I still remember the Surefire light on my M4 I was issued when I first got into the Rangers.
It was about 100 lumens.
Fast forward several years, and a pistol-mounted light is now 1,000 lumens of punishing ultra-white light.
Check out my video above as well as the rest of this article below.
Whats the Difference, Anyway?
Streamlight has a long history of making high-quality lighting solutions.
Quite a bit has changed on the TLR-9 as compared to previous lights Streamlight has offered.
Thinness does come at a cost, however, and that cost is an increased length.
Noticeably longer than the TLR-1, the TLR-9 is really only meant for full-size or long-slide pistols.
I personally prefer the high switch combo as it causes me to move my hand less during activation.
A quick note: all flashlights are tools that require specialized training.
ensure you knowhow to use a weapon light properlybefore strapping one to your carry gun.
Do Lumens Matter?
Lumens do in fact matter, but a lot of people dont understand what they are.
Lumens is a unit of measurement for the total, unfocused light output of a flashlight.
At the simplest, lumens are the raw horsepower of the LED diode.
Additionally, the light throws a beam with a peak intensity measurement of 10,000 candelas.
Oh boy, another term and yes, it means something.
Candela is the unit of measurement for the peak beam intensity, or the focused power of the light.
For my way of thinking, this is what really counts.
Oftentimes you will hear light referred to as a beam, throw and spill.
I know it sounds like a lot, but it really isnt.
Flashlight A has a peak beam intensity of 5,000 candelas while flashlight B has a measurement of 20,000 candelas.
Both A and B are emitting the same amount of light.
There is a good amount of spill, which we referenced earlier.
Spill is that light the projects outward of the main beam and allows you to really see an area.
The spill on this is tight, but still really great for lighting up even a large 30x20 room.
As with any gun accessory, you oughta double-check it runs right under realistic conditions.
For this range trip, I was running Atlanta Arms ammo.
If you are not familiar with the company, Atlanta Arms is an ammunition manufacturer located in Georgia.
I had a bunch of 115-grain JHP Match ammo to run.
Its a moderate load with a 1,100 fps velocity at the muzzle.
Accuracy is what makes this a trick load.
If you are shooting competition, this is the load to look for.
After a long range session, the TLR-9 continued to function as expected.
It simply stood up to the punishment of hundreds of rounds without missing a beat.
From its slim dimensions to its capable performance, this one is a great option.
