Fenix P1 D CE stages

Dear all,

Just received my P1 D CE, perfectly shipped by Fenix Store as usual.
When trying it with a fresh battery I cannot see the difference between the first two stages, I can even not determine wich one is brighter as they seem equal to me. Also comparing with my P1 I do nt see a difference in brightness with the first two stages. (I can see the dim stage and the strobe and SOS clearly..)

I have tried in full darkness, ranges between 1 and 100 meter
I have tried on white surface and on other surfaces.

Is my Fenix malfunction or am I??

Best regards from the Netherlands,

Ronald

When i use lithium primaries the first 2 stages are descenrable but there isnt much of a difference. As the cell is used the difference is more and more clear.

At least that is my experience.

To be easily discernable, the light has to be twice as bright. It's just the way we percieve light. It's less than twice as bright from primary to max. If you had two and compared both at the same time you should be able to see a difference. It's possible you have a defective one, but I can barely see the difference when I compare them too. Sorry, I can't really answer your question. You wont know for sure unless you can measure the light. Still, if it bothers you a lot, return it.

I have a hard time seeing the difference until I have some distance. Outside it's pretty obvious at distances over 20-30 ft., unless they're white. Shining it at much snow out there in Apeldoorn?

PAB said:

To be easily discernable, the light has to be twice as bright. It's just the way we percieve light. It's less than twice as bright from primary to max. If you had two and compared both at the same time you should be able to see a difference. It's possible you have a defective one, but I can barely see the difference when I compare them too. Sorry, I can't really answer your question. You wont know for sure unless you can measure the light. Still, if it bothers you a lot, return it.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply
I have compared both first stages with my normal P1..... no difference
Maybe I'll go look for somebody who can measure it..

Ronald

stonehold said:

I have a hard time seeing the difference until I have some distance. Outside it's pretty obvious at distances over 20-30 ft., unless they're white. Shining it at much snow out there in Apeldoorn?

Click to expand...

No snow in Apeldoorn, in fact no snow so far this winter, a lot of rain though...
It seems we have the warmest winter in ages. yesterday it was 14 degrees celcius ( 57,2 Fahrenheit) here...
So the only white this winter is from the girls' leggs when wearing mini skirts...

Best regards,

Ronald

It is a bit difficult to see the difference. However, the light comes on full and them dims rapidly to medium and low levels. This takes a fraction of a second. Hold it about a foot from a wall and turn it on. You should see a slight change over the first sixth of a second or so. It's not noticeable in normal use but it's there if you know what you are looking for.

Do it in a bright room. If you do it in the dark, the 'dim' would just be your eyes adjusting.

I had trouble discerning the difference too. I think the problem is the delay in comparing the stages when you have to twist it off and then on again. What I found will help is to tighten the head down until just before it lights. Now when you press on the head it will act as a momentary light and you can cycle through the stages very fast without having to twist. You should be able to detect the difference now when being able to compare them to each other quickly.

Bill

It could be you I'm afraid. Our eyes have a saturation point, beyond which we cannot discern any additional brightness. Here is an example of a machine reaching its limit.

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/surefire_10x.htm

Scroll down to the technical specifications, to the point where it says Overall Output (High), and you will notice that the reviewer states that the equipment would not go any higher than 50,000. So, to the machine, any flashlight beyond 50,000 (such as the SF 10X at 52,500) will register as just 50,000 i.e. no discernable difference. Your eye will suffer the same phenomena, albeit at lower outputs. Try looking at the difference wearing shades

Thanks for all your replies. I'm a bit more enlightened now.

Still I cannot help wondering:

If I cannot see the difference
(also not after trying all the advice you guys mentioned in your replies)
What is the use of a stage that gives 135 lumen against the 72 lumen of the first stage ( besides more turnover for our CR123 producing suppliers)

I really tried hard, and in all different circumstances. somethimes have the feeling that the second stage (135 lumen) is as bright as the first one (72) but only has a little more flood.

Best regards,

Ronald

Flying Dutchman said:

I really tried hard, and in all different circumstances. somethimes have the feeling that the second stage (135 lumen) is as bright as the first one (72) but only has a little more flood.

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Well, the lens and led are not moving so if it's a little more flood, it must be a lot more hot spot.

I can see a definitive difference between the first, second, and third levels of light. First is medium, 2nd is high, and 3rd is low.

Like a previous member mentioned, I turn the threads just below the activating point, then turn it back on after appx. .5 sec.

I'm using a fresh Titanium CR123A cell.

You can also make this test:

Hold the light in a distance of about 30cm to a wall (color doesn't matter) and turn it on. View on a point at the wall nearby the begining of the beam (not in the hotspot). Then change to high and you'll see the point is brighter.

Best regards

____
Tom

:thumbsdow I really cant tell the difference between the primary and the max, surely they must be a faulty batch. ive only had mine 2 days. i read a post earlier that someone said that there was a very noticable difference between the 3 brightness modes. Surely a fault. im not happy with mine. The difference between 72 lum and 135 lums should be very noticable.. So how do i know if i have a torch that could have the first 2 stages being 72 lums or 135 lums, idont really know if im getting the full brightness........

You might have read my post. I can definitely see a difference among the 2 modes. Have you tried switching modes while holding it about 2-3 feet away from a white wall?

If you have a DMM measure the current draw, this way there must be a difference visible in puncto datas.

Mine shows: 460mA at med, 1,4A at high, 70mA at low with a RCR123 cell (3.0V)

Best regards

_____
Tom

Photograph it with a digital camera with manual settings. Cut down the exposure till you get a barely perceptible grey tone in the brightest point of the photo using the brightest setting on the torch. Then photograph the lower brightness level at the same settings. Compare the brightness levels of the brightest spot in Photoshop or a similar software.

Do the test as quickly as possible using as little power as possible and let the battery rest for a good period before each test. Make sure the torch is at the same temperature.

w

I had a very similar problem when I first got my P1D-CE. At first I thought that something was wrong with my eyes when i could not tell the difference between the brightness levels. I decided to change my battery from the cheap "Powerizer" to a Duracell Ultra and all of a sudden i could tell a much larger difference between the levels and they were brighter too. It turns out that the battery itself was the problem. I don't know if you've tried anything with the battery yet but its worth a try.

I can tell a major difference between the first two levels of my P1D-CE, I notice the color of the light more than the brightness though.

Many owners don't see a major brightness difference betwen stage I and II at first but perceive the difference more clearly after using the light for a while. That was my experience with my three CE's. However, if you see no difference between I and II compared to your regular P1 when using a fresh, good quality battery (ideally ZTS-tested) then I have to wonder about your particular P1D-CE.

In fact, one of the best way to demonstrate the brightness gain from stage I to stage II is to compare it with a conventional P1; the difference becomes very obvious. Even if you are relatively insensitive to brightness change you should notice at least some difference, when compared to your P1.

One of my CE's is dimmer and bluer than the others, but is still slightly brighter on stage I than my brightest P1, and noticeably brighter on stage II. IMO, either you have a rare degree of "luminance insensivity" or your light really is functioning below par.

Brightnorm