Fenix E50 Review

[xlight]

In one of the pictures on the Fenix website it shows the E50 with a diffuser. Anyone seen this accessory or know the model number of it?

This diffuser has not been announced by Fenix.

 

[Palaeoboy]

Besides the reason TWL mentioned, 4 16340 3.7V cells needed while running E50, the voltage would be too high for the light.

Yes I understand 4 couldnt be used I was asking about 2 being used in its shortened form.

In an email from Fenix they told me the diffuser would be available in a month or so. On the battery question they said that when fully charged 16340 batteries get up to 4.2v fully charged and that 2 of those would be too much for the circuit. That suggests 18650 batteries must not reach that high when fully charged?

 

[cheaperrooter]

Anyone know if it's possible to add a tailcap switch to the E50????? PLEASE SAY YES

 

[xlight]

Anyone know if it's possible to add a tailcap switch to the E50????? PLEASE SAY YES

not sure. the diameter of the tail of E50 is 24mm. you may give it a shot.

 

[ponkan]

Anyone know if it's possible to add a tailcap switch to the E50????? PLEASE SAY YES

Tailcap switch you say? Unless you create a custom made one, I highly doubt the tailcap can be swapped with a switch because its to small. Try the Fenix PD32 ultimate edition if you want similar output but with a tailcap instead. Moreover, this model uses only 1 18650, so its driven exactly for that as compared to the e50's flexibility of using either 1 or 2.

 

[ponkan]

Yes I understand 4 couldnt be used I was asking about 2 being used in its shortened form

In an email from Fenix they told me the diffuser would be available in a month or so. On the battery question they said that when fully charged 16340 batteries get up to 4.2v fully charged and that 2 of those would be too much for the circuit. That suggests 18650 batteries must not reach that high when fully charged?

Not sure how to reply on the battery question. All I can say is to follow the instruction of the manual thats with the e50 to see what battery to use. I guess the e50 has enough circuitry gizmo to gobble up high voltage 18650, but thats just based from the premise that this flashlight was designed to use one or two 18650. I'm not claiming any expertise in the subject, just an insight

 

[phips]

Seems like a great light, however two things concern me:
1) Does the light feature a deep discharge protection for the 18650 configurations?
2) I did not catch any reference to the standby-current for the electronic switch.
It would certainly be nice to know what shelf-life to expect.

 

[ponkan]

Seems like a great light, however two things concern me:
1) Does the light feature a deep discharge protection for the 18650 configurations?
2) I did not catch any reference to the standby-current for the electronic switch.
It would certainly be nice to know what shelf-life to expect.

Ok, here is my take on your question.
1) If you are using 18650, you should not expect shelf life on those as they will only last a couple of months regardless if the flashlight uses a discharge protection. On that note, the best discharge protection is to loosen the cap of the flashlight in such a way so that the current does not circulate (i.e. loosen it until the light cannot be turned on)
2) If you are looking for shelf life, use CR 123 as they have a good 10 years of shelf life. Follow my advice on loosening the cap and you are good for 10 years.

Hope this helps especially for other flashlights. Cheers.

 

[phips]

1 the standby current of E50 is rather low, so the capacity of battery is
hard to be consumed.

2 E50 has not over discharge protection, but it has low voltage warning ,
the light will flicker when battery can not support low brightness. It
remind customers need to replace battery or get them charged.

Here is what Fenix had to say.
No battery protection and no information on the standby current... at least the reply was quick.

 

[Jash]

When I first laid eyes on the E50 I knew it was a light I would eventually get. Well, today was that day, and I'm so pleased with it. It looks like my TK40/41 are now redundant, and will be relegated to emergency lighting and loaner light duties. The size is perfect. The UI is easy as pie, and the spacing of the modes is spot on.

For the money, I haven't seen a light like it. I compared this to both the TK22 and PD32 UE, and this won for it's comfort in hand, output and price.

 

[martinaee]

When I first laid eyes on the E50 I knew it was a light I would eventually get. Well, today was that day, and I'm so pleased with it. It looks like my TK40/41 are now redundant, and will be relegated to emergency lighting and loaner light duties. The size is perfect. The UI is easy as pie, and the spacing of the modes is spot on.

For the money, I haven't seen a light like it. I compared this to both the TK22 and PD32 UE, and this won for it's comfort in hand, output and price.

I freaking love mine too. The only thing I might change on it is to maybe make the lowest mode 9 lumens like on my original LD20 q5. The 20 is nice, but it's not that much of a perceptual jump up to the next level at 70 lumens if you have been in real dark for a while. On the other hand... The 20 lumen setting is a really good spot for being decently bright for most tasks and you can just let it run for close to 80 hours on fully charged cells (not sure if Fenix used their own 2600mAh cells for the run time tests)

You know what.. scratch that again. The one thing I would change if I could would be to add a 5th mode at 4 lumens. It's not meant to be a tactical light so the speed wouldn't be an issue switching modes. This light does have memory function for the last used mode though...

Great light. Oh--- I do need Fenix to either put out or somebody recommend something to use as a tailcap for both sides when you want to use it with just 1 18650. As it is now you have to put the exposed body section somewhere with the lubed threads out and that's no good. Plastic baggie? lol

 

[Swedpat]

I would like to get rid of the 74lm mode, it feels superfluous and one mode too much to cycle through. 23, 236 and 780lm would be enough, in my opinion.

 

[ponkan]

When I first laid eyes on the E50 I knew it was a light I would eventually get. Well, today was that day, and I'm so pleased with it. It looks like my TK40/41 are now redundant, and will be relegated to emergency lighting and loaner light duties. The size is perfect. The UI is easy as pie, and the spacing of the modes is spot on.

For the money, I haven't seen a light like it. I compared this to both the TK22 and PD32 UE, and this won for it's comfort in hand, output and price.

I'm happy for you! We always go through that buyers dilemma, but for the most part, we come to appreciate our decision in buying a product after much scrutiny. Makes the process of buying new flashlights fun! :devil:

 

[ponkan]

I would like to get rid of the 74lm mode, it feels superfluous and one mode too much to cycle through. 23, 236 and 780lm would be enough, in my opinion.

I cannor agree with you more. Moreover, I wanted a lower output in the low mode (i.e. moonlight mode in foursevens). Oh well, we can't change anything sigh (-_-") Nonetheless, I still love the fenix e50. If only Fenix made a 4 AA battery version.... that would be another interesting flashlight to lay my dirty flashaholic hands on.:devil:

 

[Jash]

I would like to get rid of the 74lm mode, it feels superfluous and one mode too much to cycle through. 23, 236 and 780lm would be enough, in my opinion.

I'd normally agree, but I find the medium mode very useful. I've been using the E50 almost exclusively since I bought it, and the 74 lumens is perfect for around the house stuff.

If I could change any of the modes, I'd make the low mode around 5 lumens, and I'd reduce the turbo mode so it could run non-stop. Probably would be around 600 lumens. Not as impressive as 780, but in real world use it would have been more practical. And you'd likely have gotten a full two hours out of it.

Still, for the money this blows every other light I own away on a price/performance level. Makes the TK40 I paid $180 for look silly. The TK41's saving grace is that it has pretty good throw. Otherwise it'd be getting gifted away.

 

[leon2245]

edit-

8.15" long, but anyone mind measuring the length without the extender?

 

[Ryp]

Looks about the same length as a PD35.

 

[martinaee]

edit-

8.15" long, but anyone mind measuring the length without the extender?

Your wish is my command (one with extender / one without) :

 

[leon2245]

Awesome, thanks so much!

 

[Ryp]

Hey, I was right! ~5.5"