Is the Fenix L2T supposed to get this hot?

I thought I'd put my Fenix to good tailstanding use lighting my way under the bathroom sink so I could install a new faucet.

I'm not sure how much time went by but when I reached over to turn it off before crawling out from under the sink it was scorching, as in almost burn your fingers, hot. I was only half finished so I let it cool down and fired (pun intended) it up again, checking periodically to see if smoke was the next step.

I ended up having to go through the cooldown phase several times as I didn't want to kill it, but at the same time I was facing the reality that my $40 flashlight cannot be used for long durations when it's really needed. I guess in case of a power outage, I'll have to settle for the low power setting to make it through.

Hey postalguy, Hot is good, it means your heatsink is working and pulling the heat away from the led instead of trapping the heat with it.

I thought about that, but it's also cooking my rechargable batteries. I guess that's just the way it is.

I've left my L2T sitting in the open, tailstanding on high recently for over 2 hours and it was good and warm, but I certainly wouldn't say "scorching". Something doesn't sound right.

Just the past few days ive been leaving my LT2 standing on end on my desk for 2+ hours continuosly, just to try out my NiMH's. And it got a little warm, but definately not scorching, not even what I would call hot.

My P1 on rechargeables gets this hot, but never my L2P.

I assume low wasn't bright enough?

And yes, if there is no air circulation the L2T can get very hot.

Hey Chevrofreak, have you tested your L2T in your homemade intergrating sphere? I'm trying to find out if the L2T is brighter than those new batches of 55-lumen P1s from 4Sevens.

It sounds like something is wrong to me, I do not think an L2T should get "scorching" hot. I have an L2T, I have run it a few times for 1 hour straight on high, using NiMH batteries, with the flashlight tailstanding on a table at ~70 deg F ambient, no air circulation. The body got warm to the touch, but I could still hold it in my hand comfortably. My reaction was, in cold weather, run the light on high, it would make a nice hand warmer. Also, the longer I held it, the cooler it felt. That may have just been my hand getting used to the temperature, or my hand may have helped pull heat away. After running on high, I quickly took the batteries out and felt them, they did not feel as warm as the body did, which implied to me the body did a good job keeping heat away from the batteries.

Just thought I would fill in my observations.

If anyone feels the need for quantitative measurements, I do have a thermocouple, I could some readings, let me know.

EssLight

daveman said:

Hey Chevrofreak, have you tested your L2T in your homemade intergrating sphere? I'm trying to find out if the L2T is brighter than those new batches of 55-lumen P1s from 4Sevens.

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Nope, I sent the L2T back to 4sevens before the sphere was built. I figure it was probably about 37 lumens though. The L1T head was brighter on the L2T body, it was probably about 45 lumens. It's all a lottery.

I have not had this problem. It gets warm but not hot. I have run it on high for just under an hour and all is good. Can you say if yours is unusally bright?

Concept said:

Nope, I sent the L2T back to 4sevens before the sphere was built. I figure it was probably about 37 lumens though. The L1T head was brighter on the L2T body, it was probably about 45 lumens. It's all a lottery.

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Cool, thanks.

are you using lithium AA(those 1.7V ones) in them?

my l2p got alot warmer then with the usual alk and nimh.

maybe it will just happen with the l2t?

I've had mine on to cycle the NMIH batteries,
it only gets luke warm after being on for two hours

Weskix said:

Hey postalguy, Hot is good, it means your heatsink is working and pulling the heat away from the led instead of trapping the heat with it.

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I don't buy into that theory completely ......

frisco

My L2T gets warm on high but never close to uncomfortable.

Followup:

I pulled out my Fluke with the temperature probe for a more 'quantitative' analysis. After 30 minutes it was 112.3 F and still climbing. I touched the light like I did before and it didn't seem to be as hot as I remember, but yesterday I did prop it up against the wall with a package of toilet paper to keep me from knocking it over, so that must have been the problem.

The toilet paper probably acted like an insulator, giving the heat nowhere to go.

Yep, I would bet that's it.

EssLight said:

Also, the longer I held it, the cooler it felt. That may have just been my hand getting used to the temperature, or my hand may have helped pull heat away.
EssLight

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This happens with every torch I test.

I thinks it's because as the batteries run down, less current is drawn, especially with nimh's, giving less power (ie; heat).