MicroStream Archives

I have quite a selection of folding knives that I use all the time for work – cutting open boxes, plastic pails, insulation, tubing, etc. It’s funny but I wind up rotating through them for one reason or another – it may be because one needs to be sharpened and is too dull (my ZT 0350 is that way right now) or because I just pick up the blade that is by my desk and drop it in my pocket as I head out to the shop. The same is true for whatever small light I am carrying. A while back, I posted about buying both a Kershaw Knockout and Streamlight Microstylus. I’m so happy with both that I figured an update was in order.

Kershaw Knockout

As mentioned, I did buy this blade some months back and posted about it For the last few months, my goto blade has been the Kershaw Knockout. It is a very decent medium sized pocket knife that has a 3.25″ blade made from Sandvik 142C28N steel. It is holding the edge remarkably well – I haven’t needed to sharpen it yet and am very impressed. Note, I use a Work Sharp Ken Onion edition sharpener to true up my blades and it can handle any steel.

The handle is very comfortable, The Knockout gets its name from the cut out in the handle where they rivet in the blade lock. It makes for a very easy to operate locking mechanism. I always like the flag they add to their American made knives also.

The blade is holding up great. You know, I don’t know the details behind the “Diamond Like Coating” – DLC – process but it is really impressive. I’ve beat my ZT 0350 half to death and that coating is holding up on that knife also. Also, you can see the Streamlight Microstream light.

The second reason is that it is remarkably light and thin. For its size, it really does not drag down my pocket. At the same time, the hande is big enough for me to get a firm grip to cut open plastic pails.

The third big reason is that it uses Kershaw’s “SpeedSafe” flipper mechanism for one handed opening. When I am working, being able to open the knife with only one hand is a huge benefit.

The Streamlight Microstream LED Light

I have bought a number of these little lights – my best guess is 6-8 of them. Simply put they hold up great and are at a very reasonable price especially given the quality. Here’s a blog post that I did after my initial purchase back in 201.

I have put at least four of them through the clotheswasher and as long as the base is on tight, they survive. If the base comes loose and water gets in then it is pretty much always game over.

This is a good photo both of the Knockout and the Microstream. The Microstream is 3.5″ long and has a diameter of about 0.6″.

What I can tell you is that I have never had one fail on me due to worksmanship. Dead battery, yes. The switch, body and LED have all held up just great.

I really like these lights because they are small, don’t weigh much, use regular AAA batteries and only cost $16.22 off Amazon. I should also point out that they produce 28 lumens of light and that little battery will last about 2-2.5 hours. I probably carry this light even more than I do a blade because it is just so handy and I can’t see as well as I used to.

In short, I am so happy with both that I wanted to post the update to you folks,

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I recently needed to find new small LED lights that had four key characteristics – reliable, acceptable brightness, decent battery life, and small size. Let me explain the reason for them:

Reliable – to be honest, a lot of the “miracle” lights that are advertised are total pieces of crap. Everything from poor switches, low quality soldering and, believe it or not, weak springs that break down with use and no longer make reliable contact with the battery. When I need a light, I need a light.
Acceptable Brightness – there is a trade-off between brightness and battery life. There always has been and always will be. Now LEDs have really helped push that envelope but even they have trade offs. For most use, you’d be surprised just how bright 45-100 lumens really is and the cheap lights are misrepresenting about what they put out anyways. Americans especially seem to think that brighter is better. Well, for me, I really need to figure out the balance. I’ve found that 45-100 lumens is pretty darned good for stuff within 100 feet. No scientific studies were done – I just walked outside and shined different lights around.
Decent battery life – I needed a light where the battery would give me at least two hours of light per battery set. This magical number is based on having easy access to replacement batteries. Out in the Styx, you may find decent priced AAA batteries but not CR123As for example.
Small Size – I need a flashlight that fits in my pocket and does not weigh a ton.

So, armed with this, I started digging around. I have no affiliation with Streamlight so when I tell you I like their stuff, I actually like their stuff. I have been using their TLR weapons lights for a number of years now and never had one fail. Armed with that, I started looking at their small lights and decided to get both the Microstream (single AAA battery) and the Stylus Pro (two AAA batteries) to try out.

Now the specs are pretty good for both. Look at the battery life relative to Lumens:

So, I installed the supplied Duracel AAA batteries and spent some time playing with both. The switches are solid, no rattles, and the light is pretty good. This is me running the lights side by side at a fence about 30 feet away. The Microstream did surprisingly well compared to the bigger light – it seems to be a tighter beam vs. more of a flood from the Stylus Pro. The Microstream is on the left and the Stylus Pro is on the right.

Bottom line, both seem like they will meet my needs. I’m going to carry the Microstream for regular use and the Stylus Pro when more light is needed for a longer time.

2/22/2018 Update: These lights have held up great. I even accidentally put one through the clothes washer without any problem -nothing happened to the finish and no water got inside! I actually have four of the little single battery Microstreams and they are pretty much my every day carry when working in the shop, travelling, etc.