Fenix T1 or P3D?

[jeffreyliu838]

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Does anyone know anything about that? I googled for some reviews, but all the reviews I came up with were for a light that looked a bit different. The front (Excuse the lack of proper lingo) on the one I'm looking at has a different shape than the ones in the reviews I found. Anyways, I'm dangerously close to purchasing it, but I'd like to know if anyone has any experiences with it. Thanks.

EDIT: If not this light, what would you recommend for a good EDC?

EDIT2: Scroll down

 

[woodrow]

Re: Palm Blaze?

I bought one...right when cree's were coming out. Its kind of a cool light....it has a K2 led that is driven pretty hard. Its beam is a big square...like a movie projector beam. Little (no) sidespill, but it is over 100 lumens and is pretty bright. I think it is worth the money if you are interested. Just because it is very unique!

 

[Gunner12]

Re: Palm Blaze?

It was great when it came out but now with newer LEDs. Nowadays, it isn't the best for the money. The one with the smaller head heats up to a high temperature in 15 minutes(Some say unbearable, I don't know because I haven't own one, Hand warmers anyone?).

The newer LEDs, the Cree XR-E P4-R2 bin, Seoul P4 U bin and Newer Luxeon LEDs(The Rebel and the newer K2 which is not used in the Palmblaze) are more then twice as efficient as the Luxeon K2. That means for the same power, the newer LEDs will put out more then double the output then the K2.

The Cree LEDs came out a bit more then a year ago with the Seouls following close behind.

Even with the newer LEDs, 130 lumen at the LED for 5 hours straight would be very very hard.

The front part is commonly called the bezel.

For your next light,

What output?
Throw or Flood?
Price?
Batteries?
Size?
Multimode?

Also check this thread for some info. It is long but you will hit the ground running.

:welcome:

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Suggestions for good EDC light?

Gunner12, I'm a bit confused by your post. The description in the link says that the light uses a Luxeon LED. Or is it wrong?

Anyways, if this light isn't that great, I'm open to suggestions. I'd like to be pretty bright. I guess what I'm looking for is a flashlight under 50 bucks that can stay consistently very bright for a very long period of time. It's gonna be used for an EDC too, so it can't be huge. I'd like it to operate on 2 x 123A batteries. My old flashlight had a button at the end that you could either push down for momentary activation, or screw all the way in for a constant on, which I got pretty accustomed to. I'd like the light to project an even film of light. Not like the maglights I've owned that have a very bright "hotspot", but a very dim corona. EDIT: Having a clip on the side of the light would be nice too.

That's pretty much it. I'll edit in some if I think of more.

Thanks.

EDIT2: Is this any good? Found the brand in the poor flashaholic link. http://www.amazon.com/Nuwai-TM-301X-3-Luxeon-LED-Flashlight/dp/B000TQG39C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1198901520&sr=8-3

What about the 5 watt variant? Will the difference be significant?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TQDZ0C/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

My post is kinda sinking...so...bump.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

I bought one from Battery Junction almost a year ago. It is a neat little light, but is lacking compared to the LEDs that are on the market right now. This thing eats batteries and as stated it has a square shaped beam. It gets very warm when left on for over a couple minutes.
It uses the old Luxeon K2 emitter. I'm going to break out the soldering iron soon and try and replace it with the newer Luxeon K2s sometime soon.

I think if you're set on a CR123 light and you want something right now, I'd recommend an Olight T10/ T20 or a Lumapower D Mini Digital. Look around the LED section and the reviews section for more info.

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

I bought one from Battery Junction almost a year ago. It is a neat little light, but is lacking compared to the LEDs that are on the market right now. This thing eats batteries and as stated it has a square shaped beam. It gets very warm when left on for over a couple minutes.
It uses the old Luxeon K2 emitter. I'm going to break out the soldering iron soon and try and replace it with the newer Luxeon K2s sometime soon.

I think if you're set on a CR123 light and you want something right now, I'd recommend an Olight T10/ T20 or a Lumapower D Mini Digital. Look around the LED section and the reviews section for more info.

I took a look at those reviews, but none of them said how the switch works. I'm looking for the kind where the switch is located on the tailcap, and you press it in for a momentary light, or you screw it in to turn it on.

 

[Gunner12]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

Sorry if my post was confusing.

There are many light with the tailcap on the back of the light. Phantomphoton explained the LED thing pretty well(It uses an older Luxeon K2 LED, dropping in a newer LED will instantly double or more the output).

For the $60 asking price of the Nuwai, you would be better off buying a Fenix P3D-CE Q5 or T1(Or any of the other Cree/Rebel models). Fenix Store includes shipping in their price and also have an 8% off coupon for CPFers, coupon is "CPF8". Both are above $50 though.

A Fenix L0D-CE Q4 is also a pretty good EDC but it is much smaller and uses AAA batteries(might be a good backup/keychain light).

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

The switch on the PalmBlaze K2 is actually a Forward Clickie! One reason I actually like the light and want to mod it to a newer LED. BUt again, there are better, more efficient lights everywhere around CPF. The Lumapower D Mini Digital also has a forward clickie switch, so all is well.
:twothumbs
I don't do reverse clickies.

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YAX9D6/?tag=cpf0b6-20

So this is the light I should get? I'm getting all the links off Amazon because I got a giftcard for christmas.

 

[Gunner12]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

Depends,

It will be brighter then the Palmblaze, have multimode so you have the choice of output, runtime or somewhere in between but it has a reverse clickie. The light will only turn on after you click the switch, and when you apply pressure to the switch when the light is on, the light will turn off, it makes it easier for multimode to work(Tap the tailcap to change modes). Also, the light can be a bit slippery.

It's a great light though and many here recommend it. It's pretty easy to use from what I've heard.

It's probably one of the better lights you can find on Amazon.

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

Alright, cool. Sounds good to me. Thanks guys. I'll probably be ordering it Monday, unless someone tells me otherwise. Thanks again. I appreciate it.

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

Dang. After taking a closer look at the T1, I think it might be better for me. On the Fenix site, the specs say the T1 is brighter, and has the momentary tailcap I want. It also has a clip. But then, the T1's lowest feature is 60 lumens, which might be a bit too bright...No cool red filter either...That can be DIY'ed though...

As lame as this sounds, I'll leave this up to you guys, and I'll change the title to reflect my dilemma. Looking forward to hearing input. Thanks.

 

[jzmtl]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

You'd never notice the brightness difference. T1 is much bigger and heavier than p3d, exactly twice the weight with battery loaded, so it boils down to if you want something to slip into pocket or hard use.

 

[Monocrom]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

As lame as this sounds, I'll leave this up to you guys, and I'll change the title to reflect my dilemma. Looking forward to hearing input. Thanks.

I think jzmtl gave you some very sound advice.

BTW, I didn't e-mail you about the lock on the BM knife from the topic on BladeForums. But I did post a reply on that thread. Go check it out. (Small world, isn't it?)

Also.... :welcome:

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

I think jzmtl gave you some very sound advice.

BTW, I didn't e-mail you about the lock on the BM knife from the topic on BladeForums. But I did post a reply on that thread. Go check it out. (Small world, isn't it?)

Also.... :welcome:

Haha. Nice to see a familiar face. Or username, I should say.

Would anyone mind taking some pics of the flashlights in their hands? Or next to a quarter or something? I've been looking, but all I dug up were pictures comparing it's size relative to other lights.

I'm looking for a good all around light. Something I can use if I were the last person on earth like in I Am Legend, and something I can use for EDC. Right now I'm leaning towards the T1 because of the momentary tail cap, and I can always EDC a red filter.

EDIT: It's a very weak lean.

 

[Monocrom]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

Haha. Nice to see a familiar face. Or username, I should say.

Ironically, there is a significant percentage of Users who have accounts on both CPF and BF.

But the atmosphere here is a bit friendlier than what you'd typically expect from BF.

 

[jeffreyliu838]

Re: Palm Blaze? Other suggestions for good EDC light?

Ironically, there is a significant percentage of Users who have accounts on both CPF and BF.

But the atmosphere here is a bit friendlier than what you'd typically expect from BF.

Guess I'm not alone.

Anyways, right now, I'm really have no idea which one to get. Being a 15 year old, with not too much money to go around, I can only afford one of them. Would a T1 be too big for an EDC thing? My friends are trying to start a dumpster diving thing (Sounds lame, but it's pretty fun), and I want to have a good light. If the T1 is deemed good for EDC, I'll get that one for sure.

I'm 67 inches and 135 pounds to give you an idea of my size. On the average day, you'll find me wearing a pair of normal sized jeans, and a T shirt, with a cheap pen, a sharp knife, an empty wallet, and a phone. You guys think the T1 will be too big?

 

[Monocrom]

The T1 is about the same size as a Surefire 6P. Not really the sort of light typically carried on a daily basis.... at least, not without a good holster.

Don't have a T1, but I do own a P3D. It's definitely the right size for an EDC light.

Here are the issues with both models:

T1 ~ Size. Clip design is not one of the better ones out there. Large head.

P3D ~ Good size for an EDC light. Barrel a bit too smooth. tailcap is a reverse-clickie. (A negative point for some folks). No carry clip.

Let me ask you this, which of these disadvantages can you live with?

 

[jeffreyliu838]

The T1 is about the same size as a Surefire 6P. Not really the sort of light typically carried on a daily basis.... at least, not without a good holster.

Don't have a T1, but I do own a P3D. It's definitely the right size for an EDC light.

Here are the issues with both models:

T1 ~ Size. Clip design is not one of the better ones out there. Large head.

P3D ~ Good size for an EDC light. Barrel a bit too smooth. tailcap is a reverse-clickie. (A negative point for some folks). No carry clip.

Let me ask you this, which of these disadvantages can you live with?

How big is a 6P compared to the P3d? Sorry, I haven't handled any flashlights other than your garden variety throwaway kinds.

Hmm. I can for sure live with the clip. In fact, I see the clip as a huge plus. The T1 has the twistie/momentary tailcap, right? I'd prefer that for sure. Right now the only thing is size. Hmm. I'll google some pics in the meantime I guess, but more input would be appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT: The T1 clip does look a bit obtrusive...Nothing a good pair of pliers can't fix though.