Fenix E35 v3

[3_gun]

Another of the "losers" in my unicorn quest.

On paper this seems to be a pretty solid light and it is on paper. Sadly for me the UI which seems pretty simple, and is, turns out to be to simple for my liking.

The good!
Fenix knows how to make good lights. The light levels 50 / 150 / 450 / 1200 & 3000 lumens covers almost the full range I'd like to have. Spacing otherwise is good, each step up is a useful, meaningful & noticeable increase. The light color does shift, getting better as you increase lumens. It's never bad & a saving grace the beam pattern is a very good GP pattern. Clear well sized hot spot with good fill & spill surrounding it. The build is clean. About 4.5" x 1" with a slightly raised, single activation button controlling the light. The pocket clip fits the light tightly giving you an adjustable reference in relation to the switch. It also holds your pocket well keeping the light easy to reach but not to exposed. The black finish is uniform & not slippery in your hand. Plus the light is rated IP68. The battery is an usb rechargeable, cold resistant, 5k/mah 21700 Fenix branded cell. The battery does not charge thru a port on the body. It also help give the E35 some well above run times at 450L & below. Well build, useful & reliable like every other Fenix light I own.

The bad

No moonlight is a glaring omission leaving the low being a to bright 50L. With no ML, a low of 12-15'ish would've been better even if it meant lowering the other levels to keep the spacing. Turbo is solid, I believe every one of the 3000 claimed lumens are there .. just not for long. I'd really like to see high being held for at least 10 minutes before step downs kick in. If that lowered turbo to 2k/L at least it would be 2k of practical run time. (this isn't just a Fenix issue) The UI is to simple. The 1/2sec on / off & single click work well but it includes every light level & is one way only. Strobe comes on with a 1.5 sec hold. Instead a 1sec hold to low & double click for turbo leaving the middle 3 levels for memory(a nice feature) & cycling would be a MAJOR improvement in my opinion.

Overall

The E35 v3 is a solid light & even with it not winning my EDC round robin I really don't expect it's going anywhere. Things I don't like, which is almost if not all of the "bad" section does not make them flaws. The compact size, useful light levels, IP68 rating, good mix of throw & flood beam, battery performance & simple (to simple?) UI make it a keeper (even if the only time I use turbo is on the way back to low). It doesn't add up to my favorite light but it doesn't make it bad

 

[3_gun]

Been using this light for a bit over a month now & surprisingly a lot more often than I expected. It's been pretty much my default GP light, a use where the lack of ML & simple UI aren't really an issue, I already know what I'm getting into when I pick it up. Since the run time test I did with the light I've put about 10'ish hrs of time on the light; 99% of which has been econ & low. Battery light still shows solid green (85%+)which isn't a surprise. I expect good run times at the lower levels. I'm going to guess the next charge won't happen until maybe 25 more hours at the current use. The compact size (for a 21700) & nice beam makes for an easy light to default to for around the house chores. Solid light

 

[3_gun]

Biggest negatives about this light are still the substandard UI (IMHO) & the poor CRI in the lower lumen levels, it does get better at 450L & up. Biggest pluses? It's built like a tank & will hold a 450L level w/o heat or run time issues. Been using this light A LOT lately mounted on a tripod as a fill light during some home improvement work. It's been run for hours at a time at 450L & knocked over to many times to count. Hasn't been an issue. If I was going to sell a light this would not be the first to go but it would be in the first 3 or 4. It is not a bad light it just isn't one of the best lights I own. As a work light the UI isn't an issue as I want 450L at on & at this out put the CRI isn't an issue since it's fill lighting mostly. The CRI gets better at the upper levels but heat becomes an issue then. Fenix makes some great lights, this isn't one of them. Still used within it limitations I gota give it a solid B. You can buy much worse lights at this price point

 

[cajadas]

For how long does it hold 3000 Lumens before it goes down to 1000LM? This is all I need to kow because I need 3000LM for as much time as possible.

 

[3_gun]

Turbo drops off noticeably in less than a minute, I'd say it holds pretty good for the first 30sec. The 1200L (claimed) high holds well, I've run it for 5 min w/o a noticeable drop but it does start to warm up pretty good at this output. The light hammers the 450L medium level(& below), I've never had a heat or dimming issue at these levels even when used for over 1+ hours straight.

I did manage to break my lens in a fall/drop of less than 1m. Didn't notice the lens for a couple days, having not affected the function or noticeable output/beam. Cost $15+ shipping one way to get it fixed right. Quick turnaround & a light worth getting fixed.

Still not my favorite/go to light but it is used often when a single output+long run(s) is expected. The less than ideal UI (to me) isn't a problem, the solid run times, tail standing, clip + beam make it a good general purpose light.

Solid B grade, unlikely to change unless there is a major unexpected failure