Fenix P1, Truely 5 Star

Five days ago I ordered a P1 from the Fenix Store (4 Sevens) to compliment my L2P. I didn't need it, surprize, but was impressed with its' specs and all the positive feed-back from fellow CPF'ers. The P1 is indeed a jewel among small flashlights, a creation that any "custom builder" would be proud to sell for $120, (IMHO). Quickbeam hit the nail on the head.....5 Stars!! Keep up the good work Fenix. :goodjob:

I EDC a number of lights, some inexpensive and some very expensive, but the P1 is my favorite and also my most used, by far. Last year the L1P looked like the flashlight of the year. Well, it looks like Fenix has done it again. This year, so far, the P1 gets my vote.

Re: Fenix P1, Truly 5 Star

I've been away from the forums for a while, so I'm finding that my searches for comparisons don't come up with much -- due to the fact that I'm comparing brand-new stuff to stuff from "a few revs back".

Case and point: I'm wondering how the P1 compares with a first-gen Fire~Fly... anyone?

My P1 recently got nudged out of my pocket by a HDS B42, but it is definitely a beautiful, bright, well regulated and decently built little light. A 2 or 3 stage P1 really would be a magic unit.

I tried the P1 2 stage mod (http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=126560), it definitely works, and Fenix could easily implement it. No doubt they will, and we'll all shell out again!

Gadgetnerd, if you can help me out with the mod, that would be excellent! I'm having absolutely no luck with it.

No worries TigerhawkT3, PM sent.

There's nothing wrong with multi-stage lights, I have a few in my collection, but to me the allure of the P1 is its' adherence to the basic. No changes scheduled for mine. K.I.S.S.

Longbow said:

Five days ago I ordered a P1 from the Fenix Store (4 Sevens) to compliment my L2P. I didn't need it, surprize, but was impressed with its' specs and all the positive feed-back from fellow CPF'ers. The P1 is indeed a jewel among small flashlights, a creation that any "custom builder" would be proud to sell for $120, (IMHO). Quickbeam hit the nail on the head.....5 Stars!! Keep up the good work Fenix. :goodjob:

Click to expand...

I agree. It's an absolute winner!!

The P1 and L2P are my favourite lights and they are the ones that get to work the most often.

When wearing a business suit I carry my Rev.4 ARC AAA-P, PEAK Shasta or Photon 3 because they are easy to carry in pocket. As soon as the suit comes off I grab a Fenix. Mind you, the P1 holster is very discrete and I often sneak it behind the cell phone on my belt.

Longbow, I also agree about multi-stage lights. Though I have a few, they have not displaced the L2P and P1 as my favorites.

Yes, the Fenix P1 is a very nice light, esp for it's regulation. This is why I got about 80 pcs for my friends here in Hong Hong few months ago. And I have recently bought some for my own collection. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive anyway.

any idea at the lux at 1 meter for the P1.

I got about 910 lux, with an AW RC123 750ma at 1 meter.

It`s a new meter, so I don't have any idea if it`s correct.

regards.

Just wondering .. is it better than the Orb Raw apart from the finish ? Can you use R123's ?
Mike.

I love my P1 on RCRs.I also was fortunate enough to get a DS 42 XR GT. If you don't have one and can part worrth $99 it's worth it. I am not as techically gifted as many of the folks here so it's hard to say WHY that HDS is so nice, it just feels nice, special.

that P1 with RCR charger at less than $85 is the best deal for a keychain light!!

This thing is great, no doubt a five star unit. But, it's so small I'm afraid I may lose in.

chiphead

Five Stars ... with a maximum of what? Five Stars?
Only if the price is factored in the rating IMHO.

I got a P1 ... it is a nice light ... and most of all, it is small. But it has its flaws and disadvantages, too.

If it is at all possible to rate lights, especially considering the rapidly changing technology, then the P1 won't be at the top. No way.
Except if you apply special criteria that are tailored to the light ... like price for example.

bernhard

I love my P1.... very fun to play with on my keychain hanging from my belt loop.

What I do is twist the head until it is ALMOST turned on. Then, when I need it, or want to, I just grab it and push the hand back lightly, activating the light almost like a clicky. It's the 2nd funnest thing I do with one hand!

From my other thread, CPF'ers are recommending I lube the P1 so it's easier to twist... mine requires 2 hands and is tight to twist.

Other then wishing they had some kind of clicky option... the only other thing I wish it had was a pocket clip option.

2 stage, or maybe some special modes (like strobe or SOS) would be nice as well... but there's always the HDS ultra for that I guess... it's just so expensive.

TinderBox (UK) said:

I got about 910 lux, with an AW RC123 750ma at 1 meter.

regards.

Click to expand...

Tinderbox,

You will get much better runtime and regulation using a Surefire Primary vs the AW cell.

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Check it out. I was using the same AW cell until i saw this and immediately changed to primaries.

hello iNDiGLo

I am quite happy with 55 Min's of guilt free lumen's.

It`s a lot cheaper to charger an RC123, and it`s EARTH FRIENDLEY.

also I dont see anything wrong with the regulation with the AW RC123 on your runtime graph, nice flat line.

regards.

Don't use my P1 much...it's my "dress light". Awesome output, great runtime and I'm constantly amazed when I see how much light this handsome little thing puts out.

Won't hesitate to buy a two stage version if they release one (as long as it's the same size or thereabouts).


CFU

It is lights like this that have caused me to question the wisdom of spending insane amounts of money on custom lights when I can get 90% of the performance for a fraction of the price (of course I'm perfectly willing to spend insane amounts of money on a watch that doesn't "perform" as well as a Casio but I have yet to convince myself that horological craftsmanship and flashaholic craftsmanship are on the same plane). My EDC, for the time being, will be one of these 5 star bargains.

I just ordered 2 of them. When they get here I will sell one for $40 if anyone's interested.