The Powerful Streamlight TLR-1 HL

In the modern era, I believe all defensive handguns should be equipped with a weapon-mounted light or WML for short. On average, half of each 24-hour day is dark. You can’t shoot what you can’t see, and identification can literally make the difference between life and death. Each year, more weapon-mounted lights enter the market, giving consumers more options to meet varying needs. Streamlight has built a solid reputation as being innovative and reliable while providing most of its products at very competitive rates. One of these options is the Streamlight TLR-1 HL which I have been testing for the past few months.

Specifications:
Lumens: 1,000
Run Time: 1.50 hours
Beam Distance: 283 meters
Battery Type: CR123A Lithium
Battery Quantity: 2
Length: 3.39 inches (8.61 centimeters)
Weight: 4.32 ounces (122.47 grams)
Colors: Flat Dark Earth Brown, Flat Dark Earth, Black

When looking for a weapon light, the main features I look for are durability, lumens, and size. The Streamlight TLR-1 HL kicks butt in terms of lumens and does great in all three of my specified criteria. While it is larger and not quite as comfortable to conceal carry as smaller options such as the Streamlight TLR-7A, it can really throw some light. The HL stands for “high lumens,” and this WML kicks out 1,000 lumens or 20,000 candelas with a specified throw distance of 283 meters. While lumens and candela are hard to compare on paper, I wanted to see how it stacked up to some of the other weapon lights I had which can be seen in the picture below and taken 120 yards away from the tree line.

Lights used:
Streamlight TLR-1 HL: 1,000 Lumens
Streamlight TLR-VIR II: 300 Lumens
Surefire EDCl2-T: 1,200 Lumens
Streamlight TLR-7A: 500 Lumens
Streamlight Protac HL-X: 1,000 Lumens
Modlite OKW: 680 Lumens

While each of the lights used in the comparison have slightly different beam patterns, hopefully this shows you how much throw the TLR-1 HL has. The center hot spot has no issue clearly illuminating the tree line at 120 yards. While this can be mounted to carbines or really anything with a Picatinny rail, this WML has more than enough throw to light up anything you would shoot at with a pistol. This provides for better identification of objects further out, or even close objects with photonic barriers stemming from backlit areas. I really do like the beam pattern for this light. It has a bright center hotspot that reaches out, and enough spill to give a wide field of view for anything up close.

Streamlight utilizes a pretty slick switch for operating the light. The switch features an ambidextrous tab which can be used for momentary, constant, or strobe. Pushing the switch counterclockwise against a spring turns on the light in momentary mode, but without constant pressure, the switch will rotate back to its original position to turn itself off. A quick double rotation activates the strobe, and a rotation clockwise will click the lever into a constant on position. This switch is easy to activate for left and right-handed shooters alike with either their dominant or weak hand.

I had no issues with the durability of the TLR-1 HL, and it held up great during my review. However, I will say I had a buddy break the battery cap on his light due to closing it in a hard foam case after the cap accidentally popped open. This caused the hinge to hyper-extend when the case closed, breaking the switch. The switch is easily replaceable so this wasn’t a huge deal, but still an inconvenience. This WML is made from 6000 series aluminum and IPX7 rated to be waterproof under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. It is also rated to operate from -40°F to +120°F. While I never tried to use it outside past 105°F, I did stick it in a freezer set to 10°F for 1 hour. After removing it from the freezer, the light continued to operate the same as always.

Made to fit most handguns, and all MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rails, the TLR-1 HL comes with keys for Glock-style, Beretta 90two, S&W 99, S&W TSW, and Sig P320 rails. These are easy to swap out to give the TLR-1 HL the perfect fit on the platform of your choosing.

This weapon-mounted light runs off of two CR123A batteries and has a run time of around 1.5 hours. While battery life can be less in more frigid environments, it’s pretty much on par with all other WMLs in the industry. If mounted to a pistol, the light will need to be removed to replace the batteries, but weapon lights don’t have to hold zero so this is a quick and easy process. Just unscrew the springloaded fastener, and then push and rock to remove the light from a rail. Then pop open the flip tab to remove the batteries.

For the size, this light has some serious power. The beam pattern provides a fairly wide field of view with some great throw. The switch is pretty standard across multiple of Streamlight’s other WMLs, but it works great and is easy to activate. The Streamlight TLR-1 HL has a current street price of around $150. Remaining durable, and being backed by Streamlight’s Limited Lifetime Warranty, this is a solid option for those who don’t mind the extra size.

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