Fenix TK20: Is the Hype in the Light?

[22hornet]

Hello,

I received my TK20 the day before yesterday. It's all very nice but the rubber schroud really is a pita. I hope Fenix will make the next batch without this rubber :shakehead.
This, however, should not hold you back (use some glue) as the light itself is a marvel .

Kind regards,
Joris

 

[squaat]

Just received a TK20 that I've bought for an outdoorsy camping friend. So naturally I needed to test out the light first :naughty:

All I can say is wow. It out throws my 2D Mag with a terralux drop in bulb. (I'll be upgrading that to a 6AA soonish) Not sure it is truly out throwing it, or if it just appears to be out throwing it, as the natural tint make the details of far away objects much much clearer. However from my eyes it seems to light up objects better and at a further distance than my Mag.

The general mode is also good and while 45 lumens in a bright white led may be too blinding at close range, the natural tint of the tk20 doesn't seem half as bad. (though I did not do any testing with night adapted eyes)

Also seems to work well indoors, so much more detail due to the natural tint. I guess the best way to describe it is that under a standard Q5 (L2D) things seem washed out and flat when compared to the natural tint in the tk20.

Unfortunately this tk20 had the loose grip problem, which for mine is an issue especially when you need to twist the head to get to the turbo mode. Since this is a gift, I wanted it to be top notch, so I tried fixing it using some spare bathroom caulking that I had around, but that didn't work (the caulking wouldn't grip to the anodized body). Thought about using some double sided tape. Just kinda want to stay away from a permanent solution like super glue. Has anyone tried the boiling solution mentioned awhile back, does it work?
What about the hair spray solution? Or should I just do the superglue thing and be done with it?

All in all this is an excellent light, so much so that I'm considering getting one for myself now.

 

[cbubu]

I had the same problem of loosing grip. I used neoprene glue and it's just great for me. Pull off the rubber grip (pull off the O-ring before), apply the glue on the grip and on the body of the light, let them dry 10 minutes and put the grip back. It's a permanent solution but the loosing grip was such a trouble that I think it's worth
Regards,

 

[youreacrab]

fyi modified grip i posted a week or so ago here:

 

[odessit]

It is not a small light but for the intended purpose of this light it doesn't have to be.The side spill is plenty bright enough to walk around with both on high and low. The tint to my eyes is much more like an incandescent then an led and so has better color retention.The 45LM low is more then enough to see properly out to 50-60 feet And the high is simply amazing! 100 yards i would say.It really is comforting to have this level available if needed.All in all i feel that this is a great light and will replace my current woods light.My one wish would be to have a third level at 10-20 LM so as not to kill your night vision.It's simply amazing how far we have come to get this kind of output and performance out of two AA.

Now if you are a white wall hunter this is not going to be the light for you.It does have some rings and artifices but as i have said before that is not what this light was made for. Take it outside,walk with it in the woods and you will see the true use for this light a tough,bright light that was built for the outdoors. DAN

The above post pretty much sums up my limited time with TK20 and L2D (fresh set of Eneloops).

TK20

• Warm light (no pun), huge difference over L2D colors
• Tight & clearly defined hotspot, couple thin rings and a large sidespill
• Easy to hold & see (with yellow grip )
• Very nice thrower. Can go much farther than my tree line ~50 meters
• Perfect for outdoors (hunting)
• Wish - Reduced weight for long hiking
• Wish - focusable light and more modes (or SOS mode J.I.C.?)
• Grudge - the grip needs to be glued/replaced. Examples abound.

L2D

• Very cool light (no pun).
• Fuzzy hotspot (larger than TK20), large sidespill (same size as TK20)
• Harder to hold since it is pencil thin
• OK thrower, but less so than TK20. I say ~40 meters on high, but maybe the outdoor color rendering is screwing up my contrasts
• EDIT - Forgot to post Turbo mode - far reaching. Can go much farther than my tree line ~50 meters.
• Good for toolbox/car/urban environment
• Wish - anti-roll feature
• Wish - Focusable

I like TK20 more for every day use, but L2D is more portable. Take my mini review with a grain of salt, this is my first set of nice-er flashlights.

Also would like to thank jiric_cz for the runtime tests. It really helps nubs out to decide on lights & batteries.:thumbsup:

 

[roymail]

Youreacrab, does the pocket clip come off so you can put on the inner tube or is that necessary?

Your's looks real good... how much trouble was it to put on?

I also like the idea of wrapping it with paracord... anyone done that?

Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[squaat]

The pocket clip is easily attached and detached via two screws. On the one I recieved the clip did not come pre-attached, you attach it with the supplied screws and hex key.

 

[youreacrab]

Youreacrab, does the pocket clip come off so you can put on the inner tube or is that necessary?

Your's looks real good... how much trouble was it to put on?

I also like the idea of wrapping it with paracord... anyone done that?

Thanks! :thumbsup:

yep, clip comes uninstalled and attaches with screws.

putting on the innertube was no trouble at all!

 

[squaat]

So I was looking for a non permanent solution to the slipping tk20 grip problem. (just in case I wanted to switch the grips later on) And I think I found it. Double sided tape!

I just took off the rubber grip, cleaned it off (it was a tad greasy in there) stuck some double sided tape on the tube (but not over the grooves) and slipped the grip back on and gave the grip a tight squeeze to make sure that it stuck to the tape.

So now the grip doesn't slide much. Yes it can still slide if you force it, but it no longer slides when turning the head to switch modes, which is all I need.

 

[WDR65]

Just curious is anyone has a Surefire E2DL to compare throw and output with a TK20?

 

[selfbuilt]

Just got mine, but don't have time for a full review right now (a few other invited ones in the hopper first ).

First impressions are that it is very solid (although I'm thinking the added weight will limit portability). Definitely the best 2AA thrower that Fenix has produced yet - throws almost as well as my T1 did (sorry, don't have any lux numbers handy at the moment). And yes, my grip is also loose - I think I'll try the boiling trick first and see how it goes.

But I thought I'd share a quick pic of the beam tint compared to the L2D Q5. First, control pic in daylight

Now the evening shots. Camera set to daylight white balance, 5sec exposure, f3.2.

Enjoy! :wave:

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

I love the way that GIF alternates. It really shows the differences in the way objects appear!

 

[woodrow]

Great!!! Your animation pushed me over the edge. Now I have to buy one!
Thanks selfbuilt!!!

edit: order sent. MattK.... I expect a Christmas card and a box of chocolates or a tin of popcorn... or something this year!

 

[Rob187]

So I was looking for a non permanent solution to the slipping tk20 grip problem. (just in case I wanted to switch the grips later on) And I think I found it. Double sided tape!

I just took off the rubber grip, cleaned it off (it was a tad greasy in there) stuck some double sided tape on the tube (but not over the grooves) and slipped the grip back on and gave the grip a tight squeeze to make sure that it stuck to the tape.

So now the grip doesn't slide much. Yes it can still slide if you force it, but it no longer slides when turning the head to switch modes, which is all I need.

Just tried the same thing on my TK20. I put double sided tape down each side and now the rubber grip stays put - won't spin around at all now. Much, much better. Nice thinking squaat!

 

[kts]

Great GIF :twothumbs

Check out the street in the background, the L2D Q5 seems a lot brighter, maybe its just the tint...

 

[ninjaboigt]

Hmm i dont have a l2d, but i got a p3d, and i believe the spill on the p3d reflectors are brighter than the tk20...thats one thing i hate about the tk20...well not hate, but limits my use to mid range use, 10 feet away, the spot isnt taht great, but further way its better....

 

[woodrow]

Great GIF :twothumbs

Check out the street in the background, the L2D Q5 seems a lot brighter, maybe its just the tint...

I agree! Thats why I always liked the cooler temps on leds....the spill just apears SO much brighter. I have also dismissed all the incan (I mean they must still listen to 8 thacks and use rotery phones, right?) guys comments that leds don't do so well outdoors....that they wash things out... But looking at the great gif, it is obvious that the red flowers stand out more and have more depth with the warmer tinted TK20. Also, the color tint between the two bushes is more noticable with the TK20.

The tint is what held me off of buying this light... but, hopefully, come Wednesday or Thursday night.... I will have a new perspective.

Also, youreacrab.... cool grip...thanks for posting.

 

[woodrow]

I received mine today. I am impressed. It is bright....its beam is NOT brown....just a very warm white. It throws very well for an AA light....better than the Fenix T1...not as well as the Olight M20 with the smooth reflector.

I like that it can tail stand...also that medium is very usable. Its hotspot is perfectly centered...unlike my M20. It is not as bright as the M20, but it is brighter than any other AA light I have had. I will add some beamshots later... If you need/want a AA light....it is worth checking out.

I would gladly pay someone for the batteries if they would be willing to do a runtime graph with Energizer e2 lithiums on high and med.

 

[Burgess]

Thank you for the report, Woodrow.


Does your "rubber grip" slip or rotate ?

_

 

[cbubu]

I would gladly pay someone for the batteries if they would be willing to do a runtime graph with Energizer e2 lithiums on high and med.

Here are the runtimes :
Tk20 runtime with energizer lithium batteries on High (about 2:05 to 50%)
In Hours:

In minutes:

not so bad
Regards,