Cheap Streamlight 88039 ProTAC 2AAA Battery Powered Tactical Penlight

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List Price: $50.51
Sale Price: $31.02
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This may not be the flashlight for you. If you're looking for a basic general purpose light, you probably are going to be happier with the Streamlight Stylus Pro at almost half the price, or if you want something with a few more features, try the 4Sevens Preon 2. Good lights, both.

But neither of them is what the ProTac 2AAA is. I'll address that "tactical" stuff first for all you zombie hunters, then we'll address real human beings, and finish up with some stuff that applies to everyone.

Zombie Hunters and tactical crowd

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The ProTac 2AAA is more or less designed to be a forward-clicking momentary light. That's why the tailcap is so stiff. It's a "tactical" light, and a bright light at night is just as good as a bullseye. That's one school of thought on lights, and it's one use this light is made for.

The next tactical use is to hold between middle and ring fingers of a shooter's support hand. A lot of lights are too thick to make that work, but AAA-based penlights generally are easier to do it. The Streamlight Stylus Pro and the ProTac 2AAA are perfect for this, but the ProTac is obviously going to have a hotter hotspot and be brighter overall. The light might make you a target, but the way you hold it helps keep YOU on target. That's use #2.

The light has three modes, a high, a low, and a rapid strobe "disco" setting, which general flashaholics object to being between the high and low modes. But again, being in the middle makes it easy to get to for a momentary flash in the face--and people have found in real-world testing that being strobed by this thing in the dark really is awfully disorienting and uncomfortable. That's use #3, and finishes out the tacticool features.

The crenelations are there to look cool, but seriously you're not gonna be cracking zombie coconuts with this thing. But if you study something like Small Circle Jujitsu, you'll probably discover that this flashlight would make for brutal finger locks! You may want to ditch the pocket clip in that case and find a good sheath.

Regular Human Beings

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Now, if you're a normal human being in a city, probably the only zombies you have to face on a regular basis are coming out of malls, university classrooms, clubs, and local brew pubs. If that's you, well, let's consider your needs for a "tactical" light:

If you need your light to have a good throw, but not necessarily be a floodlight, this might be a good choice for you. For what it is (a 2xAAA based penlight), it's amazingly bright. It will light up that dark spot ahead of you before you get to it, especially on dark, rainy nights in the city. Don't expect it to light up the whole alley at once, but you can sweep it across the potentially risky spots to find trouble lurking before it finds you. You're not going to get a solid flood and good throw in a light this small, so you have to pick one. If you're picking throw as I am, this is your light.

Second, I live in the urban jungle and frankly it's easier to take public transit than to drive. Well, that strobe mode is again awfully bright. Point the light at the ground and I guarantee you the bus driver WILL see it. Point it downward, not at the driver. Unless you want them to stop the bus for you by crashing it into a pole, of course, because the thing is that bright. Seriously don't try that at home, folks!

Third, the low mode is still very bright. I've used that lower setting quite a bit, and I find it's sufficiently bright even for cleaning cuts, scrapes, and doing other basic first aid.

Everybody

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First let's address the cons. The light has anti-roll features. They're not terribly effective, actually. The pocket clip is much better at stopping a rolling light, but in certain uses you might want to remove that. No lanyard hole either, though that's common of lights with tailcap switches.

You may also find out of the package that your threads are a little dry. A drop of a quality oil will do wonders and enhance the life of your O ring. Your light is fairly waterproof to a given depth as long as your seals are intact. That's true of any device, so take care of them.

It also sucks down alkaline batteries, though that's an obvious function of the bright LED, the tiny AAA batteries, and the lack of a truly low-light mode. I'm not really calling this a con, since you can just as easily swap out the alkalines for Energizer lithiums (either Advanced or Ultimate for a bit longer life. Personally I buy these things seemingly by the truck load anyway for emergency battery uses since they have such low self-discharge rates, though that's another review.

I said at the beginning that if you know what you're buying, you will be happy with this light. It's a great tool, easy to carry, and for its size it packs amazing

A Final Note on Why Not 5 Stars

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I'm rating what would otherwise be a 5 star flashlight as 4 stars because I had a defect or something. That stiff rubber cap? Mine's gone after carrying it in my pocket awhile. Now, it looks like it threads on to the end of the tail cap or something, but I can't put it back on because it's not there. I emailed Streamlight asking if they sold replacement tailcaps for this light, as I know they do for the Stylus Pro. They responded within 24 hours asking for my address to send me a new one, free of charge. So while the light lost a star in my estimation, Streamlight itself has earned themselves a full five stars in my estimation.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I have been playing with flashlights since i was probably 5 years old( I am 51). They have come a long way! I have a Streamlight stylus Pro 2aaa, and I use it everyday at work. I thought it was just about perfect, but I would have liked a high and low setting. I looked around and just couldn't find one that would match the Streamlight quality. Then I ran across the Pro Tac 2aaa. I ordered it and it arrived today. After playing with the different modes, I have to say it is a little closer to perfection. It took me a little time to figure out how to select the different modes available, but I think I have it down, now. Build quality is fantastic! Get one while you can..

PROS:

just a little bigger than the stylus pro

3 pretty good modes

great build quality

30 plus hours on low

CONS:

mode selection is a little confusing at first

could live without the strobe feature, and wish I could get to low without going through strobe

Best Deals for Streamlight 88039 ProTAC 2AAA Battery Powered Tactical Penlight

I like this flash light its super bright for its size, the mode switching isn't hard at all. Id rather have it without the strobe function, as other people have said. But its a whole lot smaller than my Fenix LD20, but one light takes AA and the other takes AAA. Either way great light. Update: The rubber button on the back of my flashlight got ripped off. I could find a coupe of them online for 50 cents to buy and 10 dollars for shipping.. I emailed streamlight and told them what happened. They mailed me a WHOLE end cap including the pocket clip. Free of charge A++ for their customer service.

Honest reviews on Streamlight 88039 ProTAC 2AAA Battery Powered Tactical Penlight

The Streamlight ProTAC 2AAA Tactical Penlight with White C4 LED is an excellent multi-functional EDC flashlight. This is a versatile light that is relatively bright at 80 lumens for a AAA yet has a low output and a strobe function. Some people banter that the strobe feature is a gimmick used only as a marketing ploy to sell flashlights. These individuals fail to understand the strobe function or the tactics needed to be use in conjunction with this feature. The strobe function is highly effective if utilized correctly AND supported with proper tactics. The strobe is not a gimmick and works very effectively by causing a disruption in the bad guys actions (restarting the bad guys OODA loop) long enough for you to take appropriate action to either neutralize the threat or gain physical control over the subject. Once the strobe feature is utilized you have a small window of opportunity to take action. If you fail to take action, the bad guy will be right back in the fight. But remember, this is not a "tactical flashlight" per se (it is a penlight) so don't expect it to perfectly function as one.

Features:

LED light that produces 80 maximum lumens on high mode that will go for 1.5 hours. To activate the high mode press the tail switch one time.

Strobe function. To activate the strobe press the tail switch two times.

10 lumens on low mode that will go for 30 hours. To activate the low mode press the tail switch three times.

2 AAA batteries (I recommend using lithium batteries for best performance)

Waterproof

Anti-roll design if the light were to fall

Pros:

+ Multi-mode

+ The strobe feature is very effective for a non-tactical light which can also function as an "SOS" feature

+ The LED light produces a very bright white light

+ Compact and very portable

+ Durable and well built

+ Innocuous and non-threatening

+ Waterproof

+ AAA batteries are inexpensive compared to CR123's and are available everywhere

Cons:

No ability to program the light (not a big deal)

The tail switch can be a bit firm to press

Assessment:

Overall, the Streamlight ProTAC 2AAA Tactical Penlight is a great EDC flashlight that provides you with multiple functions. It is great for everyday carry, hiking, backpacking, camping, or for your job. With the strobe feature you must also understand the tactics needed to use in conjunction with the light in order to achieve maximum effectiveness. If you are willing to take the time to train with this light, understand its strengths and weakness then you will be very satisfied with this product. I have not had the tail switch turn on accidentally. But, I always carry extra batteries and recommend that you do the same. I like this flashlight and recommend it without any reservations.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Streamlight 88039 ProTAC 2AAA Battery Powered Tactical Penlight

I've been slowly working on my EDC (every day carry) system. I'm normally carry a high output tactical LED light at 700 lumens powered by an 18650 lithium battery. I've been looking for a light that I can comfortably carry, won't kill me on batteries, and is sufficiently bright.

This light is it.

Unless you see yourself needing to flood a 100x100 yard field, this will put out enough light for you. It's very light but still feels solid. It now clips to my pocket every day next to my CRKT My Tighe.

*** A note for those questioning the strobe feature. I find it indispensable. A strobing light will catch attention if you're stuck on the side of the road, need to signal police or emergency rescue, or in a wilderness survival situation. It's bright enough to even disorient an attacker if this is your only line of defense. I do agree that *most* people will not use this function very often, and that the low setting will be used far more often. But in a situation where you need the strobe in a hurry, such as a self defense situation, it's there. When you're concerned with saving your battery or not hurting your eyes, you can wait for the third push. If you are being assaulted and want to disorient your attacker, you can't wait for that extra push. There's thought and reason behind that design. I respect it.

To those that are concerned with the pressure of the tail switch, I'll say that I found it firm, but completely functional. One handed operation for me was 100%. I'd rather it not be too easy, as that leads to it turning on in your pocket and wasting your AAA's. That's just my experience though.