Fenix P2D OR P3D

Fenix P2D OR P3D :touche:

My Fenix P3D arrived today and the quality was not as good as my P2D.

The holder was burnt near the top. Looks like someone slipped, when rounding the top.

As far as how bright the P3D is over the P2D. Not much, a little brighter and a little whiter in my opinion. For anyone that is not sure which one to get, I would base it on the size difference. The P2D is quite small and very bright. It is for now, my EDC and backup. So if you have to pick one. I say the P2D is my choice. I am sure some will agree and some won't. Just my two cents.


Poll: P2D OR P3D

when they were announced i didn't even think about it. i ordered the P2D and i am happy. i wanted something small with a clicky.

this is bad news for old ensie.. I wasn't over the moon about the l2t's build for the money, but i wasn't exactly dissapointed, and the brightness impressed me..

The reason why I bought the p3d was it's run times and there were no other 2x123a bodies.. l2d-ce was an option but it's longer than the l2t, and i think that's long enough.. size + runtime were my selling points, the brightness if it's even the same as a p1d or p2d in brightness, that's a bonus, i believe that's enough light from a torch of that size... in terms of build quality, i am expecting something better than what you describe.. it's known that fenix have a rather sparatic Q.C, there are lemons with each brand but fenix, you really are getting your value for money (if you score one that is made correctly, and not by the new guy in the warehouse), I'm sorry to hear about your light, it's kind of disheartening when something like that happens. I hope u can get a replacement or a credit or something, what's the point in buying something if you arent happy with it ?

wow, so far it's a tie

I didn't have to think about it either. I needed an EDC light and the P2D is plenty bright and pocketable.

Thanks for voting, I hope it helps someone make a decision on which one to purchase.

P3D based on runtimes.. 90lum for 4.8 hrs vs P2D 80l for 2 hours.
also the low on P3d goes for 65hrs vs 30hrs.

The size increase means its not a practical EDC but still nice to have around in bag or car.

Just got my P3D today and its still daylight but i dont imagine the turbo setting will blow me away, i dont use it as searchlight so dont need anything over 100 lumens.

For me ... neither ... have seen both .... still prefer my L2DCE because of its size or length fits my large hands perfectly. I also carry the SF L2 as my EDC.

I bought P3D was because I want a 2x123A version of P1DCE for long runtime.

I just got my P3D today 4/30/07. It blows away every other Fenix that I own; and I own them all. Just when you think that the tint on your other lights is as white as they can get, along comes the P3D and destroys any notion of what you previously thought was white. My other Fenix lights all have that yellow tint to them which I thought was white, then my P3D comes and I realize that the "white" tint that I saw before is really just a high yellow. The build quality is comparable to all of my other Fenix lights, it's not ARC or Surefire but you're also not paying ARC or Surefire prices for these lights either. I'm hoping to find rechargeable 123's that fit in the tube of the P3D. Guilt free lumens really is the way to go. For anyone who still can't decide which light to choose, I think it will come down to size and runtime. Good Luck and as always H.D.T. = Happy Dark Trails.

Who needs that long o a runtime, 30hrs on low isn't enough? That low setting on the P2 is plenty to do most tasks, and the light is TINY.

Mmm, if I had to pick one... I guess I did. I picked the P2D. Love it. I just wanted a small, bright, single cell light and the P2D is it. If I want longer run times I'll use a 3D cell.

I got both. The PD2 iwith a 3v RCR123A s on my belt and the P3D with 2x3.6v RCR123As is in my backpack along with an extra set of lithiums CR123As for backup.

Once a light gets up past 100 lumens, I'm more interested in throw than overall output. I ordered the P3D because I was hoping that the throw would be in the 3000+ Lux range. It bothered me that flashlightreviews.com had the L2D-CE at 2980 Lux but the P2D-CE at just 2200 Lux. The L2D-CE is a little longer than what I would want to carry, but I didn't want to get the P2D-CE because it didn't perform as well.


My thoughts on flashlight size are:

- the MiniMag AA at 5.75" (and similarly the L2D) is a little too long to be comfortable in my pocket, but my wallet is 4.5" long, and I don't have any problem with that fitting in my front pocket.

- 3.5" is the perfect size for something to fit in my fist, so anything under 3" is actually uncomfortably small and I couldn't hold it in my fist without my pinky starting to cover the lens. I think short fat lights are a actually less convenint than longer ones.

- if something's thicker than a AAA-size light, it's just not going to "disappear" in my pocket. I would prefer a 123A light be in the 3.5 - 4.5" range and have a tail clicky so it's comfrotable in my hand.

- if I'm going to carry something AAA-sized, 3.0 - 3.5" is ideal, but I'd still like a tail clicky which nobody has. A twisty is fine, as long as it's not multimode. I don't want to sit there diddling my light to get it where I want it.

- if I'm going to carry something 123A-sized, I want it to be plenty bright and have plenty runtime, in which case being closer to 4.5" is good so the hot part can extend a little past my hand.

So, I really think the ideal lights are:

- a 2x123A that's 4.0 - 4.5" long with 100 Lumens and the best possible throw

- a 1xAAA that's 3.0" with a tail clicky (and it'd be great if it had a high mode with like 100 Lumens for 15 min)

The problem is, my ideal 1xAAA light doesn't exist, and the P2D is pretty close, so I really can't decide whether I want a P2D and a P3D or what.

I'll probably just eventually get a Fenix E1 to have something tiny. 11 Lumens is fine, but the 132 Lux throw is pretty pathetic ...

is it wise to compare a single cell light too a double cell light ? they are both nice lights, some people need a short light, some people dont need 2 cell run-time
bang there you go p2d-ce thank you come again..

Oh you're going to leave it running for a while... perhaps a 2 cell light would help, that way you arent changing the batteries as often... there u go p3d-ce thank you..

simple

P2D. If you've only got one cell, or two cells and one has gone bad, then you still have light. Same cannot be said for the P3D-CE.

P2D no doubt about it.

I like the P2D, perfect size

+1 for the P2D, perfect for EDCing, very small, very bright (approx. 1h on turbo mode) and long runtime on low level. Unbeatable in its price range.
If there would be a HDS/Nova EDC or ARC LS with those output/runtime key datas for sale, at least 50 percent of the CPF members would jump for joy.