FOG HORN
August 2021 Twobirds Flying Publications
Streamlight’s STINGER 2020
Copyright 2021, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Streamlight’s STINGER 2020
Streamlight’s STINGER 2020 By: Sal Palma
When Streamlight introduced the STINGER 2020 they created the mother of all handheld tactical lights. Unquestionably a bold statement that I’ll try to support in successive paragraphs. I will kick things off by saying that the STINGER 2020 has the best ergonomics of any handheld light on the market.
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as part of the body. In tactical application, that feature greatly facilitates its use as an impact tool. The body geometry also prevents the light from accidentally rolling off a surface.
The STINGER 2020 features three modes of operation: high, medium and low all accessible via a switch. The implementation of that strategy does away with the traditional push button cycling; a simple switch setting delivers 2,000 lumens on HIgh, 850 lumens on MEDium and 100 lumens on LOw. Streamlight included two activation switches one at the tail cap; the other on the light’s head just below the mode switch. This arrangement allows you to easily operate the light using a saber grip or an icepick, the ergonomics are absolutely outstanding.
The body is constructed from a highly textured high-grade aluminum alloy with top and bottom serrations as well as nicely surfaced grip panels to enhance operator grip. Hanging on to the light with wet or sweaty hands is a non-issue. What I found particularly interesting about its design is the inclusion of a “finger coil like” shelf
The STINGER 2020 is powered by two SL-B26™ protected Li-Ion, USB rechargeable, batteries
Copyright 2021, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Streamlight’s STINGER 2020
arrange in a power pack. The light ships with the STINGER smart charger; however, it can also be charged with any available USB cord.
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mode and is blinding, so you’ll want to be extremely careful with how you use it. The STINGER 2020 is a robust 7-inch lighting tool; as such, it comes in at slightly over 12 oz, but it will survive a 6-foot impact on concrete. The light is also IPX7 water resistant. Streamlight lists the STINGER 2020 as being TAA compliant which is important to military and government agencies.
Th STINGER smart chargers are a great approach for keeping your light fully charged and ready to go. The light mounts to the charger securely, which can be wall mounted or mounted to a work bench, and once charging starts, you’ll see a solid red L.E.D. changing to a slow blink when your light is fully charged.
Holding a GSA MAS contract requires TAA compliance. Before one of these contracts is granted, the supplier must certify that the product being provided has been significantly altered or produced in the United States or a designated country. In closing if I were law enforcement, military or an agency professional, Streamlight’s STINGER 2020 would be my handheld light of choice, its ergonomics are truly superb, illumination performance meets the most demanding conditions, and its robustness make it an excellent impact tool should the situation call for a bit of behavior modification.
-SP Manufacturer Specifications:
Charge times run from 2 hours to 6 hours depending on battery levels. From a fully charged condition, run times are surprising; on high, where light output is 2,000 lumens this light will run continuously for 2 hours, on medium you get 4 hours and on low you get a full 24 hours.
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High Lumens: 2,000 Run Time on High: 2.00 hours Run Time on Low: 24.00 hours Beam Distance: 315 meters Battery Type: SL-B26 Battery Pack Battery Quantity: 2 Length: 7.67 inches (19.48 centimeters) Weight: 12.30 ounces (348.70 grams) Colors: Black
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MSRP: $265
Streamlight included a strobe function that can be activated by two rapid clicks of the tail cap switch. The strobe operates in the 2,000-lumen Copyright 2021, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved