Are Fenix Flashlights Really That good

[roadkill1109]

You know, its a good thing that our lights are going mainsteam. For one, the prices will get more competitive and of course the quality has to remain good or else fail in the mass market.

But I hope they never stop making specialty lights for us flashaholics, coz we'll always be a "step ahead" of the mass market.

 

[LEDninja]

radiotecha1234 :welcome:

Fenix came up with the first 1AA 1 watt flashlight way back in '05. They have a lot of time to get the bugs out. Most of the 1AA 1 watt/3 watt lights sold on fleabay/DX/KD are copies of their L1P. Down to the unnecessary flats in the middle.
Fenix also listened to their original US dealer so their lights tend to be suited to North American usage. A guy that goes by the avatar 4sevens.

Many of the other companies are relatively new. We do not know how well they will stand up over time. Or if they have a good design in the first place. A reviewer would test a light for a week then go to another light the next. They don't keep track of reliability the way Consumer's Union or Consumer's Reports keep track of car repairs over a 5 year period.

An example of why us grumpy old men do not stray from Surefire or Fenix is the story of Jetbeam.
Jetbeam is now a respected company but it was not always that way. Fenix had a twisty called the Civictor V1. It is cheaper than the L1P (no click switch, got all the LEDs that was rejected by the L1P QC). Jetbeam came up with a Civictor clone but had a Cree XRE (80 lumens) instead of a Luxeon (30 lumens). It also had 3 levels instead of the 1 of the Civictor. CPF went Ga-Ga over the Jetbeam CLE. Then the reports of problems came. As almost all the initial purchases came from 2 group buys we knew roughly how many were in the hands of members. Someone added up all the problems and came up with a failure rate of 40%!!!
Jetbeam promised to do better but their follow up model was no better. Finally desperate to stay in the US market Jetbeam announced they had started a QC department (they don't have one before???) and a 3rd party QC company will also retest all products before they will be shipped. With the double QC Jetbeam finally got their QC problems under control. Now they are one of the respected companies.
But us old guard remember the bad times and won't go near Jetbeam with a 10 foot pole.

Not all companies stay consistent. One of the better L1P clones was MTE. Much recommended for people who can not afford a real L1P. A year after they became favourites a few reports surfaced that the latest batch was not working properly. Uh-oh. MTE tried to set up North American distribution a few years later but no one will bite.

The real old guard stayed with their Surefires. Less old guard stayed with Fenix or followed 4sevens. We have more lights than we need already. Don't need a Fenix XML and a 4sevens XML and an Olight XML and a Sunwayled XML and a Jetbeam XML and an Eagletac XML and ... and ... Anyways is an XML that much brighter than a P7 - brighter but not by that much. (My best thrower is only 50 lumens but it has a 4 inch reflector.)

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BTW Mag has just released the MiniMag Pro and Pro+. 226 and 245 lumens compared to the 16-20 lumens of the old incan MiniMag. $26-$29.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?333051-New-Mini-Maglite-Pro-LED-Flashlight
By comparison a Fenix E21 is 150 lumens for $38.
So don't give up on the MiniMag especially if you are used to using one.

 

[roadkill1109]

Jetbeam is indeed catching up, when they got bigger, the had a 500 employee factory assembly line. Now due to the big north american demand for their lights, they opened up another factory with as many employees. How's that for expansion?

When asked which flashlight was selling like hotcakes, they said it was the TM11. Cool factoid, right?

 

[somnambulated]

Whiz down to the nearest DIY and buy a light off the shelf for a few $.I have spent loads on Fenix and other makes and at the end of the day you get light out of a tube.

Except that in the above example, it's blue-tinted dim light out of a poor quality tube that breaks easily, compared to an attractive tube with a warranty and great quality light.

Why buy quality meat and grill up a burger at home, when you could go down to McDonalds and get a piece of meat between two buns?

Or better yet, if you check the dumpster behind McDonalds, you can get the same burger for FREE!

 

[WDG]

I've EDC'd a Fenix L1D CE since 2007, and it's been a workhorse. The biggest problem with this light is that it can be a bit slippery when I have either very wet or very dry hands. AFAIK, this was corrected with the LD10.

I started searching for a good LED light when I realized they'd reached the point that a 1xAA LED could realistically replace my beat-up 2xCR123 Streamlight Scorpion (which had replaced my MiniMag as an EDC years before.) The Fenix is the one I settled on, and I've never been disappointed with that decision. There are a lot of really good options today, some of which are listed in the posts above.

As for your MiniMag, I'm assuming you're using a standard incandescent AA MiniMag? If so, the first thing you might want to try is to put a TerraLux TLE-5EX drop-in in it and prepare to be amazed. I've put LED drop-ins in all my MiniMags, and keep them around the house and in vehicles. The upgrade has kept them useful, else I would probably have stuck them away in a box. The Fenix is really the light I grab first, though. It's that versatile.

 

[loquutis79]

Nice to see so many Fenix supporters. Now I know I jumped into this with a good brand of product.

 

[CTR]

Fenix do make very good lights, I bought one as a present for someone once and the quality was quite good. Although as someone said, there's many other brands to consider now that are just as good. However in my opinion Fenix make some of the ugliest lights I've ever seen. When it comes to designing the appearance, it's like they couldn't be bothered.

I do like a torch to look good and know that the manufacturer has put effort into designing the aesthetics. I know it doesn't have to be good looking to be a good torch, but just my personal preference. So, to that end I can't see myself owning a Fenix until they start designing better looking ones.

 

[easilyled]

Strange loaded title.

Did anyone say they were "that good" ?

 

[sawlight]

I've got a Fenix EO1 in my pocket as I type this, been there for around four years now, still on the same lithium battery I put in it then. I never had a Solitare last more than a month! Every time I'd grab it the battery was dead or I had to tap it on the side to get it to make contact.
I carried minimags for years. LOVED them, kept a 2AAA in my pocket when I worked as a mechanic. But I always had four spare bulbs in my tool box next to a box of batteries. But I got tired of tapping them on the workbench to get them to work, bulbs burning out all the time and the flickering when they did work. I've tried all the drop-ins for them, they helped some but most were a pretty nasty tint with rings in the beam etc. they are also rather pricey!
I also have an E21 in my bug out bag, that's how good I think their quality is! I'm going to change out the emmiter in a few days, not because there is anything wrong with it, but I wanted a warm version and couldn't find one, so I'm going to make my own! I've become an LED snob, I've gotten spoiled with high CRI lights.
The first "real" light I bought was a Surefire L1, I wasn't sure about spending that much money on it, but reading everyone on here rave about it I bit the bullet. I was hooked after that! Like others have said, once you go down the rabbit hole you don't come back! Once you buy a "real" flashlight, Surefire, Streamlight, Fenix, etc., you'll wonder why you waited so long using those mags!

 

[loquutis79]

Funny because I like the Fenix look but not some of the others out there. All in ones own taste I guess.

 

[edpmis02]

I have three LD01s. They are well built and no real mode skipping. (My Stainless steel on my keychain feels is a tank). I have a L2D that works great, but just feels odd while holding it. Maybe it is the wider ends and slender body and feels slippery and off balance when being held? I also have three MiniMag LEDs. (Prices paid were between $5-$25) that have better hand feel, but are electronically less sophisticated.

Another thing to consider.. Mags start on high, Fenix and 4Sevens start on low (unless you tighten the bezel for turbo which can be 200+). I get a little tired of having to ramp up through several levels to get a daily use mid level.

 

[välineurheilija]

I would say they are.My experience comes from ld10,ld20,l2d,tk10,tk40,tk20,ld01 and e01 no problems whatsoever

 

[StriderSMF]

yes there awesome :thumbsup:

 

[Cataract]

With just about 20 Fenix flashlights I can say they're very good. Never had a single issue. Well, I might have needed to clean the threads on my L2D to get it going once...

 

[Dr Forinor]

From my experience of reading through various specifications and reviews, Fenix seem to build a good quality, value-for-money torch. Not only that, they have some of the best runtimes available (usually) for the light that they output and now they also use ANSI figures which is always a win!

I have a few Fenix torches and have given some away as gifts, never a problem and would happily suggest/buy a Fenix again!

 

[cland72]

They are bright, they have lots of useful modes, but I experienced trouble with 3/5 I purchased so I don't believe them to be very reliable.

Problems:
LD10 buzzed on medium & high modes
LD20 quit working after a 3 foot drop onto concrete, then would work errantly for the next year. Finally stopped working altogether, I found the LED circuit board had come loose (outside of warranty period, of course)
E21 would work intermittently, even on a pair of beloved Eneloops

No problems:
P1D (still carry it in my pocket to this day - owned for 2 years)
TK10 (sold it after 2 years of ownership)

I don't know if the problems being isolated to AA models is indicative or mere coincidence.

 

[gravelrash]

I have a TK35 and I lost the tint lottery, but I have not had any problems other than that. All this talk about Fenix makes me want to try some of their other lights...

 

[loquutis79]

I think I said it once before somewhere.

Anyone suffering from any sort of tint problem, please send them to me. I will even pay the shipping.
My TK35 might be a tiny bit green-ish on low, but hey, I just crank it up and marvel at all those lumens.
I'll take all your green torches.

 

[stoli67]

There was a time last year when I had one or more of every model Fenix made!

I have never had an issue with any of them.

Are there better lights out there... Yes for a lot more!

They are great lights at their price point.

 

[GunnarGG]

I have a couple of Fenix lights that has worked without problems.
When I look at them and handle them they give me the impression if being very well done.

And for 15 min ago I took my LD10 ot of the washing machine after a 2 hour wash!
It was absolutely dry inside and works as it should.