Mini flashlight review: Streamlight Polytac 90X

Dave Barham reveals a new tactical flashlight – the Streamlight Polytac 90X – that fits in your pocket and puts out a whopping 500 Lumens!

USA-based lighting company, Streamlight, has been selling its products here in the UK for a couple of years now, but until a week ago I hadn’t actually laid my hands on any products apart from when I visited various shows – remember those? What I have here in the palm of my hand is their Polytac 90X right-angle flashlight, and it’s a real beauty.

Streamlight Polytac 90X – modes and batteries
Powered by two CR123A batteries (supplied), this little torch has two modes of power and features the very latest LED technology for extreme brightness. It can provide 500 lumens of light with a 167-metre beam for a full 2 hours and 30 minutes on high power, or 12 hours on low mode, which is 85 lumens and a 64-metre beam – more than enough for most applications.

There is a built-in LED battery indicator on the soft-touch on/off button that glows green when the torch is on and flashes red when the batteries need replacing.

Streamlight Polytac 90X – build quality
It is made from high-impact, super-tough nylon polymer with a textured grip, which feels nice to the touch and certainly provides grip when it gets wet. Everything about this torch is designed to be used whilst wearing gloves, including the on/off button I’ve just mentioned.

The Polytac 90X light features an IPX7-rated design that makes it waterproof to one metre for 30 minutes and it is impact-resistant tested to two metres.

The new light also includes an integrated carabiner style D-ring clip for a variety of attachment methods and a multi-position, reversible pocket clip.

Streamlight Polytac 90X – additional models
There’s also a PolyTac 90X USB model, which is a complete rechargeable system that includes a Streamlight SL-B26 rechargeable battery with integrated micro-USB port. The light can also accept two 3-volt CR123A disposable lithium batteries. This multi-fuel capability enables users to charge the light on the go or insert batteries when a charging source is unavailable.

Features
Battery: CR123A Lithium or Streamlight SL-B26 Li-Ion USB Rechargeable (USB)
Size: 4.43in (11.25cm)
Weight: 4.8oz (136g) – with Streamlight USB Li-Ion battery
Weight: 4.3oz (122g) – with CR123A batteries
Colours: Orange, Black or Yellow
Lumens: High: 500 lumens; Low: 85 Lumens
Price: £89 (90X), £102 (90X USB)
Website: www.streamlight.com