Fenix Quality...

[Jash]

Just been thinking about my Fenix lights. They're all great and perform well, it's just that the newer lights I've purchased don't seem to be quite as well made as lights from a few years ago.

Both my TK41/60 have quality issues regarding the machining and annodizing, the battery carrier in the TK41 isn't as well made as in the TK40, and there are some minor reflector mishappenings that don't seem to gel with Fenix's quality of time gone by. When I compare them to the TK40, TK20 and E20, they almost seem like they were made in different factories with different ideas about quality in mind.

I've also been to a local seller who sells most models Fenix offers, and there are display models you can try out. They all seem just a level less than what used to be offered from Fenix.

Anyone else notice this?

 

[AmperSand]

Yeah I can agree with that. TK41/PD31. On the PD31 the threads in the head just seem a bit looser/wider than I'm used to on some of my older models.
Is the local store you are talking about LEGear? It's the only place I've seen Fenix gear in store with models you can test and try out.

 

[davecroft]

Last week I got an E11 - it arrived in a very poor state. I'm in discussion with Fenix at the moment about it, but suffice to say I am surprised it got out of the factory. I know it's a cheap little light but that's no excuse. Hopefully Fenix customer service will resolve the issue and that will be that. Otherwise I have had no problems with Fenix in the past and have just ordered a E05, so hopefully the E11 will be a one-off.

Having said that, I find flashlights in general are more likely to arrive faulty than any other product. In the last 2 months I have ordered a BL-700 battery charger, a camera, a tablet pc and a Leatherman multi-tool from the internet. All arrived in perfect condition. In the same period I have bought 7 flashlights (not including the E05), 4 of them had significant faults and had to be returned. I'm gradually being cured of my Flashaholism!

 

[AmperSand]

Don't get me wrong. I find Fenix to be outstanding quality for the price, If never having owned any models before my most recent I wouldn't be able to fault them. It's just the little things, like Jash has described, you probably wouldn't notice or care about if you hadn't already formed such a high expectation from previous offerings.
With my TK41 I can't comment not having previously owned anything similar, aside from the rattle of the battery carrier I can't fault it, which I have read the tk40 never had that issue.
With my PD31 only gripe I have is how much bigger/wider the threads are in comparison to say an ld10/20, it just doesn't feel as precise when the o-ring isn't engaged, if that makes sense?

Overall though they are some of my favorite lights.

 

[Jash]

Yep, Legear. I've bought a few lights off them. I used to get most of my lights from jimmy1970, but haven't been down that side of town since last year. Used to visit him often until I lost my job down near where he is.

 

[ieslei]

Hi there! I bought many lights(23) from fenix in this past 2 years and i noticed a cheaper anodizing, thats all.... Cheers

 

[edpmis02]

My new LD01 seems much lighter (less metal) than my old L0D. The threads are the same, (heads and bodies are interchangeable), but it "Feels" less solid. A lot of the red paint came off my L01, so hopefully this newer version will wear better.

Functionally.. I love the lack of PWM, lower low, and does not power on when I press the head down. I guess it is all a tradeoff to keep the prices the same..

 

[AutoTech]

My pd31 seems really well made, the action of the threads is tight but in an almost strong magnet kind of tight.

 

[DaveG]

Just picked up a E11 this week, I like the light, but the rubber switch boot smells like a old car tire.Noticed it as soon as I took it out of the package. So strong smelling it was hard too miss.I have seen this same thing in very cheap dollar store lights.I have a few Fenix lights and like them but this was a first.

 

[Grizzlyb]

Bought over 40 Fenix last Year and this year about 15 extra,
Can't say I see a difference, but I' ll check some Fenix Lights at the European dealer tomorrow. Report back then.

 

[purelite]

This would be shocking after Fenix spent so much time and money on huge improvements to their QC process and manufacturing last year. there was a video documenting it all last year before the crash of CPF.

 

[samgab]

I would concur that there seem to be a few QC issues from Fenix of late. The TK70 I bought had a couple of major faults, 1 of the emitters was a very different colour to the other two, and there was a loose connection somewhere inside that causes it to not turn on often, and after a few minutes not at all. I returned it and exchanged it for a new one in the same day, and I understand the odd one with flaws might slip through, but I have read of several recent Fenix purchasers with this sort of issue. At least they honour the warranty, but it would be better if their QC processes caught these issues before leaving the factory. Getting a faulty from new product is a big hassle, exchanges and posting or travelling and whatnot, and it leaves a negative distasteful impression of the company, rather than the positive impression one gets from buying a new device that performs well, as expected.

 

[Retinator]

Is it possible that:

1) Everyone's standards have increased, as experience as a flashaholic builds?

or

2) As prices have increased over the years, people are expecting more in general?

Even the lower priced lights out there are climbing in price. I don't know anything about Fenix, I just was never drawn to them, so I dunno.

I hate seeing companies gradually cutting corners if that's what's happening.

 

[leon2245]

I have only two Feni, from 2006 & 2011. Both were $20. If anything, the quality of the newer Fenix is better. Smoother turning threads best of all, better knurling, harder ano; & of course smaller & more efficient, but that doesn't count.

 

[jondotcom]

Just rec'd my first yesterday. I wish it were defective but now I will have to order more :).

I would guess the competition wishes they had bad quality, but Fenix has a good reputation for a reason.

 

[Jash]

Seems it might just be their larger TK series of lights that are suffering. I've bougt a couple of their smaller lights this year and they're ok, just not the bigger stuff.

When I received my TK41, the machining marks on re battery tube were almost enough for me to send it back, except I'm rough on my lights and they get a few scuff marks soon enough.

For me, I just don't think they're (TK41/60) as well made as my TK40. Sometimes it's the details that you notice more than the whole.

Perhaps I'll have to purchase a few more of their smaller lights to see if my theory holds up, in the name of research of course.

 

[ico]

Not all products come out good. Some are better than the other. A standard is what the company wants and if a certain batch is greater than standard, then that is just icing in the cake. Maybe its just that some of the products that doesn't match the standards find a way to sneak up the QC and makes its way out of the factory. Then it is now the job of their customer service(if they have good ones) to replace that bad lemon that they have produced.
If the product is not really bad but just under the "standard" then maybe its up to us if we would tolerate it or have it replaced.

 

[Jimbo147]

I recently bought a Fenix TK21(U2 version). I have 4 other Fenix torches and all have been of a good quality standard. Unfortunately my run of quality torches from Fenix has come to an end with my latest acquisition of the TK21.Please follow the link below as I am still a newbie at this forum and have quite yet worked out how to post photos yet. You will see a badly machined battery tube and a commonly mentioned fault of a mis-aligned LED.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68596860@N03/6300650158/in/set-72157627898867417/
I decided to go straight to Fenix with my concerns but with very limited success. All I got was some badly translated replies which neither confirmed or resolved any of my concerns. I felt I was being played for a sucker using the language barrier as an excuse. All I got was that the perceived defects would not effect the operational running of the torch and that they would replace the LED free of charge for me AFTER the 50,000hour LED running time was reached.SHeeee!!ain't I lucky!!
The point I was trying to get across to them was that a torch of this price range should have much better manufacturing quality standards than the sample I recieved. I will be thinking very hard about my next torch purchase....and I very much doubt it will be of the Fenix brand!! :thumbsdow
Am I being too hard on Fenix.....or are my concerns justified??Any opinions would be appreciated.
PS: The above photos were sent to Fenix with my concerns.

 

[davecroft]

I got pretty much the same response when I contacted them about my E11. I sent them photos of the optic and they wrote back saying something along the lines that the head was assembled by 'workman' and there was no automatic centering of the LED. But that was not my complaint! I think they used a stock answer as I have seen them respond along the same lines to other enquiries posted on CPF. I wrote back and stressed it was not the centering of the LED I was concerned about, it was damage to the optic which was obviously caused during assembly. What annoyed me was that this damage was glaringly obvious and yet they still thought it was ok to send it out - the person who assembled it must have known it was messed up.

Not heard anything more from them but I will keep at them until they do something. Personally I don't worry too much about lower priced lights being perfect, but if I was spending £80 plus on a TK21 I would expect it to be right. No excuses for Fenix not inspecting lights before they ship them.

On the positive side I have 2 other Fenix lights which are perfectly fine. I always considered Fenix to be one of the better manufacturers but their poor response to my complaint hasn't impressed me. If they had just stuck a replacement E11 head in the post (how much would that have cost them?) I would have been singing their praises.

 

[Woods Walker]

All my Fenix lights are about the same and there are about 3 years in the mix. I do think the early stuff had better lines.