Streamlight Wedge XT Flashlight: First Look

In today’s world, a flashlight is an essential piece of everyday carry for many people. Whether for job purposes or personal carry, a quality light can change a situation dramatically. Recently I found myself wanting a new light for my professional life and that’s when I found our featured product, the Streamlight Wedge XT.

Streamlight Wedge XT Overview

Hundreds of Choices and Options

There are hundreds of options out there for handheld flashlights, and they come in endless sizes and outputs. The choices can be mind-numbing. What to look for in terms of rechargeable lights, lights that use batteries, size of batteries, lumen output, activation method, and the choices go on and on. In my line of work as an Emergency Manager, my choice of flashlight must be well built, reliable, simple to use, and small enough to fit in a pocket.

It’s not uncommon for me to be traveling between jet aircraft and single-engine aircraft into communities of 300 people completely cut off from the road system. There isn’t a lot of margins of error when it comes to gear for me. That’s some of the criteria I considered when I chose to buy the Streamlight Wedge XT. So let’s look at why I selected this flashlight over hundreds of other offerings.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: Streamlight
• Model: Wedge XT
• Country of Manufacture: China

Dimensions

• Length: 4.2” (10.8 cm)
• Width: .60” (1.52 cm)
• Height: 1.00” (2.54cm)
• Weight: 2.62 Ounces (74.3 grams)

Illumination

• High: 500 Lumens (2 Hours)
• Low: 50 Lumens (11 Hours)
• 50,000 Hour LED Service Life

Battery

• 1 950 mAh Lithium Polymer Battery
• Rechargeable Via USB-C
• Fully Charges in 6 Hours

Case Material

• Machined Aluminum Alloy (Type II Mil Spec Finish)
• Available in Black or Coyote

Controls

• Single Raised Button on Rear

Misc Specs

• 1 Meter Water Resistant
• Removable Pocket Clip
• Lifetime Warranty
• MSRP $84.99

First Handling and Impressions

The first impression I had when the Streamlight Wedge XT arrived from Amazon was the flattened oval shape of the flashlight’s case design. This was the only handheld flashlight I have handled in years that was not either round or featured a pistol grip like a spotlight. There is nothing wrong with the flattened oval design, in fact, the more I use it the more I prefer it.

The case on the Wedge XT does appear to have a definite way it should be held. When you examine the case, you notice that one side of the case is smooth and the other features a combination of a slight flare and texturing at each end. The length and design of the case allow me at least to have all 4 fingers rest between the two flares if I am using it in a more “tactical” manner as seen in the picture below. If you hold the light in the other direction, what I refer to as a thumb forward method, the user can rest their thumb on the forward flare easily.

Fit & Finish Impressions

When it comes to fit and finish, I’m no stranger to the Streamlight family of lights. I have owned many of them over the years and many of my pistols feature Streamlight TLR-1’s. And my Short Barreled AR-15 still has a Streamlight Pro Tac HL-X that has given me many years of use. The Wedge XT carries on the legacy of superb build quality and presentation that the company has built and sustained over the years.

The Wedge XT with its machined aluminum alloy case arrived to me without any imperfections in material, finish, clip, screws or pocket lanyard. Everything looked as expected from Streamlight, perfect. The packaging however was not so fortunate but that is Amazons fault and not that of Streamlights.

The labeling on the light is an off-white and very small. This was an issue when I went to register the flashlight with Streamlight for the warranty. This isn’t a deal breaker just something I noticed when unboxing and registering the light for the lifetime warranty.

Another feature that’s immediately noticeable on the Wedge XT is the pocket clip located on the front side of the light. It’s held on by two small allen style screws. The clip is secure, but it seems they can become loose after repeated use. Just another design feature to note, not a detraction from the light in any way.

Charging , Controls & Use

When it comes to charging the 950 mAh lithium polymer battery, it’s a straightforward method. Simply plug the USB-C connection into the backside of the light and the other end into a USB connector and wait. A feature that I noticed when I first plugged in the flashlight was the USB-C socket featured a colored charging indicator. The charging socket is red during charging and turns to green when the light is fully charged. This takes all the guesswork out of knowing if the flashlight is ready to use.

Another feature of the USB-C socket that I overlooked at first was that the LED in the socket will flash green when you first turn the Wedge XT on for a second to let the user know they have good battery life. This also turns red when the light is running low on power alerting the user that a recharge is needed soon. Although a small feature, I’m a fan of things that make life easier.

The Wedge XT is operated by a single push button on the back of the light. The button is raised and features a series of slightly raised horizontal ribs to help prevent fingers from slipping off the button. The button activation is barely audible and is programable using the Streamlight 10 Tap method described here: Streamlight 10 Touch.

When testing this flashlight, I found it to have a generous hot spot in the middle of the beam that fans out nicely to create a good amount of soft light on the edges. This to me was a very different approach to other higher-powered lights that I have which offer a tighter and hotter center cone of illumination. I prefer the dispersion pattern of the Wedge XT over some of my other lights that fill a more tactical or defensive purpose. That isn’t meant to be a knock on my other lights but it’s more of an idea that defensive lights are built for one purpose and lights like the Wedge XT are built for another purpose.

Overall Thoughts Is It Worth It?

Is the Streamlight Wedge XT worth its current retail price of $84.99? In my opinion yes, it is. But that statement comes with a caveat. If you are looking for a 1000 lumen light that is more of a defensive light with blinding power, the Wedge XT might not fit your needs. If you are looking for a rechargeable light that fits neatly into your pocket or jacket without profiling. Or one that delivers a softer cone of illumination for everyday use, then yes, the Wedge XT could fit your needs.

In my specific situation, the Wedge XT fills all my boxes and I trust it enough to use it as a duty light and put it in a backpack to deploy within natural disaster situations. As with any piece of critical gear, I would suggest that people try out several types and sizes of flashlights before making a purchase. Sometimes you might end up being shocked like I was and find out that getting out of your comfort zone has great results.

If you have any questions on this product or any article we have published here at The Gear Bunker, please drop us a line or comment and we will get back to you.

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