tron3
Banned
I love my Fenix L1P 1w LED flashlight. Let us compare it to some other lights you may have. (Reference links at the end of review.) The obvious comparison is the Nuwai QIII. Also comparing it against a Coast Torch, and oddly enough, a 3 D-Cell Streamlight. (Like a maglite.) I included a 3 D-cell light in this mini-review for several reasons. It is pretty much a defacto standard of lights. Seems nearly everyone has one, or has seen one in action. The only other standard was a 2 D-cell flashlight. Since I have no pics to show you, just take my word for it - it is the clear loser.
Here is a light break down:
* Streamlight: 13" long 3 D cells (4.5v) Xenon Bulb Yellow/white light
* Coast Torch: 5.5" long 3 N cells (3.0v) 3 LEDs Bluish light (Ad as 47.5 lumens.)
* Nuwai QIII: 3-3/4" long 1 CR123 (3.6v) 3W LED White light
* Fenix L1P: 3-9/16" long 1 AA (1.5v) 1W LED White light
Long review short, all of the lights give out roughly the same volumes of lumens to the naked eye, with one exception for the Coast Torch. The blue tint is cool, but hurt the perceived brightness a little. It was nearly neck-n-neck with the Streamlight which looses for the color of light and broken halo effects. The Coast Torch was my first LED flashlight leading me down Flashaholic path and will always hold a special place in my heart, as well as my glove compartment. Funny how that Streamlight was my EDC when I worked at Radio City Music Hall 20 years ago. Everyone loved it for the light output, throw, and blue ring around the lens. Both keepers for memories sake.
The real contest here was between the QIII and Fenix L1P. The QIII is only a 1/8" taller, and .2.5cm wide. The Fenix being only 2.0cm wide makes it the winner in terms of sleekness. But does the narrower body affect light output? The flat black Hard Anodized type III finish (HAIII), makes it tougher and more attractive than the QIII with a HAII finish.
The contest lies in the beams of light, and believe me, people may not notice much difference. I like the QIII because the center beam fades rather nicely into the powerful corona. The Fenix L1P has a smaller and more intense center beam but a less bright corona. The QIII corona over shadows the L1P, but its' center beam is over powered by the Fenix . The whiteness of the lights seems nearly identical, but, in a contest the ever so slight nod goes to the L1P. In all, I can not rightly say which light has better throw. But, the nod goes to the QIII for the general volume of light output. Again, to the naked eye some people may not notice.
The QIII's belt case has the flap I prefer, but it is kind of flimsy and I've already had to sew the belt loop several times to fix it. The belt pouch is nice, but a more rugged nylon with magnetic snap would be better.
No flap for the L1P, but the elastic holds it very snugly, and is made rugged. I insert mine beam side down to protect the lens, but I do have some concern about scratching the cap. It has 2 lanyard holes to loop in and out of the cap without compromising the ability to stand up in "candle mode", but needs to be threaded with other thread. Decided I did not need the lanyard.
While the Fenix L1P enjoys 5 star reviews, I would rate it 4.5 stars. Why? Well, an oxagonal shape would prevent rolling. Thus saving the one poor soul who had his drop down a 17 story elevator shaft. Unless you are using it in "candle mode"; handle it or holster it. Sorry Fenix, but 5 stars to me means perfect in every functional way. Maybe if it had the same loop as the L0P to prevent rolling.
Now it was becoming a coin toss as to which flashlight becomes my EDC. I started using a R-CR123 for my QIII, thus making it convienent to use all the time. However, I have no intention of using a rechargeable with the L1P. I have a bunch of AA Alkalines I can burn through, and then want to switch to AA Alkaline E2 or AA Lithium. The life of either battery justifies the cost several times over. Hence the problem with enjoying many high intensity flashlights, once the dc-dc regulator circuit no longer produces the light output you enjoy with fresh batteries, the thrill of the bright light is lost. I believe rechargeable should always be an option.
And the winner is ... (Drum roll) The envelope please ... BOTH! The QIII will be my "jeans and t-shirt" EDC light. The sleek and stylish Fenix L1P becomes the "class A" EDC. In other words, the sleekness allows wear to church, or other functions that requires business casual or suits; such as office work, weddings, parties, etc. In a move of ultimate geekdom, I am tempted to wear both at once. But how do I dress for it? {;-D
Links to other lights:
3 D-Cell Maglite / Streamlight:
If you haven't seen one by now, you aren't a true Flashaholic.
Coast Blue Torch. My Amazon review is for the white Coast with blue tint, not the blue pictured here.:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006RGLI/ref=cm_aya_asin.title/103-0449600-1534225?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=228013
QIII Amazon pics and reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007UYYC8/qid=1136340719/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl60/103-0449600-1534225?n=507846&s=hi&v=glance
Fenix L1P:
http://www.fenixlight.com/flashlight/fenixl1.htm
Here is a light break down:
* Streamlight: 13" long 3 D cells (4.5v) Xenon Bulb Yellow/white light
* Coast Torch: 5.5" long 3 N cells (3.0v) 3 LEDs Bluish light (Ad as 47.5 lumens.)
* Nuwai QIII: 3-3/4" long 1 CR123 (3.6v) 3W LED White light
* Fenix L1P: 3-9/16" long 1 AA (1.5v) 1W LED White light
Long review short, all of the lights give out roughly the same volumes of lumens to the naked eye, with one exception for the Coast Torch. The blue tint is cool, but hurt the perceived brightness a little. It was nearly neck-n-neck with the Streamlight which looses for the color of light and broken halo effects. The Coast Torch was my first LED flashlight leading me down Flashaholic path and will always hold a special place in my heart, as well as my glove compartment. Funny how that Streamlight was my EDC when I worked at Radio City Music Hall 20 years ago. Everyone loved it for the light output, throw, and blue ring around the lens. Both keepers for memories sake.
The real contest here was between the QIII and Fenix L1P. The QIII is only a 1/8" taller, and .2.5cm wide. The Fenix being only 2.0cm wide makes it the winner in terms of sleekness. But does the narrower body affect light output? The flat black Hard Anodized type III finish (HAIII), makes it tougher and more attractive than the QIII with a HAII finish.
The contest lies in the beams of light, and believe me, people may not notice much difference. I like the QIII because the center beam fades rather nicely into the powerful corona. The Fenix L1P has a smaller and more intense center beam but a less bright corona. The QIII corona over shadows the L1P, but its' center beam is over powered by the Fenix . The whiteness of the lights seems nearly identical, but, in a contest the ever so slight nod goes to the L1P. In all, I can not rightly say which light has better throw. But, the nod goes to the QIII for the general volume of light output. Again, to the naked eye some people may not notice.
The QIII's belt case has the flap I prefer, but it is kind of flimsy and I've already had to sew the belt loop several times to fix it. The belt pouch is nice, but a more rugged nylon with magnetic snap would be better.
No flap for the L1P, but the elastic holds it very snugly, and is made rugged. I insert mine beam side down to protect the lens, but I do have some concern about scratching the cap. It has 2 lanyard holes to loop in and out of the cap without compromising the ability to stand up in "candle mode", but needs to be threaded with other thread. Decided I did not need the lanyard.
While the Fenix L1P enjoys 5 star reviews, I would rate it 4.5 stars. Why? Well, an oxagonal shape would prevent rolling. Thus saving the one poor soul who had his drop down a 17 story elevator shaft. Unless you are using it in "candle mode"; handle it or holster it. Sorry Fenix, but 5 stars to me means perfect in every functional way. Maybe if it had the same loop as the L0P to prevent rolling.
Now it was becoming a coin toss as to which flashlight becomes my EDC. I started using a R-CR123 for my QIII, thus making it convienent to use all the time. However, I have no intention of using a rechargeable with the L1P. I have a bunch of AA Alkalines I can burn through, and then want to switch to AA Alkaline E2 or AA Lithium. The life of either battery justifies the cost several times over. Hence the problem with enjoying many high intensity flashlights, once the dc-dc regulator circuit no longer produces the light output you enjoy with fresh batteries, the thrill of the bright light is lost. I believe rechargeable should always be an option.
And the winner is ... (Drum roll) The envelope please ... BOTH! The QIII will be my "jeans and t-shirt" EDC light. The sleek and stylish Fenix L1P becomes the "class A" EDC. In other words, the sleekness allows wear to church, or other functions that requires business casual or suits; such as office work, weddings, parties, etc. In a move of ultimate geekdom, I am tempted to wear both at once. But how do I dress for it? {;-D
Links to other lights:
3 D-Cell Maglite / Streamlight:
If you haven't seen one by now, you aren't a true Flashaholic.
Coast Blue Torch. My Amazon review is for the white Coast with blue tint, not the blue pictured here.:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006RGLI/ref=cm_aya_asin.title/103-0449600-1534225?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=228013
QIII Amazon pics and reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007UYYC8/qid=1136340719/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl60/103-0449600-1534225?n=507846&s=hi&v=glance
Fenix L1P:
http://www.fenixlight.com/flashlight/fenixl1.htm
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