The Streamlight TLR-2 is a combination tactical light and laser, which mounts on the accessory rails of handguns, shotguns, and rifles. My review of this well built tactical accessory is below:
Basics
The Streamlight TLR-2 is a combination tactical LED light and laser, built into a single unit that mounts to the accessory rails on handguns and long guns. The housing is made of aluminum, although the laser portion of the housing is polymer based. It feels substantial and well built, although I haven’t dropped it to test this, of course. Streamlight states that the TLR-2 is waterproof to 66 feet, and works from -40 degrees to 120 degrees. A lifetime warranty is included.
A selector switch enables the user to choose whether to use the laser, the light, or both. Momentary on or constant can also be selected.
Laser
The laser is a red laser as almost everyone is familiar with these days. Battery life with just the laser is quoted at more than 45 hours, which is impressive. The laser is more than bright enough that it can be seen even when the light is on too. The laser can easily be adjusted; sighting in only took a few minutes, and the use of a boresighter makes this even faster.
Light
The light is a 3 watt LED, whose output is quoted at 80 lumen. It is bright – one of the brightest LEDs I’ve seen, and brighter than my $200 LED based SCUBA diving light. It is not quite as bright as the brightest incandescent bulb based lights, but it is more than bright enough. It should be more than capable of temporarily blinding a home invader in the dark. The amazingly long run time of 2.5 hours, the low amount of heat generated, and the durability of LEDs make this trade off more than worth it to me.
Build Quality
The quality of the Streamlight TLR-2 is high — It stands up to the recoil from 3″ magnum shotgun shells. The lifetime warranty also gives me confidence, as does the anodized aluminum construction and waterproofing. The use of an LED, rather than a fragile incandescent bulb should also help the TLR-2 stand up to heavy recoil or being bumped against tables/doors/etc.
Overall
The Streamlight TLR-2 seems to add up to more than the sum of its parts. There are plenty of laser sights out there, just as there are plenty of tactical lights. But the TLR-2 combines these two, adds in an amazingly bright LED, and makes the whole assembly seem as though it is indestructible.
A note: If you have read my LaserMax review, you will know that I generally prefer the LaserMax’s method of mounting the laser within the frame of the gun. However, there is no such option to mount a light within the frame of a handgun, so if you want a light then it will need to be mounted externally, as the Streamlight TLR-2 is mounted. In such a situation, I see no drawback to having a laser integrated with the light. When mounted to a handgun, the TLR-2 and handgun will still fit in most holsters designed for handguns with a tactical light or laser attached.
If you’re looking for a great tactical light and laser combo, you won’t go wrong with the Streamlight TLR-2.
Purchase the Streamlight TLR 2 Tactical Light & Laser online.