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Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Streamlight Stylus Pro > Test Report by Sheila MorrisseySTREAMLIGHT STYLUS PRO PENLIGHT
Initial Report - October 15, 2007 Field Report - January 8, 2008 Long-Term Report - February 7, 2008  Photo from Streamlight website. Initial Report: October 15, 2007 TESTER BIOGRAPHY Name: Sheila Morrissey Age: 27 Gender: Female Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.7 m) Weight: 155 lb (70 kg) Email Address: geosheila(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Goleta, California, USA BACKPACKING BACKGROUND I have been backpacking since 2005. Most of my trips have been from one to three nights in length on trails in the Sierra Nevada or Los Padres National Forest. My pack typically weighs around 25 lb (11 kg), including consumables. PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Streamlight Model: Stylus Pro Year of Manufacture: 2007 Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.streamlight.com Listed Power: 24 lumens Listed Burn Time: 7.5 h Listed Weight: 1.64 oz (46.9 g) flashlight with two AAA batteries Measured Weight: 1.6 oz (45.4 g) flashlight with two AAA batteries Measured Weight of Holster: 0.3 oz (8.5 g) Listed Length: 5.3 in (13.5 cm) Measured Length: 5.25 in (13.3 cm) MSRP: N/A  PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The Stylus Pro is a bright LED penlight powered by two AAA batteries. It came with two Panasonic batteries and a nylon holster with a belt loop. An "unbreakable" clip on the flashlight keeps it firmly in the holster. The flashlight is slightly shorter and thicker than a typical ballpoint pen. On one end, the LED is protected by an "unbreakable" polycarbonate lens. The on/off switch is at the opposite end. The rubber switch can be depressed slightly for "momentary operation" or pressed with significant more force to leave the light on. The end of the flashlight closest to the on/off switch can be unscrewed to change the batteries and is sealed with an O-ring. According to Streamlight, the flashlight is waterproof.  INITIAL IMPRESSIONS I will easily find a place for the Stylus Pro in my pack because it is so light and small. The clip seems very tight and sturdy, so I will probably use it to clip the flashlight inside the side pocket of my pack so that I don't lose the flashlight. At this point, the only thing I don't really like is the on/off switch. The light turns on while the switch is depressed very lightly, so I am afraid it could turn on by itself while I'm hiking if I leave the flashlight floating around in my pack. Pressing the switch fully so that the light stays on takes very firm pressure directly down on the switch. I cannot turn the light on while wearing mittens and I wonder if this will be a concern for me during my test of the Stylus Pro flashlight.   Field Report: January 8, 2008 FIELD CONDITIONS I used the Streamlight Stylus Pro on a three-day backpacking trip on Catalina Island. I camped near sea level both nights. Temperatures ranged from 55 to 65 F (13 to 18 C). Conditions were clear and breezy. Additionally, I used the Stylus Pro several times while walking my dog in my neighborhood after dark. Temperatures were in the 40s F (4 to 10 C) and conditions were clear. FIELD RESULTS When backpacking, it was most convenient for me to carry this flashlight in the side pocket of my pack rather than to use the included holster because I didn't need the light easily accessible while hiking (which I only did during the day) so I didn't need to carry the extra weight of the holster and just left it at home. My concern that the light might turn on by itself in my pack was unwarranted. The light remained off in my pack, and I don't believe there was even accidental "momentary operation" of the light. I used the flashlight around camp at night to dig through the food bag and to find my toothbrush and the way to the chemical toilets. At first I was a little put off by the yellow-tinted light this flashlight produces simply because it looks different than other LED lights I have used, including an LED headlamp by the same company. However, this light proved to work much better than the other, more white-colored LED headlamp that I also used on this trip. With this flashlight, I was able to clearly spotlight objects 100 ft (30 m) from me as well as light the path just ahead of my feet. The light is small and light enough to stick in my beanie to use as a headlamp, but I had to be careful of the pokey clip when I did that. It would seem that between a flashlight and a headlamp the obvious choice in light to use while plucking jumping cholla spines from my legs would have been a headlamp for convenience's sake. However, the very bright light of this flashlight made it perfect for spotting the more than 50 spines stuck in my legs. Except for the hip belt on my pack, I don't typically wear a belt that could hold the light holster, but the light is small enough to put in my pocket with some baggies while walking my dog around the neighborhood. Lightly pressing and holding the on button turns on the bright light so I can find and pick up the dog poo. I have found the Stylus Pro's small size and bright light to be convenient. I have not yet had to change the batteries and have not noticed a decrease in brightness. My Stylus Pro does not appear to show any sign of wear. Long-Term Report: February 7, 2008 CONDITIONS I used the Stylus Pro on a two overnight backpacking trips in Los Padres National Forest. On the first trip, I camped at an elevation of about 4,500 ft (1,370 m), the nighttime temperature was around 35 F (2 C), and there was no precipitation. On my second trip, I camped at an elevation of about 2,000 ft (600 m) and the nighttime temperature was about 40 F (4 C). There was light rain. I used the Stylus Pro several times while sampling creek water in the dark during storms. The temperature was around 45 F (7 C) during the evenings and about 35 F (2 C) on one early morning. The elevation was near 100 ft (30 m). I also continued using the Stylus Pro on my after-dark dog walks where temperatures were in the 40s F (4 to 10 C), the elevation was near sea level and conditions were clear. TEST RESULTS This flashlight is great. It has replaced my old favorite small flashlight. In the future, I will bring this light with me on my backpacking trips as my only light. Performance The light is very bright and the beam extends quite far. When I was working in the pitch black, I was able to clearly read stream levels from painted marks on a bridge 30 ft (9 m) away. Of course, the beam was great at closer range as well. Ease of Use This flashlight is so small and light that I found myself throwing it in my backpack or purse all the time, just in case I might need it. When I was out backpacking, I liked that I could just touch the end of the light briefly to peer inside my pack or spotlight a pot of boiling water. Even though I also had a headlamp with me on my trips, I found that I actually preferred to use this light either as a handheld flashlight or as a headlamp tucked inside my beanie. I never dropped the flashlight when I used it in my beanie, but I kind of wish the clip was positioned the opposite way so I could clip it to my hat. I suppose that's not the normal way of using the light, though.  Waterproofness When I was working outside at night during a couple of storms, I was glad this flashlight is waterproof. Even after a thorough soaking and tossing the light in the mud a couple of times, I haven't seen any water get inside casing. Durability I have had no problems with the durability of this flashlight. It has taken a beating (or five or six), but still works well and the lens isn't scratched. I haven't yet had to change the batteries and haven't seen the light output decrease significantly. At this point, I've probably had the light on for a total of eight hours or so. REMARKS This concludes my Test Series. Thank you to Streamlight and BackpackGearTest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test the Stylus Pro flashlight. Read more reviews of Streamlight gear Read more gear reviews by Sheila Morrissey Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Streamlight Stylus Pro > Test Report by Sheila Morrissey | ||||