I have a Streamlight TLR-1s that works quite well for my intended purpose, which is home defense. I don't plan to ever use its strobe function, by the way, but at the time it was a bit brighter than the TLR-1 (which has now been updated) and cost just a few bucks more--for our purposes here, it's effectively a TLR-1. I've also seen the SureFire X300 in action and had researched it when looking for pistol-mounted lights, so perhaps I can draw a few rough comparisons for you.
Both of these weapon-lights will run about 2 hours on regulation (with additional run time at reduced brightness), both run on two CR123A lithium cells, both put out approximately the same amount of light, and they're about the same size, so they're fairly comparable. The X300 costs more, which may be a consideration, although it wasn't a deciding factor for me. The main points of comparison are: beam pattern, user interface, and mounting system.
The TLR-1 has a "classic" flashlight beam that consists of a narrow "hotspot" in the middle that concentrates much of the total light output and a wider, dimmer "spill" area that the rest of the light goes into for peripheral illumination. Its hotspot is pretty tight and bright, which gives it good "throw" (lights things up well at a distance) and its spill is also relatively narrow and bright at a little over 50 degrees; in addition, at its edges the hotspot blends somewhat into the spill. The deep reflector doesn't allow much light beyond this spill, so the effect is somewhat on the directional side overall in comparison with typical flashlights.
The X300, for all of its basic similarities, has a very different beam pattern--its hotspot is significantly wider but not quite as bright, and its spill is very wide but fairly dim; in addition, the hotspot has a more sharply-defined edge than that of the TLR-1. While this description may make it seem as though the X300's beam is simply broader in every way, the overall effect, at least to my eyes, is ironically a more narrow focus because so much of the light proportionally goes into the hotspot (overwhelming the spill), whereas the entire beam of the TLR-1 (including its brighter spill) effectively lights up an intermediately broad area. Perhaps my impression would have been different under different conditions--which is why I hope that others who have more experience with the X300 or both lights will comment--but the bottom line is that both accomplish the same basic task in different ways with regard to their beams. Some folks much prefer the X300's beam pattern, while others (including me) are more comfortable with the TLR-1's more traditional beam pattern.
The user interfaces of the two lights are also different. They both have momentary-on and always-on modes (along with off, of course), but the TLR-1 defines momentary-on as a counterclockwise rotation and always-on as a clockwise rotation, while the X300 defines momentary-on as a forward push and always-on as either up or down (doesn't matter which--both directions are always-on). Most folks appear to prefer the X300's user interface--some love the momentary-on function, while others aren't so fond of it. Personally, either works for me, although I found the X300's harder to use, while others can't seem to wrap their heads around the TLR-1's rotating switch. Additionally, for some folks the X300's "DG" switch option, which places a momentary-on pressure pad on the grip of the gun where the middle finger goes, is an absolutely compelling "killer app" that seals the deal for them, while others don't particularly care for this type of switch (personally, I despise anything that affects my grip, including switches and grip safeties). The TLR-1 currently does not have such a switch, although Streamlight has apparently been working on them--I know of one source for these switches, but since they don't seem to be officially available yet (perhaps for legal reasons?), I'll just say that this feature is currently exclusive to SureFire handgun-mounted lights.
The lights mount in very different ways, as well, with the X300's method better suited for quickly swapping between weapons. The TLR-1's method--when properly used--seems more secure (absolutely cannot budge the light even a tiny bit) but takes longer to install and remove, and may require the use of a tool (a penny works fine). When improperly used, which many people appear to be guilty of
, it is not secure, which has resulted in a number of complaints of the light flying off while shooting.
If you properly tighten it up, however, it won't go anywhere unless the rail comes along with it.
This semi-permanent mounting works fine for me because it will only be used on a single handgun, but obviously others may have different requirements.
One additional and very minor consideration is the tint of the beam, which may be a factor for some people, so I thought I'd mention it. Keeping in mind that LED beam tints can vary considerably from unit to unit, it seems that the TLR-1's tint is consistently whiter as opposed to slightly bluish or greenish, which you'll find in many modern "cool white" flashlights. The Rebel emitter it currently uses is very nice in this regard.
I like the idea of the Streamlight TLR-3 and Botach Tactical has them at the lowest price i have seen anywhere.
The TLR-3 has about half the overall brightness of the others, although it certainly is bright enough to use effectively as a handgun-mounted light. Unfortunately, it also has about half the regulated run time, due to its use of a single, smaller CR2 cell. Its compact size is ideal for concealed carry weapons, but you'd definitely be compromising on some capabilities and it doesn't seem to be as sturdy, either.
Not many people truly require more than 90 lumens for an hour, though, so while it's not quite suitable for a duty weapon (for which size and cost are less important and durability is more important), I can see why it's so popular.
