The Pelican 1910B is just slightly bigger than the Streamlight Microstream. It still disappears when clipped to a pocket or in your waistband. A convenient carry spot is in the dead space on the waistband directly adjacent to your holster.
Continuing with my never ending search for an ultra low profile, easy to carry, yet functional off-duty handheld light, we will be taking a look at the Pelican 1910B. Last week I wrote about the Streamlight Microstream, which worked well enough to get out of most jams. Some commenters on the social media page turned their nose up to Microstream’s meager 35 lumen output. While puny compared to some of the 500 lumen beasts out there today, let me point out that not all that long ago we carried lights powered by D-cell batteries that didn’t put out much more light than that of the Microstream, and with a crappier beam.
But I did wonder if there was something brighter in a similarly sized package. My good buddy Dean Caputo turned me on to the new-ish Pelican 1910B, which isn’t much bigger than the Microstream, and is also powered by a single AAA battery. Pelican advertises that it has an 1 hour and 45 minute runtime with a light output of 72 lumens. I compared the beam of the 1910B vs the Microstream and it was certainly brighter with a more defined hot spot. The light output was similar to an incandescent Surefire 6P (rated at 60 lumens,) though it is hard to objectively compare the two with the naked eye due to the very different qualities of incandescent versus LED lights.
The Pelican 1910B (left) generates a manufacturer specified 72 lumens of light vs 35 lumens from the Streamlight Miscrostream (right). As you can see, the 1910B’s beam is brighter with a more defined hot spot. Pretty impressive for a tiny handheld powered by a single AAA battery.
Like the Microstream, the on/off switch is located on the tailcap. The Miscrostream features a click on/off switch, and the Pelican 1910B also has a click tailcap switch as well. The 1910 adds a low output setting that can be accessed by quickly tapping the tailcap twice. Pelican rates the low output beam at 14 lumens with a 4 hour runtime.
The 1910B is slightly larger than the Microstream and doesn’t have as sleek and clean an appearance. I also miss the two way clip of the Microstream, which allows the light to be clipped to the bill off a ball cap, but the extra light output is certainly welcome.
At about $35 street price, the 1910 is a bargain compared to much more expensive tactical lights. I will be buying a few more to have at home at work.
Have you tried the 5.11 plx tmt? 97 lumens and mine’s been very durable. It’s my low-pro light.
I might have to pick one of these up for my summer days shorts EDC.
$20.98 at BH Photo…just ordered it.
Thanks for posting this. This was the light I’ve been looking for.
-Sufficient lumens
-starts in high mode
-compact
-momentary+clicky
-and great price!
My thoughts, exactly. Cheap enough for me to buy a few and keep them as spares. Great stocking stuffers, too.
While not as skinny as the Pelican and Streamlight, the Elzetta Alpha is what I’ve been carrying off duty. Mine doesn’t have a belt clip, but I used some 550 cord and rigged it so that the light stays in the rear corner of my left front pocket. It’s more of a back up in case my WML goes down. It runs on a single c123 and puts out about 200 lumen. It’s about 2.5 inches long and about an inch in diameter.
I prefer Surefires overall, but have been using both a 5.11 stylus-type that runs on AAAs, and a little Streamlight that uses a single 123 for a while in plain clothes. Both work great and are very bright for their size.
I have always loved the Surefire brand since they were “Sure Fire by Laser Products.” But I believe they are marketing primarily to a customer base that doesn’t include me anymore. The 123 battery system is a bit bulky for me and there are lower profile options that put out decent light. The stylus type lights are a good compromise, but a single AAA battery flashlight is really the ultimate in low profile. Surefire has proven they can get 300 lumens out of a single AAA battery (the Titan Plus) but it is in a format that is useless for self-defense.
2 great AAA lights for EDC in professional or casual clothes are the Brite Strike EPLI and Thrunite Ti4. Around $60 and $30 respectively and over 200 lumens with multiple easy settings.