Review of Streamlight Waypoint 300 Rechargeable Handheld Spotlight

Streamlight Waypoint 300 rechargeable handheld spotlight.
(Photo © Russ Chastain)

At the 2020 SHOT Show, I took a look at some cool spotlights from Streamlight and told you about them here. Since then, I’ve had the chance to try their Waypoint 300 Rechargeable 1,000 lumen spotlight, and I’ve been quite pleased with it. Here’s the skinny.

First off, here are the manufacturer specs for the Waypoint 300:

• Pistol-grip spotlight featuring a long-range targeting beam over 1000 meters
• Provides portability with durability and long runtime (3+ days on Low mode)
• IPX8 waterproof to 2 meters and it floats
• 1 meter impact resistance tested
• Unbreakable polycarbonate lens is O-ring sealed
• Trigger-style switch for momentary or click on/off
• Cushioned handle grip
• Adjustable high-strength wrist lanyard
• Integrated stand for hands-free scene lighting
• High: 1,000 lumens/270,000 candela/1039 meters
• Medium: 550 lumens/135,000 candela/735 meters
• Low: 35 lumens/10,000 candela/200 meters
• Runtime hours: 87 on low; 3.75 on high
• Battery Type: Lithium Ion
• Charge time: 4 hours
• LED charging indicator
• Length: 6.75 inches
• Height: 7 inches
• Weight: 24.30 ounces (mine weighs 25.7 ounces)
• Colors: Yellow, Black
• MSRP: $214.20

This light is flexible, powerful, and easy to use. Holding it by the pistol grip, pull and release the trigger to power it on. A three-position power switch can be operated with your thumb to select low, medium, or high power — and there’s a notable difference between them. For instance, if you wanted to provide area light inside a room or tent, you do NOT want it on high power — that’s way too bright. Low power will work fine for that and other close-quarters tasks.

You can prop the light or hang it to aim light where you need it. There are folding steel hanging eyes on the rear and top of the light, and the folding stand provides a good way to prop the light to shine up at an angle.

The choice of power levels makes the Waypoint 300 much more useful than your typical spotlight, which are usually far too bright for most flashlight chores. The compact size and weight also help in this regard.

There’s usually at least one thing to complain about with any product, and with the Waypoint 300 it’s the “peg” that covers the charging port. It does the job, but it’s not easy to grab & turn — a quarter-turn is required to remove or install it. I found removal to be easier than installation. I have pretty good hand strength but the “push and turn” motion required does cause me some pain. So keep that Leatherman handy, just in case.

This light has great balance and the handle is quite comfortable. It sits well in my hand and carries & aims easily and naturally.

The wall-mountable hanger that’s included blocks trigger access so you won’t accidentally turn on the light while it’s stowed, but I could see this hanger mounted horizontally to the deck of a boat or the roof of a UTV, to hold the light while it’s switched on. It would be one heck of an auxiliary headlight.

For charging, you’ll need a 120 volt AC wall plug (or a DC powered inverter) to plug in the included 44909 charger. You probably won’t need to charge it often; I found battery life to be quite long, and I don’t think I’ve had to charge it even a half-dozen times in the 7 months I’ve owned it.

To remove doubt about charging, the recessed LED status light shines red while charging and turns green when the battery is full.

The wrist lanyard is easy to use — and easy to remove from the light if you wish to do so.

Brightness on high power is really impressive. On a recent hog hunt, this became the camp’s choice for checking for game during the night. One guy took it out to the road to test its range, and we could clearly see objects a good quarter-mile away.

The rubberized front bezel for the light protects the lens when you set the light face-down on a table or shelf, and doesn’t mar the surface of the table. Any scratches on the lens are the products of my carelessness in tossing it into my truck with all my other junk.

The Streamlight Waypoint 300 is a light, handy, well-made, rugged little spotlight — and it’s the best spotlight I’ve ever owned. If you need a good quality, bright, durable, rechargeable spotlight I don’t think you’ll go wrong with this one.

Despite the $214 and change MSRP, I see it available online for a bit more than $100, which feels like a great price to me.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.