[The Lite Review]: Fenix LD12 2017 NW Review

mcorp

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Dec 30, 2013
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Preface
The original review can be found on TLR's website: Click Here

It is not often that Fenix produces Neutral White (NW) flashlights. When they do, those models are often well-received by flashlight lovers/addicts/users.
So is this "2017" AA/14500 model still a valid flashlight to get in 2018?

Packaging & First Impressions

This is what the light will come with as shown below.

  • Comes in the usual Fenix signature style packaging.
  • Appears to be like a AA version of the Fenix PD32 2016 we reviewed previously.
  • The threads and o-rings were midly lubricated. Threads were rather smooth and clean (no gritty feeling).
  • Battery tube opens only at the head portion.
  • The provided clip are not reversible. Hence, attachment of the light to a baseball cap for hands-free usage is not possible.
  • The clip has sufficient tension to ensure that the light will stay clipped to any material to prevent the light from falling out.
  • The tail switch requires more force than most normal forward clicky switches to activate and helps in preventing any unwanted activation of the light.
  • Anodizing of the light is uniform without any missing specs, as expected from Fenix.
  • The provided lanyard may seem flimsy at first but is able to support the full weight of the light; and should hold up to the test of time.
  • Battery compartment holds Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloops, Energiser Ultimate Lithium (L91) and (Energiser and Duracell) alkaline batteries without any fitment issues.
  • Only Button Top 14500 batteries can be used.
  • If using the provided Alkaline battery, the insulation/protection tape (Kapton tape?) has to be removed from the negative terminal first.

Front:
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Back:
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Sides:
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Top:
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Box Contents:
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Quick Overview
(Manufacturer Specifications)


  • Body Material: Black HAIII Aluminium
  • LED: XP-G2 R5 Neutral White
  • Battery Format: 1 x AA / 14500 (3.7V 1.2V NiMH rechargeable/1.5V lithium primary batteries/1.5V alkaline [not recommended]) ONLY
  • Output & Runtime (with Fenix 14500 800mAh / AA Ni-MH 2500mAh / AA Alkaline (included) battery):
    • Low (5 lumens - 50h / 60h / 40h)
    • Mid (30 lumens - 11h / 13h / 9h 40min)
    • High (70 lumens - 3h 30min / 5h 40min / 3h)
    • Turbo on AA Ni-MH / AA Alkaline (150 lumens - 1h 45min / 5omin)
    • Turbo on 14500 (320 lumens - 1h)
  • Max Beam Distance: 135m (14500) / 94m (AA)
  • Beam intensity: 4,500cd (14500) / 2,200cd (AA)
  • Waterproofness: IP68 Standard (2m)
  • Impact Resistance: 1m
  • Dimension: 102.5mm (length) x 20.5mm (body diameter) / 21.5mm (head diameter)
  • Weight: 58g (excluding batteries)
  • Battery reverse polarity protection
  • Accessories Included:
    • 1*AA Alkaline Battery
    • 1*Clip
    • 1*Lanyard
    • 1*Spare O-ring
  • MSRP: ~$65

UI (User Interface)

UI for this light is perfect for Every Day Carry (EDC) as it is relatively simple and straightforward to use.
Switching ON and OFF is done by the main switch at the TAIL of the light. It is a forward clicky switch which also enables half press for momentary activation where necessary.
From OFF:

  • 1/2 Press (TAIL) - Momentary access to last used Mode (last mode memory).
  • 1 Click (TAIL) - Light will switch ON to last used Mode (last mode memory).
From ON:

  • 1 Click (TAIL) - Light will switch OFF.
  • 1 Click (SIDE) - Mode change per Click (light cycles through LOW, MID, HIGH, TURBO -> LOW, MID, HIGH, TURBO).
  • HOLD (SIDE) [~1 sec] - STROBE is activated. 1 Click (SIDE) will return light to last used Mode.
Mode memory will remember almost instantaneously whichever non-blinky mode (Strobe is not memorized) the light is in.

Form Factor

For flashlights that are intended to use on a daily basis (EDC) and for possibly a long period of time, form factor is extremely important.
This light fits a medium sized hand easily. Switching between overhand and underhand holding method wasn't an issue and its (lack thereof) weight certainly helped in it feeling rather well-balanced on hand. The knurling on the light enables the light to be sufficiently "grippy", even with wet hands/gloves.
The light is unable to tail-stand by itself due to the slight protrusion of the tail switch.
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Beam Style/Beamshots

For this light, the spill, corona and hotspot is somewhat predictable due to the fairly deep Smooth Reflector. With the XG-G2 used, the beam is still sufficiently "throwy" for most close range duty.
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The above beam profile is a rough interpretation of what is seen when white wall hunting. Owing to the more "throwy"-nature of the LED used, the beam has a distinct hotspot with some slight corona and a fairly wide usable (almost circular) spill. It also helps that the XP-G2 led is perfectly centred in this sample. There are some slight rings in the beam when white wall hunting but not visible in real world usage.
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All of the beamshots taken below are done so with the following camera settings (LOW: 2, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB,MID: 1, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, HIGH: 0.8, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB, TURBO (AA): 0.8, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB and TURBO (14500): 1/2, F3.5, ISO100, 5000K WB).
Some pictures have been adjusted slightly to depict as close as to what is seen in real life. The distance of the light from the door is 4.6m.


Control shot:
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LOW (5 lumens):
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MID (30 lumens):
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HIGH (70 lumens):
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TURBO AA (150 lumens):
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TURBO 14500 (320 lumens):
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Mode (Output) Spacing

Mode spacing appears to be progressively brighter to the eye and the modes are well spaced enough to be able to know which mode one is currently in. With that in mind, TLR tend to view mode spacing as battery life indicators (amount of runtime left) rather than the specific output (lumens).
It would be nice if Fenix would incorporate a lower LOW mode to one that is at moonlight level (sub-lumen or 1 lumen) for those bedtime runs or during which having 5 lumens is way too bright for the night-adjusted eyes.
The ability to use a 14500 battery to get a higher TURBO output whilst retaining all other mode levels is a great move from Fenix. That said, there is a 5 minutes timed stepdown from TURBO to HIGH, to prevent the flashlight from getting too hot.

Tint & CRI

Fenix did not disclose the tint (color temperature) and/or the CRI (Color Rendering Index) for the LEDs used in their light. For this light, a guesstimate would be in the 4500K and 80CRI ballpark.
The hotspot is neutral white whilst the corona possess a slight yellow-green tint; and the spill having a neutral white tint.
This is however, not as noticeable in real life.


Waterproofness

The light was subjected to warm water submersion, followed by cold water submersion and left under room temperature running water tap whilst running on Turbo.
No signs of water intrusion in the head, switches or body was seen.

Lockout Capability

No electronic lockout but mechanical lockout is possible when needed, like during transportation in a bag.
A quarter turn (anti-clockwise) of the head or tail portion of the light will enable mechanical lockout.

Scale Comparison (Ruler)

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Summary

To sum up, we believe that the most important part of any review is if given the chance to purchase the same light for our own EDC or to gift to our loved ones out from one's pocket (wallet), would we still do it?
For this light, it is a definite YES.

The flashlight's straightforward UI and the ability to use both AA and 14500 batteries ensures that it is easy to find replacement batteries when needed; are both major plus points for it. The neutral white tint aids in providing a better color rendering beam which is certainly a welcome change from Fenix. While the output might not seem much for an AA/14500 light, the "throwy" nature of the XP-G2 LED makes up for the slightly lesser output with more throw.
However, as mentioned earlier, we look forward to the day that Fenix incorporates a lower LOW mode into the LD12, like in the Prometheus Lights Beta QRv2 we reviewed previously.
Here is a bonus size comparison with the Fenix PD32 2016, that the LD12 has seemingly has taken its design cues from (apart from the ability to tail-stand).
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As with all gears, two is one and one is none.

Stay safe,
The Lite Review


Disclaimer: Light was provided for by FastTech for this review. No other compensation was provided.


Where to Buy Links
Click HERE to check out where to get this light.
 
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tjb

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Feb 23, 2018
Messages
46
Great review!

Totally a side-comment:

It's a very revealing commentary on our current tech-obsessed society when we ask questions like, "Is a 2017 flashlight still relevant a year later?" It just struck me as odd, and a little bit ridiculous. But that's how our society thinks I guess. If it's not brand-new, it's junk. Which is laughably not even close to always being true! Absurd.

Not laughing at the reviewer. I'm laughing at us. And I'm not trying to derail the conversation or detract from the review. Just giving you some food for thought.

I like my Fenix! And kitty cats. Meow!
 

tjb

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Feb 23, 2018
Messages
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Three questions:

1) Isn't that a bit bulk to even WANT on your baseball cap's bill? Maybe that's why they didn't build the clip to be able to do that. I dunno, just my opinion.

2) Why in the world do manufacturers continue to make tail-clicky flashamathings that won't tail-stand? I mean really. They have those two half-moon "guards" around the button. Why, oh why, not make them 1/16" longer? Just seems dumb.

3) Is 5 lumens even useable? I'm just speaking from my experience. I know that in pitch darkness, ANY lumens helps. But I've found that, for my eyes, even 10 lumens is about the lowest possible helpful level.

I work in the dark a lot - elec chicken. So when I'm shopping for a light, I'm actually going to use it. Not part of a collection of toys (although I'll admit that I AM collecting more flashlights than I should!). I don't care about the brightest setting. I care about low/mid brightness plus runtime. That's it. And 5 lumens seems just unusable for doing actual work. I wonder if they do that (or so-called moonlight 0.5 settings) simply to bump up their runtime stat on the packaging and sell more units (these are, after all, companies who exist to make money!).

It's almost like there's two target audiences here. One is the collector community. They're impressed by high lumen numbers, ui, sometimes runtime, and battery types. So the manufacturers tailor/design their product to impress them folks with absurd lumen or throw or whatever numbers.

The other is the folks who use them for work (and obviously there's overlap betwixt the twain). They care about durability, a good medium setting that's bright enough to work but not so bright that it makes glare, plus runtime (batteries cost money, and their job is to do the work without spending a lot of money). I'll NEVER use a lumen setting above, say, 300, 500, never mind 1000 or whatever. 150-250 is PLENTY bright for me to do my job!

What would impress me and get my money would be a torch that, among some other design considerations, could squeeze 150 lumens out of some AAA primaries, with a 36-hour runtime, or something. Can we divert some R&D money from lumen count over to runtime from smaller batteries? Something small I can slip into my pocket or a tool pouch screwdriver slot that will light up my work for four days and survive a drop off a man lift into a puddle on concrete?

Diatribe aside, is 5 lumen useful for anything but listing impressive runtime numbers on the box? I'm looking for your input.

Thanks! Great review!
 

colight

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Dec 6, 2013
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@tjb, I absolutely agree with you on some aspects you mentioned, but also disagree. The way I see it, people have different ideas for uses of flashlights, thus not everybody would want their lights on their caps, but I do see the need for people like mechanics, mountaineers, hikers, etc, when it is often necessary to have your hands free. If so, get a headlamp, I'd say.

About the tail-standing - once again, unless you're a mechanic who needs it, or a collector who just wants to be able to say that your flashlight can tail stand, or a light that you can use during a power outage, in which case I found that shining the light at a wall while laying on its side emits enough light, I personally see no reason why a light should be able to tail stand. A flashlight imo is a handheld source of light that you point in the direction where the light is needed. There were a few times when I wished my flashlight could tail stand, but those fade into insignificance against the rest of the times.

I totally agree with you about your point 3, though. I have often wondered why on earth anybody would want such a low output. To check up on the children without waking them up, you say? To move around the campsite without disturbing the others, you say? I can't for the life of me, see how you need anything below 5 lumens, even considering these factors. Heck, I bought the new PD35 V2.0 a few days ago, of which the Eco is only 3 lumens, and honestly, if I switch it to Eco I have to light a candle to see if there is any light coming from my flashlight at all.... I don't see myself using the Eco mode ever, so that is useless to me. I prefer the mid to higher lumens available in the average flashlight nowadays, while sometimes the Low may be sufficient. But then, this is just my opinion.

And, I agree on the very good review. Thanks for that.
 
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tjb

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Feb 23, 2018
Messages
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I do have two headlights.

As far as tail standing goes, I just don't see why not do it? I can understand it would be a cost consideration whether to put glow in the dark rings around the lens, sure, or a clip vs no clip, stuff like that. But if you're gonna put those half moon guards on it already, why not take two seconds to shape them to tail stand? Just seems disingenuous to me.
 

colight

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Dec 6, 2013
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I do have two headlights.

As far as tail standing goes, I just don't see why not do it? I can understand it would be a cost consideration whether to put glow in the dark rings around the lens, sure, or a clip vs no clip, stuff like that. But if you're gonna put those half moon guards on it already, why not take two seconds to shape them to tail stand? Just seems disingenuous to me.


Sorry @tjb, this wasn't meant to sound like a personal attack on you (headlamps). It was purely my opinion in general. Some of our ideas may be similar, while others may differ. Apologies (from me, I mean)??
 
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tjb

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No apology needed, no offense taken! Differing opinions is the whole point of forums!
 

hiuintahs

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Sep 12, 2006
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Utah
Sorry guys, I'm going to kind of rip on the LD12, 2017 edition. Nice review though. I wanted to like this light. I like the forward tactical switch but I prefer the discontinued Fenix LD11 to the LD12.

1) NW tint too yellowish-greenish. 2 out of 3 of LD12 purchases were too yellowish-greenish for me. The above image in the review is probably correct from my recollection.

2) Poor performance on turbo level with NiHM. Note the graph comparing LD11 with the new LD12 (magenta and tan curves).
comparison run time chart between LD12 & LD11 (post #82)

3) Only need 3 levels when using NiMH like the LD11. Poor spacing. Going from the 2nd to the 3rd level on the LD12, you hardly see any difference. And then the turbo level has poor performance.

4) Stiff tail cap switch (some may be OK with it but I for one haven't liked Fenix new approach with the new PD32 and LD12 tail cap stiffness).

5) Comes with no holster.

I'm OK with the lack of tail stand and the low mode is a good level in my opinion. But the above mentioned issues were too much for me to really like this light.
 
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markr6

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Messages
9,258
2) Why in the world do manufacturers continue to make tail-clicky flashamathings that won't tail-stand? I mean really. They have those two half-moon "guards" around the button. Why, oh why, not make them 1/16" longer? Just seems dumb.

I don't get it either. If we were talking 1/4" where it could make it hard to access with gloves, maybe. But so many of their lights are SOOO close to being able to tail stand, why not do it? If it's not hurting anything, do it to help the many people that do use this feature.
 

Tac Gunner

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Oct 22, 2012
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Bluegrass Region of KY
Having started carrying this light back in March of 2017, and just about every day since, I can say it is still valid. I did carry a Thorfire TK15S for the past 2 months, so I can do a review on it, and found that an 18650 size light is larger then I want to carry these days. Even during this time span, which for Kentucky is some of the shorter days of the year, I just didn't find a time that it did something I couldn't have done with my LD12.

I have carried a variety of flashlights over the years and so far the LD12 has become my favorite. I agree there are some short falls, such as the underwhelming performance on NIMH and no true moonlight mode, but it is good enough everywhere else for me to overlook those. I have used a 14500 in it since I bought it and have been more than happy with the performance and runtimes so therefore I only use an eneloop if I need a backup cell.

As for the low mode I actually do use it regularly. There are a lot of times I am inspecting a circuit panel or trying to read a worn data plate on equipment, and have found that the 5 lumen mode allows me to look closely without creating a glare. It also gets used a lot inside when just navigating a dark room or not wanting to disturb others. I really prefer a true a .5 lumen or less moonlight on my EDC lights so that is part of the reason I also carry an Olight H1R.
 

mcorp

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Dec 30, 2013
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Location
Singapore
Thanks for the compliments guys!

Believe there are in general 5 items discussed earlier, if we missed any items let us know. :twothumbs

1) Baseball cap - some of us do use this function for the smaller lights (mostly AA or CR123A) so that we can get a hands-free light in a pinch instead of pulling out a headlamp or if we do not have one on hand. We agree not everyone uses it but in case someone who uses it, like us, its an option we consider as part of the review process.

2) Tail-standing & Tailcap - Yep, we agree that it should be able to tail-stand like the PD32 2016 flashlight and a softer switch boot would certainly be welcomed. It seems that some have reportedly been able to tail-stand their LD12 2017 so it might be a hit-or-miss here. Either way, hopefully tail-standing will be part of the next LD12 revision!

3) 5 lumens - This LOW mode might seem too bright or too dim for some. If coming from an urban environment setting with several background lighting, it might be too dim. However, 5 lumens is way too bright for fully night adjusted eyes and most of the night vision would be lost after usage. Unfortunately, there is a no one-size-fits-all kind of light unless its variable brightness light like the HDS Rotary or Nitecore's newer infinitely variable models but those usually gives up some sort of circuitry efficiency to be able to produce the variable brightness levels.

4) Tint - Unfortunately with most CREE LEDs, we are almost always subject to tint lottery with a relatively high chance of varying tints coming off the same reel of similar specification LEDs. This has been much improvement in recent years so hopefully this would not be a case in future flashlights. :)

5) Accessories - No idea why they would want to remove the holster from the included accessories but if we were to hazard a guess - it is probably due to a decision by Fenix that it is sufficiently small to not have one?
 
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