Fenix P2D Experience

[mwaldron]

So far I'm less than impressed with my new P2D Q5.

It arrived from Fenix-Store on Saturday, pretty quick shipping and certainly can't beat the price. Even the communication from Fenix-Store was top notch.

The P2D on the other hand, not so much. I couldn't get the tailcap off so I took off the head and inserted my 123, put it back together and fired that bad boy up. Impressive photons were emitted. I played with it for a little while to become familiar with it's operation and dropped it into it's new home in my pocket replacing my SF L2 for EDC. I love my L2 but it's too large, and it's knurling was wearing holes in my work dockers.

Yesterday, needed to find something under the kitchen sink, so I pulled forth my P2D and behold, photons were emitted. Finished the job, set it on the top of the counter while I got up and it rolled off, and bounced on the kitchen floor. 3' drop onto linoleum, it's dead.

I can't possibly believe all these threads that are saying Fenix can compete against SureFire. I didn't really expect anything near SF quality from a light that was 1/2 the cost of an L1, but wow. 3' onto floor kills it?

Some experimenting with the AA body they sent me quickly determined that it was the 123 body that was the problem not the Q5 head. Having seen pictures of a fully disassembled P2D I knew that tailcap was supposed to be removable. Some coaxing with a padded crescent wrench and a padded pipe wrench eventually revealed that they had improperly installed the rear seal o-ring during manufacture and it was cut into multiple parts by the threads when the tail cap was installed binding it quite firmly. They supplied replacement o-rings in the package (silly me, I was wondering why when I saw them) so I was able to replace that, and it appears that the disassembly and reassembly has fixed the 123 body.

The light seems to be working again, but I'll probably always have doubts as to it's reliability since I don't believe I found the problem. I can't believe that just the o-ring replacement fixed the issue caused by the drop.

Fenix lights may be find for casual carry, but based on my experience so far I think I'm going to stick to SureFire for anything important.

 

[Tremendo]

Maybe the rubber o-ring was almost stopping conductivity and the jerk moved it? I have a bunch of Surefires and Fenix's (including 2 P2D-P100's) and I would be VERY surprised that even a 6 foot drop onto cement would kill it, unless there was something wrong (as in your case).

 

[Steve L]

On the inside of the tail cap you will see a switch retaining ring, make sure it's tight(use something pointy in the 2 dimples to tighten).

 

[mwaldron]

I have a couple different size of retailing ring tools, I'll try that tonight when I get home from work, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Hitthespot]

I have dropped mine numerous times. Not on purpose but during the course of using it. I watched it skid accross the shop concrete one day thinking it was nice while it lasted. Lost some of the black anodizing but she continues to shoot the photons. Easily my pick for light of the year. I would trust mine for just about anything. It I truly had to depend on a light in life and death situations I wouldn't trust a click switch anyway, but the much more trust worthy twist switch.

I hope the rest of your experiences with the P2D are favorable.

Good Luck

Bill

 

[Marduke]

The o-ring binding almost surely kept the tailcap from being fully screwed on, and the short drop shifted the tailcap enough to not make contact. It's an issue that any light is capable of, not just Fenix.

 

[mwaldron]

I love the output, almost as much as the size. And the lack of knurling was a deciding factor as well.

It gets lost in my pocket quite nicely, and probably won't beat up my space pen finish either (even the Surefire never removed finish from my space pen, that Titanium Nitride finish they use is impressive).

The Fenix is pretty much exactly what I wanted in a light, I was just disappointed with it's first showing.

 

[dinocol]

probably something wrong with your light to begin with.. my p2d flew a couple of times and landed on the concrete floor.. switched on everytime..

 

[WadeF]

If the O-ring was mashed into the threads, that would certainly cause issues. Shame that left Fenix like that, but if you've fixed it the light should be fine for you. We've seen Fenix lights fall 17 stories down elevator shafts, banging off steel beams on the way down. We've seen a P3D been thrown and dropped so many times the surface of it looks like the moon, but it kept going.

A P2D would laugh at a 3 foot fall onto linoleum. Your light is an exception because the o-ring was messed up.

I have dropped my P2D onto my hard tile floor from 3+ feet, no issues at all.

I have a feeling if we dropped 100 P2D's from 20 feet onto concrete, and 100 SF's with tactical (exposed) clicky switches also dropped 20 feet onto concrete, there will be more functioning P2D's at the end of the test. This is purely speculation based on numerous stories and tests done around CPF.

Basically, there is no reason to think a Fenix P2D is any less reliable, or less durable, than a SF. At least, once it's properly assembled and working. Some people get SF's with bad clicky switches out of the box, some people get Fenix's with bad clickies, or in this case an o-ring mashed in the threads.

Hope you enjoy the P2D now that you figured out the problem and corrected it, but they do like to roll away. Try tail standing it when you sit it down.

 

[TrevorNasko]

MWaldron,
That doesn't sound normal at all. Give me an email at [email protected] and I will take care of that for you.

 

[Federal LG]

Exactly. This isn´t normal!

I throw my L2D in my cousin´s head, several times, with strobe ON, and it´s still works fine!

And his head is hard as a rock!

 

[fluoronator]

My ARC LSH died from about a 3' drop. I share your pain.

 

[lightboy]

Hey TrevorNasko.. good lookin' out, great customer service! I take it you ARE employed at the FENIX STORE? Ever since getting 4-5 Fenix lights recently, I can't stop giving praises about and recommendations to my co-workers/friends about these fine lights.. especially since they're backed with excellent customer service. :thumbsup:

 

[I came to the light...]

mwaldron, I'm sure this has been posted before, but I'll say it again to show just how abnormal your case is: I have never of a defect this bad in a Fenix before, and you were obviously one of the very unlucky ones. They don't have .25" aluminum, but they're built to last, and do, even with reasonable abuse. Since the threads conduct current to the head, it is probably the o-ring that broke it - the drop repositioned the tail so that no current could get through.

I am sure that Fenix store will take care of it for you. Also, you can look forward to a replacement even more, because the o-ring was probably always restricting current flow, so a normal P2D Q5 will be even brighter.

 

[mwaldron]

I just wanted to clarify that, I have nothing but good things to say about Fenix-store. They answered my pre-sales questions (multiple times!), shipped quickly, and they treat CPF members really well! :thumbsup:

I'm going to send Trevor an email, but really there is nothing they need to do to 'make it right', it appears to be working now, and although I'm not intending to throw it at the floor a few times to test it I am going to take it apart and check that retaining ring in the tail-switch later this evening.

I must admit I liked having it in my pocket today, I even forgot it was there a few times and looked around for my L2 in a mild panic. Anyone else ever do that? Every time I get up I pat my pockets to make sure the appropriate bulges are there and nothing fell out while I was sitting...

 

[Marduke]

I must admit I liked having it in my pocket today, I even forgot it was there a few times and looked around for my L2 in a mild panic. Anyone else ever do that? Every time I get up I pat my pockets to make sure the appropriate bulges are there and nothing fell out while I was sitting...

I thought I've lost my LOD a couple times that way. I keep it clipped with a Vic Rambler on the inside edge of my pocket, and it's gotten "lost" many times by hiding right next to my cellphone, which is also clipped inside said pocket.

 

[TORCH_BOY]

On the inside of the tail cap you will see a switch retaining ring, make sure it's tight(use something pointy in the 2 dimples to tighten).

That retaining ring has always been an issue with most Fenix Lights,
I have come across it on a few of my own Fenix lights
Once tightened the problem is usually solved,