Fenix P1. Holy *&%$, this is a bright little bugger!

[chevrofreak]

Is there any way to tell what version P1 you have? (old/new)

My old one has a brass positive contact that was fairly rough, while the new one has a solder coating over it. Not sure if that was done with the brightness upgrade or one of the gradual improvements that Fenix likes to trickle into their production.

 

[Unforgiven]

Handlobraesing,
You search out every Fenix thread you can find in an attempt to discredit them in what appears to be a personal grudge against another member. I am not discrediting or endorsing your claims. All have been warned but you continue to ignore moderation attempts.

You have 5 days to cool off to re-read the rules.


Unforgiven

 

[windstrings]

CR123

Rechargable will be even brighter. Just don't run them back to back.. the light will get pretty warm.

 

[SuperTorch]

P1 is my next light. That size with very nice output is just rockin, how long is the battery life with the new brightness, I know it use to be 1:45 to 50%. Either way its my next light.

 

[alberto]

I bought the P1 and now have a hard time every morning deciding to carry it or my 2-stage L1P -- so I carry both. If I could 2-stage the P1, it would be the perfect light for me.

 

[whippoorwill]

I lent mine to a coworker to look at a map in a darkened car. The brightness of the light almost made him drop it! May be some brighter, may be some smaller. But there is not a better combination of power and size that I am aware of. Kick *** light!

 

[windstrings]

P1 is my next light. That size with very nice output is just rockin, how long is the battery life with the new brightness, I know it use to be 1:45 to 50%. Either way its my next light.

That 1.45 to 50% figure is not the rating with the Rechargables nor for typical primaries.. thats some funky Chinese ratings....
Here is the chart for surefire battery SR123

You get two full hours of full brightness with another 30 minutes as it runs down.

I believe the P1 gives full regulation with the 3 volt primaries as stated on the chart.
The rechargables are 3.6 volts "actually 4.2 briefly upon initial startup" and the PI releases regulation "above 3.0 volts" and becomes directly driven from the battery... so you get an "even brighter" beam than with primaries due to the higher voltage and regulation being released.

Primary batterys will give that constant output for two hours "due to the regulation taking over", with another 30 min rundown time... but the rechargables will be brighter.. but will literally change bightness minute by minute until drained.
Often the rechargables will not have as much runtime since they push out more current with the higher voltage.. but its more glorious while it last!

If using rechargables.. make sure you get the protected cells.. otherwise you may drain your battery below 2.4 volts where the lithium goes to the plates and you lose the capacity of your battery forever from then on.

Its true, the protected cells will leave you in total darkness once they hit thier critcal 3.0 volts, but at least your battery will live to run another day.
Just keep your backup handy.

The P1 has circuit protection that shuts the light off should you get the voltage down to 1.7 volts.. but by that time your recharable battery will have been ruin for the most part.

Also, the protected cells will prevent you from overcharging them above 4.2 volts which will give you perfect longevity like expected.
If you were able to charge higher "like in unprotected cells" you would get more capacity, but it would be short lived and you would drastically reduce the number of cycles left on the battery, thus shortening its life.

The cool thing about the P1 is it works perfect on primaries, yet it likes the higher voltage of the recharables too.

There are other lights out there that have the advantage of variable brightness, but its always at the expense of runtime. Efficiency is lost in their brightness circuits, so its nice to have a light that is this bright, this small, with this runtime.

Many folks will admit that although its cool to have the dimmer features should you wish, they almost always run at full brightness!

 

[windstrings]

I lent mine to a coworker to look at a map in a darkened car. The brightness of the light almost made him drop it! May be some brighter, may be some smaller. But there is not a better combination of power and size that I am aware of. Kick *** light!

the only thing this size that I've ran across thats brighter is the Firefly III, but its extremly shortlived and the rest of the runtimes really suffer too as the variable circuit .... PWM Circuit "pulse width modulation" that turns the light on and off many times a second is "less efficient" and eats up the runtime.
Note on post # 157 it can reach 73 lumens but very briefly, within 35 minutes its down to 50% ... and it only runs off rechargables...
The P1 on rechargables come near that at first turn on since regulation is released and its directly driven.... the same as the FF when on burst mode.
If you look lower at the "Output vs. time" chart, you will see the runtime is really inferior.
I almost bought a Firefly "after" buying my P1, until if realized the price you pay "literally" and the runtime you lose...

BTW, this particular chart reveals how much longer the runtime can be on primaries rather than recharables, but brightness is less.

The FF is a nice light, but its quite expensive.... money is not too much of a factor for me in this price range.... Even if they were of equal price, I decided the P1 was better for me.

If I go camping, I will take a pack of primaries with me "one dollar each" and have a good time and not worry about runtime and have full brightness all the time!!!

 

[tsask]

You probably got one of the newest production P1's. They're brighter now than before.

What ? WOW! I was going to suggest RCR 123s. I have only used them in my P1. bought my P1 in June. its great!!!! really makes an impression :goodjob: and 4Sevens is a great guy to deal with.
I wonder if i need to get a "new and improved" P1?

 

[chevrofreak]

The P1 has circuit protection that shuts the light off should you get the voltage down to 1.7 volts.. but by that time your recharable battery will have been ruin for the most part.

That may be true with a CR123a lithium primary as it is about the point where the cell is fully dead, but, the circuit will still run on less voltage than that. I've run a P1 head on a single AA Ni-MH (1.45v charged) and it did very well.

 

[Concept]

My P1 one is of about equal brightness of my L2T on high, but with a slightly larger hotspot. I love it.

 

[BentHeadTX]

[/u]Many folks will admit that although its cool to have the dimmer features should you wish, they almost always run at full brightness!

I have three Fenix lights, two L1P's and a UWAJ bin 1.7 watt MillerMods L1P with a 5 ohm two-stage switch. The UWAJ MM L1P is my bicycle helmet light and it runs on a NiMH battery. (a single AA U bin at 500mA screamer) On my keychain is a FireFly III so I have personal experience with both of them. To add more fun, I have a Peak Mediterranean that I run a RCR123 cell in and it "kicks out regulation" the same as a P1. It uses a T bin LuxeonIII.

Luckily, the Med with RCR123 has a larger head so it can handle the heat through an entire runtime of the RCR and it is very bright. (It acts like a Ranier) It regulates normally on a CR123A. I find I almost NEVER use that light since I don't always need blinding output. My 2AA version on NiMH gets used at work daily in a holster.

The FireFly III gets the most use. Fire it up on low to get dressed in the morning and enjoy 16 hours of runtime. Medium (Level 12) is for walking around or looking inside things. The least used is Burst and when I use it, it is for generally less than a minute. The FF3 is the smoooothest, buttery twistie switch I've ever used. Copper tends to glide much better that aluminum so it is a joy to use.

Talked to CPF buddies about their U2's, HDS U60's and nFlex mods and they have noted that when you have the option, you'll use a LOWER output more than a higher output. My nFlex WX1S LuxeonV Mag mod is rarely used at level 8 high... generally it is used at level 2 or 3 as the light is adjusted to what is required and comfortable to the eye. Look at the comments made about the Fenix LxT series, a lot of folks would like to have a "lower-low" output.

I hear that Fenix will be coming out with a 3 stage output P1. Think of the P1 crossed with a L0P Special Edition so things will get interesting. Not sure if it will use the "FluPIC FF3 type" brightness twisty switching or something along the lines of "HDS clickie type" switching but it should be interesting. My FF3 is not sweating it since I demand programmable outputs and I can easily change LEDs out when really high bins become available. Unless Fenix uses a copper heat sink, the FF3 will still have much smoother switching action so it will work better as a twistie keychain light.

There is more to flashlights than the maximum output to size. Pocket rockets are fun but after awhile usability comes into play. I am looking forward to the three-stage P1 myself. If the reviews are good, I can recommend them to my friends that want my FF3 but don't want to pay the price of admission. Now to see how that L0P Special Edition three-stage AAA light reviews work out...it will give me an idea of the upcoming multiple output P1 performance capabilities, switching and usability. What good is an EDC light that has only one output? Fine for the very low powered lights but the bar is moving up, outputs are jumping up but total output is nothing without control.

 

[daveman]

What would be the point of a multi-stage P1? Fenix is going to release a 123A body L2T in November. The L2T on high is brighter than the P1 (according to FLR), and it also has dual-output. With the 123A body, how is it any different than a dual-stage P1?

 

[InfidelCastro]

I had a P1 for a short time. It had a bluish tint to it. It was quite bright, but not earth shattering. I would say it was roughly the brightness of my L2T.

The size of the light is excellent. I found the twist on operation to be VERY inconvient though.

I have been using a MillerMods L2P on a CR123A body and for me this is a much better setup, although it does get quite warm drawing close to 1.8 amp from the battery which incidently die quick deaths. It's hard to operate a twisty light in one hand and keys in the other, especially when you're trying not to put any scratches on the light too.

 

[Loomy]

I'm curious, how does the three stage switch on the P1 work, mechanically?

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

I've had a Natural P1 as my EDC now for a couple months. It replaced a LUXIII Minim*g in that role.

I run it on battrey station primaries. I've replaced the battery twice so far. Once because it was noticeably dim, and once just because.

I have an "old" Inova Microlight on my keys, so a dimmer "Map" reading light is always around.

But I've yet to find the P1 not bright enough, and rarely find it too bright.

I couldn't be much happier with a light purchase!!!

 

[cloud]

This is interesting news on a 'improved' P1..

my early nat P1 is great apart from a slightly blue tint.

Does anyone know if the runtimes are similar (Early v later model.) looked at chev's graphs,but they dont seem to say if these are the later one's..

maybe I might have to invest in another fenix ...empty wallet time!..

 

[balticvid]

Rumor has it that Fenix is coming out with a 3 stage P1.
Does anyone know if that is true?

 

[windstrings]

Rumor has it that Fenix is coming out with a 3 stage P1.
Does anyone know if that is true?

Although it may be a good seller, I expect the runtime will be cut with the circuitry.

 

[havand]

I feel like i've literally watched that rumor form between the lop se thread in the dealer's section and the led section here. Although i have no doubt it is on the way, everything i've seen has been STRICTLY speculation...If you've seen something more concrete, please post what and where. Now that Fenix has made the jump to multilevel with the L0P SE, i'm sure based on how it sells, the feature will filter down to the other aleady available lights. I'm sure it is on the way, but i havn't heard anything