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- Jan 11, 2015
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I'm not a professional reviewer but I will touch on some things that stood out to me that I didn't necessarily know/hear in reviews before I got one . If you're already a fan of the original, maybe this will help you decide if its right for you as an upgrade.
Streamlight Microstream-
I always carry a flashlight and over the years it has become invaluable piece of gear. I bought the original Streamlight Microstream and loved its size and the simplicity. A while back I heard about the Microstream USB and was both intrigued and sceptical at the same time, but my curiosity and hope for better gear won out.
The original model was 35 lumens I think, and then they came out with the C4 LED it moved the little light up to 45 lumens. That doesn't sound like much and although now there are smaller twist lights that put out more, the Microstream was bright enough and 1 AAA battery lasted quite a long time. You could squeeze more lumens and more run time out of it by using lithium ion batteries which I usually did. It became very popular, people loved the size and quality and even the clicky tailcap.
When I first read about the new (USB) model all that stood out to me was "300 recharges" which wasn't very reassuring. But theres more interesting stuff like lumens are 5x higher, you can recharge it with a standard USB cable, two different modes, run time, etc. So are the features appealing enough to upgrade from the original?
Streamlight Microstream USB-
The new model is only slightly longer than the original, approximately 1/4". It comes in black, red, blue, and coyote. A two way clip that fits on your pocket and the reverse fits on a cap bill. It also comes with a lanyard that can be worn around the neck
These turn on in different modes, low/high or high/low. The black, red, blue come on in low then high, coyote comes on in high then low mode. All of them can be used in a momentary on [in their respective first modes first] by barely pressing and not fully clicking. You can cycle to the next higer or lower mode by double tapping. Don't click for momentary or do a full click to lock it ON just like most clicky flashlights including the original Microstream.
This is pretty simple and straightforward, so if you hate complicated lights this one has options without having crazy complicated settings. I did hear some people complaining about the timing to switch modes but after you've used it a dozen times its not a big deal to figure out. I was worried about this but its a non issue, as long as you are happy with the primary mode light you chose. I don't have a problem.
This thing is bright! I took this photo with my cell phone, but you can see how much difference there is in the low and high settings. Five times brighter is...well, noticeably brighter.
The 50 lumens is bright enough for most tasks, and five lumens brighter than the last model. The 250 lumens has some secondary flood compared to the older model, but it has plenty of throw to light up stuff at a distance. I have no problem identifying things that are all the way across the yard or even the street. I actually appreciate the flood because it would be great when walking or working in an area where you need to see things around you as well as in front of you. In other words it does what its supposed to well and the flood isn't really distracting so much.
The charging. Like I said I was really concerned when I read "300 charges". Who wants a light that can only recharge a specific amount of charges and then has to be replaced? Not me.
Well after some research I learned Streamlight does use a proprietary (AAA) lithium battery. A standard AAA won't fit. It can be charged more than 300 times but performance will start to suffer. I take this as 300 full charges. Still, 300 charges lets you recharge every day for the better part of a year. You can buy an extra when it starts suffering, or as a standby in case you need more power. The replacements cost about $6-10 each. If using a spare you will still need to charge it in the light because it cant be charged elsewhere unless you have a second light.
To recharge the light you pull back the o-ringed waterproof collar and it exposes the micro USB port.
You plug in the included 5" USB cable or you can use your phone charger if its a micro USB cable.
When you plug it in an LED will be red, when its fully charged it turns green. I haven't fully recharged mine because I haven't let them get that low, but I have read it takes about 3.5-4 hours. If thats a problem for you have a second light or one of the replaceable batteries I mentioned.
This chart which is found on the back of the package shows the fall off of lumens over time. Its very subtle as it changes and you don't notice it's getting lower. Still, over 250 is *bright*, then down to 100 lumens for up to 30 minutes appx and over 50 lumens for the next hour after that. If you start off on the 50 lumen mode it can last 3.5 hours which is pretty extraordinary in a light this size.
Wrapping this up- I was set to be unimpressed and figured I would give one or both of them away at Christmas. After testing them out for over a week now I would have a hard time giving either away. In fact I put my regular EDC light, a Fenix E12, up in my pack.
This light clips to my pocket freeing up the bottom of the pocket for other things. The reverse clip hasn't gotten caught on anything and I don't expect it to except for some strange circumstance, my old one never did and I carried it clipped for over a year before removing it to let the light lie in my pocket.
I like the options of different modes because sometimes you need more light, sometimes less, and you can decide runtime as well depending on which mode you use. Because I conceal carry I have had the coyote model on more than the other, but the black one has had quite a bit of runtime. I'm glad you can replace the battery instead of a throw away light like I originally thought.
The charging cord is small enough to keep in your pocket to charge from any USB port, add a wall adaptor and you can charge anywhere. You can also use your phone charger if you want. If you have a small battery bank/pack with a USB port you can charge it from that as well. I carry an Anker lipstick bank in my backpack for my phone already. =Handy!
I loved my original microstream, but the Microstream USB with all of these features and all of these lumens, its definitely an upgrade. I am very happy with mine. I hope I covered some things not found in other reviews and maybe answered some questions or concerns you had. If you've been considering it give it a try, I can't imagine you'll be disappointed.
Streamlight Microstream-
I always carry a flashlight and over the years it has become invaluable piece of gear. I bought the original Streamlight Microstream and loved its size and the simplicity. A while back I heard about the Microstream USB and was both intrigued and sceptical at the same time, but my curiosity and hope for better gear won out.
The original model was 35 lumens I think, and then they came out with the C4 LED it moved the little light up to 45 lumens. That doesn't sound like much and although now there are smaller twist lights that put out more, the Microstream was bright enough and 1 AAA battery lasted quite a long time. You could squeeze more lumens and more run time out of it by using lithium ion batteries which I usually did. It became very popular, people loved the size and quality and even the clicky tailcap.
When I first read about the new (USB) model all that stood out to me was "300 recharges" which wasn't very reassuring. But theres more interesting stuff like lumens are 5x higher, you can recharge it with a standard USB cable, two different modes, run time, etc. So are the features appealing enough to upgrade from the original?
Streamlight Microstream USB-
The new model is only slightly longer than the original, approximately 1/4". It comes in black, red, blue, and coyote. A two way clip that fits on your pocket and the reverse fits on a cap bill. It also comes with a lanyard that can be worn around the neck
These turn on in different modes, low/high or high/low. The black, red, blue come on in low then high, coyote comes on in high then low mode. All of them can be used in a momentary on [in their respective first modes first] by barely pressing and not fully clicking. You can cycle to the next higer or lower mode by double tapping. Don't click for momentary or do a full click to lock it ON just like most clicky flashlights including the original Microstream.
This is pretty simple and straightforward, so if you hate complicated lights this one has options without having crazy complicated settings. I did hear some people complaining about the timing to switch modes but after you've used it a dozen times its not a big deal to figure out. I was worried about this but its a non issue, as long as you are happy with the primary mode light you chose. I don't have a problem.
This thing is bright! I took this photo with my cell phone, but you can see how much difference there is in the low and high settings. Five times brighter is...well, noticeably brighter.
The 50 lumens is bright enough for most tasks, and five lumens brighter than the last model. The 250 lumens has some secondary flood compared to the older model, but it has plenty of throw to light up stuff at a distance. I have no problem identifying things that are all the way across the yard or even the street. I actually appreciate the flood because it would be great when walking or working in an area where you need to see things around you as well as in front of you. In other words it does what its supposed to well and the flood isn't really distracting so much.
The charging. Like I said I was really concerned when I read "300 charges". Who wants a light that can only recharge a specific amount of charges and then has to be replaced? Not me.
Well after some research I learned Streamlight does use a proprietary (AAA) lithium battery. A standard AAA won't fit. It can be charged more than 300 times but performance will start to suffer. I take this as 300 full charges. Still, 300 charges lets you recharge every day for the better part of a year. You can buy an extra when it starts suffering, or as a standby in case you need more power. The replacements cost about $6-10 each. If using a spare you will still need to charge it in the light because it cant be charged elsewhere unless you have a second light.
To recharge the light you pull back the o-ringed waterproof collar and it exposes the micro USB port.
You plug in the included 5" USB cable or you can use your phone charger if its a micro USB cable.
When you plug it in an LED will be red, when its fully charged it turns green. I haven't fully recharged mine because I haven't let them get that low, but I have read it takes about 3.5-4 hours. If thats a problem for you have a second light or one of the replaceable batteries I mentioned.
This chart which is found on the back of the package shows the fall off of lumens over time. Its very subtle as it changes and you don't notice it's getting lower. Still, over 250 is *bright*, then down to 100 lumens for up to 30 minutes appx and over 50 lumens for the next hour after that. If you start off on the 50 lumen mode it can last 3.5 hours which is pretty extraordinary in a light this size.
Wrapping this up- I was set to be unimpressed and figured I would give one or both of them away at Christmas. After testing them out for over a week now I would have a hard time giving either away. In fact I put my regular EDC light, a Fenix E12, up in my pack.
This light clips to my pocket freeing up the bottom of the pocket for other things. The reverse clip hasn't gotten caught on anything and I don't expect it to except for some strange circumstance, my old one never did and I carried it clipped for over a year before removing it to let the light lie in my pocket.
I like the options of different modes because sometimes you need more light, sometimes less, and you can decide runtime as well depending on which mode you use. Because I conceal carry I have had the coyote model on more than the other, but the black one has had quite a bit of runtime. I'm glad you can replace the battery instead of a throw away light like I originally thought.
The charging cord is small enough to keep in your pocket to charge from any USB port, add a wall adaptor and you can charge anywhere. You can also use your phone charger if you want. If you have a small battery bank/pack with a USB port you can charge it from that as well. I carry an Anker lipstick bank in my backpack for my phone already. =Handy!
I loved my original microstream, but the Microstream USB with all of these features and all of these lumens, its definitely an upgrade. I am very happy with mine. I hope I covered some things not found in other reviews and maybe answered some questions or concerns you had. If you've been considering it give it a try, I can't imagine you'll be disappointed.
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