Mini Powerhouse? Meet the Compact Streamlight TLR-8G Sub Weapon Mounted Laser/Light

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Introduction to the Streamlight TLR-8G Sub

In the modern era, I believe all defensive handguns should be equipped with a weapon-mounted light, or WML for short. On average, half of each 24-hour day is dark. You can’t shoot what you can’t see, and identification can literally make the difference between life and death. Each year, more weapon-mounted lights enter the market, giving consumers more options to meet varying needs.

Streamlight has built a solid reputation as being innovative and reliable while providing most of its products at very competitive rates. One of the newest options coming from Streamlight is the TLR-8G Sub which I have been testing for the past few months. 

Specifications of the Streamlight TLR-8G Sub

Lumens: 500

Run Time: 1.50 hours

Beam Distance: 141 meters

Battery Type: CR123A Lithium

Battery Quantity: 1

Length: 2.51 inches (6.38 centimeters)

Weight: 2.77 ounces (78.53 grams)

Colors: Black

Testing

When looking for a weapon light, the main features I look for are durability, lumens, and size. The Streamlight TLR-8G Sub provides a very useful 500 lumens in a compact package. It also incorporates a green laser on the bottom of the body which sticks out just slightly further than the bottom of the TLR-7 sub which is the non-laser version of this WML. The “G” in the name stands for the green laser it features, which was surprisingly bright using a 510-530nm beam.

While the laser isn’t what I would call daylight bright, it works great in any lowlight situation. The light pushes out 500 lumens and 5,000 candela. Streamlight states this WML has a beam distance of 141 meters which seems slightly generous when considering useable illumination, but it is still quite impressive. While all these numbers can be hard to quantify on paper, in person it looks good. Wanting to see how it stacked up to some of the other weapon lights I had, I shined them at a brick wall about 15 yards to see the beam patterns which can be seen in the picture below:

Lights used:

Streamlight TLR-8 G: 500 Lumens

Streamlight TLR-1 HL: 1,000 Lumens

Streamlight TLR-10 G: 1,000 Lumens

Modlite OKW: 680 Lumens

Valhalla Tactical DF Mod1: 1,600 Lumens

Streamlight Protac HL-X: 1,000 Lumens

Each of the lights used in the comparison have slightly different beam patterns. The bottom three lights in the picture are made for carbine setups, while the top three are made to be pistol-mounted. The center hotspot on the TLR-8G Sub punches out more than far enough to confidently shoot with a pistol and shines even further to help identify objects further out. While the center hotspot punches out, the spill is very wide to give a great illuminated field of view for anything up close and downrange from the light.   

Shooting a few hundred rounds with this light/laser combo, it held up great. The light never even flickered when firing and the laser held the zero it was tuned to. The one issue I found was that the frame for the Sig P365-380 flexes depending on the grip I was using. Any pressure put on the trigger guard would change the laser’s location. I believe the laser held zero just fine, but small polymer frames used on most subcompact pistols are not the best hosts for holding rock-solid zeros for lasers. The shift I got was a few inches at 10 yards which isn’t ideal but still definitely more than adequate for getting center-mass hits. 

Streamlight utilizes a two-sided switch for operating the light. It features ambidextrous tabs that can be used for momentary, or constant light output. Clicking the switch will activate constant light/laser output while pressing and holding the button enables momentary usage as the light will turn off as soon as the button is released. This switch is easy to activate for left and right-handed shooters alike with either their dominant or weak hand. Streamlight includes two different switches, but the ones that come pre-installed work great for me. Windage and elevation adjustments are easy to make and require an Allen wrench. When paired with a red dot, or iron sights, simply adjust until the laser is aligned with the sights, or slightly below if a parallel zero is preferred.

A cool feature is the ability to turn on just the light, just the laser, or the combo with both the light and laser on at the same time. Simply hold one side down, and then press the other side to toggle through the different modes. Strobe mode is also available but is turned off from the factory. To enable this mode, simply press one of the buttons very rapidly 9 times and hold down on the 10th button press for a second until the strobing turns off which indicates reprogramming was successful. The same procedure can be followed to disable strobe mode, but once it is enabled just double-tap one of the buttons and the light will start strobing.

Durability

I had no issues with the durability of the TLR-8G Sub, and it held up great for the few hundred rounds I used during my review when paired with the Sig P365-380. This WML is made from 6000 series aluminum and IPX4 rated to be spray-proof, but not submersible. This means it should hold up fine in the rain, but should not be held underwater for any period of time. It is also rated to operate from -40°F to +120°F. While I never tried to use it outside past 80°F, I did stick it in a freezer set to 10°F for 1 hour, and the light turned on immediately without any noticeably degraded performance. The light and laser looked to have the same output, and the constant/momentary switches worked without issue. 

Variants

Streamlight offers the TLR-8G Sub in four different varieties to fit Glock 43/48, Sig P365, Springfield Hellcats, or 1913 short-railed subcompact handguns. Each features a specialized clamping system to best fit the host firearms rail, and I received the Sig Sauer model for the P365. Sadly these are not interchangeable due to such wide variations in front rails on subcompact pistols. 

Battery Life

This weapon-mounted light runs off of a single CR123A battery and has a run time of around 1.5 hours with or without the laser activated. When just the laser is turned on, the battery will last for 11 hours. While the battery life is less in more frigid environments, it’s pretty much on par with all other WML’s in the industry.

The battery can be removed by unscrewing the head of the light. This helps retain the laser’s zero while making battery changes quick and easy. Due to this feature, Streamlight also incorporated a lockout mode which I really appreciate. To avoid an accidental light activation, simply turn the head about a quarter turn counterclockwise to deactivate the light. Then whenever it is needed, simply tighten the head back down by turning it a quarter turn back clockwise. 

During my two months with this light, I didn’t notice any real battery drainage when not using the light. Some flashlights slowly drain the batteries when the light is not even in use, but the TLR-8G Sub doesn’t seem to have this issue.

Conclusion

For the size, this light has impressive illumination abilities. The beam pattern provides a wide field of view with all the throw needed for shooting with a pistol. The green laser is a nice touch that can help with quickly aiming especially in non-ideal shooting stances. The switch is pretty standard across multiple of Streamlight’s other WML’s, but it works great and is easy to activate. The Streamlight TLR-8G Sub has a current MSRP of $389 but can be found for around $290. Feeling durable, and backed by Streamlight’s Limited Lifetime Warranty, this is a solid option providing good illumination and a bright laser in a very compact package. 

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