Light – it’s the often the difference between getting out of a dangerous situation and running into big problems. Be it fire or pure illumination, light is a key ‘must have’ in most precarious situations. From an EDC perspective, the need for light is almost a mandatory. In order to meet that requirement, I carry the Streamlight Stylus Pro flashlight.

Specifications

Before we get into the pros and cons of this flashlight, let’s lay out the specifics of the product (from Streamlight website):

• C4® LED technology (50,000 hour lifetime)
• Unbreakable and scratch resistant polycarbonate lens
• C4® LED (white): 1,033 candela peak beam intensity; 48 lumens measured system output; 6.25 hours runtime
• Powered by two “AAA” alkaline batteries
• Push button tail switch – momentary or constant on operation
• O-ring sealed, shock proof and drop-tested construction
• Water resistant per IPX4; in accordance with specification EN 60529:1992
• Tear resistant nylon holster
• Unbreakable pocket clip
• L x D: 5.3″ x .6″ (134 x 15 mm)
• 1.64 oz (46.9 g)

The Pros

There’s a lot to like about this little guy.

Size & Weight

The Stylus Pro is a just about the size of a thick pen and doesn’t weight much more. That makes it very easy to carry and allows it to be comfortably tucked into a shirt or pants pocket. The addition of the strong pocket clip makes it stay in place very nicely.

Tail Switch

The push button tail switch makes momentary use very easy. This trait is great if you’re trying to signal people (Morse Code, etc) or if you are in a situation where constant light may give away your location.

AAA Batteries

One of the greatest things about this handy little flashlight is the fact that it runs on two (2) AAA batteries.  Other flashlights run on harder to find battery sizes like a CR123A.  You can find AAA batteries anywhere which makes this flashlight easy to run.

Lumens

This handy little flashlight pumps out about 48 lumens of light with a full battery load. While that is not, quantitatively, as high as some of the high performance lights on the market, it’s more than enough for most EDC situations. It’s important to remember that this type of light is being created only by two (2) AAA batteries. This performance item is not something that can be described well – it must be seen to be fully appreciated.

The Cons

There is only one thing I don’t like about this flashlight and that is the ability to put it in constant mode. The tail switch, while great for using in a momentary setting, has a very high actuation force needed to switch it to a constant mode. Likewise, switching to off requires high pressure to turn it off.

Overall Impression

Despite the tough actuation pressure to turn it on or off, I highly recommend the Streamlight Stylus Pro. Its small size and solid construction make it a great EDC flashlight. I keep this flashlight in my EDC bag only because I always have that bag with me. When there are situations where I don’t have my EDC bag, I have no problem carrying this flashlight in a pocket.

I highly recommend the Streamlight Stylus Pro if you’re looking for a good quality, inexpensive flashlight. You can find one for around $20 on Amazon.com.

Are you a Streamlight Stylus Pro user? Do you want more information on this great little tool? Give me a shout in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond!