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.