fenix P2D-CE vs L1D-CE

monkeyman113 · Jun 2, 2007

Hey guys,

I'm heard a bunch of great stuff about fenix's lights, and I'm set on getting either a P2D-CE or L1D-CE. I'm planning on using it as an edc, nothing critical, but you never know when a little bit (or a lot) or light is handy.

I want you guys to help me decide. Here's my current train of thought:

I'm leaning towards the P2D right now because its turbo mode is rated at 135 lumens, whereas the L1D is only 80 lumens. So on turbo its brighter, but otherwise they are very similar. Cheap 123a batteries are almost the same price as cheap AAs, so price of batteries is not really an issue. Also the P2D is slightly more compact.

Anyone care to add more opinions or correct anything I've said about which one would be more useful and why? For those of you who have both, is the P2D really noticeably brighter than the L1D? I've seen beamshots of both side-by-side in some reviews posted here, and its actually hard for me to tell if the P2D is actually brighter. But I've never been able to compare the two in reality, so I wouldn't know. If the two really aren't that much different in terms of brightness on turbo, then I'd probably just go with the L1D because AAs are just that much more common than 123as.

Thanks in advance for the input.

BSCOTT1504 · Jun 2, 2007

I know this wasn't one of your choices but the P1D-CE is very small, very bright (135 lumens) and only requires one 123 instead of two. It's my favorite Fenix so far! :wave:

BSCOTT1504 · Jun 2, 2007

Order from the Fenix-Store with CPF8 and get 8% discount. By the way, welcome to CPF. Don't spend too much time here or you will part with way too much money!! :twothumbs

monkeyman113 · Jun 2, 2007

BSCOTT1504 said:
I know this wasn't one of your choices but the P1D-CE is very small, very bright (135 lumens) and only requires one 123 instead of two. It's my favorite Fenix so far! :wave:

Thanks Bscott, but although the P1D-CE is smaller, I really want the clickly switch of the P2D or L1D. Makes 1 handed operation that much easier.

More importantly, do you know how the P1D (its output is nearly identical to the P2D?) compares to that of the L1D on turbo?

WASF · Jun 2, 2007

monkeyman113 said:
Hey guys,

I'm heard a bunch of great stuff about fenix's lights, and I'm set on getting either a P2D-CE or L1D-CE. I'm planning on using it as an edc, nothing critical, but you never know when a little bit (or a lot) or light is handy.

I want you guys to help me decide. Here's my current train of thought:

I'm leaning towards the P2D right now because its turbo mode is rated at 135 lumens, whereas the L1D is only 80 lumens. So on turbo its brighter, but otherwise they are very similar. Cheap 123a batteries are almost the same price as cheap AAs, so price of batteries is not really an issue. Also the P2D is slightly more compact.

Anyone care to add more opinions or correct anything I've said about which one would be more useful and why? For those of you who have both, is the P2D really noticeably brighter than the L1D? I've seen beamshots of both side-by-side in some reviews posted here, and its actually hard for me to tell if the P2D is actually brighter. But I've never been able to compare the two in reality, so I wouldn't know. If the two really aren't that much different in terms of brightness on turbo, then I'd probably just go with the L1D because AAs are just that much more common than 123as.

Thanks in advance for the input.

I got the L1d which is very bright and for extra $12 I got the L2d body 135 lum on turbo :twothumbs 2 for the price of one and some.....
Be well Arnon

monkeyman113 · Jun 2, 2007

WASF said:
I got the L1d which is very bright and for extra $12 I got the L2d body 135 lum on turbo :twothumbs 2 for the price of one and some.....
Be well Arnon

So how much brighter would you say the L2D is? A good amount, or hard to tell unless you're comparing them side-by-side?

Ousanas · Jun 2, 2007

well, first off a P2D is only a single 123 a as well

It will be quite a bit brighter, they use the same head, l1d, l2d and p2d are all the same, so if you get one, you can just get the body for the other 2 if you wanted. I have a l2d, and an l1d body, and I plan to order the p2d body/tail cap so I can use it in whatever configuration I prefer.

if that's not in your budget, get one now, and pick up the bodies later

NOTE: the L1d has low, med, high, sos, turbo, strobe, BUT unless you are using a lithium AA high and turbo are the same so really you only have 5 modes instead of 6, with either 2 AA's or 1 123a (both configs are 3 volts) you will get a noticable diff. in high and turbo.

Ousanas · Jun 2, 2007

low and medium are pretty close to the same in either config, high is probably close in both as well, turbo is quite a bit brighter (not AMAZINGLY brighter, but noticable and useful brighter in a long throw situation). the run time difference is a lot as well.

WASF · Jun 2, 2007

monkeyman113 said:
So how much brighter would you say the L2D is? A good amount, or hard to tell unless you're comparing them side-by-side?

L2d on turbo is MUCH brighter....
Arnon

Kilovolt · Jun 2, 2007

I have both L1D CE and P2D CE. P2 is noticeably more powerful than L1 and as you say it fits slightly better in your pocket.

On the other hand CR123 batteries are much more expensive than AA's and more difficult to find. Additionally you find AA's in all cheap stores while CR123's are generally sold at photographers so the price difference is even higher.
As to rechargeables as you know AA's are more common and if a couple of them misbehave you don't have to think twice before you throw them away while this is not the case with expensive protected RCR's.

So at the end of the day if you are prepared to spend a bit more in operation costs buy P2D CE that is more compact and powerful while if you are cost conscious choose L1D CE that is less expensive to run. And this applies both to primaries and rechargeables.

carrot · Jun 2, 2007

Cheap 123's are as cheap as cheap AA's? Well, I can get one of the best alkalines around, Kirkland brand, for 30¢ each, and fairly good quality batteries at about $1 each... quite the price differential. Also I can get AA's anywhere for a decent price in a pinch, but 123's will cost ya $5-10 each in retail.

What I see as a major advantage to the Fenix line is that they are offered in alkaline-compatible flavors... which is what really draws me to them. The lithium-based Fenixes, while nice, do not interest me as much, because I have more expensive lights that love to eat lithiums. I suppose this is how I create diversity in my humble collection.

In any case, you really cannot go wrong with either choice. I am quite happy with the output of the L1D-CE, however, which is MUCH brighter than its predecessor, the L1T.

monkeyman113 · Jun 2, 2007

Thanks for all the quick replies guys.

I think I will probably end up going with the P2D. I found some pretty cheap 123as here http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=490
$1 per disposable is pretty reasonable to me. I know what you're talking about at retail stores though, $4-5/battery is pretty common. I also won't be using my light enough to warrant getting rechargeables.

Kilovolt · Jun 2, 2007

Titanium brand CR123 batteries have an excellent reputation. They are recommended by FlashlightReviews.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/titanium_123a.htm

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_p2dce.htm

mapson · Jun 2, 2007

Are the Titaniums better than the Battery Station branded CR123s? A few years back, I recall the BS ones as being the ones to get, been out of the loop and don't know if it still holds true.

Art Vandelay · Jun 2, 2007

mapson said:
Are the Titaniums better than the Battery Station branded CR123s? A few years back, I recall the BS ones as being the ones to get, been out of the loop and don't know if it still holds true.

Silverfox did a test of the CR123s. Somebody may have a link to the thread. It has graphs and includes Titaniums, BS, and the more expensive brands. Titaniums and Battery Station are some of the very best performing CR123s. At the bottom of the post, Silverfox has a newer graph of the upgraded Titanium formula with even better performance.

I know Titaniums are still $1 each. I think BS's are still $1 each if you use the CPF discount.

shakeylegs · Jun 2, 2007

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/67078
These tests as I recall are a year or two old. Assuming things have not changed, a few brands stand out at higher loads. But for those of us who use multiple light levels and seek maximum runtime, it looks like other brands might be a better choice. If I'm understanding the graphs, it appears the streamlight, sanyo, surefire and duracell's perform more consistently across varied loads than the Titanium and Battery Station brands?

UnknownVT · Jun 2, 2007

monkeyman113 said:
More importantly, do you know how the P1D (its output is nearly identical to the P2D?) compares to that of the L1D on turbo?

There are direct side-by-side beamshots of the P2Dce vs. P1Dce and L1Dce in this review -

Fenix P2Dce Comparison Review

For more detailed review of the L1Dce
and a direct comparison with the P1Dce see -

Fenix L1D-CE Comparison Review

Wolverine · May 28, 2008

Ousanas said:
well, first off a P2D is only a single 123 a as well

It will be quite a bit brighter, they use the same head, l1d, l2d and p2d are all the same, so if you get one, you can just get the body for the other 2 if you wanted. I have a l2d, and an l1d body, and I plan to order the p2d body/tail cap so I can use it in whatever configuration I prefer.

Is this still the case where the L1D Q5, L2D Q5 and the P2D Q5 have the same head but different interchangeable body? This would be cool and save me some money and have the opportunity to change configurations...

Thanks!

StarHalo · May 28, 2008

If brightness is a prime concern, why aren't we comparing the Q5 models, which are only a few dollars more than the older models?

Yapo · May 28, 2008

Yeah you should get the brighter Q5 premium version for either of the lights you end up getting...if your not considering using nimh AA's for the L1D then you're definately better off gettin the P2D CE Q5

fenix P2D-CE vs L1D-CE

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