In this episode of The Mag Life Podcast, Daniel welcomes Paul Baxter, Product Group Specialist at Streamlight. For any regular shooter or conceal carrier, a weapon-mounted light is an essential piece of equipment and should not be taken lightly. Streamlight has produced top-quality lights that have found the balance between long-term reliability and affordability for their customers.
Daniel and Paul cover Streamlight’s latest offerings for 2021, how the company remains innovative in a competitive industry, and what trends have influenced their design principles.
Host: Daniel Shaw
Guest: Paul Baxter
Introduction/Timeline: Eric Huh
02:38 New lights for 2021: Streamlight Wedge
Paul unveils the new Streamlight Wedge every day carry pocket light for 2021. This sleek lightweight design does away with the traditional cylindrical tube in favor of a flatter geometry. This waterproof light features a deep pocket carry clip, 300 lumens, waterproof housing, and a rechargeable USB-C battery. Additionally, the light possesses a switch to turn up to 1,000 lumens when needed.
everyday carry set up.
05:34 Streamlight TLR-7 Sub
The development of the TLR-7 Sub was in direct response to the non-standard mounting rails in the various pistol platforms. With the rise of sub-compact carry guns with proprietary rails, the
Streamlight TLR-7 Sub introduces mounting clamps that can fit all Glock 43 and 48 configurations, the Sig Sauer P365 models, and 1913 Short models. This light features the same 500 lumens of the base TLR-7 but slimmer and contoured specifically for smaller, sub-compact guns.
08:01 Streamlight TLR-10
Like many of Streamlight’s previous models, an updated product is often introduced with an added laser feature. The new TLR-10 does exactly that, essentially taking the base TLR-9 and adding a red laser emitter without adding excess bulk to its overall frame. This light is optimized for full-sized pistols and boasts 1,000 lumens.
sized pistol owners.
10:15 Streamlight TLR RM1 and RM2
The TLR-RM1 was released last year as a minimalist, compact weapon-mounted light for long guns, featuring a remote pressure switch, 500 lumens, and a strobe mode. The RM2 takes the same design and enlarges the frame to accommodate 1,000 lumens as well as 2 CR123A batteries. For 2021, Streamlight has introduced the same two models with red lasers.
respectively.
12:13 What is the future for Streamlight?
Daniel reflects upon the success of sales for Streamlight, and like other firearms accessory manufacturers, how this success can open up new opportunities and resources to innovate for future products. Paul agrees, adding that while it’s great in the short term to ride a successful wave, but when that wave ends, a plan for the future must be in place. Streamlight actively seeks the next challenge to overcome in their products.
“At Streamlight… we never sit back and just wait and see what happens. We’re looking at 2023, 2024 development already.”
15:13 Innovation and accessibility
Daniel applauds innovative designs that actively complement his lifestyle on a day-to-day basis, such as rechargeable lightweight but powerful pocket lights.
Paul explains that cross-industry influences contributed greatly to everyday carry items, pointing out how the cell phone industry’s improvements on portability and creating the daily habit of “plugging things in” have carried over into the lifestyle of gun owners. In light of these trends, Streamlight remains ahead of the curve not by building off of what their customers already do regularly (plugging in their cell phones to recharge every night), such as their new Wedge light that features a rechargeable USB-C battery.
“Part of the things I do in my job is looking at what are other products… completely outside of our world impact how we develop products.”
Article/Show notes by Eric Huh
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