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The body of the light is made of painted aluminum, and the coat of paint is applied evenly and thickly enough to withstand minor scuffs. The manufacturer advertises the Microstream as being reasonably sturdy, not making any sweeping claims, but pointing out the construction and water resistance. The Streamlight Microstream (Matt Sampson) To access the charging port, simply slide the shroud around the light head forward, which exposes the micro USB port on one side, and a small LED light on the other side, which grows red while charging, and green when fully charged.
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Charging the battery from empty to full takes roughly four hours, and the charging port accepts normal micro-USB cables. Powering the light is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with 370 milliamp hours, and 3.7 volts, which gives the light 90 minutes of constant power on high, and 210 hours of power on low. This is definitely a light that is more suited to indoor or close-quarters usage, which matches its compact size and low price tag. The “throw distance” of the beam is effectively 30 feet maximum, in spite of the stated 68 meter maximum reach, and I’d place the optimal distance at no more than 20 feet for actual feature identification.
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The beam itself is bright, cast by an LED bulb, and creates a roughly four-foot-wide spread at 10 feet, and a 10-foot spread at 30 feet. I’ve seen other lights that have a switch where you can twist the rear cap to select the different modes, but those lights were nearly triple the price of the Microstream. Switching between these modes can be confusing, especially if you have fat fingers like me, requiring you to wait a second after shutting off the flashlight when in low-power mode for the light to reset. If you double-tap, it goes into a lower power mode if you don’t want to ruin your natural night vision as much, such as in a situation where you just need to read something in the dark versus searching for a light switch in a large darkened room. The switch itself can be momentarily held on, or fully depressed to click on. The light itself is a very compact 3.8 inches, fitting neatly inside my closed fist, and with the rubberized thumb switch within easy reach. This feature requires you to take the time to fiddle with getting the light clip onto the brim, as the rearward clip is very tight and will likely require some break-in to fit without needing to remove your hat first. The pocket clip features both forward- and rear-facing clip options, for the express purpose of clipping the light onto the brim of a ball cap or cover for hands-free use. Probably not how most people will carry it, but it’s an option if you feel like adding to your IT guy lanyard. The package includes an inexpensive lanyard that attaches via a decidedly janky ring that hooks under the pocket clip.
#Streamlight clipmate usb rechargeable task light manual#
Pretty much all the pertinent information regarding the capabilities of the flashlight is on the package, barring a small paper manual inside, so the cost-cutting measures are in full effect. The Streamlight Microstream comes in a simple paper-wrapped clamshell package, which as we know, is my favorite type of packaging.
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But is it actually just as good for less? Let’s answer that question.Įditor’s note: the Streamlight Microstream also made Task & Purpose’s roundup of the best EDC flashlights of the year.Īs a quick disclosure: this flashlight was provided to me for this review free of charge by Task & Purpose, and I’m not sponsored by Streamlight or any of the companies that I review. In addition to this, it’s lightweight at just over a single ounce, features a double-sided clip, two operation modes, and has an attractively tactical bronze finish on its aluminum body. The Streamlight Microstream’s stats on paper are fairly impressive, being under four inches in length, and boasting 250 lumens and 1,150 candela, all powered by a rechargeable lithium battery. From rail-mounted weapon lights like the HLX to the handheld lights that include the subject of today’s review, Streamlight targets the people who want on-paper performance for less of an up-front investment. Always resting at a slightly lower price bracket, Streamlight has remained poised to provide flashlights that work to a more budget-conscious end of the market. If Surefire was the Coke, Streamlight has always been the “Is Pepsi okay?” of the tactical flashlight market.