Streamlight TLR-8 A G Flex Tactical Reviews, Deals, Problems and Guides

Background on purchase: My eyes can no longer focus on the iron sights. Needing help, I weighed the purchase of a light/laser vs. a red-dot sight, settling on the Streamlight TLR8-AG Flex.

Why Light/Laser Combo vs Red-Dot?: I decided on the light/laser combo for 4 reasons: 1) The slide on my Walther PPQ M2 isn't milled for an optical sight, and the expense of milling plus purchase of a red-dot was almost the purchase price of the gun. 2) While red-dot sights are superior to lasers, they take about 8-10 hours of training to use effectively. That's time and money I don't have. 3) I went with the green laser because green lasers are easily seen in the daytime. 4) Having a flashlight on the front of the gun is practical in a night-time home-defense situation; I don't like the idea of "shooting into the dark" hoping I hit my target....and not shooting thru my wall and into my neighbor's home.

Why the TLR-8AG Flex?: 1) I went with the Flex vs. the standard TLR-8G because dropping your index finger down to cycle the light/laser keeps your hands on the gun with the proper hold. The side-press buttons on the standard TLR-8 require you to break your hold to cycle...wasted seconds in a home-defense situation. 2) I wanted a Made-in-USA light/laser. OLight and many others are made in China, and I refuse to support a communist government and it's back-channel financial support to undermine our country.

Impressions: When I first received it, my first impression was I over-paid: Its tiny size compared to its expense left me feeling disappointed in myself. That said, I warmed up to it after I mounted it.

What I like: A) It comes with multiple pic-rail adapters, so it should fit just about any gun. B) It mounts to your pic-rail quickly. C) Its small size is just perfect for the gun, keeping it in balance. No long attachment hanging out past the barrel. D) The laser and light work extremely well, with the 500 Lumen LED light really lighting up a dark room. If you're on the receiving end of the light, it's quite blinding. E) The green laser is nice and bright with a heck of a range...and yes it works well outdoors during the day. F) By cycling the buttons, you can quickly switch between light only, laser only or both on at the same time. G) You can change the battery on it WITHOUT having to remove it from the gun....a nice touch.


What I didn't like: A) You have to really tighten the mounting side screw HARD (almost too hard) to get the extremely tiny lock-washer on. Even though they give you a little tool to help you get it on, it's tricky to get on; big hands beware! I understand why its that way - Streamlight wanted that screw as flush as possible so you can holster without snagging. Still...it's a pain to get that washer on. This might be worth a re-design (anyone at Streamlight reading this?) B) Aligning the laser isn't difficult, but it takes a little patience. You are given a small allen wrench to align up/down and side-to-side. I used a red bore-laser to help align the green laser. The set-screws are hard to turn, but that's so they don't mis-align during firing. I found aligning the side-to-side pretty easy. It was the up/down screw that presented a challenge - its at an angle and recessed into the light so it's hard to get the allen wrench in properly. Get a head mounted flash-light or a bright light to shine on that screw so you can see it.


I haven't shot with it yet (hence the 3.5 stars), but hope to do so soon. I'll update this review with my live-fire impressions after that.

fits nice, think it will work very well..
seller was lowest price and quick on getting me my order. always looking for ways to avoid amazon if possible.

Well made, easy to install, and reasonably priced.