Will a moderator please move this thread into "Reviews"... Thanks.
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Well, my brand new T1 has just arrived, and I couldn't help but take a few minutes to write up my initial impressions.
Build quality
Excellent!
I have never handled a Surefire... but when I picked up the T1, it felt so solid that I am sure one could put a nail into the wall with its massive head. The P2D, as much as I love to EDC it, always struck me as feeling kinda flimsy (I know it's not)... and I just had a gut fear of dropping it, and seeing it shatter (yes, I know it won't). The T1 gives the opposite impression. It feels like it would deflect a 9mm FMJ round (will somebody please, please try that : )
The knurling on the body is very pleasant - fine enough not to feel rough, but certainly deep enough to add plenty of grip, even with gloves.
Tailcap switch
Smooth, very easy to operate... surprisingly easy, given that its obstructed by the 3 prongs. It's still usable with gloves on... but I can imagine that someone with really big fingers might have a problem.
The switch needs to be pressed about 3-4mm in order to engage the momentary on, and another 3mm or so in order for the switch to click on.
Bezel switch
It was initially very tight, and required a few turns in order to become smooth. Still requires a little bit of care to switch between General and Turbo modes, though... and definitely needs 2 hands for that.
The pocket clip is part of the head assembly, and does scratch the knurling on the body slightly when twisting the head, but only a slight turn is needed to switch modes, and I think the anodizing should be able to handle the scratch. It does, however, produce a slight click when switching modes, because the pocket clip clicks over 1 or 2 elements of the knurling.
Bezel/head/lens
Excellent quality. Very heavy, providing a nice balance for the light. Looks absolutely indestructible. The anti-reflective coating on the lens is very good.
Performance
Well, here we get to the part we've all been waiting for. I do not have a lux meter, so comparisons with my existing lights will have to suffice.
The contenders are:
1. Fenix T1
2. Fenix L2D-CE P4
3. Fenix P2D-R100
Setup:
T1 (left) + contender (right) - 1 meter
T1 versus L2D-CE P4
T1 versus L2D-CE P4 (underexposed)
T1 versus P2D-R100
T1 versus P2D-R100 (underexposed)
T1 (low) versus P2D-R100
T1 (low) versus P2D-R100 (medium)
Brightness impressions
The hotspot seems at least 2X brighter than the L2D-CE P4 (smooth reflector). The corona is slightly brighter than the P2D-R100. The divergence of the corona is the same as L2D-CE, and the hotspot size is about the same as well. I think it will easily out-throw its smaller cousins.
--- more to come soon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, my brand new T1 has just arrived, and I couldn't help but take a few minutes to write up my initial impressions.
Build quality
Excellent!
I have never handled a Surefire... but when I picked up the T1, it felt so solid that I am sure one could put a nail into the wall with its massive head. The P2D, as much as I love to EDC it, always struck me as feeling kinda flimsy (I know it's not)... and I just had a gut fear of dropping it, and seeing it shatter (yes, I know it won't). The T1 gives the opposite impression. It feels like it would deflect a 9mm FMJ round (will somebody please, please try that : )
The knurling on the body is very pleasant - fine enough not to feel rough, but certainly deep enough to add plenty of grip, even with gloves.
Tailcap switch
Smooth, very easy to operate... surprisingly easy, given that its obstructed by the 3 prongs. It's still usable with gloves on... but I can imagine that someone with really big fingers might have a problem.
The switch needs to be pressed about 3-4mm in order to engage the momentary on, and another 3mm or so in order for the switch to click on.
Bezel switch
It was initially very tight, and required a few turns in order to become smooth. Still requires a little bit of care to switch between General and Turbo modes, though... and definitely needs 2 hands for that.
The pocket clip is part of the head assembly, and does scratch the knurling on the body slightly when twisting the head, but only a slight turn is needed to switch modes, and I think the anodizing should be able to handle the scratch. It does, however, produce a slight click when switching modes, because the pocket clip clicks over 1 or 2 elements of the knurling.
Bezel/head/lens
Excellent quality. Very heavy, providing a nice balance for the light. Looks absolutely indestructible. The anti-reflective coating on the lens is very good.
Performance
Well, here we get to the part we've all been waiting for. I do not have a lux meter, so comparisons with my existing lights will have to suffice.
The contenders are:
1. Fenix T1
2. Fenix L2D-CE P4
3. Fenix P2D-R100
Setup:
T1 (left) + contender (right) - 1 meter
T1 versus L2D-CE P4
T1 versus L2D-CE P4 (underexposed)
T1 versus P2D-R100
T1 versus P2D-R100 (underexposed)
T1 (low) versus P2D-R100
T1 (low) versus P2D-R100 (medium)
Brightness impressions
The hotspot seems at least 2X brighter than the L2D-CE P4 (smooth reflector). The corona is slightly brighter than the P2D-R100. The divergence of the corona is the same as L2D-CE, and the hotspot size is about the same as well. I think it will easily out-throw its smaller cousins.
--- more to come soon.
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