Fenix E20 V2 coming soon ... /// No updates for the LD22 series planned ...

[martinaee]

I was told on YouTube today that an update to the venerable E20 is coming. Not sure when, but I assume soon-ish. So an "E20 v2" ? Looking forward to that as all the E series lights are awesome and punch above their weight.

Unfortunately, I was also told there are no plans from Fenix for an update to the LD22 which kind of is a bummer. :thumbsdow Not that the current LD22 is a slouch, but that model hasn't been updated in 5 years now. AA and 2AA lights don't get nearly as much love across the board from companies as they used to.

 

[PartyPete]

I still like the 2x AA format and have had an E25 for many years now. Makes for a nice, simple utility light. Also, the slimmer and slightly more compact feel of it versus a single 18650 is a nice change of pace, too.

Although in hindsight the tail switch of the E20 was more practical than the side button and push and hold turbo of the E25.

I'd love to see Fenix keep the tail switch, bump the max lumens to over 300 and hopefully add a nice low mode, instead of the 30 lumen low they have been doing lately - that's just way too bright.

 

[martinaee]

Yeah, Fenix is my fav brand partly because I got my first "good lights" from them, but I find they make really innovative lights. But I agree that there are some weird quirks that I wish they would change like having very low modes in most of their lights of just a few lumens (some of their lights have it, but not all) and having more variety in tints and cri of their lights. I think they mostly go with cool white max brightness to sell to the masses. The E25 is an AWESOME light. I actually love their single side switch lights they made a number of years ago and wish they would bring them back more. I gave my dad an E25 and think that was one of the best 2aa lights ever. My E50 is still one of my favorite lights-- 2 18650 in a long handle with great grip, neutral white, and tail standing. I think people brand new to the "good flashlight" game don't understand how good even 2aa lights are these days. We have 2aa lights that are wayyy brighter than basically any single 18650 lights from 10 years ago. It's a great format and, yeah, more compact and practical than even most single 18650 lights. And AAs are great because of how safe they are and also available if you need to get some on the road or something. I don't really like the recent push to even bigger cells in lots of lights vs further refining smaller formats. But again, it's probably because what sells is huge batteries and max lumens. I'm excited to see this new E20 though. And I like side buttons AND back switches, but don't like it when you can't tailstand a light with a rear switch. I think I could with my original LD20 from 2008-2009. Loved that lights. I'll have to get either an LD22 again or maybe one of those clones of the LD20 from Thrunite haha.

 

[Labrador72]

I was hoping they would update their LD22 this year, maybe bring it back with iconic Fenix crenulation, and a maybe maybe a programmable two-mode UI... I can keep dreaming!

I guess with the 18650s having become more and more popular, the sales prospects for 2-AA premium lights aren't as good as they used to be a few years back.

 

[martinaee]

I agree Lab. I guess that shows they sell more to the even "slight enthusiast" flashlight crowd and probably not nearly as much to your general consumer which is why they probably do sell more 18650 and up lights than AA lights, but who knows. I guess even these days your average consumer isn't going to want to spend 40-60 dollars on a really nice premium AA light when they can get a cheap 10-20 dollar LED light these days that will more or less do the job just fine.

 

[PartyPete]

Looks like version 2.0 is about to drop in the next few weeks. After a cursory look at the specs and it seems like a welcome improvement; the clip is a nice addition, its more powerful and designed well.

I'm definitely looking forward to a review. Only gripe is the usual lack of a moonlight mode. 5 lumens is a step in the right direction, better than 30 lumen low like some other models but of course 1 lumen or less would have been ideal.

Looks like with the new optic it's trading throw for flood on this model, so perhaps for some that might make a difference. The original E20 was fairly throwy for its format if I recall correctly.

 

[Buck91]

I'm a huge fan of the AA format. Definitely has it limitations but as others have stated the cell safety can't be beat and cheap/easy/emergent cell replacement is a bonus. Very excited to hear about this light, though I prefer a moderately throwy beam so hopefully the optic isn't too floody.

I missed a mention of memory mode. If fenix got this right and avoided a mode memory I'll probably bite.

 

[martinaee]

Welp, it's here and coming: http://www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=8322&tid=11&cid=1#.Xrt1cIszaUk

Looks like it will be VERY light weight compared to the last E20. Great, but I wonder if it will retain the crazy durability of the previous model. The first E20 was basically more like a TK light with how strong the body was/felt. I'm sure this will be good though. I'm surprised they are going back to a singular tailcap for on-off as well as mode changing. It probably is for cost saving, but I loved my original LD20 so having a light like that again might be great as long as this can tail stand. It looks like it probably can from the photos, but we'll see. Great run times especially at lower modes. This will be a great non-flashaholic light for a lot of people. This is going to be a very good general use light, but don't expect it to throw super far outdoors. I like that it will be fairly floody.

 

[bhds]

Reading through the user manual it looks like it starts in low and cycles low to high.:sigh:

 

[martinaee]

Yeah I kind of assumed it has no memory for settings. Seems like an "old-school" Fenix from 10+ years ago with no memory and how one changes modes on it. I'm okay with that as a general purpose light.

 

[GMT2330]

Deleted

 

[martinaee]

You know that's a good point. I knew it was small from the weight being half of the version 1, but in the pics it doesn't seem that small. I was wondering about durability too since it will be super light for a 2aa light. Kind of stinks that it doesn't seem like it will be able to tail-stand. I wish they had made this a side button light. Especially since it has no memory and goes low to high it makes sense to be slower and more methodical, but also tail-standing. Oh well, Fenix never listens. I still love their lights though This might be a great light though. Sometimes once you actually have something and use it it makes sense why they made specific design decisions.

 

[longuylander]

I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison of the new E20 to the 2015 version. Not just for size but for beam pattern, as the older one was such a thrower. I'd also like to see a test of those absurd runtimes using alkaline batteries... how can the light have two to three times more runtime over nimh???

 

[colight]

Hoping to see the one-to-one comparison between E20 V2.0 and the old version E20.:laughing:

 

[fenix store]

Hoping to see the one-to-one comparison between E20 V2.0 and the old version E20.:laughing:

I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison of the new E20 to the 2015 version. Not just for size but for beam pattern, as the older one was such a thrower. I'd also like to see a test of those absurd runtimes using alkaline batteries... how can the light have two to three times more runtime over nimh???

Great idea! We'll get to work on a comparison video for you guys as soon as everyone is back in the office. In the meantime, here is a screenshot comparing the product specifications of the old E20 with the E20 V2

 

[Henk4U2]

I looked it up in Wikipedia. The size of an AA batteries can vary between 13.5mm and 14.5mm. On top of that you need a little room to "wiggle". If the overall outside diameter of the tube is 16.8mm, that means you've got a really thin wall. Less than 1mm (?). No wonder the new version weighs less than half of the old version.

 

[Buck91]

Mine just arrived today, very nice little 2AA light! Beam does seem a bit on the floody side but still offers a nice hotspot. My "amaloop" batteries fit just right and the wall thickness seems adequate. It's no tank but should hold up to normal wear and tear well. Additionally I really like the linear style grip texturing; effective and a bit of a departure from the norm. Very compact for a 2AA! Definitely noticeable compared to my old L2Tv2 or my quark qk2a mkiii.

Has anybody disassembled or done an emitter swap? The stock sst-20 is actually pretty nice but clearly a low cri towards the cool end. Seems a 4000k 95cri replacement is just begging to be reflowed.

 

[longuylander]

So... anybody who bought one able to compare it to the 2015 version? Anybody test those outrageous alkaline times yet?

 

[radellaf]

Anybody test those outrageous alkaline times yet?

Just got mine but don't have a 2015 to compare with. Quick tailcap meter says 20mA, 80mA, 400mA, 1400mA. So about 5h is correct for NiMH at high, and 11h for alkaline is some sort of spec manipulation that must count the time after it steps down to low. At 80mA an alkaline could have an advantage (2200mAh perhaps), and at 20mA it definitely will (2500mAh possibly).

They show a graph in the manual that implies pretty flat regulation on everything but turbo.

The 11h for alkalines on high clearly has them running at low for the last half of that.

The light is really thin aluminum. Great for carrying around. Reminds me of my old 4-Sevens Qmini. I wouldn't want to bang it around too much, though. It would probably survive but who wants to handle a banged up metal finish?

It is pretty great to have a light that runs about a week vs 5 hours compared to my old mini-mag. Or for about the same amount of time but at 150 lumens.

 

[thermal guy]

Boy lost a ton of throw didn't it?