Ever since the movie theater shootings and other random acts of violence began, I’ve been rethinking my safety in those venues. Having a quality flashlight will give you the ability to stun and disorient a threat, and give you a window of time to either escape or engage. I’ve carried a Surefire 6PX Defender in the past, but wanted something a little smaller and easier to carry, yet still bright enough to get the job done. With those demands in mind, I settled on the Streamlight ProTac 2L as my everyday carry light.

Specifications

Weight: 2.8 ounces with batteries installed

Length: 4.68 inches

Power source: Includes two 3V CR123A lithium batteries

CR123 batteries
CR123 batteries

Lens: Tempered glass and O-ring sealed.

Runtime:

  • High – 260 lumens, runs for three hours
  • Low – 13 lumens, runs for 50 hours
  • Strobe – runs for six hours

Light: The ProTac’s tailswitch activation allows for three modes: high, strobe, and low (in that order). The low setting puts out only 13 lumens, and the high setting puts out 180 lumens. What I like about this light is having the highest setting as the first mode, followed by the strobe. In a situation where you may need to defend yourself, you don’t want to have to cycle through different modes to get to the high or strobe setting.

Flashlight Lens and Crown
Flashlight lens and crown
Unbreakable Light Clip
Unbreakable light clip

Beam distance: 126 meters on the high setting and 35 meters on the low setting

Impact resistance: Two-meter drop onto a hard surface—tested and proven.

Water resistance: IPX7 waterproof to one meter for 30 minutes—tested and proven.

MSRP: $39.24 or less from Amazon.

Bottom line

The Streamlight ProTac 2L is an extremely durable light: It’s waterproof, features an impact-resistant tempered lens, unbreakable pocket clip, and is constructed of anodized aluminum. There’s just not a whole lot on this light that could go wrong or break.