Buying Guide
Streamlight TLR Weapon Lights Compared: Which TLR Fits Your Gun?
You have decided on a Streamlight. That is the easy part. The range runs from a 100-lumen unit built for a Glock 43 to a 2,000-lumen rail light for a carbine, and the model numbers — TLR-1, TLR-7 X, TLR RM, ProTac 2.0 — say nothing about which one clamps to your gun. This guide follows the order the decision happens in: host, series, output, power, laser.
Start with the host, not the model number
Almost every wrong Streamlight purchase is a fitment mistake, not a brightness mistake. The range splits by what the light clamps to.
- Full-size pistol with a rail — TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-7, TLR-8, TLR-9, TLR-10
- Compact or slimline pistol — sub versions of the TLR-7 X and TLR-8 X, plus the TLR-3X and TLR-6
- Long gun handguard — TLR RM 1 and RM 2, ProTac Rail Mount, ProTac 2.0
- Pump-action shotgun — the TL-Racker, which replaces the forend outright
Full-size pistol rails
The forgiving part of the range: these clamp with a key kit rather than being cut for one frame. Streamlight lists the TLR-1 HL against Glock-style, 1913 Picatinny, Beretta 90two, S&W SW99/TSW and SIG P320 rails on five locating keys: 1000 lumens, 20,000 candela, 283 metres. If distance rather than spill is the problem, the TLR-1 HP keeps 1000 lumens but concentrates them into 65,000 candela and 510 metres.
The TLR-9 and TLR-10 use the Flex rear switch, supplied with a high and a low paddle to suit the trigger guard, and both give 1000 lumens and 10,000 candela to 200 metres. Streamlight's catalogue calls 69464 simply the TLR-9 and 69470 simply the TLR-10 — the "Flex" suffix in circulation is not the manufacturer's name. Slimmer on the same rails: the TLR-7 X USB and TLR-7 HL-X USB.
Compact and slimline pistols
Here fitment stops being forgiving. The sub bodies are host-specific: each part number is listed against one rail pattern, so the Glock and SIG versions are different products, not different keys in one box.
- Glock 43X/48 — TLR-7 X sub, TLR-7 HL-X sub, TLR-8 X sub, TLR-8 HL-X G sub, all for the 43X/48 MOS and 43X/48 Rail
- SIG P365 / P365 XL — TLR-7 X sub, TLR-8 X G sub or the TLR-3X, all cut for the closed rail and none for the P365-XMACRO
- P365-XMACRO — the TLR-7 X sub 1913 short rail and TLR-8 X G sub 1913OS, both reaching it on the #4 key
- Non-railed Glock 42/43 and the 43X/48 — the TLR-6 at 100 lumens and 2,000 candela, or the TLR-6 HL G at 300 lumens and 4,250 candela
One honest correction: there is no Springfield Hellcat version of the TLR-7 X sub. Streamlight lists part 69404 as the TLR-7 X sub (1913OS), and no Hellcat variant appears in that part-number table at all. Hellcat owners should measure against the 1913OS and short-rail bodies instead.
Long gun handguards
The TLR RM 1 gives 500 lumens, 11,000 candela and 210 metres on one CR123A cell at 3.64 in; the TLR RM 2 doubles that to 1000 lumens, 22,000 candela and 297 metres on two cells, at 4.97 in. Both mount to MIL-STD-1913 with a key kit. The naming is the fiddly bit: a System part number ships with the remote pressure switch, while Light Only is tail-cap operated and only supports the optional remote. The TLR RM 1 HL-X USB System is the rechargeable one, at 1000 lumens and 22,000 candela on its SL-B9 pack.
ProTac Rail Mount is the heavier-duty answer, all of it shipping with an M-LOK mount as well as the Picatinny fitting: the Rail Mount 1 at 350 lumens, the Rail Mount 2 at 625, the Rail Mount HL-X at 1000 lumens, 50,000 candela and 447 metres. The ProTac 2.0 pair run 2000 lumens on an SL-B50 pack: the standard Rail Mount at 17,700 candela and 266 metres for a wide beam, the Rail Mount HP at 85,000 candela and 583 metres for reach. To put a pistol body on a long gun, the TLR-1 HL and TLR-1 HP long gun kits supply remote and door switches.
Shotgun forends
The TL-Racker is the most host-specific thing Streamlight makes: it is not bolted on, it is the forend. All three give 1000 lumens, 20,000 candela and 283 metres for 1.5 hours on two CR123A cells, in an 8.00 in nylon housing of 12.1 oz. Three part numbers, three actions, no adapters: Mossberg 500/590, 590 Shockwave and Remington 870 — the last listed for the 12-gauge 870 but not the 870 Express Supermag.
The series map
- TLR-1 — full-size pistol rail light, no laser: TLR-1s 300 lumens, HL 1000 at 20,000 candela, HP 1000 at 65,000
- TLR-2 — the TLR-1 plus a visible laser: TLR-2s red, TLR-2 G green at 300 lumens; TLR-2 HL red, TLR-2 HL G green at 1000
- TLR-3 — compact, no laser: 170 lumens on one CR2 cell, or the newer TLR-3X at 500 lumens in rail-specific bodies
- TLR-4 — TLR-3 size with a laser, on one CR2 cell: 170 lumens red or green
- TLR-6 — the smallest, always with a laser, always tied to a named frame
- TLR-7 — the slim rail light, no laser, in full-size and sub bodies
- TLR-8 — the TLR-7 with a laser in the same envelope: TLR-8 X red or TLR-8 X G green at 500 lumens, TLR-8 HL-X USB at 1000
- TLR-9 and TLR-10 — the Flex-switch pair, both 1000 lumens and 10,000 candela; the TLR-10 is the one with a laser, red or green
- TLR RM — the long gun rail-mount body, tail-switched, System or Light Only, with or without a laser
- TLR-VIR — white light plus infrared. The TLR-VIR II gives 300 lumens and 5,000 candela of white light, an 850 nm illuminator rated at a minimum 600 mW/sr and a Class 1 infrared aiming laser under 0.8 mW, fitting SIG M17 and M18 and 1913 rails
- ProTac Rail Mount — the long gun workhorse family, including the VIR Pro: 1100 lumens, 40,000 candela, 2,300 mW of 940 nm infrared
- ProTac 2.0 — the 2000-lumen SL-B50 platform, as a rail mount or a handheld
Reading the suffixes
- HL — more output: 300 lumens for the TLR-1s, 1000 for the TLR-1 HL
- HP — throw, not output: TLR-1 HP and TLR-1 HL are both 1000 lumens, at 65,000 and 20,000 candela
- X — the multi-fuel body, with interchangeable high and low paddles
- HL-X — the X body at the top of its range, as on the TLR-1 HL-X USB
- G — a green laser in place of red
- sub — a body cut for one slimline rail pattern
- s — strobe, as on the TLR-1s and TLR-2s
- USB — the pack is in the box: the TLR-7 X includes a CR123A and treats the SL-B9 as an extra; the TLR-7 X USB includes pack and cord
- Pro, System, Light Only — switching, not brightness: Pro and System add a remote pressure switch, Light Only is tail-cap only
Output compared
| Model | Host | Lumens | Peak beam intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| TLR-1 HL | Pistol | 1000 | 20,000 cd |
| TLR-1 HP | Pistol | 1000 | 65,000 cd |
| TLR-1 HL-X USB | Pistol | 1500 / 1000 | 20,000 / 15,000 cd |
| TLR-1 HP-X USB | Pistol | 1300 / 1000 | 77,000 / 53,000 cd |
| TLR-6 | Slimline Glock | 100 | 2,000 cd |
| TLR-7 X | Pistol | 725 / 550 | 9,500 / 7,200 cd |
| TLR-7 X sub | Slimline | 725 / 550 | 7,700 / 5,000 cd |
| TLR-7 HL-X USB | Pistol | 1100 / 550 | 23,000 / 11,000 cd |
| TLR-8 HL-X USB | Pistol | 1000 / 500 | 22,000 / 11,000 cd |
| TLR-9, TLR-10 | Pistol | 1000 | 10,000 cd |
| TLR RM 1 | Long gun | 500 | 11,000 cd |
| TLR RM 2 | Long gun | 1000 | 22,000 cd |
| TLR-VIR II | Pistol, 1913 | 300 white | 5,000 cd |
| ProTac RM HL-X | Long gun | 1000 | 50,000 cd |
| ProTac RM VIR Pro | Long gun | 1100 white | 40,000 cd |
| ProTac 2.0 Rail Mount | Long gun | 2000 | 17,700 cd |
| ProTac 2.0 RM HP | Long gun | 2000 | 85,000 cd |
| TL-Racker | Shotgun | 1000 | 20,000 cd |
Where two figures appear, the first is on the rechargeable pack, the second on primary cells — the most misread thing in the range.
Power, and the multi-fuel catch
Formats vary: CR123A through most of the range, a CR2 cell in the TLR-3 and TLR-4, CR-1/3N in the TLR-6, three SL-B2 rechargeable cells and a USB-C charge case in the TLR-6 HL G, the SL-B9 pack in X-series bodies, the SL-B26 in the ProTac Rail Mount HL-X and VIR Pro, the 4,900 mAh SL-B50 in ProTac 2.0.
Now the honest part. Where a multi-fuel light is sold on a headline lumen figure, that figure is the rechargeable one, and it drops on CR123A:
- TLR-1 HL-X USB — 1500 lumens and 283 metres on SL-B9, against 1000 lumens and 245 metres
- TLR-1 HP-X USB — 1300 lumens and 77,000 candela, against 1000 and 53,000
- TLR-7 HL-X USB — 1100 lumens and 303 metres, against 550 and 210
- TLR-8 HL-X USB — 1000 lumens and 297 metres, against 500 and 210
- ProTac Rail Mount 1L-X — 850 lumens and 30,000 candela, against 500 and 18,000
Runtime often moves the other way, so the pack is not a free upgrade: the TLR-1 HL-X USB runs 1 hour on SL-B9 against 1.5 hours on CR123A, and the ProTac Rail Mount 1L-X USB gives 30 minutes at 850 lumens against 1.75 hours at 500. Not every light splits — the TLR-8 X holds 500 lumens and 5,000 candela on both. The ProTac Rail Mount 1 is the outlier: 350 lumens on a CR123A, 150 on an AA. Where the SL-B9 is optional rather than included — the plain TLR-7 X, the TLR-1 HL-X, the ProTac Rail Mount 1L-X — budget for it separately, and source one elsewhere if it is not listed with the light.
The laser question
The series number decides whether there is a visible laser, not the suffix. The TLR-2, TLR-4, TLR-6, TLR-8, TLR-10 and TLR RM Laser carry one; the TLR-1, TLR-3, TLR-7, TLR-9 and plain TLR RM do not. G means green — Streamlight rates red at 640–660 nm and green at 510–530 nm, both Class 3R under 5 mW.
Green is easier to pick up in daylight but costs runtime. On the TLR-8 X sub the red laser runs 60 hours on a CR123A against 11 for the green TLR-8 X G sub; on the TLR-10, 60 against 11; on the TLR-8 HL-X USB, 29 against 10. Sealing is a trade-off too — laser models are generally IPX4 where their light-only siblings are IPX7. The TLR RM 1 Laser is IPX4 against IPX7 for the plain RM 1, and the same gap separates the TLR-10 from the TLR-9 and the TLR-8 X from the TLR-7 X. Weight shifts slightly: the TLR RM 2 Laser-G System is 5.11 oz with batteries, the RM 1 Laser-G System 3.24 oz.
VIR is not a visible laser. The VIR models are infrared, meant to be seen through night vision and invisible to the naked eye. The TLR-VIR II pairs white light with an 850 nm illuminator and a Class 1 infrared aiming laser on a three-position selector. The ProTac Rail Mount VIR Pro USB pairs 1100 lumens of white light with 2,300 mW of 940 nm infrared on high, 600 mW on low, and no visible aiming laser at all. For a dot your own eyes can see, buy a TLR-2, TLR-4, TLR-6, TLR-8, TLR-10 or TLR RM Laser — not a VIR.
Shop the range and related reading
Start from the host, confirm the rail pattern against the part number, then decide output and power. Browse the Streamlight range, the wider weapon lights and laser combos, or the rechargeable weapon lights. For the numbers behind the table read lumens vs candela explained; across brands, choosing a weapon light. Switches and spares: weapon light accessories. £5 tracked UK delivery in 7–10 business days.
