Fenix TK45 - anymore news on this new light?

[Locoboy5150]

There are very few high powered lights that run on standard batteries such as AA and AAA. This is one of the things that distinguishes the TK40/45 from the rest of the pack.

Yep, well said. You mean that we'll have to go through all these AA complaints *again* with the TK45 just like when the TK40 came out? Yikes. The AA power source seems to be a love/hate subject around CPF. I personally love it for the previously stated reasons and, like it or not, that must be the majority otherwise Fenix would not have used it again for the TK45.

The AA power source sold well with the TK40 so Fenix is doing it again with the TK45, thankfully. If anyone was in favor of other battery choices other than AAs, they should have bought more TK30s. Vote with your dollars...like what I and other TK40 owners did.

 

[Rocketman]

I think this light its just retarded, it was poorly designed just so that it will look weird. They could have made a single head with a reflector like the m2xc4 which would maximize its throw for the xpg leds. also this single head would allow for a bigger space for a heat sink which would allow them to drive the xpgs harder to maybe about 1.4 amps each instead of probably .9 amps each which would add about 300 lumens to the picture. Also its stupid that they still use 8 aa batteries when they should be using either 18650 batteries or lifepo4 batteries that can handle larger currents and have much higher energy densities. i thought this was a joke when i first saw this light it is way off.

<loud noise> Wrong. It's going to be a nice light. The three heads answers the heat issue, providing over 700 lumens with no heat issues and using AA batteries. It's just not for you. In fact, Fenix made it for me. 😉

Engineering > What-you-think-looks-cool

 

[Lightcrazycanuck]

<loud noise> Wrong. It's going to be a nice light. The three heads answers the heat issue, providing over 700 lumens with no heat issues and using AA batteries. It's just not for you. In fact, Fenix made it for me. 😉

Engineering > What-you-think-looks-cool

😀 Booooooyaw.


lovecpf

 

[wesinator]

I'm saying it is an inefficient design, for how big it already is if you put lithium batteries in it and an single head there would be much more room for a bigger heatsink and better reflectors. However, I don't know why i was so angry when i wrote that last comment and i do regret the tone that i took with it.

 

[defloyd77]

Ugh, some flashaholics act so childish when a light manufacturer doesn't make a flashlight to their liking. Seriously, a lot of you guys ask for a light that's really not that different from other company offerings. I give Fenix a LOT of credit and respect for having the gonads to make lights like this and the MC10.

 

[Locoboy5150]

Fenix has found a nice little niche for themselves making high output LED lights powered by regular AA batteries. It worked for me because they hooked me in with their power choice in the TK40 and since then I've added an LD20 and, hopefully soon, a TK45 to my "fleet." If they had done like most of the other manufacturers and used just CR123s or 18650s in their high powered lights, I would have never been a Fenix customer.

Fenix would have never gone down the AA road again unless it sold well in their first foray down that road with the TK40. They did it again with the TK45, so that says something about what other non-CPF customers think about the use of AA batteries. (Hint - they like it.)

I give a huge :twothumbs to the TK45's AA power source!

 

[bobisculous]

I should have the TK45 from the raffle tomorrow (if USPS's postage time calculations are to be believed). I can try taking some general beamshots if ya'll would like.

I have never actually taken beamshots before, so it would be experimental, but I am sure I can use a few of my other lights to at least make a few comparisons outside.

-Cameron

 

[Locoboy5150]

I should have the TK45 from the raffle tomorrow (if USPS's postage time calculations are to be believed). I can try taking some general beamshots if ya'll would like.

Congratulations on winning the TK45 raffle!

Yes, please take a lot of photos of the first ever TK45 on CPF. Beamshots would be great, but I'm also interested in photos of the light itself. An exploded photo of the light fully disassembled would be nice. Comparisons to the TK40 would be great too.

Please feel free to post your opinions, likes, and dislikes about the TK45 too. I'm all ears! 🙂

 

[pseudoblue]

Just to recap from the vid. 45 updates some of the shortcomings of the 40.

1) Heat management. He said 40 gets very hot abt 15mins, which is true. The 45 can run up to an hour or, an hour and a half - I hope he meant on Max mode.
2) Switch orientation, on body instead at tailcap
3) No Parisitic drain? It seems to me, one switch is dedicated to turn on and off completely. The other switch for cycling modes while the light is on.
4) Cycling modes doesn't turn off the light before it jumps to the next mode. Smoother transition.
5) Battery carrier seems to hold them better, No rattling issue?
6) Now someone need to do a TK45 extreme torture test. :devil:

 

[pseudoblue]

I should have the TK45 from the raffle tomorrow (if USPS's postage time calculations are to be believed). I can try taking some general beamshots if ya'll would like.

I have never actually taken beamshots before, so it would be experimental, but I am sure I can use a few of my other lights to at least make a few comparisons outside.

-Cameron

Hey grats!! Do you have the TK40 to compare?

Yeah, if you can and if you like to, also test some runtime on max, how's the heat?, weight comparison, how are the switches and feel? More info on the UI, battery carrier comparison, current draw measurements and parisitic drain measurement. 😀 (no pressure yea heehee, I'm just curious)

 

[bobisculous]

Nope, I don't have a TK40 to compare. This is going to be my first hefty bright light. I was very close to getting a TK30, and likely still will for the format of it, but this will at least make me hold off a little while.

I will run it on High for quite a while and see how the heat is. I doubt I will do an actual runtime test until I have some rechargeable AA's. I assume they aren't a problem in the TK45. I have no idea about the draw and such. I have a multimeter around, so maybe I can figure out some of that for ya'll if there is that much interest.
And I can assure you, I will not be doing #6 of your list 😀

Some lights I can compare it to are the 4sevens Quark 123, Quark MiNi AA, Preon 2, Fenix L2D, Nitecore EX10, Surefire E2D and a few others perhaps.

Just let me know of any other particulars that you all would like to know.

-Cameron

 

[Rocketman]

I'm saying it is an inefficient design, for how big it already is if you put lithium batteries in it and an single head there would be much more room for a bigger heatsink and better reflectors.

At first I was thinking they should have put the three led's in one head but then I was thinking, how would the reflector handle that? Three reflectors maybe?

I'll be honest though. I like it because it looks like a rocket >====>rm

 

[bobisculous]

They just made delivery of the light, w00t!

The UI is fairly simple. You have two buttons obviously. The button on the right turns the light on and off. The button on the left cycles through the modes, as expected. Low is only one of the heads. It changes which head is on each time it is on low. Kinda interesting. The next step up turns on all the heads. To get to the strobe and SOS mode, you turn the light off and back on quickly, using the power button.

It seems to come back on in the brightness you left it in. Sometimes. Other times it will go back to low. I am not sure whats up with that.

If I shake it, while you can hear the battery module shaking a little, it certainly is not too bad.

That's all I can get to right this moment. I will post some pictures and a few beamshots later tonight.

 

[LeifUK]

I'm saying it is an inefficient design, for how big it already is if you put lithium batteries in it and an single head there would be much more room for a bigger heatsink and better reflectors.

A lot of people prefer a light that runs on common and garden AA cells. No doubt Lithium cells would have higher performance. 🙂

 

[LeifUK]

And I can assure you, I will not be doing #6 of your list 😀

Perhaps an extreme fawning test would do instead? Maybe a drool test. 😀

 

[Locoboy5150]

Congratulations on the new addition and being the first official member of CPF to own a Fenix TK45. :twothumbs

To get to the strobe and SOS mode, you turn the light off and back on quickly, using the power button.

Ah, so it sounds like the strobe and SOS functions can be accessed from any one of the different light output modes. If so, that is a big improvement on the TK40 where the strobe was only accessible once the light was first put into turbo mode and the SOS was only accessible once the light was first put in the medium mode. If your light was in low output mode and you wanted to use the strobe for example, you first had to put it into turbo mode and then turn on the strobe. I could imagine that being a pain for some people, though it never bothered me.

Speaking of the modes, how many different light modes does the TK45 have?

 

[bobisculous]

Here are a few images I just took.

I couldn't take beamshots outside as it was raining. I took some inside, but they didn't turn out well.

The obligatory gun n' light combo:

Next is my Fenix collection. We have the TK45 of course, then above that is my old L1P on the left, to the right of that is my L2D and last is my old L0D CE on the keychain. Gives a little bit of a size comparison.

And last is of the TK45 broken down in its 4 parts:

From the testing outside this evening, it puts out a lot of light in so many ways. A decent amount of flood. I have figured out the UI a little more. At first I thought it was being goofy in what mode it turned on at. I have come to realize that you must have it on a mode for about 3 seconds (before turning it off) for it to turn back ON in that particular brightness mode. So, if you quickly go from low to high, then immediately turn it off. The next time you turn it on, it will still turn on in the low mode, as that was the last mode it was steadily on at.

Having played with it quite a bit at this point, I feel no major heat. I mean, it heats up no doubt about that, but nothing at all serious. Just warm to the touch.
I really like the button placement. Compared to where it would have been had it been a TK40, this is great. Having it on the end like that would be very annoying to me, I imagine.
The knurling on the TK45 is sufficient, however from the looks of it, I would prefer the TK40's knurling.
Overall, a pretty neat light. Sturdy for sure. I don't know if I would have bought it straight up, as I prefer the TK30 form factor, personally. I don't have a problem with the 8AA's, as it makes more sense for regular consumers. As someone else mentioned though, not many have heard of 18650 batteries and such.

Any other questions on this light, let me know.
-Cameron

 

[Jay611j]

So..... is this light supposed to be brighter than the TK-40? I wish we could see some beamshots! :candle: You're leaving us all in the dark here........

 

[bobisculous]

Alright. I just tried again and here is what I came up with. They are all set at the same settings, shutter speed, ISO, and aperture.

From top to bottom, they are the Quark MiNi AA, then Quark 123, and then TK45.
I wouldn't say these are fairly represented. Quark MiNi is no doubt brighter than it looks. This is just what I could come up with in a few short minutes that I had.

So!
Quark MiNi AA

Quark 123x1

And Fenix TK45

Again, don't put a lot of faith in these. The Quark MiNi is not THAT pathetic. Just what I could quickly come up with. Outside stuff to come tomorrow.

-C

 

[pseudoblue]

Thank you bobisculous for all the details! :thumbsup: Very Interesting indeed. Looks like it's putting out alot of light and maintained its floody beam profile of the TK40's.

Yea, strobe can be accessed directly now by a quick on/off/on. It needs 3 seconds at any given mode to remember then (except for strobe/sos?). There are Low (one head lights up in rotation), Medium, High, Turbo, Strobe and SOS. Does it has slow and fast flash?

I noticed threads are anondized and tailcap doesn't appear to have any springs or bare metal. Postive and negative contacts are all up in the front. I believe you can still operate the light without the body by pressing the battery carrier to the head. Head lockout still possible, since it still has that spring in the middle to push the battery carrier to the back releasing the 4 contacts from touching when loosening the head.

In the TK40, parisitic drain is needed to operate the UI. Now, the TK45 has an individual power switch, and a UI switch which will only work when the power switch is on. This could possibly mean there's no parisitic drain! :shrug: