Particularly the LGL-170

Outstanding comparison, I have the Streamlight ProTac 2.0 handheld version and while it’s a large heavy light with a proprietary battery, it really puts out the light, like you stated it’s a flood light not a spot , I have several tactical lights and my favorite is my Cloud Defensive Duty, I think it strikes the best overall balance between lumens and candela.

Excellent review as always,and I appreciate your real world usage opinions. This is why I keep asking these companies to make focusable lights for both handgun and rifle uses, that way we can have one light to do all

Another great video. Keep up the awesome work!

Great review again guys! Not surprised by the results of this review at all.

I have that same stream light on my beretta 1301. Awesome light for a shotgun.

Another great video!!!

Ex US Army Grunt Here: The best rifle light I have ever used, regardless of price, is the Brinyte XP-22 Scorpion.

Great video. Thanks.

I really wish this video would have come 2 weeks ago

I just picked up a job smart gun light at tractor supply for $32 gotta say im impressed

Awesome, didn't think the Streamlight would be that good lol I would love to see a Streamlights RM2 comparison

I love my Werkz holster 🇺🇸

Next time you test rifle lights, check out the thrunite ratel at $50 with a tape switch. Thrunite's tw10 won your pistol light durability test. The ratel claims 1600 lumen and 25,000 candela.

I am the only Olight dealer in the area, I build a number of rifles with various components and Olights represent a good option for a novice looking for a rifle for home defense / range time that wont see classes or a hard training. It's durable, simple, and rechargeable. Nothing else is needed to get them up and going. I will never recommend them for professional or hard use. The lights themselves seem durable enough, but the ring system for the pressure pad *will* fail. Especially on any barricade shooting. Every single time. I highly recommend Streamlight for most hard use builds or patrol build. Anybody looking for higher tier goes to surefire, elzetta, etc. I do run the Warrior 3S for teaching classes as an experiment and it's tough as nails (I loan to students and it's been dropped/ thrown onto concrete dozens and dozens of times during transition drills or light ditching drills). I also teach with the Valkryie Pro pistol light (saves on batteries) and I would recommend both to civilians for home defense or conceal carry, but they missed hard with the rifle lights. Streamlight is the tougher / better product. 100% of the time. Keep the good shit rolling boys.

I think I'll just stick with my Streamlight 1000 HL-X.

Tacticon does make pretty low low quality stuff. Across the board with them. Even for being "budget." As bad as Olight is at basically everything, I think I'd take the Olight over the Tacticon. I honestly feel dirty after typing that...ugh. I do wish you would have chosen the 1000lmn Protac HLX from Streamlight to run against these guys because it's a better weapon light than the 2.0. Even though the Strramlight did come out on top.

No BS, the best sub $150 rifle light i have ever seen or used is the Brynite XP-22 scorpion. Next level thinking by whoever designed that one.

Had the olight odin and odin mini rifle lights. They're good lights and took a lot of abuse. Still working just fine. Also have several streamlight hlx lights and night stick lights. Great video as always

I wonder if the battery in the tacticon is holding it back a tad.

Anything that takes a proprietary battery can take a long walk off of a short pier so the streamlight is out for me. Give me the model that runs on an 18650 or two cr123s (that one is my next purchase for battery compatibility running an Eotech). I went with Olights because I got them stupid cheap on a black friday sale a couple years ago. I paid $75 for an Odin and $85 for an Odin mini. I know all the cool kids hate on Olight but both have ran flawlessly for several thousand rounds each so I have no complaints. Pro tip: DO NOT put a Thrunite 21700 in the Odin. It was a nightmare to get back out due to the extra length from the protection circuit. I haven't had any issues with aftermarket batteries in the mini, which is a 18500 iirc.

Okay, this was interesting. I'm looking for Shotgun lights, and the Streamlight seems purpose built for that.

I’ll take a PD 36 hour pro with Phoenix’s lock mount which is just genius and I believe that’s 06

I would save my money and go with a Cloud Defense.

Amazing video, whete tf has this channel been

Have you heard of goonbeam? I dont have one but its like a high candella streamlight. Wondering if its worth looking at.

Tacticon definitely underperforming in these tests. But it is only $75 with 50% off sale that they frequently run.

The tacticon light is so good for price to performance and what you get in the package, the 2 mounts, tail switch and battery just for the price of a say like a sure fire light with all the frills

🔦👑

I have that Olight Javalot Tac needless to say I'm going to buy another one

Did olight have pistol pressing switch

Anyone have a reccomendation for the lowest ammount of flood? Tightest beam out there?

Ive ran Olight on my handgun for a while due to them being the only compoany i could find with are chargeable laser/light combo, so when it came to my AR build i was looking at the streamlights and ended up settling with a Olight Odin which i caught on sale for $110 but originally $160. 2000 lumen and 300 meter throw

I’m having a great experience with my tacticon battletorch v4 & for the price of $75-$80 with there discounts it’s a great choice over does high priced lights

Problem is you can't get the Streamlight with the tape switch and all the shit to mount it for 150; unsure how much OLights mount kit runs. Both the OLight and Streamlight are using batteries that aren't nearly as common to find as an 18650.

Night vision/IR filter question for you all: Is there a way to redshift the light (actually change the wavelength as opposed to simply filtering) coming from an LED? I have an IR filter/lens cover, but it hardly works with LED lights since LEDs emit very little light in the IR spectrum. The IR filter was originally designed to be used with incandescent lights since they produce quite a bit of light in the IR spectrum. If there is some barrier that can be placed between the LED and IR filter that actually produces considerable IR light then we could have a powerful white light/IR light that is cheaper than most IR weapon mounted lights on the market (at least ones with considerable throw). I found one light spectrum chart online that indicates LEP lights may produce a lot of IR light depending on the model (some LEPs like the olight valkyrie pro produce very little IR light). It's difficult to find light spectrum charts for each particular flashlight, so maybe someone with more experience with LEPs can shed some light (pun intended) on if they actually produce enough IR light to be used with night vision.

Only problem with Olight is the proprietary batteries and the lack of being able to uae cr123 lithiums. Rechargeable batteries drain over time and a light on a rifle will sit for awhile until you actually need it. Food for thought why higher ender lights moslty use cr123

Why no Thrunite?

Not a bad price for the protac 2.0 but... Why is no one talking about the 25-30$ battery thats proprietary to just this light...

Cal Ripken!

ugh... I hate flashlights with rechargeable batteries. I don't like the idea of not being able to replace the batteries out in the field.

I prefer the Olight Oden Mini to the Javelot. I'd love to see how that fits this mix against the Streamlight.

The olight odin may have been more in line with the streamlight flood instead of the javelot

While I don't find the results all that surprising, i find the final preference surprising. So you would rather pick the more obvious "look at me i am over here" light just because it makes it just as easy for you to see someone at 300 yrds as it is for them to see you? Since we aren't discussing IR lights, I would hands down go with the battletorch simply because it has a much lower light profile at a farther range. You should not be using a light for engagements beyond 30-50 yrds, if you are then you are dying long before you are able to put rounds on your target. A light that has a lower candela and even lower flooding at longer distances makes distortion easier, meaning it is harder to pinpoint where you (the person with the light) are than with a light that has much higher candela or flooding. I was on board with the streamlight when you showed how easily it lit up that room (which is what you want from a rifle light) but when it pretty much lit up the range just as well, that killed it for me simply because the light will get me killed.

Wonder how well my $33 Amazon scout light would perform

For $40 you can buy an arisaka.

0pight stopped charging after a few months, crap

I’m not a huge Olight fan but I think y’all misrepresented it. It’s made for long distance throw for long distance shooting. It’s a niche light.

The Olight is NOT the way to go!! Lol unless your gonna switch the activators and start watching the battery output drop after first charge. Streamlight is definitely the winner 👍

Streamlight is worlds better than Olight!

These guys talk a lot about olight lights but I can't find any holsters for them on their site.

my boi Risky Chrisky says Olights tend to explode

Cmon Really????? I probably could have told you SL was going to win this before it started. I have used a OL J Tac and the flood was good, but I can punch out to distance. Not sure video camera's do lights justice. I walked around my house at night with no lights with the OL J Tac and my garage and had no problem with the flood. It has 1000 lumens and reported 88000 CD and we just saw it was actually 1200/100,000. That is Cloud Defensive range. The SL was good out to 50 yards they said. This was on a rifle right? Not a sling shot. I have used an SL as well and couldnt break photonic barrier or PID anything at any kind of distance. I have watched two of these videos and the bigger name brand has won out on both despite other lights being superior. Going by what was tested give me 1200 lumens and 100,000 candela all day long over 2500 lumens and 17,000 candela. I mean is that even really a question? I have no brand loyalty as I will always go with the better product but we have seen SF 300 Turbo beat out the OL PL Turbo when it clearly was the lesser product and now SL beat out OL when it wasnt even in the same vicinity. I am not a fan boy of OL, but to me OL won out on both of these videos but because its OL - it didnt. Remove the brand name of all the lights on both videos - who wins? I like the charts and information for my own assessment but the summations have made no sense to me.

Idk man seems a little unfair to use the olight literally specifically ment to throw as far as possible i might not be the Uber high speed god if the range but at the very least i can read

The funny thing is in Tacticon"s video marketing their light they compare it to a Surefire, claiming it's effectively as good as the Surefire for like 1/5 the cost. Yet it's so lack-luster that it's outdone by basically everyone.

All three of these lights are made in china if anyone is wondering. Even the streamlight.

FENIX

I find it funny how you RU-vidrs usually go for the most expensive name brand and then you call it the low end flashlight, and you picked the light of all things. You guys are clearly not paying attention to a lot of things, especially when it comes to Phoenix who is hands-down, better than all like buy a huge margin.

"The best $150 light is not what you think", followed by completely predictable results.

I got a question how come maglite never made more than 1000 lumen lights are they really that far behind the flashlight world ?