Streamlight Stinger LED Series Review
The Streamlight Stinger flashlights have a long history of being dependable, durable lights for professionals and for home use as well. With the LED series of Stingers now being brighter and having double the run time of the xenon Stingers, you really can’t go wrong with a Streamlight in the world of rechargeable flashlights. Sorting out all of the different versions of Stinger LEDs (Polystinger, Stinger LED HP, Stinger DS, etc) might seem difficult at first, but I will try and break it down to help the consumer understand all the options that are available.
Stinger LED
This is the traditional Stinger flashlight. It has an aluminum body and high, medium, low, and strobe settings. It measures 8.4″ long and 1.6″ in head diameter, so it is bigger than the old Stinger xenon flashlight. The extra inch in length is worth it, though, because with the Stinger LED you get 180 lumens and 2 hours of run time on high (vs. 125 lumens and 1 hour run time for the original Stinger). It has a switch on the body of the light that can access all three brightness levels and strobe. The Stinger LED is good for people who prefer aluminum flashlights because of their extreme durability.
Click here to view the Streamlight Stinger LED on BrightGuy.com. BrightGuy is an authorized distributor of Streamlight products.
Stinger DS (Dual-Switch) LED
The Stinger DS (Dual-Switch) LED has an aluminum body like the Stinger LED. The biggest difference is that the Stinger DS LED has a second switch on the tailcap of the flashlight so you can easily turn the flashlight on or off and scroll through the brightness levels by way of the body switch or the tailcap switch. It is longer than the regular Stinger LED because of the dual switches, measuring 8.85″ long.
Click here to view the Streamlight Stinger DS LED on BrightGuy.com.
PolyStinger LED
The PolyStinger LED is slightly smaller than the aluminum Stinger LED, coming in at 8″ long. It is made of a durable polymer body, which is great if you work outdoors in the cold but you don’t want your flashlight to transfer the cold to your hands. The PolyStinger LED is rated at 185 lumens and has the same switch functionality as the regular aluminum Stinger LED. It is available in yellow as well as black, so it is easier to find your light in the dark.
Click here to view the Streamlight PolyStinger LED on BrightGuy.com.
PolyStinger DS (Dual-Switch) LED
The PolyStinger DS (Dual-Switch) LED has the same polymer body as the PolyStinger with the advantage of having an extra on/off switch on the tailcap of the light. It measures 8.6″ long and comes in yellow or black model.
Click here to view the Streamlight PolyStinger DS LED on BrightGuy.com.
Stinger LED HP (High Performance)
The Stinger LED HP (High Performance) returns to the aluminum body design of the regular Stinger LED and adds an extra large reflector that helps the LED carry for an amazing 1,437 ft (the regular Stinger LED will throw for 856 ft). It’s great for people who need a flashlight with a focused, long range beam. The Stinger LED HP is longer than the regular Stinger LED, measuring 9.25″ long because of the larger reflector. The Stinger LED HP is rated at 200 lumens and boasts the same 2 hour runtime in high as all the flashlights in the Streamlight Stinger LED series.
Click here to view the Streamlight Stinger LED HP on BrightGuy.com.
Stinger DS LED HP
The Stinger DS (Dual-Switch) LED HP (High Performance) has the same large bezel as the Stinger LED HP with an additional on/off switch located on the tailcap of the light. It is the largest flashlight in the Stinger LED series, measuring 9.65″ long by 2.2″ in head diameter.
Click here to view the Streamlight Stinger DS LED HP on BrightGuy.com.
Charging Options
All of the lights in the Streamlight Stinger LED series are available with a variety of charging options:
Without charger – this option includes just the flashlight and the rechargeable battery; great for people who want to upgrade their xenon Stinger flashlight and don’t need to buy additional chargers.
Standard charge bracket – this option includes a black charging cradle that will fully recharge your Stinger in 10 hours.
Fast charge bracket – this option includes a gray charging cradle that will fully recharge your Stinger in 2.5 hours.
Piggyback charge bracket – this option includes a black charging cradle that will charge your Stinger flashlight and a spare battery in 10 hours.
Fast Piggyback charge bracket – this option includes a gray charging cradle that will charge your Stinger flashlight in 2.5 hours and a spare battery in 10 hours.
AC charge cord – connects a charge bracket to a standard 120 volt wall outlet.
DC charge cord – connects a charge bracket to a standard 12 volt outlet (like a cigarette lighter in a car).
The charging cradles and cords mentioned above will work with all the Stinger flashlights, so if you have an old Stinger or if you want to purchase different models of Stingers for different applications, you don’t have to buy additional chargers. I personally prefer having two charge brackets for my light so I can have one charger set up in my car and one charger set up in my house. That way I don’t have to move any pieces around to be able to charge my light in my car or at home.
Phew! That is a lot of information. Hopefully it makes as much sense written down as it does in my head. The moral of the story is, if you are looking for a durable rechargeable flashlight, the Stinger LED series has you covered. The wide variety of options available allows you to pick the best flashlight to suit your needs.
Streamlight Stinger LED Family Comparison Video
May 3, 2012 @ 1:44 pm
[…] while back we posted a review/comparison of the Streamlight Stinger LED family of flashlights. Now we’ve turned that post into a short video to help you better judge the size and shape […]