firelord777
Enlightened
Hey guys,
Fenix generously sent me one of their new flashlights as a participant in their global campaign. What's different about this flashlight is that it has been engineered with an unusual geometric layout, and capabilities.
First Impressions
When I got the TK76 sample, I picked it up and immediately felt quite a bit of weight. I was even wondering if it had batteries already inside. When I put in the batteries, it became a bit heavier. Most of the weight comes from the head, which I applaud Fenix for. This means that the TK76 will have enhanced heat dissipation, and will be less likely to trip the thermal protection mechanism when running on max outputs.
My next thought was, "wow, this flashlight looks really awesome and futuristic." I think maybe Hollywood and movie companies will start using the TK76 in their sci-fi movies.
:tinfoil:
Now, what do I mean by the unconventionally shaped flashlight? Ask yourself if your average flashlight looks something like this:
Or, like this:
I guess now we have a general idea of what I mean. This light is known as the Fenix TK76 (though you might have known that already from the title anyways…), and it is a highly dynamic flashlight, able to serve a wide range of purposes. It has three Cree XM-L2s all of which are tailored to different beam profiles. Speaking of wide ranges, the UI almost looks like a full-blown control panel:
This is the left LED, which has the floodiest beam out of all three LEDs, and seems to be equipped with a special optic which gives it a 120 degree spread. The right LED is a neutral white XM-L2 T6 LED, which has a 60 degree spread through the use of an optic, which I personally love for its tint and well balanced beam. The top has a cool-white XM-L2 sitting in a reflector almost as big as the Fenix TK41, and throws almost as good.
The knurling is quite simple
The heat fins you see do a great job dissipating the heat from the LED, but later on I'll show you guys another use for them.
The TK76 has a convenient tripod hole under its belly:
From this angle, with a bit of imagination, it is reminiscent of a battleship gun turret…
The TK76 uses a battery carrier for the four 18650s batteries, in an emergency it can use 2 18650s or 4 CR123s.
My sample came very well lubed and healthy o-ring.
If you look closely, you can see that the screws used are somewhat corroded. I suspect this may be because my sample is just that, a sample. Therefore, I only assume Fenix may have understandably tried to minimize costs and used some old screws they had laying around. In my case, the screws do not affect the TK76's performance.
I am aware of the fact that other reviewers also have these particular components corroded; however, I highly doubt Fenix will do this on production models for consumers.
I recall some reviewers noting that their samples used older generation XM-Ls, rather than the newer XM-L2s. Maybe I'm wrong, but from what I can tell, there are XM-L2s on my sample.
The screws on the heads give the TK76 an armored, tough look to it, what do you guys think?
Here is the TK76 with the tripod base attatched:
I recently used the TK76's tri-pod-able abilities to scour my family's 10,000 Christmas tree for busted bulbs
:ironic:
Of course, I used the TK76 for a really long time and soon after it started giving me the low voltage lights. Please note, when this happens the TK76 doesn't just turn off randomly, rather, it steps down to a lower output.
Here is the cool heat fin idea I was talking about. I noticed my laser pointer could fit in the hole of the heat fins, and one could potentially make a "mega-light", attaching many different lights to the TK76. Though here is my watered-down version of the TK76 "mega light", a laser pointer/flashlight.
Here's the Fenix family: (From left to right- TK76, TK41, LD41 TA21, TK20)
Reflector size comparisons:
I went to Fenix and asked if the TK76 was waterproof. They assured me it was, though my primary concern was the switches. In the TK41, they are rubber:
And in the TK76 they are plastic,
Beam Profiles
Below I will be comparing the beam spreads and angles of the TK76's many heads. The order is – 120 degree, spotlight, 60 degree.
Control:
(Note the camera was set to auto-exposure)
120 Degree:
Spotlight:
Neutral White 60 Degrees:
Whitewall Beamshots:
I took these pictures to give you guys a better idea of the various beam profiles. The order is same as before.
Control:
120 Degrees:
Spotlight:
Neutral White 60 Degrees:
Totally Unscientific Waterproof Test
Well, Fenix did say their TK76 was waterproof, so here I go:
Bucket full of water
Ah-ooo-ga!
Full steam ahead!
Joking aside, I basically filled a bucked with water, and played with all the switches underwater for around five minutes. I was never worried about any water going in, I just made sure the tailcap and everything were properly sealed. After all, Fenix knows what they're talking about, in fact, they even encouraged me to submerge it.
:devil:I don't know about diving though, I've never done any SCUBA before. To this time, the TK76 works just as when it first came in the mail.
Outdoor Beamshots
Yeah! Now we're talking!
I took these yesterday, because the weather was perfect, nearly cloudless, and it was a full moon. I could see everything thanks to the moon, I never knew a full moon could give out so much light, I bet I could have flown an airplane perfectly fine through the clouds, which were completely visible. But I had to lower the exposure times or else the camera would be overloaded with photons. All beamshots below have equal exposures and were done with their highest outputs.
Control:
First up my beloved, good ol' TK20 (Also a neutral white)
Fenix TA21:
Fenix LD41:
Fenix TK41:
Fenix TK76 – 120 Degrees:
Fenix TK76 – Spotlight:
Fenix TK76 – Neutral White 60 Degrees:
Fenix TK76 – All LEDs on max power:
Fenix TK76 in lightsaber mode:
Here is the TK76 lighting up my house. I had to go farther away, because the sheer brightness of the two flood heads tended to overwhelm the camera, as well as my eyes. And so, the picture is as close to what my eyes see in real life:
Control:
Flood LEDs on:
Me and my brother were playing soccer in our backyard using the TK76 on the tripod, sucks I couldn't get a picture of that though
. It's really cool and the neighbors expressed interest in the light and I let them play around with the TK76.
Thank you guys for reading my review. If you guys have any questions or suggestions feel free to post them or send me a PM,
Cheers,
-Alain
Fenix generously sent me one of their new flashlights as a participant in their global campaign. What's different about this flashlight is that it has been engineered with an unusual geometric layout, and capabilities.
First Impressions
When I got the TK76 sample, I picked it up and immediately felt quite a bit of weight. I was even wondering if it had batteries already inside. When I put in the batteries, it became a bit heavier. Most of the weight comes from the head, which I applaud Fenix for. This means that the TK76 will have enhanced heat dissipation, and will be less likely to trip the thermal protection mechanism when running on max outputs.
My next thought was, "wow, this flashlight looks really awesome and futuristic." I think maybe Hollywood and movie companies will start using the TK76 in their sci-fi movies.
:tinfoil:
Now, what do I mean by the unconventionally shaped flashlight? Ask yourself if your average flashlight looks something like this:
Or, like this:
I guess now we have a general idea of what I mean. This light is known as the Fenix TK76 (though you might have known that already from the title anyways…), and it is a highly dynamic flashlight, able to serve a wide range of purposes. It has three Cree XM-L2s all of which are tailored to different beam profiles. Speaking of wide ranges, the UI almost looks like a full-blown control panel:
This is the left LED, which has the floodiest beam out of all three LEDs, and seems to be equipped with a special optic which gives it a 120 degree spread. The right LED is a neutral white XM-L2 T6 LED, which has a 60 degree spread through the use of an optic, which I personally love for its tint and well balanced beam. The top has a cool-white XM-L2 sitting in a reflector almost as big as the Fenix TK41, and throws almost as good.
The knurling is quite simple
The heat fins you see do a great job dissipating the heat from the LED, but later on I'll show you guys another use for them.
The TK76 has a convenient tripod hole under its belly:
From this angle, with a bit of imagination, it is reminiscent of a battleship gun turret…
The TK76 uses a battery carrier for the four 18650s batteries, in an emergency it can use 2 18650s or 4 CR123s.
My sample came very well lubed and healthy o-ring.
If you look closely, you can see that the screws used are somewhat corroded. I suspect this may be because my sample is just that, a sample. Therefore, I only assume Fenix may have understandably tried to minimize costs and used some old screws they had laying around. In my case, the screws do not affect the TK76's performance.
I am aware of the fact that other reviewers also have these particular components corroded; however, I highly doubt Fenix will do this on production models for consumers.
I recall some reviewers noting that their samples used older generation XM-Ls, rather than the newer XM-L2s. Maybe I'm wrong, but from what I can tell, there are XM-L2s on my sample.
The screws on the heads give the TK76 an armored, tough look to it, what do you guys think?
Here is the TK76 with the tripod base attatched:
I recently used the TK76's tri-pod-able abilities to scour my family's 10,000 Christmas tree for busted bulbs
:ironic:
Of course, I used the TK76 for a really long time and soon after it started giving me the low voltage lights. Please note, when this happens the TK76 doesn't just turn off randomly, rather, it steps down to a lower output.
Here is the cool heat fin idea I was talking about. I noticed my laser pointer could fit in the hole of the heat fins, and one could potentially make a "mega-light", attaching many different lights to the TK76. Though here is my watered-down version of the TK76 "mega light", a laser pointer/flashlight.
Here's the Fenix family: (From left to right- TK76, TK41, LD41 TA21, TK20)
Reflector size comparisons:
I went to Fenix and asked if the TK76 was waterproof. They assured me it was, though my primary concern was the switches. In the TK41, they are rubber:
And in the TK76 they are plastic,
Beam Profiles
Below I will be comparing the beam spreads and angles of the TK76's many heads. The order is – 120 degree, spotlight, 60 degree.
Control:
(Note the camera was set to auto-exposure)
120 Degree:
Spotlight:
Neutral White 60 Degrees:
Whitewall Beamshots:
I took these pictures to give you guys a better idea of the various beam profiles. The order is same as before.
Control:
120 Degrees:
Spotlight:
Neutral White 60 Degrees:
Totally Unscientific Waterproof Test
Well, Fenix did say their TK76 was waterproof, so here I go:
Bucket full of water
Ah-ooo-ga!
Full steam ahead!
Joking aside, I basically filled a bucked with water, and played with all the switches underwater for around five minutes. I was never worried about any water going in, I just made sure the tailcap and everything were properly sealed. After all, Fenix knows what they're talking about, in fact, they even encouraged me to submerge it.
:devil:I don't know about diving though, I've never done any SCUBA before. To this time, the TK76 works just as when it first came in the mail.
Outdoor Beamshots
Yeah! Now we're talking!
I took these yesterday, because the weather was perfect, nearly cloudless, and it was a full moon. I could see everything thanks to the moon, I never knew a full moon could give out so much light, I bet I could have flown an airplane perfectly fine through the clouds, which were completely visible. But I had to lower the exposure times or else the camera would be overloaded with photons. All beamshots below have equal exposures and were done with their highest outputs.
Control:
First up my beloved, good ol' TK20 (Also a neutral white)
Fenix TA21:
Fenix LD41:
Fenix TK41:
Fenix TK76 – 120 Degrees:
Fenix TK76 – Spotlight:
Fenix TK76 – Neutral White 60 Degrees:
Fenix TK76 – All LEDs on max power:
Fenix TK76 in lightsaber mode:
Here is the TK76 lighting up my house. I had to go farther away, because the sheer brightness of the two flood heads tended to overwhelm the camera, as well as my eyes. And so, the picture is as close to what my eyes see in real life:
Control:
Flood LEDs on:
Me and my brother were playing soccer in our backyard using the TK76 on the tripod, sucks I couldn't get a picture of that though
. It's really cool and the neighbors expressed interest in the light and I let them play around with the TK76.Thank you guys for reading my review. If you guys have any questions or suggestions feel free to post them or send me a PM,
Cheers,
-Alain
