A friend recently gave me a Streamlight 88030 Protac 1L , and while free is always thrifty, I was a little skeptical about the little light’s performance. Powered by a single CR123A battery, I didn’t think the light output would be that impressive. I was wrong.
Less than 3.5-inches long with a bezel less than an inch around, the Protac 1L is a pint-sized pocket light. But its pushbutton tailcap unleashes 110 lumens of impressive white light. The light features three modes: high, low, and strobe. The switch activates momentary or constant on and is easy to hit. And it’s so small that some bear-pawed uses might actually block light with their palm in a tactical grip, but it’s the perfect size for holding cigar-style.
The light rivals my first generation TLR-1, using half the batteries, and it’s made just as ruggedly. For only $36 with free shipping from Amazon, the Streamlight 88030 Protac 1L makes one heck of an EDC light. I’m going to give it a run, maybe even mounting it to my shotgun just for fun, and I’ll get back to you.