EV_007
Enlightened
I finally decided to check out Fenix's newest, brightest offering, the P3D. I ordered from Lighthound, which arrived quickly as usual. I held out on the P1D CE due to its twisty interface and ringy beam profile users have been reporting.
The P3D reminds me of the L1P in terms of overall construction and general appearance, except on a much larger scale. I wasn't a big fan of the thinner L2T design, so I was pleased to see that Fenix has kept the lines of the P3D sleek and aesthetically pleasing.
AW's protected 3.7v 750mAh batteries with label facing away for size comparison
Sizewise the P3D is slightly bulkier (thicker) than the SureFire E2E, and a little shorter as well. The wider width makes it stand on its end better than the narrower L2P design. The light feels a bit slippery due to the lack of checkered knurling on the main body, but I don't mind the smoothness of it.
This is one of the better UI Fenix has come up with for cycling through the different levels.
Click once and you are in the lowest setting - 9 Lumens (65 hrs)
Half-click or tap again and the middle brightness level is activated - 40 lumens (13 hrs)
Tap once again and the 3rd brightness level is activated - 90 lumens (4.8 hrs)
Fully clicking again brings you to the SOS mode.
Now within any mode, twist the head tight and the Turbo mode kicks in.
160 lumens (1.8 hr)
While in the Turbo mode, tap the clickie and the strobe kicks in.
I like the fact that you can enter the lowest or highest turbo modes from initial start-up without cycling through to get to them.
I also like that PWM is not used to achieve the multi-level brightness settings. No more flickering.
P3D business end
The beam seemed slightly unfocused, but this is only obvious when wall hunting. There is also a straight, thin line next to where the LED sits. Not sure if this is normal or not. Yes, the LED does indeed look off center. The tint leans slightly toward the purplish side. Someone mentioned that this might be characteristic of the LED being overdriven? The tint reminds me of the Streamlight PP 4AA and the L2P MM version. Although I prefer warmer tints, this isn't much of an issue for me. Thankfully this latest offering from Fenix does not seem to suffer as bad from the rings reported in the P1D CE, however, there is a dark band around the outer most portion of the spillbeam, then faint rings visible toward the unfocused central hotspot. The camera does not show the various nuances of the beam profile. Not a huge issue in the real world, but YMMV.
The location has nearly zero ambient light from the city. My friend was kind enough to let me flood his mailbox with photons.
Around 35 feet to mailbox.
The SureFire U2 on high (100 lumens) puts out a broader, more even beam than the P3D on Turbo (160 lumens?). The Lumens Factory EO-E2R is the closest incan I have housed in the SureFire E2E body for a direct comparison. IMHO the incan wins in terms of overall throw and color rendition. The P3D wins in terms of overall runtime, which was the main reason for acquiring it.
Aside from the standard 123a battery, AW's protected RCRs fit snuggly in the tube, however, you do need to tap and shake the light to get them back out. Removing the label from the battery should help. The AW protected 17670s do not fit. The unprotected 123a size Li-Ions fit as well as the unprotected 17670s which Lighthound sells.
Shot the P3D against the Lumens Factory E0-E2R housed in the SureFire E2E. The camera picks up the bluish hue and shows it slightly brighter than the naked eye observes. Digital sensors seem to bias a bit towards the blue spectrum over the warmer tones, but the P3D did a nice job, even though a bit washed out as most LEDs render compared to incans.
I like the overall look and solid feel of the light. The refined user interface is a huge plus. I like the fact that I can turn on the light in either low or high mode without cycling through multiple actions. The long runtime is what sold me on this light.
Although the Fenix P3D is not the smallest, lightest flashlight in the world for EDC, it certainly would be worth considering for daily carry.
The P3D reminds me of the L1P in terms of overall construction and general appearance, except on a much larger scale. I wasn't a big fan of the thinner L2T design, so I was pleased to see that Fenix has kept the lines of the P3D sleek and aesthetically pleasing.
AW's protected 3.7v 750mAh batteries with label facing away for size comparison
Sizewise the P3D is slightly bulkier (thicker) than the SureFire E2E, and a little shorter as well. The wider width makes it stand on its end better than the narrower L2P design. The light feels a bit slippery due to the lack of checkered knurling on the main body, but I don't mind the smoothness of it.
This is one of the better UI Fenix has come up with for cycling through the different levels.
Click once and you are in the lowest setting - 9 Lumens (65 hrs)
Half-click or tap again and the middle brightness level is activated - 40 lumens (13 hrs)
Tap once again and the 3rd brightness level is activated - 90 lumens (4.8 hrs)
Fully clicking again brings you to the SOS mode.
Now within any mode, twist the head tight and the Turbo mode kicks in.
160 lumens (1.8 hr)
While in the Turbo mode, tap the clickie and the strobe kicks in.
I like the fact that you can enter the lowest or highest turbo modes from initial start-up without cycling through to get to them.
I also like that PWM is not used to achieve the multi-level brightness settings. No more flickering.
P3D business end
The beam seemed slightly unfocused, but this is only obvious when wall hunting. There is also a straight, thin line next to where the LED sits. Not sure if this is normal or not. Yes, the LED does indeed look off center. The tint leans slightly toward the purplish side. Someone mentioned that this might be characteristic of the LED being overdriven? The tint reminds me of the Streamlight PP 4AA and the L2P MM version. Although I prefer warmer tints, this isn't much of an issue for me. Thankfully this latest offering from Fenix does not seem to suffer as bad from the rings reported in the P1D CE, however, there is a dark band around the outer most portion of the spillbeam, then faint rings visible toward the unfocused central hotspot. The camera does not show the various nuances of the beam profile. Not a huge issue in the real world, but YMMV.
The location has nearly zero ambient light from the city. My friend was kind enough to let me flood his mailbox with photons.
Around 35 feet to mailbox.
The SureFire U2 on high (100 lumens) puts out a broader, more even beam than the P3D on Turbo (160 lumens?). The Lumens Factory EO-E2R is the closest incan I have housed in the SureFire E2E body for a direct comparison. IMHO the incan wins in terms of overall throw and color rendition. The P3D wins in terms of overall runtime, which was the main reason for acquiring it.
Aside from the standard 123a battery, AW's protected RCRs fit snuggly in the tube, however, you do need to tap and shake the light to get them back out. Removing the label from the battery should help. The AW protected 17670s do not fit. The unprotected 123a size Li-Ions fit as well as the unprotected 17670s which Lighthound sells.
Shot the P3D against the Lumens Factory E0-E2R housed in the SureFire E2E. The camera picks up the bluish hue and shows it slightly brighter than the naked eye observes. Digital sensors seem to bias a bit towards the blue spectrum over the warmer tones, but the P3D did a nice job, even though a bit washed out as most LEDs render compared to incans.
I like the overall look and solid feel of the light. The refined user interface is a huge plus. I like the fact that I can turn on the light in either low or high mode without cycling through multiple actions. The long runtime is what sold me on this light.
Although the Fenix P3D is not the smallest, lightest flashlight in the world for EDC, it certainly would be worth considering for daily carry.
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. Looking forward to your beamshots.
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