Streamlight 88103 TL-3 3-Lithium Xenon Tactical Flashlight, Black

by Streamlight

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Streamlight 88103 TL-3 3-Lithium Xenon Tactical Flashlight, Black

From the Manufacturer

Compact, durable and very portable, Streamlight's TL-3 Tactical Flashlight is equipped with a powerful Xenon bi-pin bulb and adjustable focus. A runtime of up to one continuous hour won't cut you short on light. Two convenient switch options let you turn the light on and off by either pressing the tail cap or twisting the head. A removable pocket clip and an adjustable wrist lanyard mean easy transport. Powered by (3) 3-Volt Lithium batteries that have a shelf life of up to 10 years, the TL-3 is there-and functional- when you need it the most.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008VE4C
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 88103
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,015 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best value flashlight, December 17, 2004

By 

K. A. Young "youngka" (CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Streamlight 88103 TL-3 3-Lithium Xenon Tactical Flashlight, Black (Tools & Home Improvement)

For those interested in performance flashlights, this is about the best deal around. At just over fifty dollars here at Amazon, you can't go wrong. I have many flashlights at home and none are even close to as bright as this, other than my 3,000,000 candlepower spotlight.

This light is fairly small and very portable. Great for camping, hunting, and hiking. Battery life may be a bit short, at only 1 hour. But that's pretty standard for battery powered lights. Rechargeable lights are either not as bright (Stinger and Strion) or are much larger (Ultrastinger, 12"). For this type of performance (200 lumens) in this type of package (6" long), lithium battery is really the only option.

Check out flashlightreviews.com for more information and to see just how this light stacks up against the lights out there. The only light that is brighter is the Surefire 10X Dominator. It's also around 10x the cost of the TL-3, though.

The PrincetonTec Surge is really the only light that competes with TL-3 on value. Has the same specs on flashlightreviews.com, but only costs twenty dollars and takes less expensive AA batteries (instead of the lithium 123). I haven't received my Surge, though, so I can't compare the two right now.

EDIT on 17 Jan 05. Flashlight continues to work great. A furnace repairman was at my house a few weeks ago and his flashlight was dead. I let him use my TL-3 and he was totally blown away by the performance -- wrote down the brand and style so he could go get his own.

I have my Princeton Tech Surge flashlight now, too. It's just as bright as the TL-3. The 8 AA batteries makes the Surge a little heavy (heavier than the TL-3) and it's not as sleek of a design. The switch is poorly designed on the Surge. Otherwise, it's really nice and I'd give the Surge 5 stars, too. The surge is completely waterproof (it's rated for diving, though I can't imagine trying to activate the power switch with diving gloves).

Because both the light and batteries are so cheap, I'll probably get a few Surges for the house and car. The TL-3 will be my personal light for camping and hunting. My recommendation is to get both.

I'm looking at getting the UltraStinger and Strion rechargeable lights next.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent quality and price for a 200 lumens flashlight!, June 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Streamlight 88103 TL-3 3-Lithium Xenon Tactical Flashlight, Black (Tools & Home Improvement)

I admire Streamlight for bringing a quality, well designed, lithium powered, high output flashlight to the marketplace and not charging an arm and a leg such as Surefire does. This flashlight is a bargain at this price, and its comes complete wirh a back-up xenon bulb in the lamp endcap, as well. If you want an exceptionally bright, very compact light, that weighs very little compared to all those 3C and 2D monsters - this is the flashlight for you!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't go wrong with this light for $50, March 20, 2006

By 

GoPedJim "JCT" (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Streamlight 88103 TL-3 3-Lithium Xenon Tactical Flashlight, Black (Tools & Home Improvement)

I've looked at a lot of "tactical" flashlights and this is the best one I've seen anywhere near this price. If you're looking for this type of light (takes 3 CR123s), don't ignore this one.

Pros:
- Relatively small and light weight.
- Very bright...seems brighter than comparable surefire (9P with P91 lamp...~200 lumens). Surefire 9P with comparable lamp costs twice as much or more.
- Large bezel (much larger than 9P surefire) which is probably why it seems brighter.
- Beam can be FOCUSED. Surefire and most other lights like this cannot be focused. If you are using this light for "tactical" purposes, this is very important. All the light in the world doesn't do you any good if the light isn't focused where you want it.
- Seems to be good quality. MUCH better than some of the tactical lights I've seen. Made in the USA.

Cons:
- Body of flashlight is too small for standard one inch weaver rings. If you are mounting this light on a rail, you'll need rings that are smaller. Or, simply wrap some tape or something around the light and use standard rings. I did the latter and it works great.
- Doesn't look as "cool" as some other lights.
- Couldn't find a cable switch to replace the tailcap switch that comes with the light. Someone told me that streamlight is coming out with a cable switch for this light. There may be an aftermarket cable switch that will work.


I bought this light to mount on an airsoft rifle. It is just what I was looking for. I also like Wolf-Eyes flashlights but, like most others, the beams don't focus. If you don't like this light, check out wolf-eyes. They are chinese-made lights sold out of Canada at tactical-flashlights-store dot com. Great selection of flashlight models and options for reasonable prices.