The Streamlight Wedge is a purpose-built EDC light with either 300 or 1000-lumen output, and one simple intuitive switch. It has an aluminum body and is available in black or coyote.
July 21, 2021
By James Tarr
Streamlight has a new flashlight intended specifically for everyday carry—the Wedge. I’ve been carrying a Surefire Stiletto—their dedicated EDC light—every day for over a year now, and have reviewed it in these pages, and wanted to try out Streamlight’s take on the tool. The Wedge is available in black and coyote tan, and I obtained a sample of the latter for testing. As I write this I’ve been carrying it every day for a month or so, and if you look close at the accompanying photos you can see the pocket lint in its crannies.
The Wedge is non-traditional in appearance and construction. It’s honestly built like an Out The Front (OTF) switchblade, which means the knife-shaped Streamlight Wedge should be called the Stiletto, and the wedge-shaped Surefire Stiletto should be called the Wedge. But I digress. The Wedge has an anodized aluminum body. It is 5.46-inches long, an inch wide, and about 5/8 inch thick, not including the pocket clip, which can be switched from one side to the other. Total weight is 3.3 ounces.
The battery is internal, and charged through a USB-C port at the end of the unit. There is an indicator light visible through the polymer activator switch which tells you the status of your battery (green is good, red is bad). The charging port doesn’t have a cover, but is supposed to be waterproof. The flashlight has an IPX7 waterproof rating, which means it is submersible to 1 meter.
The rotating switch has three settings—Off, as seen here, On, for 300 lumens, and push and hold all the way forward for 35 seconds at 1000 lumens. You’ll see that the body of the Wedge is smooth. There are serrations on one side of the body, opposite the switch, along with two wide grooves, to help keep it in your grasp. In shape it reminds me of a rectangular carpenter’s pencil, but fatter. The pocket clip is located at the very end of the body, and when it’s stuffed in your pocket nobody will be able to tell what it is.
Advertisement
That rotating switch has three positions—Off, click On for 300 lumens, and then you can push it forward for 1000 lumens in the THRO (Temporarily Heightened Regulated Output) setting. The switch won’t stay in the THRO position, you have to hold it there with your thumb. Battery life is an advertised three hours at 300 lumens. Battery life isn’t listed for the 1000-lumen THRO setting, and it will automatically dim down to 300 lumens after 35 seconds. It uses a lithium polymer battery with a 3-hour charge time. To compare, the Surefire Stiletto has more features, but at its brightest setting only throws 650 lumens. The beam is very wide, nearly ninety degrees, with a brighter center. At six feet distance, that brighter center is two feet across.
The rotating switch is on one side and is most easily worked with a thumb. In fact, there’s no real way to work the switch using an “icepick” hold, your thumb will need to be pointed forward to activate the light. You can turn the light on and then rotate it in your hand and hold it like an icepick, you just won’t be able to work the switch holding it like that—something to think about if you’re planning on running it in conjunction with a handgun.
The Surefire Stiletto (left) is wedge-shaped, and the Streamlight Wedge (right) is stiletto-shaped. After carrying and using this light for several weeks I’ve made a few observations: Brightness, battery life, and toughness are exactly as advertised. I’ve dropped it a few times, with no ill results. It’s an oddly-shaped light, but the controls are as simple as simple gets. I almost wish it was shorter—yes, it fits just fine in a normal pocket…when you’re standing. When you sit down it wants to push out. I tend to keep it in a cargo pocket, where its length isn’t an issue, and it doesn’t bang against my folding knife or holster. I do wish there was another, lower brightness setting, as sometimes 300 lumens is usually more than you need for those daily mundane chores which account for 99% of the things you’ll use your EDC light for. And I wish there was a “constant on” setting for the 1000 lumens.
Advertisement
Overall, I think of the Wedge as a very interesting “general use” EDC light which is everything it is advertised to be. In a pinch, it can be employed in conjunction with a handgun in a “tactical” environment, but that isn’t a role in which it shines, or for which it was designed. MSRP is $149.95, although I’m seeing it online for substantially less than that.
If you have any thoughts or comments on this article, we’d love to hear them. Email us at FirearmsNews@Outdoorsg.com .
About the Author: James Tarr is a former police officer and private investigator, and is a nationally ranked competitive shooter. He has been writing professionally for 20 years, both magazine articles and books.
