Over at Amazon, they have “big savings” on Streamlight LED flashlights right now. Is this one of those “up to 40% off” deals that never seem to offer any discount at all? Nope!
I opened the link, bracing for some ho-hum prices on very good products, but to my surprise there are actually great prices right now!
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Shown above is the Streamlight Stylus Pro, a fabulous LED penlight, and it’s on sale for just $15.01 at the time of this posting.
Some of the other colors are decent prices too, starting at $18, but $15 is lower than I remember ever seeing a Stylus Pro sell for before.
Should you buy this?
The Streamlight Stylus pro is a nicely built flashlight in a machined aluminum body with Type II mil-spec anodized finish and unbreakable polycarbonate lens. It’s sealed to IPX4 water resistance and can endure drops of up to 2 meters.
Some might complain that it “only” outputs 100 lumens of brightness, but that’s plenty for a flashlight of this size and far more than flashlights were capable of just a few years ago.
This is a fantastic LED flashlight, and $15 is a great price. If you’re not a fan of the silver finish, spend more on one of the other colors. The blue-finish version has the next best price at $18.
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There are other Streamlight flashlights on sale right now. I have a couple of ProTac LED flashlights, and they’re amazing as well. Check those out if you want a brighter flashlight from a reputable company that stands by their products.
Update: As John mentions in the comments, the Stylus Pro has a somewhat stiff tailcap button. This is good for preventing accidental activation, but it does require a focused press. If you require an easier-to-activate penlight, I would recommend the Nitecore MT06, priced at $30. It’s a little less expensive if you buy the one with pupil dilation markings.
Bob
So many times I have ALMOST bought this light. Back in the day it was too expensive for what it was for me to justify. I wana say like $65 range?
Now I am passing on it even though it is cheap because this design is long in the tooth. 100 lumens isn’t enough anymore. It was 5 years ago but tech has moved on.
I bought a Thrunight Ti4 that is 252 lumens a couple years ago. Takes normal AAA x2 as well. Normally $20 on amazon. I got the shiney titanium because well its shiney and titanium is cool.
Heck even my old 4sevens Preon that is possibly older, certainly contemporary to the stylus pro had more output.
I guess the pros to the stylus is single clicky on or off button. No stupid modes to cycle through. Also the streamlight bomb proof reliability. Hmm on second thought maybe the single mode is worth only 100 lumen output. I really hate multi mode flashlights but thats the way just about all of them come these days.
James C
The Milwaukee pen light 2-pack is on sale at HD for $30. Those have the benefit of high CRI. That’s a big plus for me.
Joatman
I’m sort of a flashlight nut and have been looking for a new EDC for the past few weeks. Streamlight makes a great product but decided on a couple Olights. Yesterday the S2RII arrived and today the i5t arrived. Still want the new Streamlight Macrostream , which is new to the market. I was sold on the Olight i5t because you can get 20hrs of run time at 300 lumens, which is the high mode, on a single AA battery. I swore I’d never buy anything that wasn’t rechargeable but made an exception here. I caught it on a lightening deal for about $24. The S2RII was marked down to $55…..regular price is $69, which in my mind is a little overpriced for a pocket light. But it packs a punch on the turbo mode of about 1100 lumens. Then has 3 other modes plus strobe. The magnetic charger is pretty convenient too.
Chances are, I’ll probably give in and buy the rechargeable Microstream and Macrostream too. The stylus is a good deal but I think for a few dollars more you can get something that has a couple modes. The Milwaukee penlight is also worth mentioning. SureFire’s prices are just off the charts…..
andy
No light can do 300 lumens for 20 hours on one AA battery. That would require 40-60 watt hours. Surely it’s 300 lumens OR 20 hours.
Joatman
Andy….you’re right! My bad. It’s 150 lumens for 20 hours according to the specs….which is mode 2 of 3. I watched a YouTube video where someone does a time lapse video testing this. Thought he said he had it on 300 but guess not. Oh well….still a great little pocket light. Thanks for catching.
Joatman
Here’s the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwtSm3xRocg
Koko The Talking Ape
That’s a good price for that flashlight, but that flashlight is not such a great buy to start with.
Its big advantage is run time. It only produces 100 lumens from two AAA batteries in series, but it can do so for 8 hours. Other flashlights with only one AAA battery, like my Olight i3E can produce 90 lumens, but only for one hour. (But it is about 1/2 the size, and costs $10.)
Other flashlights that take two AAA’s will at least offer the option of more light in exchange for shorter run times, but this one is only on/off.
Corey Moore
Just finished shopping for a good, compact, durable, flashlight two weeks ago! Almost went with the Milwaukee 2 pack but there’s a lot of reviews complaining about the rubber tearing off the button. Did get a slim, rechargable gearwrench that I’m pleasantly surprised with. I’m gonna have to set up a rolling fund and just wait for your instructions next year lol
Erik
I do like Streamlight products; but I feel this one has kind of died with the intro of other lights by them. I had switched to the Microstream USB from it a while ago; definitely has been the better choice.
You can find it on sale for around the $20 range (actually picked up another one for that price during Prime day).
At 250 lumens and usb rechargeable, it just made more sense for me.
Chris
I’ll second this. The Microstream usb is a much better value. More lumens, rechargeable, brighter, smaller, better clip, and only ~$5-8 more. I’ve went through 3 styles pro’s and every one has been fine light, all but a little dim, until the switch died. Never been able to get streamlight to do anything other than try to sell me a new switch for a few dollars less than a new light. I haven’t had the microstream quite long enough to say that the switch is better (as it looks very similar), but so far so good.
Dave
While I like the Microstream USB better, (carry one in a holster on my belt when working) those who say 100 Lumens isn’t enough must have never been out in the country IN COMPLETE DARKNESS and needed a light. 100 Lumens IS A LOT compared to an old monster Ray-O-Vac w 2-D cells like we used to have as our standard.
I lost a Microstream USB 2 years ago and found it a month ago in a gravel driveway. Cleaned it up, took it apart and blew it out, charged it, and it’s working like new although it sure doesn’t LOOK like new.
Go ahead and spend $80 bucks for a zillion lumens you’ll most likely never need. It’s a free country.
Me– My money has come hard– I have the bloody knuckles to prove every last penny that I’ve ever made–in fact I pretty much purchase by my “Bloody Knuckle Theory– I look at the item, then I look and my bloody knuckles, and ask myself, “Is this item worth what it took to make the money for it?”
$15 for a great little flashlight–not much blood has been shed to make $15–I’m all in……
John
I have this flashlight. Bought it based on ToolGuyd review which, as I seem to recall, *did* acknowledge the unusual thumb force required to press the button. I paid $17.
Would I buy it again, or recommend it?
Absolutely not.
The force required to press the button is insane.
(In fact, I bought 3 at the time, intending to give 2 to my adult daughters — but knew immediately that they would never use this product because they’d be unable to comfortably turn it on and off.)
Stuart
That’s still the situation with the Stylus Pro.
Sometimes it’s a good feature – it helps prevent accidental pocket activation – but some users might not like it. I find that a finger tip press works fine, finger pad can require too much force.
J.C.
Just wanted to mention that you can fix the button issue pretty easily. I know it’s annoying to have to fix but it’s cheap and easy. If you have a bicycle inner tube or thin piece of rubber, take a hole punch and punch one hole. Unscrew the button threads and put that thin piece of rubber in there and screw it back on. I know that sounds crazy to make much of a difference but it will lighten it up considerably. Don’t know if you’d want to bother with it or not but if you want to give the light another shot, that’s a cheap and easy way to fix it. 🙂
Brandon
I carry a Protac 2L-X every day. Love it. Every Streamlight I’ve ever had has been great, and if there’s any problem it’s been warrantied with zero hassle. I bought my current one for $35.19 in February of 2019. That’s about $1.50 less than the deal today.
Skye A Cohen
This is an awesome flashlight. I geeked out pretty heavy on them awhile back and have many many different ones. This is just small, thin, great switch. Great clip.. I love this light. I also have the milwaukee one of a similar size but the milwaukee is a bit fatter and it definitely feels more bulky.
This is the best 2aaa light, i can’t say enough about it I really reccomend it and for this price it’s a great bargain. Thanks Stuart! I’ll definitely pick another one up
J.C.
Considering that everybody has different needs and wants when it comes to their flashlights, this light obviously isn’t for everyone. However, I don’t feel that the design is long in the tooth or that 100 lumens is underpowered. That’s my opinion and everybody is entitled to their own. This is considered an EDC flashlight and as such, is an excellent light. It’s got a simple UI….on and off. They do update them from time to time. They started off at like 24 or 28 lumens and then went to 48 and then to 65 or so and then to 90 and now are up to 100. As technologies improve, I expect they’ll go even higher. For a penlight, perhaps you can do better, perhaps you can’t.
I’ve never had any issues with my stylus pro lights, but I don’t expect them to be able to light up a football field. It’s great for closer distances but isn’t going to be much of a thrower. I hope that this light stays around for a long time and I hope they continue to add more variants. Some people prefer rechargeable and others prefer something they can replace quickly without having to charge. I have lights of both types and see the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Esdee
I bought one of these the last time a sale was posted here, unfortunately it has a problem where it starts to flash after it’s been turned on for more than a few seconds. I have a total of 5 streamlight products, two pro tacs that I would like to love, but both have issues even though one has already been sent in for service. As great as the warranty is, I’m not buying any more lights that consistently have to be shipped back for work.
Ryan
Reading all of the responses to Streamlight posts always bother me. Guys are always raving about their lights that are much thicker and 2-3x the price and so much brighter. Stylus Pro is so comfortable in your pocket , you never notice it. As an auto tech, I use mine daily, batteries last weeks, and 100 lumens is more then adequate. I have a Microstream as well, which is rated at 250 lumens, and in a lot of situations it’s almost too bright. Stylus pro is just dead simple on/ off and damn near bulletproof. I guess everyone’s use for their light is different, so I should shut my mouth. If I didn’t have 2 brand new ones on standby, ‘Id have gotten one or 2 more.