L1P now, or wait for P1

xdanx

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I am going to buy my first Fenix and I was wondering if I should buy the L1P now, or wait and buy the P1. Any Suggestions?
 

drizzle

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Let me be the first to say it...


BUY BOTH! ;)


Okay, now that I got that out of my system. Probably the biggest advantage of the L1P is the commonly available AA batteries. Otherwise my guess is that the P1 will be a superior flashlight for not much more money. I already bought an L1P and will probably still buy a P1 too.
 
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gnef

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I would say to wait and see the comparisons so you can make a more educated purchase, otherwise you may regret any impulsive buy now.
 

Solstice

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I love my L1P (especially with a 2 stage mod) and the P1 Rocket looks very promising, but frankly, I'd say if you were leaning toward either of these lights, the JetBeam offering would be a top contender considering it can use either battery (AA in any voltage or CR123 if you get the $19 battery pack) and has other niceties such as glowpaint/tritium, true HAIII, a T bin Lux III, a real clicky with momentary, and a 2 stage switch coming in May.

Of course, there haven't been reviews on these lights as no one has them yet, so nothing is certain. Fenix does have a good track record and the L1P can be had for about $10 less- you just wont get the same finish and versatility if the JetBeam lives up to expectations.

Also (not to further stir the pot ;)) but don't forget the Triton line, which is a bit cheaper than the rest with a nice finish, a good real clicky and a different beam pattern.

Good luck- its a veritable feast out there for mid-range decent quality single cell AA/CR123 luxeon based lights these days. You can always do the CPF thing- buy them all and then sell off those that don't live up to your standards.
 

bruddamoke

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I'd also vote on waiting until all the candidates are out and reviewed. Looking at your sig line, most of your gear is CR123 powered so you would probably be more comfortable with the P1 Rocket or Jetbeam.

I've got the L1P, L2P head on L1P body, LOP, and the Triton P1. Besides cosmetic differences, the Triton and L1P differ in hotspot (L1P tighter and perceptually brighter due to the tightness, Triton broader) and switching (reverse clicky versus normal clicky). I did not care for the Triton when I first got it, but it grew on me.

Another option (more flexible but costlier) is a L2P and extra CR123 tube...better regulation than L1P when running AAs vs L1P, although longer in this mode. About $10 more in total than the Rocket at present. I would go this route if I preferred the reverse clicky (L2P) versus twisty (Rocket). Looks like the Rocket is shorter and brighter, though, in stock condition.

Of course, I'll probably add a Rocket to my Fenix family unless reviews REALLY suck. Ahhh, who am I kidding??? I'll probably still buy it. Now where's that credit card...
lolsign.gif
 

Frank Maddix

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Just got my L1P, and am well pleased. It's now my EDC.
The click is easier than my U60, the beam is more practical than my X1, and it's lighter than my Raw NS. A good all round package.
NiMH's are fine if you just swap them once a week.
Plus, the finish is flawless and the colour is a nice white.
And I think it's good value, even though I paid in UK pounds.
On the strength of this, I will get an L2P and look at the mods.
 

abvidledUK

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L1P $38 46 lumens
P1 $46 55 lumens

$8 for 9 lumens ?

Smaller, but battery availability / RT

I'd buy L1P now, and wait for reviews.

L1P is proven and well liked.

55 lumens doesn't seem like a great improvement Luxeon 1w to 3w.

Barely noticeable I would have thought.

Probably more to do with beam shape, ala Fenix L1P / Triton P1
 

Sengoku

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The L1P is tested to be 20-23 lumens by flashlight reviews and McGizmo, a 3w driven by a CR123 is more likely to meet the manufacturers claim. 46 lumens from L1P is a joke.
 

Long John

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Hello friends:)

The L1P has a R-bin LUXI and this is be able to output min. 39.8 and max, 51.7 Lumen at a Vf of 5.43V-5.91V. It has only one AA with 1,5 V or a akku with 1,2 V. I don't know exactly, on which voltage the step up converter works but the Lumen above is theoretic.
In test of FlRev. the overall output of the light is 25.5 !

This is amazing an imo enough for this little wonder:grin2:

At last, a lot of manufacturers promoted their lights with 1,25 Watt (LED-Lenser) 7,8,9 Watt and so on.
But thats not really true. The LED's are only 1 or 5 watters, hopely no clones, and they overdrives them, it costs lifetime:thumbsdow.

So Fenix do the right one with their products and the LED's will live a long time. In case of the new P1 Fenix said, you can work with RCR 123, 3,7Volt Akkus, but without any guarantee.
I like this, because they knows, to use 3,7 Volt will shorten the lifetime of the LED.

Best regards

_____
Tom
 
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Pinter

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Long John said:
The L1P has a R-bin LUXI and this is be able to output min. 39.8 and max, 51.7 Lumen at a Vf of 5.43V-5.91V. It has only one AA with 1,5 V or a akku with 1,2 V. I don't know exactly, on which voltage the step up converter works but the Lumen above is theoretic.

R bin is not for the Vf but for the Luxeon I brightness bin.
Moreover the L1P is not driven at 350mA, but I don't know the exact value.
 

Sengoku

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ok guys, i am not putting down the L1P, i think is a great light that started the trend of AA luxeons lights in competition now. But im saying the 46lumen claim is exaggerated like alot of manufacturer do, nuwai etc. so dont entirely trust the lumen output. But the P1, a 3w T bin running on a CR123 cells is a different story, it provides more power and can sustain the power longer than a AA cell therefore is more likely to be brighter than the L1P, but of course the disadvantage of expensive lithium cells unless you buy a from battery station, they have great deals.
 

Long John

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Yes, it was my fault.
I was looking in the wrong column. This voltage can't be. It's for the 5 Watter.:oops:
But I hope, the rest is true:).

Sorry friends

Best regards

____
Tom
 

tdhg566

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I'm thinking that the P1 might be a good 1xCR123 "bug out bag" light. While I dearly love my multi-level HDS, having a twisty head rather than rubber/plastic push button (which can become damaged in an emergency) is an advantage. Coupled with long shelf life of CR123 and relatively inexpensive cost, I can see putting one each in a number of places/bags. If the price is indeed in the $50 range, then you could do 3-4 P1s for the cost of an HDS or McLux.
 

dim

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As I don't have an L1P or any other 1AA Luxeon flashlightlight for that matter, I can not speak directly to your question. My thoughts, however, on this class of flashlights is that this space will become VERY popular, beyond CPFers and flashaholics.

It seems that the larger, more substantial that a company, let alone a flashlight company, is, the slower and, perhaps, the more deliberate they are to bring a product to market. MAG, certainly, is a good example of this as they can afford to wait for the market to mature while they perfect their products and will, then, enter the market and will, likely, dominate.

As to the future of 1AA flashlights, while I can't say say for certain as my crystal ball is in for repairs, with the power of a "house hold" flashlight with better everything, runtime, pattern, color, etc., that fits in the pocket (and no "weird" batteries), I'd suspect that the major manufacturers/distributors, Nuwai, Inova, Streamlight, Gerber, etc. will soon each have their own offerings in this class as I suspect that this will be the fastest growing segment in the flashlight market ever. I've even read on CPF that Surefire will soon have a 1AA Lux of their own.

Prices for existing 1AA Luxeon flashlights from Coast, Fenix and others continue their rapid decent from about $50, as of only a few months ago, to about $30 today. I recently purchased an Inova X1. It's a well made flashlight that feels great in the hand. With their current version costing $20 retail using a Nichia LED to produce about 8 lumens, how difficult would it be for Inova to produce and sell a 25-30 lumen Luxeon X1 to for just $10 more? Target and other retailers would have current and future flashaholics standing in line down the flashlight isle waiting to buy one. If you're reading this thread, you would too!. I know that I would!

Personally, I'm choosing to wait. But that's just me as I'm patient that way. If, on the other hand, you want a L1P, BUY IT! Barring isolated problems with the switch, the L1P has gotten great reviews. But soon, I think that we will have many choices of 1AA flashlights from our favorite brands with our favorite features, switches, lenses/reflectors, beam patterns etc.

73
dim
 

vic303

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I'd get the L1P now (in fact I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of one for me!), and wait a bit on the P1 Rocket to see what bugs crop up.
 

KuoH

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Being fairly new to the high powered LED flashlight scene myself, I have already spent several hundred dollars on various lights ranging from keychains and 1xAAA clones, to the variable brightness CPF LE and many other lights in between. Aside from the 5mm keychain light, the L1P is the only other one that I started to carry every day at work, mainly because of its size, brightness and standard battery compatibility.

Unless you're on a severely restricted budget, the L1P would be a great choice for right now and would make an excellent present or backup if you should decide to get a P1 later. I myself just ordered another L1P and decided to also try an L2P aftering seeing the lower prices.

KuoH
 
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