Peak Pacific VS. Fenix L0P

**** I made an error in this post in that the Pacific is rated at 230 cp, not 450 cp. MY BAD. However, I will leave the post in place for the sake of discussion since there are a couple of replies.*****


This is the shootout everyone wants to see. Unfortunately, unless you're a secret member of Peak LED Solutions R&D team, you don't have a clue – or do we???
Peak is advertising the new Pacific at 450 cp. The CPF Special (Rainier) is also rated at 450 cp - WITH the standard CR123 Lithium battery. These are Peak's ratings, not mine.
Not willing to wait for the real deal, I popped a CR123 into my CPF special and took it into a dark room to go up against my L0P. Was there a clear winner? No. The L0P has more spread – as a matter of fact it has to be considered one of the all time GREAT match-ups of LED to reflector. The neutered CPF Special has a brighter hot-spot, likely to result in more throw outside, but the overall beam was not as pleasing as the L0P, with less spread and more artifacts.
So what's it mean?? We're likely to see from the Pacific "overall" output similar to the L0P, but the real test is going to be the design of the reflector. Let's hope that the slightly oversized head of the new Pacific was space well used to house a top-notch reflector.
If the run-time numbers are accurate, that will be a significant selling point for the Pacific. Combine that with a light output anywhere near the L0P and I think we'll have a total package that will more than offset the disadvantage of a slightly oversized head.
What should really get your juices flowing is the "soon to be released" additional power options!! Perhaps a AA body? A 2AAA body? The possibilities are endless, limited only by the versatility of the circuitry.

Wierd. Isn't the CPF special supposed to be some super bright, kick butt flashlight? I just got my LOP, and while it's pretty good for a single AAA light, I would have thought it'd have been stomped by the CPF Special. Undoubdtely, the beam of the Peak Pacific will be closer the LOP in terms of "spread", as you put it. The tight beam is a result of the larger/deeper reflector. The head can only go so deep with a AAA light, as the LED itself takes up a good deal of the head diameter. The emitter will have to be close to the end of the flashlight/lens, resulting in more spread.

It will definitely be a great match up to see. Maybe, with a little luck, and good Steelers team, I'll be able to see this match up first hand!

Trashman said:

Wierd. Isn't the CPF special supposed to be some super bright, kick butt flashlight? I just got my LOP, and while it's pretty good for a single AAA light, I would have thought it'd have been stomped by the CPF Special. Undoubdtely, the beam of the Peak Pacific will be closer the LOP in terms of "spread", as you put it. The tight beam is a result of the larger/deeper reflector. The head can only go so deep with a AAA light, as the LED itself takes up a good deal of the head diameter. The emitter will have to be close to the end of the flashlight/lens, resulting in more spread.

It will definitely be a great match up to see. Maybe, with a little luck, and good Steelers team, I'll be able to see this match up first hand!

Click to expand...

I think that the idea behind the CPF special was that it was supposed to be a high output/short runtime light on Li-ions, and a long running/low output on primaries.
Quickbeam has a review for it here

You didn't read the post correctly. I put a regular CR123 battery into the CPF special - which takes its output down considerably. It IS A KICK-BUTT BRIGHT LIGHT when it is stuffed with a RCR123.
Additionally, I discovered an error in my original post. Peak rates the new Pacific at 230 cp, NOT 450 cp. So, given that the L0P and the CPF Special in "low power" mode were similar in "overall output", it looks like the Pacific will be a bit dimmer than the L0P?

offroadcmpr said:

I think that the idea behind the CPF special was that it was supposed to be a high output/short runtime light on Li-ions, and a long running/low output on primaries.
Quickbeam has a review for it here

Click to expand...

Now I remember.

I forgot about the difference in output between the two batteries. I, sort of, didn't completely like that concept and lost interest in the light as soon as it was introduced.

Since the Peak has much longer runtime than the L0p, it follows that it uses less power and therefore probably makes fewer lumens. Unlike previous Peak offerings it's relatively well regulated, which I guess is welcome.

The L0p seems aimed at people who want as many lumens as they can get from a tiny AAA cell. I don't think those buyers will like the Ocean as much. But the Ocean might be preferable to the 3-led Matterhorn, the Arc AAA, etc.

I think the Ocean really needs a lens to protect the Luxeon. I've heard that Luxeon envelopes are less scratch resistant than 5mm leds.

I would say the hardest lights to build correctly a single cell AAA Luxeon flashlights. You can easily make one that is very bright with the runtime of a bottle rocket on an alkaline. Sure, "cheat" by using a lithium AAA cell but the battery becomes the technology and not the light. Direct drive a low voltage Luxeon off a CR123A and it will be bright, get a bright output from a lowly alkaline takes much more effort.

I prefer an AAA keychain light to have a longer runtime than a coin cell light so the L0P is out. The venerable Arc AAA is a classic since it will regulate to 5 hours of runtime on an alkaline. The L0P VS Arc AAA thread shows that once the "wow" factor is gone, utility comes into play. Alas, getting hours of runtime from an AAA battery with good regulation is something that takes a lot of effort.

Now the Pacific arrives with 2 hours of runtime before it drops below 85% of maximum output. 3 hours to the 50% level with a few more hours of "replace the battery now" low level of light. Throw a lithium AAA in for 5 hours of runtime before it drops below the 85% level (200 cp) Options are nice, I prefer lithium AAA cells for lightness, extended runtimes and I have a dozen of them laying around.

The next thing is to take a Pacific AAA and put it directly against an L0P in the brightness department. The first 20 to 30 minutes the L0P will be brighter and then the Pacific takes over. An hour goes by and the L0P is almost dead with the Pacific the same brightness with another 90 minutes to go before 50% is reached.

A Pacific AAA has 5 hours of runtime on Lithium AAA at $2 each. Say 40 cents an hour or the cost to feed L0P's alkalines. Not sure about you but I don't like to burn up expensive batteries to feed a keychain light for 90 minutes of runtime. Give the L0P as a gift and your buddies will feed it alkalines for a less than pleasurable experience with poor runtimes. Give them a Pacific AAA and it will always be bright with "normal" batteries. Most people would consider you an idiot to pay $2 for one AAA battery so keychain lights need to be able to function well with alkalines.

Not to mention "real" HA-III, momentary switch, smaller diameter body with larger head, higher quality and great customer support. My wife will get my Matterhorn Snow29 when I upgrade to the Pacific. If I win the Superbowl guess, I am still buying a Pacific to send downrange with a buddy of mine. I won't tell him how much it costs so he will be harder on the poor thing. He can trade his Matterhorn 3 Snow29 light for valuables that he needs while using the Pacific AAA on a lanyard for a walking light.

I'm sure this is premature to say , but it looks to me like Peak has 'built a bit o better butter' when it comes to AAA goodness and the pacific.

I can't wait until a new aa version comes out, then I can have something that can really compare to my L1P

It seems that, with similar output (assuming that "X" in this comparison is the L0P), a similar price, and much longer runtime, that the Pacific is the better flashlight - and this is from someone who has and loves both the L1P and the L0P. The only thing that gives me pause is the size of the head - what I love about the L0P is that it will actually fit comfortably in my jeans coin pocket (or it can just disappear in a normal pocket).

Perhaps once the Pacific has been released and reviewed, we'll have a really good sense of how it compares to the L0P, although I might just have to handle it in person to be sure...