Description:
Runs on 3C cells.
5.5 to 6.5 hour runtime depending on type of cells used.
Polymer Body
Built in spring loaded Clip
Very Water Tight
Clickie Tail Switch

First Impressions:
The Streamlight 3C Luxeon has a very solid feel for a “plastic” light.
The Polymer body is very impact resistant, and seems to handle scratches nicely.
Very White LED
Good Beam shape, very few artifacts.

Size/Weight:
The 3C is a bit hefty, due to it using 3C cells,
but the Polymer body doesn’t weigh much at all empty.
Making it lighter than a 3C cell Mag for example.
The diameter is larger than a C Mag, but still small enough to be held easily.

Grip/Handling:
I found that the Polymer has fairly good grip for being a type of plastic.
Even with wet hands its not really that bad.
The large clip on the rear of the light can also provide grip, especially with gloves.
I have the older 10 5mm LED version, which has rubber on each side of the body, where the lettering is.
I wish they would have dont this with the Luxeon version also, it is alot more grippy.

Build Quality:
Streamlight has always made quality constructed lights.
They are one of my favorite manufactures of non metal lights.
Most all Streamlights are very water tight, and can be used for some shallow diving.
The Polymer seems to hold up to scratches fairly well for a non metal light.
The black lettering on the sides did come off rather easy though, but that doesn’t effect the lights performance.
I have noticed that even though a non metal light scratches easier, it actually holds up better then even HAIII coated metal lights.
Even HAIII coating can be scratched off by rocks etc,
the Polymer body, even though scratched, is the same color all the way through.
So the scratches are not very noticeable

Features:
The main features of the Streamlight 3C Luxeon are,
the large spring loaded clip on the side. This was great while caving, i could just clip it to the side of my coveralls,
or on the strap of my backpack.
There is also a large button clickie switch on the tail of the light.
It has a very solid click to it, and is large enough to easily be operated with gloves on.

Output:
My 3C read about 2400 Peak Lux at one meter.
This is not bad at all for a non metal light.
There is not much metal there to draw the heat away from the LED,
so the LED is not driven very hard.
Its a good balance of output to runtime,
when you consider it will run 5.5 to 6.5 hours, the output is rather impressive.

The beam is rather nice for such a smooth surfaced reflector.
There are little to no artifacts in the beam.
This is largely due to how deep the reflector is.

It is slightly low output for a light this size,
but when you consider the 5.5 to 6.5 hour runtimes, you tend to overlook that.

Runtime:
As stated above, the runtime of this light is one of its best features.
Not only will it run up to 6.5 hours, that is 6.5 hours of near max brightness.
The 3C has a regulated circuit in it, which maintains a constant brightness throughout the entire runtime.
There is no dimming as time goes on, after it drops from regulation you have 1 to 2 hours of dim light.

Heat Issues:
I did not notice any major buildup of heat during my tests.
The reflector is also metal, and I think Streamlight designed the reflector/led/circuit module to spread heat into the reflector.
The head would get slightly warm after about an hour, but stabilized.
I see no problem leaving this light on, unattended laying on a table, etc.

Pros:
Good Runtime, with Excellent Regulation.
Very water Tight.
Built on Clip
Clickie Tail Switch

Cons:
Unable to stand on tail.

Conclusion:
The Streamlight 3C Luxeon has become one of my favorite lights.
It is now my primary handheld light for caving.
The fact that it is very water tight, has great runtime, and handles scratches well,
makes it the ideal caving light.
I am seriously thinking of getting the 4AA version also.

Note: Lanyard Not Included