Fenix LD75C: 4xXM-L2(U2)+1xRGBW LED, max. 4200 lumens, 4x18650, (beam)shots, compare

[kj75]

Fenix LD75C: 4 x XM-L2(U2) + 1 x RGBW LED, max. 4200 lumens, 4 x18650 / 8 x CR123A, (beam)shots and comparison

Often discussed, several times shown on trade shows: The new Fenix LD75C. This is the brightest light ever made by Fenix, the first that reaches more than 4000 lumens. But there’s more: Also added to this output king: a high-output multicolor led that gives white, red, green and blue. Fenix gave the change to test this light via a global test campaign, and I was a (happy) one that was chosen. Thank you Fenixlight! Let’s have a closer look at this interesting one!

the new Fenix output-king

“let color matter”

powered by 4 x XM-L2 and one multicolor XM-L LED

As usual, we will start by having a look at the (output) specifications, given by Fenixlight:

· Utilizes four Cree XM-L2 U2 LEDs and one XM-L color LED with a lifespan of 50,000 hours
· Powered by 4 rechargeable Li-ion 18650 batteries or 8 CR123A lithium batteries
· Dimensions: 158mm (6.22’’) x 52mm (2.04’’) x 74mm (2.91’’)
· Weight: 430-gram (15.16oz) excluding batteries
· Digitally regulated output - maintains constant brightness
· Double circuit design for flexible power options and better reliability
· Reverse polarity protection guards against improper battery installation
· Over-heat protection to avoid high-temperature of the surface
· Total 3 side switches for ON/OFF and output selection
· Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
· Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
· Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating

the output specs:

Unboxing:

Short story this time : Because this was a testing sample, it came without carton, accessories and manual… Luckily local importer knivesandtools shipped it to me in a sturdy carton, thanks for it!

Impressions:

First impression: A (nice) mix of Fenix-lights I’ve seen before: TK75, LD60 and a bit TK61. So, a real Fenix member. Allthough this is a sample, the build quality is excellent. It feels all sturdy (and also a bit heavy), and will last for years. Anodizing is well done, I could only find some chips, most at the cooling fins. Also on the bezel you can see this light is “used” before. I’m sure later “stock” versions don’t have this issue. Also two chips found in the reflector, and two leds little off-center. Some engraved marks look a bit faint. The threads are well machined, are little lubed and run smoothly. Inside the tube and tailcap it looks all ok. Some (maybe) personal improvements for me: a (better) anti-roll design a “double” lanyard-holes. Overall, this is what you can expect made by Fenix: a durable, high-quality light.

a mix of some successful Fenix lights

balanced proportions

impressive: the head with total 5 leds

well machined and finished

Multifunctional light

with good grip

compact, easy to handle with

with recommended cells

no anti-roll….

but steady tailstand

detail picture

individual reflector for the color-LED

a color led-close-up: mind the special reflector

new operation with three buttons

excellent finishing and anodizing

the new “sun-button” is positioned little below

a look into the battery tube

light can operate with two 18650’s or 4 x CR123A’s too. Mind to insert them at this way..

with two cells, output will be out of two main leds. Color led’s output is equal, but runtime less

waterproof according to IP-X8

Interface:

From a light that has 5 leds built-in and is driven by four 18650 cells, we can’t expect a lightweight. But anyway, it fits good in the hand, you have enough grip and the LD75C is easy to handle. The three button have a new shape and print, the instant button is placed slightly lower. In darkness, this lower placed button will help you also to right upper. Short press on lower “sun” button will give instant-strobe, longer press than one second instant turbo (4000 lumens). You need to deactivate this by a short click, it has no momentary. Press and hold the right upper button for white light, cycle through the modes by short clicks. The same for the left upper button, but then you’ll have color modes. New feature is the power check: quick double press the C-button to show current voltage: Blue (high) Green (good) Red (low) Red flashing (critical). Innovative, I’ve never had this before!

Modes:

By pressing the on/off button (and you click to cycle) you enter the 5 “normal” white modes: ECO > LOW > MID > HIGH > TURBO. Press (and short click) the C-button for the 5 color modes: WHITE > RED > RED SLOW FLASH > RED/BLUE STROBE > GREEN > BLUE. The LD75C memorizes last used mode. A short click at the lower “sun-button” will give Strobe, press and hold this button for more than one second to enter turbo mode. Short click the sun-button for off. All combinations are possible, (a great point here!): for example Turbo + Red/Blue Strobe, White eco + Red, Green + Strobe. NOTE: to reach the maximum output, you’ve to choose white color + turbo mode, to reach to maximum output of 4000+200 lumens. Instant turbo works only with 4 leds. Because this bunch of modes and combinations you have this is an interesting light for hunting, rescue and so on. Strange thing is the lack of a SOS-mode. Wish it had a beacon mode too…

Tint:

No surprise here, the XM-L2 (U2) leds have a coolwhite tint. I’ve compared it to the Olight SR Mini, that has a bit more neutral tint.

Size comparison:

As for a big Fenix, it is real compact. It has almost the same dimensions as the LD60. Also compared this one to this multicolor-brother TK32 and the huge thrower TK61.


CR123A, 18650 cell, Fenix TK32, LD60, LD75C and TK61

TK61, LD75, LD60 and TK32

TK32, LD60, LD75C and TK61

the heads: all main-leds are XM-L2(U2)

and the tails

The beam:

LD75C has a nice “all round-beam”: A rather big hotspot, that makes the light a decent thrower; also a big corona and a lot of spill. Scroll down to see the outdoor shots also….the beam is really impressive! Nice feature also: Use the white color led for only a “floody” beam. As earlier said, you can mix these ones until you’ll have your perfect beam

Beamshots:

Projected on a white wall, distance to the wall about 0,75 meters. Because there are a lot of modes and combinations, only gif pictures here.

camera settings: ISO100, F/2.7, 1/125 sec, WB daylight, 35mm

white modes plus white color led (to reach maximum output of 4200 lumens)

the color modes

some combinations of white and color

And now, let’s see what this light brings outside…. Again, at first, the white modes. After that some gif-pictures of the color modes and some combinations. Last (but not least) compared to the LD60-brother and the Nitecore TM06.

camera settings: ISO100, F/2.7, 4 sec, WB daylight, 35mm

animation

animation of the color-modes

some combinations of white and color

LD75C against LD60

LD75C against Nitecore TM06

Conclusion:

The brightest Fenix I’ve ever had! Compact, impressive output, also for the color leds. It’s a real Fenix, that means built quality and finishing are excellent. Because my light was a pre-production sample, I found some little “user traces” and some leds could be centered better. I don’t know why a lock-out mode is missing, Fenix should add this in future. Also the lack of an SOS-mode is strange. Can you restore beacon mode too, Fenix? Overall, this is one of my favorite big lights, I played around for hours with it now. So, if you’re looking for a high quality output-king that has decent throw and powerful color-modes too, this will be a good choice.

Thanks to Fenixlight and knivesandtools for sending me this sample!

 

[kj2]

Thanks for the review

 

[newbie66]

Thank you very much for the review! Now both kj2 and kj75 have done a review on this light. Nice.

Only concern I have is the battery insertion. Hopefully the reverse polarity protection works!

 

[gktii]

great review! but also bad review...cause now i want this light!! haha!! :twothumbs

 

[kj75]

Now both kj2 and kj75 have done a review on this light. Nice.

A lot a (flash)light in our little country

great review! but also bad review...cause now i want this light!! haha!! :twothumbs

I'm sure you won't regret your purchase

 

[NoNotAgain]

After further review of the pictures of the battery compartment, Fenix is going to have a real mess on their hands.

The circuit board has polarity markings screen printed next to the contact springs. The issue I see is that when you compare the printed polarity verses the polarity on the battery alignment stave's, they don't match up.

The board marking on the upper right corner shows a + sign, while the stave shows the battery insertion direction as being negative.

Previously I've posted that Fenix screwed up with this configuration. After additional review, I hope that Fenix makes some changes with later production versions.

 

[kj2]

After further review of the pictures of the battery compartment, Fenix is going to have a real mess on their hands.

The circuit board has polarity markings screen printed next to the contact springs. The issue I see is that when you compare the printed polarity verses the polarity on the battery alignment stave's, they don't match up.

The board marking on the upper right corner shows a + sign, while the stave shows the battery insertion direction as being negative.

Previously I've posted that Fenix screwed up with this configuration. After additional review, I hope that Fenix makes some changes with later production versions.

Or you can say, the marking at the tailcap-end tells which side of the battery you should see. That's the way I do it

 

[NoNotAgain]

Or you can say, the marking at the tailcap-end tells which side of the battery you should see. That's the way I do it

kj2, Do you see the same thing that I'm seeing on the board and the battery tube staves? Why the contradictory markings between the board and the stave markings?

I know that you reviewed the light and it performed well. I also think that this is going to be a nice light, probably with features that I'll never use, but wish that Fenix would have used a more typical contact configuration. There is no way that I could loan this light out and not expect to get a phone call that the light doesn't work after changing out the batteries.

I was concerned enough with the way this polarity situation has worked out, that Vinh is going to modify my LD75Cvn light with springs on the negative terminals only.

 

[gktii]

Hmmm. I didn't notice that until you just pointed it out.

 

[kj2]

kj2, Do you see the same thing that I'm seeing on the board and the battery tube staves? Why the contradictory markings between the board and the stave markings?

I know that you reviewed the light and it performed well. I also think that this is going to be a nice light, probably with features that I'll never use, but wish that Fenix would have used a more typical contact configuration. There is no way that I could loan this light out and not expect to get a phone call that the light doesn't work after changing out the batteries.

I was concerned enough with the way this polarity situation has worked out, that Vinh is going to modify my LD75Cvn light with springs on the negative terminals only.

I totally understand your point. But when you want to shock-absurb the batteries, you need springs at both ends. A simple sticker inside the tube, for each slot, would make it a lot easier to understand. Had contact with Fenix about this, and they refer to the manual.

 

[NoNotAgain]

I totally understand your point. But when you want to shock-absurb the batteries, you need springs at both ends. A simple sticker inside the tube, for each slot, would make it a lot easier to understand. Had contact with Fenix about this, and they refer to the manual.

kj2, Went to Fenix Lighting website and no manuals are available for downloading. Fenix says that they're there, but don't show up on a search of the website.

I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but Fenix mis-marked the circuit board if the pictograph on the battery tube stave is to be believed. I totally agree a simple sticker inserted into the tube would add redundancy for correct polarity.

I've emailed Fenix USA for clarification and a manual, either paper or electronic. I expressed my concerns that as it stands presently, I can't loan this light out. Also asked it this was a pre-production SNAFU on the board marking or if there were plans to correct the markings on later versions.

Without including the manual or me making up the polarity stickers this light will be relegated into a unit that can't be loaned.

 

[woodrow]

I just received my production version from Brightguy. I am very impressed with the light, and mine did come with a owners manual, but it only muddies the waters.

While the photo shows the batteries being inserted +/- then -/+, the instructions dictate putting the plus side on all the batteries toward the head of the light. If I were a light seller, I would definitely include a large paper with the proper instructions and a photo of proper insertion. The circuit board is still mislabeled, but I would have never known to look for that without reading this review. Oh fenix lol.

I do really like the light though. It is much smaller than my tk61 (one of the funnest lights I have ever owned) and not much bigger than the ld60 without that unfortunate flicker on the lower levels. While I would rarely use the colors, the center led on white produces a great wide (not overpoweringly bright) beam that I think will be great for night walks, with the ability to seriously 'light up a target' with just another push of the main led button at any time... then go back to the 200 lumen level by just pushing the main switch again... without having to cycle through levels. I'm not sure why the center led only burns for 11 hours when the 4 main leds will produce the same illumination for 35 hours.

I am excited to have as much light as my old 35w hid light in the palm of my hand... that also has low levels and a momentary options. These are good times... as long as you can figure out the batteries I guess.

 

[NoNotAgain]

I received a response from Fenix on the battery polarity and a user manual.

Linda Y from Fenix told me to insert all 4 cells with the (+) towards the head of the lamp. I replies are you sure? To which I received a second message to install per a pic that was posted on CPF that I had linked to.

What Fenix is missing in the battery installation guide is providing clear instructions on operating the light on either two 18650 cells or four CR123a cells.

She (Linda) did send a manual via email, but the manual is 14 megs in size.

Guess that no one from Fenix knows how to use Acrobat to make small files. Fenix makes some very nice lights, has responsive customer service, but the language barrier needs to be corrected. There is a big difference between technical writing a casual language translation. Kinda wished I'd have kept up with my Mandarin.

 

[Canuke]

Or you can say, the marking at the tailcap-end tells which side of the battery you should see. That's the way I do it

That's how it looks to me. Each symbol shows which pole of the battery should be at that location. Seeing as each cell has opposite poles at opposite ends, I would *expect* the symbols at opposite ends of each cell compartment to be, well, opposed

 

[dazed1]

Are users interested in GB for this light?

 

[harro]

A nice light, and one that I think I might say yes to, soon. How do you think it compares to the 2.9klm TK75 ? I own one of them and very much enjoy it. Is this a little bit brighter with the added bonus of the RGBW led, do you think ? I don't need 1000 M plus throw, just a decent wall of light like the '75. My first buy of any style of light in 1.5 - 2.0 years, so am looking forward to it.

 

[harro]

Sorry, double post. Please delete this one.

 

[NoNotAgain]

A nice light, and one that I think I might say yes to, soon. How do you think it compares to the 2.9klm TK75 ? I own one of them and very much enjoy it. Is this a little bit brighter with the added bonus of the RGBW led, do you think ? I don't need 1000 M plus throw, just a decent wall of light like the '75. My first buy of any style of light in 1.5 - 2.0 years, so am looking forward to it.

I own the 2600, 2900, and a Vinh modified version of the TK75 as well as both stock and Vinh modified LD75C light.

The LD75C is a smaller light in length. It is brighter than the 2900 lumen version of the TK75. In stock form, the LD75C is a bit floodier than the TK75, 2900 lumen version light. The Vinh modified LD75C, dedomed throws better than a stock 2900 lumen version light.

If you need maximum run time, the TK75 with the run time kit allows for that. The LD75C only allows for the batteries inside.

 

[harro]

Thanks NNA. That's a pretty straightforward and concise summary. Sounds good to me. Something a tad brighter than the '75 ( NOT that ANY of the 75's are lacking, especially Vinh's ) for older eyes, with the red thrown in for night vision preservation, is good. A little more compact also, than the '75.
Thanks again,
Mike.

 

[NoNotAgain]

Fenix LD75C: 4xXM-L2(U2)+1xRGBW LED, max. 4200 lumens, 4x18650, (beam)shots, ...

Thanks NNA. That's a pretty straightforward and concise summary. Sounds good to me. Something a tad brighter than the '75 ( NOT that ANY of the 75's are lacking, especially Vinh's ) for older eyes, with the red thrown in for night vision preservation, is good. A little more compact also, than the '75.
Thanks again,
Mike.

I find that for night time use, the green works better than does the red.

Pics in a few.

http://s393.photobucket.com/user/TiredofEverything99/library/LD75C light