Fenix LD40 vs LD41

chaosrealm93

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Mar 14, 2010
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Hey Forum,

I've been wanting to retire my LD20 to an emergency light in my backpack and get either the LD40/41, but I'm torn between the two. From what I've seen online, the LD40 seems to have half the output of the 41 in every mode, but has significantly longer burn times especially in the low lumens range.

What do you guys thing? Oh, and feel free to recommend other brands as well

*I like to imagine a post-apocalyptic situation from time to time, so I do have a preference towards longer burn times (AA batt compatibility is a must), but those 520 lumens coming off that LD441 sure seem appealing..
 

yliu

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Apr 10, 2011
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JetBeam PA40 is very similar to the LD40 except with an XML.

As for runtimes, they are not always what the manufacturer claims it to be. The LD40 might have longer runtimes, but the output is not as high.
 

chaosrealm93

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What's the significance of the XML LED? Is that the newest and best thing on the market now?
 

fiberguy

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Feb 23, 2012
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I could be wrong here, but I think it's the brightest and newest flashlight LED available. It offers what seems to be a decent combination of throw (distance) vs. flood (spread of light). When looking for an all-around flashlight, this combination is desirable. You don't want a light that operates like a laser pointer and you also want to avoid lights that are only effective at short distances. This makes the XM-L ideal for the masses. I own both a Jetbeam XM-L and a Fenix XM-L light. I'm highly partial to the build quality and comfort of the Jetbeam. It feels more solid and durable in my hands, although it is a higher grade Jetbeam. It really comes down to personal preference. I Hope this helps some. I'm still learning myself. :wave:
 

Outdoorsman5

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What's the significance of the XML LED? Is that the newest and best thing on the market now?

The XTE is the newest LED on the market, but it did not improve much over the older XPG LEDs. The XTE also has a lot of color/tint issues that may take a while to iron out.

The XML is the more popular of the newer generation of LED's (was release at the end of 2010,) and is larger, brighter, & more efficient than the previous generations. The generation before the XML was the XPG LEDs (R2, R4, R5, and the S2.) The XPG R5 & S2 are still being used in many high end lights where it makes more sense to have the smaller (less hot) LED in a light, but we are seeing more & more XML's in all kinds of lights. Unless the head of a light is very large then the lights with the larger XML LED's in them will be somewhat floody compared to the same sized flashlight (head) with a smaller (previous generation) LED in them....for what it's worth.
 
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fiberguy

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Ummm Hummmm. I stand corrected by the man that asked the question. Thanks :thumbsup:

Back to my fishing. Trolling motor back on. I'm gone now.
 

chaosrealm93

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Mar 14, 2010
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The XML is the more popular of the newer generation of LED's (was release at the end of 2010,) and is larger, brighter, & more efficient than the previous generations.

Well that's the thing, because looking at the charts Fenix provides, the LD41 gets significantly less burn times on its lowest output than the LD40, which uses the XPG
 
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