L1D-CE vs P2D-CE (overdone thread i know)

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

Well i have come down to a tossup between a L1D-CE and a P2D-CE. My only main concern is that ill be using the much harder to get 123 batteries. Which may cause me to be more stingy with use since i know it will be harder for me to come across these batteries. I considered the L0D-CE but the runtimes were just too short, and for just a little more i'd get a much more practical light.

There is the option of stocking up on batteries. But the fact that AA are just everywhere if i ever need one i can get one.

Do you think the hassle of ordering in 123 batteries (considering im in Australia) would outweigh the fact that AA's are everywhere? Also the prices of 123's vs AA's

Or is there any what you can convince me, a very urban person the benefits of picking up a P2D-CE over a L1D-CE??

My hopes is getting an EDC light that ill worry very little about usage (i can turn it on and off without worrying about spending too much on batteries, or worrying that ill have a spare battery when needed).

Kilovolt · Jun 13, 2007

I have both lights and I'm very happy with both of them. Of course P2D puts out a much more powerful beam, being basically fed at a double voltage.
Taking into account that 123 batteries have a shelf life of 10 years you can buy on-line one of those packages containing 25 or even 50 of them and pay an average of Us$ 1.0 for each one. At one dollar you can't call 123 batteries too expensive.
My guess is that in case you choose L1D you will have to live with the idea that for the same money you could have got a much more powerful flashlight.
So my advice is either choose P2D CE or buy both. I did the latter and I'm happy...:naughty:

NutSAK · Jun 13, 2007

Buy a P2D and then get an L1D body and tail as an accessory. I did the same, except I bought the L2D body and tail instead of the L1D because I wanted the brightness of the turbo mode at 3 volts. This combo fits all my EDC needs, and has made many of my other EDC lights obsolete.

Daniel_sk · Jun 13, 2007

I don't know about the P2D CE but you can use rechargeables in the L1D CE without any fear that you could burn/destroy something (like in the case of RCR123, which also have less runtime). I am using Eneloop rechargeables with a low-selfdischarge (arround 10% a year? don't know exactly :thinking

and I am very happy with this setup.

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

Kilovolt said:
I have both lights and I'm very happy with both of them. Of course P2D puts out a much more powerful beam, being basically fed at a double voltage.
Taking into account that 123 batteries have a shelf life of 10 years you can buy on-line one of those packages containing 25 or even 50 of them and pay an average of Us$ 1.0 for each one. At one dollar you can't call 123 batteries too expensive.
My guess is that in case you choose L1D you will have to live with the idea that for the same money you could have got a much more powerful flashlight.
So my advice is either choose P2D CE or buy both. I did the latter and I'm happy...:naughty:

Thanks for the insight. However how long do the commonly bought 123 batteries from the internet (i vaguely remember the orange ones with titanic on them??) because reading from flashlightreviews im hoping for decent runtime since [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lithium AA L91 [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NiMH 2650mAh [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Alkaline AA [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]results from the site showed quite varying runtimes. If the $1us 123's are Lithium then sure i geuss after converting to Aus dollars then adding shipping they should be cheaper. But if the 123's are NiMH or Alka then i may stick with buying AA's locally and have longer runtime.

EDIT: Sorry for the ignorance but i've only just discovered crees, led lights, and even 123 batteries in the past week or so and ive been trying my best to learn the abreviations and differences in the batteries and lights. Been reading up on the internet to 3am for the past few nights after my work haha
[/FONT]

scottaw · Jun 13, 2007

Don't worry about batteries in a P2D, i'm on my first battery, and it's pushing 2 months i've owned my light. I use it every day, and you'd be amazed how many times the low setting is all the light you need. Just buy a dozen or so batteries when you buy the light, they should last you a long time.

Kilovolt · Jun 13, 2007

WhatMACHI, 123 non-rechargeable batteries (=primaries) are all lithium, no other type is available.

If you look at the FlashlightReviews feature on P2D:

http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_p2dce.htm

and click on the batteries link:

http://www.amondotech.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=490

you will see that Titanium brand batteries are recommended. Of course there are other excellent brands. The important thing is not to buy them one by one at photographers' shops or similar outfits.

soffiler · Jun 13, 2007

WhatMACHI said:
...[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] If the $1us 123's are Lithium then sure i geuss after converting to Aus dollars then adding shipping they should be cheaper. But if the 123's are NiMH or Alka then i may stick with buying AA's locally and have longer runtime.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]EDIT: Sorry for the ignorance but i've only just discovered crees, led lights, and even 123 batteries in the past week or so and ive been trying my best to learn the abreviations and differences in the batteries and lights. Been reading up on the internet to 3am for the past few nights after my work haha[/FONT]

For the sake of your education: "123" are also known more formally as CR123A, and they are lithium. There is no such thing as a NiMH or alkaline CR123A cell. CR123A size is available in both disposable (non-rechargeable aka primary) and rechargeable (aka secondary). The disposables are called Lithium while the rechargeables are called Lithium Ion or Li Ion. A disposable CR123A stores about double the energy of a rechargeable which more or less directly translates into double the runtime. The US$1 cells are disposable CR123A. There are some safety concerns with all rechargeable Li-ion cells, and you should always look for the term "protected". In addition, rechargeable Li-ion have a higher voltage which means some lights may not run correctly on them. Disposable lithium also has certain safety concerns but the story is not very complex: in single-cell lights, keep them dry, don't hit them hard enough to dent, and don't throw them in a fire. In multi-cell lights, add one more warning: NEVER mix fresh cells with used cells. That's it in a nutshell for disposables. The safety story is more complex for rechargeable Li-ion and I won't even try to summarize here.

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

hahaha thanks for pointing that out. I was wondering why the L1/2D-CE had 3 different types of AA's used in their review while the P2D-CE only had one type of battery reviewed

Decision made, ill be ordering a P2D-CE from www.torchworld.com.au only a little more than ordering from fenix-store, but ill get it alot sooner (gota love the kid in us all.."I WANT IT NOW!!"). Ill also get 1 CR123A battery from them at $3 AUS, then get an order of a dozen+ from amondotech which seems to be recommended quite often (their international order procedure seems strange though).

Thank for the advice guys, finaly the hours and hours of research and advice has accumulated to a decision

(ive spend months deciding on other items because of advantages and disadvantages here and there) at least there is a general consensus about the P2D-CE hehe

mapson · Jun 13, 2007

I don't know, my Battery Station 123s from 3 years ago definitely do not show they would last much. Perhaps the name brand Energizers and such really do, but so far my BS cells show otherwise. Can't say for Titaniums.

Kilovolt said:
Taking into account that 123 batteries have a shelf life of 10 years you can buy on-line one of those packages containing 25 or even 50 of them and pay an average of Us$ 1.0 for each one. At one dollar you can't call 123 batteries too expensive.

linerlock · Jun 13, 2007

NutSAK said:
Buy a P2D and then get an L1D body and tail as an accessory. I did the same, except I bought the L2D body and tail instead of the L1D because I wanted the brightness of the turbo mode at 3 volts. This combo fits all my EDC needs, and has made many of my other EDC lights obsolete.

+1 on what NutSAK said.

I was facing the very same dilemma as you a few weeks ago. I ended up buying the P2DCE ($55) and I added the L1D body and tailcap to my order for $24. This is a great combo since it gives you the versatility of both lights without having to actually buy two complete lights. Also, don't forget to use the CPF8 coupon for 8% off your order. The discount makes the combo's final cost about $73.

Daniel_sk · Jun 13, 2007

WhatMACHI said:
Ill also get 1 CR123A battery from them at $3 AUS, then get an order of a dozen+ from amondotech which seems to be recommended quite often (their international order procedure seems strange though).

Forget Amondotech - too expensive for international orders, I asked them about the shipping for 10-20 batteries, the reply was: $34.75. (they only ship express mail, because of delivery confirmation).
Fenix-store.com has 16 Energizer batteries for $31 including shipping ($29 after discount, that's $1.75/ battery), I was just going to order them but they are out of stock - I emailed them about the availability, I'll let you know ...

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

Im just curious why you guys would buy the L1D body as well as the P2D?? What i mean is in what situations would you use one over the other?? Seeing as both are small, have the same brightness (except for the P2D which has a much brighter max) other than that they are the same except for the batteries am i correct??

soffiler · Jun 13, 2007

WhatMACHI said:
Im just curious why you guys would buy the L1D body as well as the P2D?? What i mean is in what situations would you use one over the other?? Seeing as both are small, have the same brightness (except for the P2D which has a much brighter max) other than that they are the same except for the batteries am i correct??

L1D body takes 1 AA cell.
L2D body takes 2 AA cells and produces about the same voltage as CR123A.
P2D body takes 1 CR123A cell.

The reason you'd buy more than one body is so that you can use whatever cells you happen to have at the moment, either AA or CR123A with the correct body.

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

Daniel_sk said:
Forget Amondotech - too expensive for international orders, I asked them about the shipping for 10-20 batteries, the reply was: $34.75. (they only ship express mail, because of delivery confirmation).
Fenix-store.com has 16 Energizer batteries for $31 including shipping ($29 after discount, that's $1.75/ battery), I was just going to order them but they are out of stock - I emailed them about the availability, I'll let you know ...

Hahaha thanks for that mate, i just posted in your battery topic only 30 seconds ago about this

Dam i hate being in a country where everything is an import (besides cows and farm produce) makes buying such a hassle and so expensive

mchlwise · Jun 13, 2007

I'm a little late, since it sounds like you've made your decision (which is a good one - you'll be happy with the P2D).

I have both the L1D and the P2D. I've been seriously considering selling my P2D.

Yes the P2D runs on twice the voltage, but it doesn't put out anywhere near twice the light. It's clearly brighter, but not as much as you might think.

I'm a rechargeable kinda guy, and found some 3.0v rechargeables that I thought would work great in the P2D. They come off the charger somewhere above 3.0v, though, and I lose the low mode for about the first 20 minutes until the battery discharges. By that time, I've only got 5-10 minutes left, because the runtime on the rechargeables is only about 30 minutes. :scowl:

Bottom line, this is a light to use with primaries. If you're o.k. with that and can get them, it's a great light.

Since using rechargeables is important to me, and AA nimhs are all over the place, I prefer my L1D.

Ordering one with an extra "other" body is a great option too, and the way to go if you can afford it.

(In all honesty, I'm not using either primarily right now - I'm using my DXlight, which runs on a 14500, retains the low mode, and ever-so-slightly outthrows the P2D) :naughty:

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

soffiler said:
L1D body takes 1 AA cell.
L2D body takes 2 AA cells and produces about the same voltage as CR123A.
P2D body takes 1 CR123A cell.

The reason you'd buy more than one body is so that you can use whatever cells you happen to have at the moment, either AA or CR123A with the correct body.

Hmm i suppose so

I might stick with just getting the P2D-CE without any extra bodies as long as im able to have access to 123's whenever i can i dont feel that ill need the other bodies. Bringing another body around seems like more of a hassle than trying to keep 123's around me.

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

mchlwise said:
I'm a little late, since it sounds like you've made your decision (which is a good one - you'll be happy with the P2D).

I have both the L1D and the P2D. I've been seriously considering selling my P2D.

Yes the P2D runs on twice the voltage, but it doesn't put out anywhere near twice the light. It's clearly brighter, but not as much as you might think.

I'm a rechargeable kinda guy, and found some 3.0v rechargeables that I thought would work great in the P2D. They come off the charger somewhere above 3.0v, though, and I lose the low mode for about the first 20 minutes until the battery discharges. By that time, I've only got 5-10 minutes left, because the runtime on the rechargeables is only about 30 minutes. :scowl:

Bottom line, this is a light to use with primaries. If you're o.k. with that and can get them, it's a great light.

Since using rechargeables is important to me, and AA nimhs are all over the place, I prefer my L1D.

Ordering one with an extra "other" body is a great option too, and the way to go if you can afford it.

(In all honesty, I'm not using either primarily right now - I'm using my DXlight, which runs on a 14500, retains the low mode, and ever-so-slightly outthrows the P2D) :naughty:

Thanks very much for the input regardless dude. Ive never really gotten into rechargeable batteries for some strange reason, i think just it seems to be much more convenient to have primaries around. Since i can have them stocked up all over the place in my car, in an emergency box etc etc.

And i dont think i'd be using the light often enough to make recharging much of a difference

Learjet · Jun 13, 2007

Ebay isn't so bad for getting CR123 batteries either. I bought a stack of Golston CR123 from Hong Kong and they seem as good as any. They ended up costing $1.50 each including freight. Golston runtime on turbo with a P2D CE is about an hour.

I also bought some 3.0V Li-ion with charger. Runtime is about half the non rechargables and you lose the low modes, but hey they're free lumens. I usually toy with mine more than I really need to, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with rechargables.

I didn't know **** Smith stocked Eneloops at the time I bought the P2D otherwise I may have bought the L1D instead. But It doesn't really matter, they are both good.

You will like the P2D.

WhatMACHI · Jun 13, 2007

Just a quick final question. Does the P2D-CE have a lanyard/keychain hole?

L1D-CE vs P2D-CE (overdone thread i know)

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