Streamlight has a long history of developing top quality lights – and their rechargeable series is no exception. They pride themselves on being “users” – not just developers. Their staff hunts, shoots, and even attends firefighter training – just they really understand the requirements of the users of their lights.

Which Streamlight Rechargeable Light is Right For You?

There are several decisions you will want to consider before investing in a rechargeble light from Streamlight.  What type of bulb – LED or Xenon?  What type of battery?  Hand held or weapon mounted?

Now if you are the average consumer you might be saying – heck I just need a Maglite rechargeable – I don’t need one of these fancy police type lights.

Nothing could be further from the truth!  For about the same money as the Maglite, the Streamlight rechargeable flashlights give you much high quality of product, and typically in a much smaller form factor.  If you have never experienced a flashlight other than a Maglite, you don’t know what your missing!

Streamlight Stinger Rechargeable Flashlights

The Stinger series is the most popular line of Streamlight rechargeable flashlights.  These lights were developed for the damanding environment that the average law enforcement officer lives in every day.  The Stinger series comes in two different bodies – one made of polycarbonate and one made of machined aluminum.  If you are interested in a light weight flashlights – the Poly-Stinger is the way to go.  However, I have found that most people prefer the added weight and durability of the machined aluminum Stinger – which has a tough anodized coating.

The Streamlight Stinger series offers two different choices when it comes to bulbs.  The offer an LED or Xenon bi-pin bulb.  It really comes down to personal preference.  When you study the light outputs for each bulb type, there is no difference.  The biggest difference is the rugged durability of the LED bulb.  You NEVER have to worry if you broke the filament when you dropped your flashlight if you go with the LED bulb.

Streamlight offers a variety of choices when it comes to the charging methods for the Stinger rechargeable flashlights.  They offer both 12V DC as well as 110V AC chargers.  Multiple charging banks are also a possibility – so if you have 5 lights to charge at the same time – you are covered.

Streamlight Strion Rechargeable Flashlights

The Strion series from Streamlight is one of the new rechargeable flashlight series.  The Strion lights tend to be a bit smaller than the Stinger lights due to the nature of the use they were designed for.  Not only can these light be handheld, but they can also be weapon mounted – typcially to a rifle mounting rail system.  I personally think there are better and smaller options if you are looking for a handgun mounted light.

The Strion series features rechargeable lithium batteries for the power source.  The beauty of using a lithium battery is that once the battery is charged, you can remove it from the charger and the batteries will not “self discharge” like a NiCAD battery tends to do.  So even if you haven’t charged the flashlight for 6 months, or used it, it will still be at almost full charge when you need it.  They come with advanced chargers – some of which provide a full charge in just 2.5 hours.  With lithium batteries the charging technology is very important due to fire and explosion hazards with this type of battery.

Staff Top Picks

As battery technology and charging technology has evolved, a world of possibilities have opened up for flashlights that are rechargeable.  The days of short battery life and big bulky lights are long gone.  Today you can get a rechargeable flashlight that is small, light, has a long run time, and is super bright!

When I was searching for a quality rechargeable flashlight, I did a ton of research regarding who needs a light of this type, which bulb type is best, which battery type is best, and the available charging options – so I thought “why waste this research?” – so I decided to type this up to share it with others that are currently shopping.

Click Here => Search Our Entire Line of Rechargeable Flashlights!

Who Needs A Rechargeable Flashlight?

I know that I was looking for this type of light simply because I wanted a bright flashlight that was always ready without worrying about when I changed the batteries last.  We do lots of camping, but I also occasionally need a good quality light around the house.  Living in Kansas, we tend to have the occasional power outage caused by a good thunderstorm.

Many other people need a flashlight on a daily basis, like law enforcement, police, service technicians – the list is lengthy!

With many of the high quality, super bright, tactical or work flashlights, the batteries can get very expensive – which is one of the best reasons to purchase a rechargeable flashlight – you never have to buy batteries again.

Batteries for Rechargeable Flashlights

NiCAD or Nickel Cadmium Batteries:  This type of battery is the most common type found in rechargeable flashlights.  The beauty of this type of battery is that it can be charged quickly.  The downside is that the amount of energy stored per cell is lower than other types of batteries.  This type of cell also “self discharges” which means that even when you are not using your flashlight, the battery will continue to lose some of its juice.

Lithium Batteries:  This type of battery is very commonly used in cameras.  It packs massive power storage capacity in small cells.  Lithium batteries can be fast charged as well, but you must use a specially designed charger that will be supplied with the rechargeable flashlight.  The other benefit is that these cells will not “self discharge”.  This is great because you can charge your light and then remove it from the charger and if you don’t use it for a year, the batteries will still be fully charged.

NiMH or Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries:  This type of cell is very similar to the lithium cells.  They pack a high storage capacity, long shelf life and small lightweight cells.

Click Here => Search Our Entire Line of Rechargeable Flashlights!

Rechargeable Flashlight Chargers

One aspect you will want to consider is the type of charger that comes with your flashlight.  There are three different types of chargers available – built-in, AC home chargers and DC vehicle chargers. 

Built-in Charger: Some flashlights will come with an AC plug built right into the flashlight.  So basically you just plug the entire flashlight into the wall outlet, which charges the flashlight.  This type of flashlight is popular for home emergency use – although these flashlights tend to have short run times and are not very bright.

AC Home Charger:  A quality rechargeable flashlight will have a charger that you insert the flashlight into for charging.  The charger simply plugs into the wall with a cord so that the charger base can be attached to a wall.  Many of these chargers will charge the batteries at a fast rate until they are full, and then switch to a “trickle” charge to keep the batteries maintained, so your light is always ready for use.

DC Car Charger:  If you often need your flashlight while out driving around, you can’t beat having a charger in your vehicle. These chargers will often come with a way to attach it somewhere inside your vehicle so your light will always be ready when needed.

LED or Incandescent Bulbs for Rechargeable Flashlights

When making a buying decision on a quality rechargeable flashlight, you will be faced with two different types of light bulbs to consider – LED or Incandescent.  They both have their strengths and weaknesses – which we will explore a bit here.

Incandescent Bulbs – There are many fancy names such as “xenon” or others –but the all function using a filament element that actually creates the light.  The biggest drawback to these types of bulbs is that the filaments are easily broken if you drop the light – especially if the light is burning when you drop it.  For this reason most rechargeable flashlights that use the incandescent bulbs will have a spare bulb in the tail-cap of the flashlight.

LED Bulbs – In recent years this lighting technology has really improved to the point that there is really no reason not to go with an LED light.  You can now get a LED flashlight that is as bright as any incandescent flashlight.  The beauty of LED bulbs is that they do not use a filament – and therefore cannot break when you drop your flashlight.

Best Rechargeable Flashlights

Now that we have explored battery types, charger types and bulb types let’s focus on a few of the recommended best rechargeable flashlights.  I have selected the top three lights based on consumer reviews and my own experiences for you to review.

Streamlight Rechargeable Flashlights (View Our Entire Line)

The Streamlight Stinger is one of the most popular rechargeable flashlights – most often chosen for use by police and law enforcement officers – which also makes it super popular for homeowners looking for a tough high quality light!  These lights are super bright, focus-able beam and come with two chargers for both home and vehicle use.

Maglite Rechargeable Flashlights (View Our Entire Line)

The Maglite rechargeable flashlight is probably the most popular light in this market.  However, I would say that for about the same money you can get a much better flashlight than the Maglite by considering the Streamlight or other brands available today.  The Maglite tends to be heavier and larger than other brands that tend to innovate new technologies for military and police uses.

Cheap Rechargeable Flashlights (View Our Entire Line)

At the end of the day there is nothing wrong with a down and dirty, basic rechargeable flashlight.  A simple light that plugs into the wall to provide some emergency light when the power goes out is hard to beat.  I would recommend staying with LED’s for this type of light – simply because of the long life and durability of this type of bulb.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you make a decision about which rechargeable flashlight is the best option for you. 

If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave me a comment below – I try to answer everyone!