As I discussed in this article, one of my favorite pocket lights is the Steamlight Microstream USB (red). As of SHOT Show 2020, Streamlight have announced a new contender to the pocket light game – the Macrostream USB (black).
I don’t know when it’ll be out to your dealers, but that’s ok – I wouldn’t rush out and buy it just yet, and I’ll explain why.
Firstly, as you can see in the header photo the Macro is significantly larger than the Micro. The size is a big part of why I like the Micro, so I’m not overly keen on the size of the Macro.
Additionally, the Macro has 500 lumens/2,000 max candela (Micro on the left, Macro on the right in the photo above). These numbers are definitely better than the Micro at 45/420, but there are even more capable lights available, like the FW3a (2,000/10,000) at this price point and around this size that use interchangeable/standardized batteries to boot. Unfortunately, it appears that this Streamlight continues to use proprietary batteries with this light.
That said, if you’re in the market for a USB rechargeable light with good brightness around a similar size, but want to stick with Streamlight for one reason or another, check out their ProTac HL USB – it’s a bit more costly, but it’s a Streamlight, so you’ll be paying for that. Speaking of USB…
The only “killer feature” that both these lights share is the micro-USB recharge port on the side. I’m a big fan of this feature especially for non-enthusiast types who don’t want to invest in new charging cords or chargers, but honestly that barrier to entry is so low, and the micro-USB is likely to be phased out within the next several years in favor of USB type C anyway, so while handy, it’s no silver bullet solution.
I’m not overly impressed with the Macrostream as a product, but it’s probably got a potential niche somewhere, even if it’s just as a leftover uniform allowance splurge.
-T