datiLED's Fenix T1 Abuse Testing

[nanotech17]

anybody willing to do the same "test" to one of the SF line if they offer one

 

[datiLED]

anybody willing to do the same "test" to one of the SF line if they offer one

Absolutely.

But I doubt that there is a Surefire that would make it past the first round of hip level drop tests.

 

[jsr]

Wow, that's some beating datiled! I'd love to see how other lights such as Dereelight CL1H and Lumapower M1 fair in identical tests. While what you're doing is extreme, the heft of the light may not have anything to do with its ability to withstand the punishment. Many light mfrs use the "drive the car over the light to show it won't crush" test, but in reality, a tubular metal body will not crush under the weight of a car (especially with the tires to take up some of the pressure) as a tubular shape is inherently strong.

 

[datiLED]

After carefully removing the circuit board from the deceased Fenix T1, it was clear what caused the light to stop functioning. The inductor has detached from the circuit board on one side. It is clearly visible in this picture.

With a quick dab of solder, I believe that the light can be brought back to life. For my own curiosity, I will be attempting this surgery soon after Christmas. I will post here if the light functions again with the inductor in place.

With this finding, I believe that if Fenix would pot the boards in epoxy, the failure rate of the T1 could virtually be eliminated. I am still impressed with the light, and the abuse it was able to withstand before the inductor let loose. This light may be up for even more torture testing, soon.

 

[Handlobraesing]

I've tested two streamlights and they've survived multiple drops from 5+ stories of drop.

In my opinion, the Streamlight 4AA Luxeon is just as tough, if not tougher.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/117570

The 3C, not so, but with more mass, it's inevitable. Since the point of impact does not get larger with increasing mass, the point of impact is going to suffer more damage, greater the mass.

 

[jsr]

Fenix wouldn't need to pot it. A decently thick layer of conformal coat would be enough to protect the electronics from that level of shock.

 

[Mercaptan]

Absolutely.

But I doubt that there is a Surefire that would make it past the first round of hip level drop tests.

I love this sort of unsubstantiated talk - my 6PL fell off a 7 foot shelf the other night and took a chunk out of the concrete floor. It only took a scratch to the annodizing.

 

[jsr]

Also keep in mind SF uses 7075 as the aluminum base metal while virtually all other brands (with a few exceptions) use 6061. 7075 has a much higher tensile and yield strength and is tougher overall (harder to machine also). A good point PK made when he attended an LA meet is that the hardest anodizing won't do squat if the aluminum beneath it deforms. I'd still like to see Dereelight CL1H or Lumapower M1 go thru the same torture tests. I recall someone put a Fenix P3D thru some tests and it came out fine (albeit, not as tough as these tests). I searched thru the for sale pages to try to find a cheap used CL1H or M1 to purchase and send to datiLED for identical testing, but couldn't find any right now. Oh well...Merry Christmas all!

 

[datiLED]

I've tested two streamlights and they've survived multiple drops from 5+ stories of drop.

In my opinion, the Streamlight 4AA Luxeon is just as tough, if not tougher.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/117570

The 3C, not so, but with more mass, it's inevitable. Since the point of impact does not get larger with increasing mass, the point of impact is going to suffer more damage, greater the mass.

If they can survive about 80 drops from 8' on the head and tail, then we can talk. This is after countless drops from hip level while stationary, walking and running.

Remember, the drops weren't what killed the light. The killing blow was three to five throws into a concrete wall, and the bounce onto the concrete below. Throws, not tosses.

 

[datiLED]

I love this sort of unsubstantiated talk - my 6PL fell off a 7 foot shelf the other night and took a chunk out of the concrete floor. It only took a scratch to the annodizing.

One drop is a good start. Keep it up, and let me know how it is doing when you get to 50 or 100.

 

[daveman]

One drop is a good start. Keep it up, and let me know how it is doing when you get to 50 or 100.

:laughing: Funny, but let's not encourage the trolls to come out now, this has been a very educational thread thus far, but could easily turn into a pissing match if a few of the "regulars" start posting their crap again. Great job killing the T1, hope you can fix it after Christmass.

 

[datiLED]

:laughing: Funny, but let's not encourage the trolls to come out now, this has been a very educational thread thus far, but could easily turn into a pissing match if a few of the "regulars" start posting their crap again. Great job killing the T1, hope you can fix it after Christmass.

Good point. Thanks for reminding me (and others) to keep this topic specific... Fenix T1.

 

[datiLED]

After doing an autopsy on the switch, it was readily apparent what caused the failure. If you look at the center of the blue portion of the switch, you will see a hole in the contact that is near the center. There was a small plastic pin that retained a small spring in the center of that hole. The plastic piece is visible in the end of the small return spring immediately to the left of the switch housing. This is the weak link in the Fenix T1. The only weak link, IMO.

 

[65535]

I am interested if the inductor soldered back on fixed the light, if it does, I think fenix needs to coat their boards so it won't fall off.

 

[Jarl]

I am interested if the inductor soldered back on fixed the light, if it does, I think fenix needs to coat their boards so it won't fall off.

I imagine this wouldn't be much of a problem for most people, though.

 

[Miciobigio]

Great 3D ! Makes me want a Fenix T1 :thumbsup:

 

[mikehill]

Thanks for doing all this LD. You convinced me .. T1 on the way

 

[techwg]

Oh man! You flashlight killer you! someone call the WFAF (world flashlight abuse fund)!!

Im wondering what abuse my P3D's would take. I never slam test anything i own for fear it will break and i cant send it back lol. Ughh makes me shudder thinking of dropping it.

 

[Green Lantern]

My initial impressions of the Fenix T1 are quite positive. The lights is very solid, and has a quality feel that is lacking in a lot of lights. The weight and large head will make this light a bit difficult to slip into a pair of cargo pants unnoticed. The T1 arrived with the batteries installed, so a quick press of the tactical tail switch treated me to a blast of white light. Very impressive. The high/low switching is accomplished with a twist of the head (like the L1T or L2T). I love this simplicity. The low mode is adequate for 80% of what you would use a light for. The high is shockingly bright, and would easily blind someone for several seconds if they were caught unaware of the beam. When I showed the light to a coworker, he almost thought that it had a kick when it was switched on.

I am really surprised at the beam quality. The pictures that I have seen do not do this light justice. There is no tint to the LED at all, and the beam is as close to flawless as you can get. For a CREE light, the beam quality is amazing. With the smooth, clean beam, I am surprised at the throw this light has. It appears that a lot of work was put into the design of this reflector, and it has paid off. I would really like to see this reflector make it's way into some smaller Fenix lights.

The finish on the light is nice, but certainly not perfect. The head and tail are free of anodizing defects. The light engine/switching portion of the head (which I will refer to as the "neck") and the body have striations in the anodizing, and there is a chip at the clip contact point where the neck and head meet. There is also a little wear where the clip makes contact with the body when compressed. Most likely this occurred during shipping. The head, neck, body and tailcap are a close match for color, but there is enough difference that it can be seen. With that said, I would never be bothered by this slight anodize variance in a light that was under $100. I really like the new olive finish. This is a nice direction that Fenix is heading in.

The matte finish of the steel bezel is a nice touch, and looks great in my opinion.

Now onto the torture testing.

The first test involved dropping the light onto industrial carpeting from hip level while stationary. The first five drops were with the light off (and tested each time). During one of the drops, the light flashed momentarily. The next five drops were with the light on. The light did not even flicker. There are not any outward signs of damage, and the light switches on and off, and functions in both high and low mode. There are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

The next step in the testing involved drops onto concrete from hip level while stationary. The light was dropped five times while off (and tested each time), and then five times with the light on. The T1 was lightly scratched during this portion of the testing, as would be expected. The bezel even took a small divot out of the concrete on one occasion. The light switches on and off, and functions in both high and low mode. There are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

The next step in the testing involved drops onto asphalt from hip level while stationary. The light was dropped five times while off (and tested each time), and then five times with the light on. The T1 was scratched a bit more during this portion of the testing. The lens is dusty from the bezel chunking up asphalt. It was pretty cool to see the debris kicked up by the light when it was dropped while on. The light switches on and off, and functions in both high and low mode. There are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

Next came a series of drops onto concrete while walking at a fast pace. The light was dropped five times while off (and tested each time), and then five times with the light on. The light activated on the last of the five drops, turning itself on. The light also switched to low on one of the drops while it was on, as the body had rotated very slightly. The T1 was very heavily scratched during this portion of the testing. The bezel took a few divots out of the concrete on more than one occasion. The switch is acting up at this point. It does not turn on and off with each click of the button. It is taking a few extra clicks to move from one state to another. There are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

Next came a series of drops onto asphalt while walking at a fast pace. The light was dropped five times while off (and tested each time), and then five times with the light on. The light activated on two of the five drops, turning itself on. The light also switched off a few times from the on position. Again, the T1 was very heavily scratched. The bezel took a few divots out of the asphalt when it hit. The switch is really acting up at this point. It does not turn on and off with each click of the button. It is taking a few extra clicks to move from one state to another. There are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

Next came a series of drops onto concrete while running. This causes the light to skid for several feet, rolling and tumbling end over end. The light was dropped five times while off (and tested each time), and then five times with the light on. The light activated on three of the five drops, turning itself on. It was difficult to switch the light off on a few occasions. The light switched to low on one of the drops while it was on, and turned off twice. Again, it took several clicks to get the light back on. The T1 was scratched and beat up during this portion of the testing. Again, the bezel took divots out of the concrete. The tail is missing a portion of one of the teeth. The switch is really a problem to actuate now. It does not turn on and off with each click of the button. It is taking a several clicks to move from one state to another, and it is very random. There are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

Next came a series of drops onto asphalt while running. This causes the light to skid for several feet, rolling and tumbling end over end. The light was dropped five times while off (and tested each time), and then five times with the light on. The light activated on one of the five drops, turning itself on. Again, it was difficult to switch the light off or on. The light turned off twice, and was very hard to get switched back on. The T1 is really showing signs of wear and tear. Again, the bezel took divots out of the asphalt. Despite all of this, there are not any signs of a rattle inside the light, and nothing external is loose.

I am actually amazed that the light is still functioning. The sound of it hitting asphalt and concrete is something that I hope that I never hear on any of my own lights. If this wasn't a torture test, I would actually describe the sound as sickening. The weight of the T1 really adds to the force of the impacts, and seeing the light remain on after such a drop surprised me each time. When the light turned off during a drop, I assumed that it was dead. But a few clicks of the tail switch restored the light. The anode end of the battery closest to the head is actually a bit compressed from some of the drops.

Appearance aside, the T1 is performing like a champ with the exception of the on/off switching. The switch from high to low is fully functional, and has not been affected. It appears that the only weak link of the T1 is the tactical switch. I do not own a single light that could handle the abuse that the T1 has been through so far. But, I am not finished yet...the T1 is still producing light.

It is very evident that the T1 was made for extreme duty. So I am going to have to step up the level of brutality. Stay tuned, things could start to get ugly. :devil:

You monster!

 

[datiLED]

OK, here is what is left of the T1 after I had some time to get things apart. When I return the light to the Fenix Store, I will certainly need a baggie.

After cutting the head apart, I was surprised to see how well the LED in the T1 is heatsinked. Look at how thick the seat area is! The reflector is also made part of the heatsink by the large contact area with the head. I can safely say that the T1 would not likely suffer from heat issues. It is also worth noting that the body of the light has minimal markings from the abuse. The light scuffing on the body was caused by the clip rubbing it during the torture testing.

After soldering the inductor back onto the board, I am getting light. However, when I removed the board from the head of the light, I knocked a resistor off the board, and I can't reach both levels. It is also doing a fast PWM flicker now. I did not check for other loose components, as all I was interested in was getting the board to produce a little light. That is enough for me.

Well...that is about it for my T1 torture testing. The light has impressed me on all accounts. After cutting it apart, I like the light even more. I am looking forward to seeing more of the Fenix Tactical series lights.

Thank you David (4sevens) for lending me the T1. This was really fun, and gave me an appreciation for a light that I had initially dismissed.