Fenix models: the best performer with alkalines

To me, it is hands down the L2P. The L2T, and to a lesser extent the L1T and L1P provide very good power regulation with rechargeables (and I am sure with Lithiums). But it seems like only the L2P is able to provide nearly ideal regulation with plain old alkalines [FlashlighReview.com]. The L2T does a decent job, but it is clearly not in the same league for alkaline power regulation. Perhaps it is because it is a higher output light, or its regulation circuitry isn't as good, or both.

pilou said:

...Perhaps it is because it is a higher output light, or its regulation circuitry isn't as good, or both...

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Not quite. It's your power source. Alkalines do not have the ability to provide the higher current needed to bias a Lux above the levels that the L2p uses.

CM said:

Not quite. It's your power source. Alkalines do not have the ability to provide the higher current needed to bias a Lux above the levels that the L2p uses.

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I am saying almost the same thing. Saying the L2T is a higher output light implies a bigger load for the batteries than with the L2P

In any case, the L2P's outstanding performance with alkalines was definitely a factor for me. The only benefit of rechargeables or lithiums with the L2P seems to be just longer run time, not flatter or brighter output curves. The very decent output level, the nice white light color (at least on my sample), the versatile beam pattern, and the extra L1P body thrown in made the L2P/L1P combo a good purchase for me.

I imagine that for most of you true light afficionados, the performance of any light with alkalines isn't a consideration and that you go with whatever battery type gives the longest run and brightest light. But having an AA light aside from the stone age MiniMag, that ran so well on lowly alkalines was irresistible to me

But the L2P doesn't somehow get extra performance from alkalines to make them produce as much output as nimh or lithiums. Rather, it limits the output from nimh/lithium to make their output no more than what it can get from alkalines. It gets the same 25-30 lumens from all these types of batteries when other lights like the HDS, Spy, McLux, etc. that don't use alkalines, get 60 lumens or more from lithiums. Flat regulation isn't as great as some folks seem to think it is. It just means that even when the batteries are fresh, the light limits its output to same level that it can get from almost-pooped batteries, even though it could be getting a lot more.

I got my L2P based on the awesome regulation it provides. My only gripe was the green/yellowish tint. The good thing was that I had ordered a SXOH emmiter, I installed it and now its super bright I would say it does over 50 lumens maybe same or better output than the P1 in an awesome white tint. I got a 123 body and modded the switch for Off-Low-High-Off using a RR headlamp switch.

At just a bit less than 3 inches with the 123 body it is a pocket rocket, very nice light!

AlexGT

BTW videos of the 2 stage clickie and SXOH Vs. E2e over here

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=122735

paulr said:

But the L2P doesn't somehow get extra performance from alkalines to make them produce as much output as nimh or lithiums.
... Flat regulation isn't as great as some folks seem to think it is. It just means that even when the batteries are fresh, the light limits its output to same level that it can get from almost-pooped batteries, even though it could be getting a lot more.

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Not everybody likes lights which hit 75% of original output in the first 15-20 minutes of runtime. With most lights, those X lumens you thought you were getting, are really only 0.75X lumens in practical use (www.flashlightreviews.com has plenty of runtime graphs you can peruse.) One of the reasons I bought an L2P was because of its flat regulation. Lithiums do help keep the curve flatter, but still suffer the near immediate 25% loss in output. Flasaholics are always talking about the lumen ratings of flashlights being misleading, that some manufacturers overrate them, etc., but seem to always forget about the 25% drop. So, if your light doesn't have a flat runtime curve then multiply what you see by 0.75 to see what your light is actually going to produce most of the time, and then think about whether or not its output is overrated.

Then again, maybe I just like flat regulation because my I got lucky with a L2P that'll last 4h15min on 2500mAh NiMH AAs, and 3h20min on alkalines...

Not everybody likes lights which hit 75% of original output in the first 15-20 minutes of runtime. With most lights, those X lumens you thought you were getting, are really only 0.75X lumens in practical use...

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Yeah, but if you're comparing 0.75X of 60 lumens against 1.0X of 30 lumens, you're still getting much more output with the "60 lumen" 0.75x light.

paulr said:

Yeah, but if you're comparing 0.75X of 60 lumens against 1.0X of 30 lumens, you're still getting much more output with the "60 lumen" 0.75x light.

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There's more to buying a flashlight than overall output