Fenix TK40 part 3

[shane45_1911]

yeah doesnt seem to fit your purpose

It actually suits my requirements very nicely - for the most part. I have many other, smaller, handier lights that I will use/EDC if I need a light for random, day-to-day, non-urgent situations.

When SHTF however, I need a light that is a bit more extreme than the Photon Microlight that is in my pocket.

And when the SHTF, I don't want to be looking for or installing batteries, or worrying that my batteries are dead, or twisting bezels.

Simple, really... 🙂

 

[jimmy1970]

This has become my #1 light, I need nothing else. My other lights are now for indoor close up stuff only. This light is too good to not be used.

I agree! The performance of this light particularly on turbo is unbelievable. I am also using the low & medium settings more than I thought for close up use. Having these lower settings allows the light to be used anywhere, not just outside looking at trees 300 metres away!

You don't mind the size and weight when you see its' performance - it definately pulls it's weight. Put it up against and 2D / 3D maglite and the mag definately is dead weight!!

James...😀

 

[bhuber]

The "issue" with this drain - at least for me - is as follows...

I have lots of flashlights. I like the security of knowing they are there when I need them. What I don't like, is knowing that I have lithium batteries with an indicated shelf life of 10+ years, which now have their life expectancy reduced by 90% because I choose to keep them in a device which drains them.

I don't think this issue is too far "out there", as I think that many other flashlight owners have dedicated "emergency' lights that never get used - and are there on standby for when they are required. And when that time DOES come, I want that device to be fully functional - without having to worry about finding batteries to put in, or turning the the bezel 2.5 times. I want to push a button, and have my light work NOW - when I most likely need it instantly.

I bought the TK40 to be my "never get used, but always ready" light. And taking batteries out defeats that purpose, and turning a bezel 2.5 times from lockout is absurdly poor engineering. IMO, of course.

I had a Maglight 3D before I ever found this forum. I think I bought it 20+ years ago. I always worked and was my go to light. I used it for camping and anything I needed a flashlight for. One day I went to use it and it didn't work. I opened it up and it was full of crud and the batteries had leaked everywhere. Remember, I was an everyday user. I didn't know anything about lithium battries. I only knew about AAA, AA, C, D, 9V, button and car batteries.

I didn't learn about Lithium lights until I bought my streamlight stinger, and went through one set of batteries and never used it again because the batteries were so expensive and didn't last very long. I have some Lithium battery powered lights, but prefer AA power.

I've had the TK40 since a few days after it reached dealers hands. I don't bother "locking it out" I just let it as ism and it's always with me where ever I go. I didn't buy the light to sit there for years and hope for a chance to use it. I bought it to use it every chance I get. I doubt there is any light that you can let sit there for years and guarantee that it is going to work. Chances are that it will, but there is no guarantee. I don't know of any light manufacturer that makes this claim.

If you're going to keep a light as a SHTF light, I would recommend checking it's functionality regularly and replacing the batteries every 6 months. I always have 8 fresh cells with me at all times. When I load them, I will immediately buy 8 replacements. I don't use rechargeables, just duracell copper tops.

On a side note, my wife's Grandfather kept a loaded 12 guage in his living room just in case for many years. It was his SHTF gun. When he passed away, my Father-in-law asked me if I wanted it. Being a gun nut I said heck yeah! I checked it, and to my suprise, there was one in the pipe and it was ready to go!! We took it to a safe place and pulled the trigger! NOTHIGN! This was his SHTF GUN!! It had sat there for many years and the primer went bad on the shell. If he would have fired it periodically, there wouldn't have been an issue. I'm glad he never needed to use it.

 

[Cataract]

Despite all the complaining I see here,
and impatiently waiting...
I think there is too much fuss on something that would probably not even be visible about this bin issue.... I have various flashlights from different bins and can barely see a color difference in most cases...
For the other issues, these really seem to be isolated events.

I studied electronics, so here are my impressions from reading this thread:

The uneven battery discharge thing is most likely due to the fact that, considering how much power this thing uses, the very first batteries (or sometimes last) are likely to discharge faster at first. This should regulate as the front batteries get weaker. I don't recommend cycling batteries around, since that would probably use up batteries for nothing.

For the parasitic discharge, this is most likely due to two factors (if I ignore the main one explained last):
1-memory function to recall the last power setting needs voltage to be active (I could be wrong, but to test this yourself, does your flashlight recall if you remove the batteries? If yes, then I'm wrong and this is awesome!)

2- The fact that the batteries will not discharge evenly (because of high current demand from the regulator) combined with the fact that some of the batteries are in parallel, will cause the batteries with more juice in them to discharge in the weaker batteries. This will not actually recharge the weaker batteries, or only very little. There should be not "watchdog" signal observing the status of the switch, this is not practical and needs specific programming, making the circuits bigger, because an internal clock would be needed at this point, discharging the batteries even faster. The switch most likely is used to send a pulse signal to the circuits which then switches functions.

3- READ THIS CAREFULLY: Any batteries left in contact with each other for an extended period of time will discharge even if there is no circuit or contact on the opposite pole of either of the batteries and even if the same poles are in contact (negative-negative or vice-versa). This is why any manufacturer will recommend removing batteries in any electronic device if not in use for a while. This is also true for loose batteries in a drawer and is the main reason airlines ask to have any spare batteries wrapped even if they are in your luggage. Most batteries that leak do so exactly for this reason, as discharging in this manner can force one or more of the batteries to become unbalanced (like forcing a charge in the wrong end) and therefore become unstable. I wouldn't think this can actually cause an explosion, but starting a fire, even if extremely, extremely rare, is a possibility, if the acid can leak onto fabrics (or mix with your TNT-based shampoo they had you so carefully put in bottles and baggies)

I hope I haven't bored anyone with this...

 

[Agent WD-40]

ah finally i can imagine how big it is, thanks.

Just wondering how is it compared to Mag P7 using stippled standard reflector compared to TK40 in throw performance.

(still considering tk40 but i have Mag-P7 driven at 3.5Amps) 😕

I'm wondering the same. I can't find anywhere where the TK40 was compared to a P7 Mag with an OP reflector.

One of these is going to be my next setup. Just cannot decide.

 

[hotlight]

started a new thread with my questions

 

[exodus125]

have been able to play around with the light and it surpassed my expectations. I was very iffy about getting one, but I picked one up slightly used via a trade. The spill and spot light on the turbo mode is indescribable. Its like your walking around with a headlight from a sports car. Incredible what flashlights can do these days.

 

[alexdiver]

ive been waitingv for mine since april 10 , from fenixtactical.com i pre ordered it, its suppose too ship out monday may 18 finally i hope they wont push back the date again, anybody in close contact with the manufacturer, are they shipping out new batches ??

 

[exodus125]

when I have some time I will do some kind of review, but here are some things I like, don't like, and didn't expect:

likes:
*overall pretty well built

*light is bright, spill is incredible (this is a big selling point)

*multi levels of output (it has a nice low, a nice med, a nice high, and a nice turbo. This is the biggest selling point)

*the memory of the last setting is nice.

* runs on AA batteries and can even run on 4 AA's if needed.

dislikes:
*cheap clear box, I would have preferred some sort of nylon holster for the light, even something like the holsters that come with the aa lights they sell, at least something to protect the light from scratches a little better.

*the shoulder strap that comes with the light, although a good idea, doesn't do it for me, I honestly do not trust that strap to hold that flashlight, I would be scared to run with that light while I had it hanging from the strap. A thicker strap with sturdier material might have been better. The strap itself is not THAT bad, but the little piece that goes around the head of the light is thin. It is basically like they got the cheap lanyard that comes with their other AA lights and made it a little bigger. Still not antiquate. I would rather Fenix lower the price a bit and not include any cheaply made accessories so I can use the savings to get a good holster or sheath for it. This isnt that big of a deal though since you could use almost any shoulder strap (from a gun or duffle bag) as an upgrade. a loop fashioned out of paracord would be a little more secure than the black thin string that comes with the light.

*battery holder seems a little cheap. The batteries don't stay in place too well and if you look at them the wrong way while the pack is out of the flashlight they might fly out of the pack. It almost seems like they slapped something together last minute. Also all the metal clips hanging out everywhere, the thing looks like a cheese grater or something, too many parts to break off, Id hate to find out what would happen if you drop that battery holder with or without batteries in it.

*the alleged parasitic drain. Don't really know how that works or how much it really is, but the fact that the instructions tell you to lock out the light if your not going to be using it for a few months is a little ridiculous.

*the "dont run the light for more than 15 min on turbo" is ridiculous too. Don't state the light can run 2hrs on turbo and then in the instructions put it can only run for 15 min at a time.

didn't expect:

* Didn't expect the light to be that small. I had seen the comparison pictures, but I was expecting something along the lines of a 2d Mag. The light is significantly smaller than a 2d mag.

* Didn't expect it to be that heavy, but then again, its so small carrying 2d batteries that it seems real heavy.


I don't regret buying it, this is a great light and the fact that it runs on AA batteries is great (for me at least). It is bright, the output levels are very useful, you don't want to be using 700 lumens to look for something inside a backpack, so the light is very versatile. These are my 2 cents anyways, Overall a great buy I'd say. I am still wondering what bin it is, who knows, my gut tells me its a K bin, this could have been one of the dislikes as well.

 

[Mr Floppy]

*battery holder seems a little cheap. The batteries don't stay in place too well and if you look at them the wrong way while the pack is out of the flashlight they might fly out of the pack. It almost seems like they slapped something together last minute. Also all the metal clips hanging out everywhere, the thing looks like a cheese grater or something, too many parts to break off, Id hate to find out what would happen if you drop that battery holder with or without batteries in it.

I cant agree with you on this point. I think the batteryholder is quite well made. I had doubts before hand but I'm rather impressed by it now.

*the "dont run the light for more than 15 min on turbo" is ridiculous too. Don't state the light can run 2hrs on turbo and then in the instructions put it can only run for 15 min at a time.

This is rather ridiculous but they did say "The lights flashlights automatic overheating protection may cause the light to flicker during prolonged running in a hot environment". I haven't set off the overheating protection yet even though I've run this thing for long periods.

my gut tells me its a K bin, this could have been one of the dislikes as well.

my gut just grumbles, especially after a vindaloo.

 

[chanjyj]

Anyone tried running it for more than 15mins on turbo?

 

[exodus125]

I cant agree with you on this point. I think the batteryholder is quite well made. I had doubts before hand but I'm rather impressed by it now.

Just my opinion, If you drop it I think it would break. Id prefer an mdocod or fivemega looking adapter in there.

 

[Mr Floppy]

Anyone tried running it for more than 15mins on turbo?

yes, lots of times. Outdoors mainly and its around 7 degrees celcius at night.

The warmest ambient temperature I'd say I ran this at was 17 degrees. It was at a barbeque and the light was mounted about 4 metres above the ground in a tree.

 

[chanjyj]

yes, lots of times. Outdoors mainly and its around 7 degrees celcius at night.

The warmest ambient temperature I'd say I ran this at was 17 degrees. It was at a barbeque and the light was mounted about 4 metres above the ground in a tree.

Now if only it ran on 18650's and looked a tad tougher (It looks like it'll break with 1 drop) I'd be a happy guy.

On a sidenote I live in a country that has daily temperatures of 31 C so I'm not too sure how the TK40 will perform on turbo mode there.

 

[jirik_cz]

I've done runtime tests with many SSC P7/Cree MC-E flashlights and they all get quite hot in a room without an air flow.

But they all stay reasonably warm during a walk outdoors and you can use the highest setting as long as you want.

 

[The_Viking]

This light is just awesome! So versatile. I was out in the woods yesterday near midnight and walking around. Checking out the closest surroundings you really just need "level 2" in complete dark to get a nice view - "level 3" to take a nice look deep into the woods. There are long small tracks in these woods for running and it was great fun to put on turbo and realize that youre holding the power of AT LEAST ONE car light on full thrust in your hand... really great for my paranoid mind 😱oo: "what if someone/something follows me from a far distance... I think I better turn on my 630 lumen and check... ah.. I AM alone" :thumbsup: (except for the birds who got really annoyed, always happen when I turn on a LED light in the woods at night.. probably half a sleep and suddenly bright light :tired:) !

The only thing I miss from some perfect point of view is some trick with the button to go back AND forth or maybe a reset-button that switches to low mode... but the nice "digital" feel on the button and the quick operation compensates for that and its a nice idea with a memory-function for each level!

EDIT and OT: Someone with knowldge of animals and LED-lights: How come birds get really pissed off by LED light (especially the almost fearless DUCKS around here) and on the opposite side a "close encounter" with a MINK (I was like 5 feet away from it) one time gave the insight the the mink was not at all impressed with my Fenix T1 on turbo... it stared some seconds into the light and like "huh.. Fenix T1, 225 lumen... not impressed!" :thumbsdow and calmly went on to build its nest or whatever it was doing in that fallen tree. You were wondering about that mink and why it didnt fear ME... well, animals are very used to people around here.. simple as that.. though I am surprised that it didnt run away as I was so close to it.

 

[Mr Floppy]

On a sidenote I live in a country that has daily temperatures of 31 C so I'm not too sure how the TK40 will perform on turbo mode there.

Well, you'll probably be using the torch at night but singapore isnt exactly cold at night either. I think airflow is the most important thing. I had the torch on last night in a 22 degrees celcius room for 2 hours. It did get warm but not skin blistering hot. The reflectors were just warm. The fins seem warmer. Will try it again tonight. Not that it'll prove much but I have a IR thermometer that I borrowed.

 

[alexdiver]

ive been waitingv for mine since april 10 , from fenixtactical.com i pre ordered it, its suppose too ship out monday may 18 finally i hope they wont push back the date again, anybody in close contact with the manufacturer, are they shipping out new batches ??

date pushed back to may 29th 🙁 fenix is having trouble sourcing mc-e's supposedly 🙁 this sucks i cant wait for this thing !!!

 

[woodrow]

Yes, it is real and will drain you batteries in about a year.

THANK YOU!!! HKJ!

I sold my TK40 becuse while I LOVED its beam, I really did not like the weight of the light with nimh batteries. I guess what I wanted was the led version of a SF M6...a light I have always wanted but could not justify buying (i did pick up a M3 and M4 though) becuause of the cost to run the M6 on its HOLA lamp.

I loved the TK40's feel on lithium AA's...but the parasitic drain thing (sold mine when this issue was first being discussed) really bummed me out when I thought of $14 worth of lithium AA's going dead on their own in a few months.

Now that you have cleared this up for me, I will buy another one...and stock it with lithium primaries. I know they are more expensive than nimh...but they are WAY cheaper than feeding the M6 123a's.

I just really liked the no donut hole wide and bright beam on the TK40. Thanks for giving me back my dream of a LED-Multi level "M6"


brad

 

[HKJ]

I loved the TK40's feel on lithium AA's...but the parasitic drain thing (sold mine when this issue was first being discussed) really bummed me out when I thought of $14 worth of lithium AA's going dead on their own in a few months.

Now that you have cleared this up for me, I will buy another one...and stock it with lithium primaries. I know they are more expensive than nimh...but they are WAY cheaper than feeding the M6 123a's.

My calculations are based on Eneloop NiMH, with lithium you will get about 20 months before the batteries are empty.