I'm a big fan of Streamlight's 7X/7A WMLs, have several, one of which is mounted on my primary carry, a Glock G19 RTF2.

The 7X has two battery options- a standard CR123 disposable, or Streamlight's SL-B9 rechargeable battery, which is their version of a 16340. I opt for the latter.

These lithium rechargeables will lose their charge when idle, at a very slow rate (though much faster than the disposable CR123, which has a stated shelf life of 10 years and which, in my experience, is actually usable for three to four years past that, if stored in moderate temperatures).

I top off the battery every 4 months.

I got to thinking that it might be a good idea to fully discharge the battery once a year, so that's what I did. I figured this would be a good, real-world test of runtime, since testing it right after the battery has received a full charge would not be a reflection of reality- that is to say, if you ever need to run this WML continuously for an extended time, it's much more likely that the battery will have something less than a full charge at that time.

Streamlight says you'll get 1 hour of runtime with the SL-B9 battery, and 1.5 hours with a disposable CR123.

So, with its last charge 4 months ago, I activated the light and left it on.

It ran at full output for 50 minutes, at which point it began a slow taper, lasting for 18 more minutes until the light finally cut off. The first 7 or 8 minutes minutes of the taper were at near-full output, and output then diminished over the last 10 or so minutes, gradually weakening to something like 25 lumens (just a guess, comparing it to a 5 lumen penlight I had handy.)

Recharging the battery: The SL-B9 has a built-in USB-C port and an LED charging indicator that goes from red while charging, to green when fully charged. Streamlight states that the battery takes 2.5 hours to fully charge, and this figure turned out to be remarkably accurate. Using a USB-A 3.1 port on my Dell laptop, which has an industry standard output of 5V DC, the battery took 2 hours and 27 minutes to fully charge.

It's no surprise at all that lots of manufacturers fudge numbers such as these. In the case of Streamlight, they seem to be telling the truth.

It's unlikely you would ever need to run a WML to depletion in one go, but there you have it. I imagine that intermittent activation of the light until depletion would net you a few more minutes of runtime.

quote:

I imagine that intermittent activation of the light until depletion would net you a few more minutes of runtime.

There is a chance the opposite might be true. I don’t know how SL does the thermal management on this light but there is a chance that while your eye perceives full lumens there may actually be a drop off from max after a short bit of use which then stabilizes at a lower, but still high amount of lumens that may be largely imperceptible in real world use.

IF this is the case (and I am not saying it is as I don’t know) you may get less runtime with off and on bursts because you are resetting the thermal management “clock” each time and technically using more juice then if just left on.

I’m just making an academic point. Real world weapon light use is likely to be so short as to make runtime almost a moot point.

As an aside I love those TLR7’s as well. Great little lights.

Great info on the Streamlight. I bought a couple and they sure are nicer than the O Lights

quote:

Glock G19 RTF2

Just came to say that that gun is on my list of wants, has been for a long time. I have two G22 RFT2's with the gills that I love

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
Real world weapon light use is likely to be so short as to make runtime almost a moot point.

For the most part, I agree with you, but there are scenarios where you might be relying solely on your WML for light of any kind, unlikely though that may be.

Thanks for the real world test, para.

I have the same batteries in my TLR1 HLX, and have been impressed with them.

I have switched all my WMLs and compatible handhelds to the SL-B9 awhile back. They are the best most reliable rechargeable batteries out there. They hold up fine during the winter months too. I usually rotate them every 3 months if I haven't depleted them. Since I'm not on full night shift anymore and ordered not to leave the station unless called, I rarely use my lights anymore.

I used to buy bulk CR123A batteries and sell them to coworkers, but these days, I tell them to get two pairs of SL-B9s for their WMLs.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
I don’t know how SL does the thermal management on this light but there is a chance that while your eye perceives full lumens there may actually be a drop off from max after a short bit of use which then stabilizes at a lower, but still high amount of lumens that may be largely imperceptible in real world use.

If there was any drop off before 50 minutes, it was indeed imperceptible. Regarding heat, the light never became too hot to touch.

quote:

Originally posted by Chowser:
I used to buy bulk CR123A batteries and sell them to coworkers, but these days, I tell them to get two pairs of SL-B9s for their WMLs.

Of course most lights which are designed for the CR123 will not function with the 16340 series batteries. This goes for the TLR-7X predecessor, the TLR-7A, which was designed for the CR123 only.

The newer generation of lights accepting 16340 batteries are backwards compatible.

CR123 is a nominal 3.0 volts

The 16340 series battery, including the SL-B9, is a nominal 3.6 to 3.7 volts.

Nice review, Para; thanks.

I’ve been thinking about getting one of these to replace a TLR-7A. Can you share anything about the dimensions being the same or different between the two? I’m wondering about holster compatibility.

Thanks.

7A and 7X are identical