Streamlight TLR-8AG Review
Weapon-mounted lights like the TLR-8AG are becoming more common, smaller and lighter every year. The technology behind these ultra-bright, overbuilt pistol lights continues to improve as increasingly more and more shooters adapt them.
Which is for good reason. The only thing more harrowing then trying to defend one’s home and loved ones at night with a handgun, is doing so surrounded by inky black darkness. After all, the last thing a shooter wants to do if they’ve committed to sending lead towards a potential threat, is to flip on a light switch and reveal a mortally wounded innocent bystander.
While the aforementioned situation sounds like a clear violation of several firearm safety rules, it’s not totally unlikely. For instance, if a homeowner’s daughter has snuck a boy over at night, he very well might not identify himself if confronted in the darkness by a gun-wielding dad.
And let’s be honest. If the figure of a grown man was spotted leaving or head towards your daughter’s room, you’d be forgiven for reacting harshly. But as much as we dad’s might want to inflict the wrath of God on them, morally and legally doing so is abhorrent.
Just the Stats, Ma'am
The TLR-8AG blasts 500 lumens out to 150m from a single CR123 battery for an hour and a half. This might not seem like much, but given the very compact size of the light and how powerful it is, it’s very impressive.
Furthermore, if a shooter simply utilizes the built-in 620nm green tactical laser, the TLR-8AG can run on a single CR123 for 60 hours. The G on the end of the lights name, designates its laser as green, FYI. This is the ideal choice for day-time shooting as well as nocturnal. As green lasers are more easily visible during daylight than red.
In testing, the laser was visible on white steel targets during overcast conditions out to 80m. At night, this laser was visible at 200m with an optic. During bright daytime conditions, it was difficult to pick up past 30m, but this is well beyond the maxim ethical self defense distance with a handgun.
Laser Sights: Gimmick or Godsend?
Full disclosure, I was not a fan of laser sights on weapons for the first ten or so years I spent shooting. I felt they were a crutch for bad shooters, and slower to utilize than the iron sights themselves.
My eyes were opened to their utility during a midnight three-gun match out in Oregon. At the match, I was able to engage targets in low and zero light conditions with a handgun.
One of the courses of fire involved shooting around a barricade without exposing yourself more than necessary. This evolved into shooters peaking over one side, while “blind-firing” around the other, using their laser to guide them.
While this scenario was obviously created to cater to the strengths of a laser sight, it got me thinking. If a shooter were to become injured during an altercation, or have bad eyesight (or severe astigmatism) they would need some method of reliably aiming their handgun.
Since I was already sold on the notion of a weapon-mounted tactical light, it was a no-brainer to combine the two.
Previous versions of the TLR-8 featured the normal side switches. These are effective, they are also just ouch of reach for smaller-handed shooters and especially so on any gun with a winter-sized trigger guard. The TLR-8AG addresses this.
With the addition of the Flex system, these new TLR-8A and TLR-8AG lights remedy the ergonomic woes of anyone who couldn’t quite reach the switches on the old models.
Secured to the light’s body with four lengthy hex screws, these two caps offer shooters a high and low option. Effectively, this allows shooters to configure the light to be easily switched with either their support, or shooting hand.
Both models offer three distinct modes of operation. Light only, laser only, and both. To toggle among them shooters need to first turn on the light, then press both switches simultaneously.
The light emits 500 lumens, and lasts 90 minutes on the single included CR123 battery. The combination light and laser last just as long, and the laser on its own can run for 60 hours on that single battery.
Ultimately, the new TLR-8AG Flex is an objective improvement over the original. The addition of the new Flex end caps is a much-needed one for shooters like myself who don’t have gorilla hands. The only downside to the entire setup is the price tag – MSRP of $450. That said, I have personally never seen a Streamlight product sell for MSRP. Often times, they are 30-40% lower.
Is it worth the cost? To me, yes. I have horrible night vision, so I need bright, instant illumination of potential threats. And if I’ve already sprung for all the cash to buy a can, pistol, defensive ammo and night sights, why fret over $200-300 more? I guess in the simplest terms, it boils down to how much is defending the lives of your loved ones worth. For anyone of solid moral character, these lives are priceless.
Jim is a freelance writer, editor, and videographer for dozens of publications who loves anything and everything guns. While partial to modern military firearms and their civilian counterparts, he holds a special place in his heart for the greatest battle implement ever devised and other WW2 rifles. When he’s not reviewing guns or shooting for fun and competition, Jim can be found hiking and hunting with his wife Kimberly, and their dog Peanut in the South Carolina low country.
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