Don Ellis
03-05-2009, 11:17 PM
To call this a review might suggest I know what I’m talking about, so let me just offer some impressions…
Despite all the other flashlight threads, I thought this fairly new flashlight (torch to my British friends) deserved its own – simply to put it in front of people who were considering a new flashlight in the near future.
http://www.kleptography.com/dl/spyderco/fenix_kopa640.jpg
Background
Like a lot of people, my first good flashlight was a Maglite. I chose the C-cell size for its grip and I have 2-, 3- and 4-battery versions placed around the house. But once I discovered SureFires a few years ago, the Maglites became more clubs than lights.
My favourite SureFires use 2 CR123 batteries – I think one is the Executive and the other two are CombatLights (don’t quote me). I swapped out their bulbs for the high-intensity ones that gave me twice the light – for 20 minutes, rather than 60 minutes. When I bought them, they were great. I thought I could signal the moon. Suitably equipped, I promptly forgot about flashlights.
Present Day
One of the pleasures of ignoring flashlights for so many years is that the new technology comes as a revelation. Earlier this week, I decided I had to have a new flashlight and dropped in at my Spyderco dealer’s. He suggested a Fenix (having lost the SureFire dealership for some reason) and I took a look at a variety of models – finally deciding on the single-battery (CR123) PD20.
In the shop, and from memory, it appeared to be as bright as the lights I’m using, so I bought it. I asked about extra bulbs and he laughed and said I didn’t need one – it was an LED rated for 50,000 hours. I own an LED with about a dozen LEDs that I bought for about US$10 for reading in the back of taxis at night – so the idea of a single LED and one battery performing as well as my high-powered, two-battery SureFires was astonishing.
Casual Test
I took it home that night, put new CR123s in my SureFires and tested them against the Fenix PD20 in the dark. The Fenix was noticeably brighter – and just as important, whiter. And there are other benefits: The Fenix is 56 grams versus 144 grams for the SureFire. It’s much smaller. And at US$60, it is half the price I paid for the SureFires.
Features
The Fenix PD20 has six positions at two levels of brightness. The Turbo mode has a high beam and a high flashing beam. The Low mode has Low, Medium, High and High Flashing – and the Low High is about half as bright as the Turbo High (94 versus 180 lumens).
Personally, I will use the Turbo Beam nearly all of the time. At this setting, the life of the single battery is one hour – three times what my SureFires are with two of the same battery. (A note here for non-flashlight people: You would be amazed how long even 20 minutes lasts. Very few people turn a flashlight on and leave it on… it’s most often used in spurts.) Of course, there’s always the longer-lasting Lowest setting if you want to use it for your candlelit dinner. Set it on the table and point it up. Run times at various settings are in the specifications at this end of this message.
There are two slots for a lanyard or quick-release or whatever or Hello Kitty dangly-bit. These two slotted shoulders also offer some protection from accidentally turning it on in your pocket. And I like the idea of a single battery -- less to fumble with and drop when you're really in the dark and replacing a dead one.
Utility
The Turbo Beam throws a beautifully circular pattern with a bright centre and a smooth, concentric aura. The lowest beam is comfortable for reading. The strobe functions might possibly be useful someday – on Turbo mode, touching the on/off button lightly switches back and forth between steady/strobe beams, both on high. The flashlight is “waterproof to IPX-8 standard” which has conflicting definitions in my brief research – figure that you can drop it in water and leave it for awhile, but don’t take it diving.
Uses
As I said, Turbo Beam is my preference. But I’ve had great luck in Hong Kong attracting the attention of taxi drivers parked at a distance by “blinking” them with the strobe setting. Just make sure you use it on parked taxis and sweep it across the vehicle rather than directing it at them. Works wonders. Ah, yes, here he is now…
SureFire Disclaimer
My SureFires are many years old and I have no doubt that the newer ones are much better than the ones I own. They are also more of a handful, if that appeals to you. And they’re heavier, in case you’re throwing them at someone. Also, mine have a nice feature missing on the Fenix – you can lightly depress the button on the back with your thumb and the light goes on; take your thumb off and it goes off – then you fully depress to keep it on. On the Fenix, you must completely depress the button to get it on at all, and completely depress it to turn it off.
Also, the SureFires are better suited for thumb operation simply because of their size and there’s not a guard around the thumb button. The Fenix is tiny – but ultimately I like that. You need to have a flashlight with you for it to be of any use and the PD20 is so small and light that you can drop it in a suit coat pocket and not notice it. With my SureFire, there’s a big bulge and I list to the right.
Impressionistic Conclusion
If you’re shopping for a flashlight/torch and are willing to consider one in the US$60 range, definitely take a look at the Fenix PD20. I’m glad I did and I will be picking up another.
Fenix PD20 Specifications
Cree Premium Q5 LED with a life of 50,000 hours
2 modes with 6 types of output…
General mode - 9 lumens (35 hours) - 47 lumens (6.5 hours) - 94 lumens (2.6 hours) - SOS signaling.
Turbo mode - 180 lumens constant (1 hour) - strobe.
Digitally regulated output maintains constant brightness
Uses one CR123A Lithium Battery
83mm (length) by 21.5mm diameter
Made from T6 - aircraft grade aluminium
Premium durable type 111 hard anodized anti abrasive finish
39 gram weight (56 grams with battery)
Waterproof to IPX-8 standard
Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating
Push button tailcap switch
Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to use as a candle
Included accessories: Holster, lanyard, two spare O-rings and a rubber switch boot
Cheers,
Don
P.S. Here's a larger photo. (http://www.kleptography.com/dl/spyderco/fenix_kopa1024.jpg)
P.P.S. And in an attempt to give SureFire their due, I thought I would check out their LED offerings (http://www.surefire.com/Flashlights#battery-led). None of them comes close to the stated 180 lumens of the Fenix PD20 and all are much more expensive. Again, they have ergonomics going for them, but for size and brightness and price, I would choose the Fenix again and am happier than ever with my choice.
Despite all the other flashlight threads, I thought this fairly new flashlight (torch to my British friends) deserved its own – simply to put it in front of people who were considering a new flashlight in the near future.
http://www.kleptography.com/dl/spyderco/fenix_kopa640.jpg
Background
Like a lot of people, my first good flashlight was a Maglite. I chose the C-cell size for its grip and I have 2-, 3- and 4-battery versions placed around the house. But once I discovered SureFires a few years ago, the Maglites became more clubs than lights.
My favourite SureFires use 2 CR123 batteries – I think one is the Executive and the other two are CombatLights (don’t quote me). I swapped out their bulbs for the high-intensity ones that gave me twice the light – for 20 minutes, rather than 60 minutes. When I bought them, they were great. I thought I could signal the moon. Suitably equipped, I promptly forgot about flashlights.
Present Day
One of the pleasures of ignoring flashlights for so many years is that the new technology comes as a revelation. Earlier this week, I decided I had to have a new flashlight and dropped in at my Spyderco dealer’s. He suggested a Fenix (having lost the SureFire dealership for some reason) and I took a look at a variety of models – finally deciding on the single-battery (CR123) PD20.
In the shop, and from memory, it appeared to be as bright as the lights I’m using, so I bought it. I asked about extra bulbs and he laughed and said I didn’t need one – it was an LED rated for 50,000 hours. I own an LED with about a dozen LEDs that I bought for about US$10 for reading in the back of taxis at night – so the idea of a single LED and one battery performing as well as my high-powered, two-battery SureFires was astonishing.
Casual Test
I took it home that night, put new CR123s in my SureFires and tested them against the Fenix PD20 in the dark. The Fenix was noticeably brighter – and just as important, whiter. And there are other benefits: The Fenix is 56 grams versus 144 grams for the SureFire. It’s much smaller. And at US$60, it is half the price I paid for the SureFires.
Features
The Fenix PD20 has six positions at two levels of brightness. The Turbo mode has a high beam and a high flashing beam. The Low mode has Low, Medium, High and High Flashing – and the Low High is about half as bright as the Turbo High (94 versus 180 lumens).
Personally, I will use the Turbo Beam nearly all of the time. At this setting, the life of the single battery is one hour – three times what my SureFires are with two of the same battery. (A note here for non-flashlight people: You would be amazed how long even 20 minutes lasts. Very few people turn a flashlight on and leave it on… it’s most often used in spurts.) Of course, there’s always the longer-lasting Lowest setting if you want to use it for your candlelit dinner. Set it on the table and point it up. Run times at various settings are in the specifications at this end of this message.
There are two slots for a lanyard or quick-release or whatever or Hello Kitty dangly-bit. These two slotted shoulders also offer some protection from accidentally turning it on in your pocket. And I like the idea of a single battery -- less to fumble with and drop when you're really in the dark and replacing a dead one.
Utility
The Turbo Beam throws a beautifully circular pattern with a bright centre and a smooth, concentric aura. The lowest beam is comfortable for reading. The strobe functions might possibly be useful someday – on Turbo mode, touching the on/off button lightly switches back and forth between steady/strobe beams, both on high. The flashlight is “waterproof to IPX-8 standard” which has conflicting definitions in my brief research – figure that you can drop it in water and leave it for awhile, but don’t take it diving.
Uses
As I said, Turbo Beam is my preference. But I’ve had great luck in Hong Kong attracting the attention of taxi drivers parked at a distance by “blinking” them with the strobe setting. Just make sure you use it on parked taxis and sweep it across the vehicle rather than directing it at them. Works wonders. Ah, yes, here he is now…
SureFire Disclaimer
My SureFires are many years old and I have no doubt that the newer ones are much better than the ones I own. They are also more of a handful, if that appeals to you. And they’re heavier, in case you’re throwing them at someone. Also, mine have a nice feature missing on the Fenix – you can lightly depress the button on the back with your thumb and the light goes on; take your thumb off and it goes off – then you fully depress to keep it on. On the Fenix, you must completely depress the button to get it on at all, and completely depress it to turn it off.
Also, the SureFires are better suited for thumb operation simply because of their size and there’s not a guard around the thumb button. The Fenix is tiny – but ultimately I like that. You need to have a flashlight with you for it to be of any use and the PD20 is so small and light that you can drop it in a suit coat pocket and not notice it. With my SureFire, there’s a big bulge and I list to the right.
Impressionistic Conclusion
If you’re shopping for a flashlight/torch and are willing to consider one in the US$60 range, definitely take a look at the Fenix PD20. I’m glad I did and I will be picking up another.
Fenix PD20 Specifications
Cree Premium Q5 LED with a life of 50,000 hours
2 modes with 6 types of output…
General mode - 9 lumens (35 hours) - 47 lumens (6.5 hours) - 94 lumens (2.6 hours) - SOS signaling.
Turbo mode - 180 lumens constant (1 hour) - strobe.
Digitally regulated output maintains constant brightness
Uses one CR123A Lithium Battery
83mm (length) by 21.5mm diameter
Made from T6 - aircraft grade aluminium
Premium durable type 111 hard anodized anti abrasive finish
39 gram weight (56 grams with battery)
Waterproof to IPX-8 standard
Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating
Push button tailcap switch
Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to use as a candle
Included accessories: Holster, lanyard, two spare O-rings and a rubber switch boot
Cheers,
Don
P.S. Here's a larger photo. (http://www.kleptography.com/dl/spyderco/fenix_kopa1024.jpg)
P.P.S. And in an attempt to give SureFire their due, I thought I would check out their LED offerings (http://www.surefire.com/Flashlights#battery-led). None of them comes close to the stated 180 lumens of the Fenix PD20 and all are much more expensive. Again, they have ergonomics going for them, but for size and brightness and price, I would choose the Fenix again and am happier than ever with my choice.