Fenix L2D CE, not much difference between High and Turbo?

I recently bought a Fenix L2D, which I absolutely love. It has been operating flawlessly, very bright, long runtime and with a very nice beam to boot (heard some complaints about ringy crees, but I don't see an issue in real world use). One thing that dissapointed me though, is that there isn't that much differences between the different levels, except for low and the rest.
When I go from medium to high, I notice a difference, but not THAT much. Even less so when I switch from high to turbo. Sure, there IS a difference, but not that I would notice it unless I'm comparing it directly and waiting for the jump in increased output. If there was an option for turning on the light at any level you wanted, I probably couldnt tell if the light I turned on was on high or turbo. Is my L2D faulty or is everything as it should? I'm even considering getting a L1D body, since the extra "omph" in the L2D is barely noticable and the 1 AA form factor is tempting. You would think that the 45lumens increase would be more noticable?

And now the new L2D Rebel 100 is here, which is marketed at 175lumens (I guess less in real life), but I'm not that tempted to get one since it feels like the difference wouldn't be that big from my Fenix L2D that's marketed at 135lumens. Or am I wrong?

well, it usually takes a near doubling of output to be visible to the eye. another possibility is that if you are using alkalines they may not be able to push enough juice for a full turbo mode. try some nimh's and see if there is a difference?

I see it that way:
the "L" models still use the same circuit, so the Led sees the same current --> NO difference between a Rebel or Cree or ...
the "P" models push the led harder --> the outputs are nearer to the possible full output @ 1 A

but I also have that "no real difference between levels" with my L1D-CE also (ok, high and turbo are the same in this light) and as long as Fenix does not offer lights WITH A LOW MODE, a medium and a high (and possibly a turbo) mode, I am not purchasing any new models
(and stay with my Flupic driven Cree+18650 lights, which feature these three levels, that show an obvious difference)

yellow said:

I see it that way:
the "L" models still use the same circuit, so the Led sees the same current --> NO difference between a Rebel or Cree or ...
the "P" models push the led harder --> the outputs are nearer to the possible full output @ 1 A

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Mmm, do you mean the LxD conpared to the PxD?
As far as I know only the P3D has its own circuit driving the LED harder. The other three models use the same heads. The L1D has a low turbo mode because one single AA can't deliver enough energy.

coldlocus, what type of batteries did you use (and were they fresh?)

On old Energizer NiMH's my L2D CE has a fairly dramatic change in visible output at each level.

swxb12 said:

coldlocus, what type of batteries did you use (and were they fresh?)

On old Energizer NiMH's my L2D CE has a fairly dramatic change in visible output at each level.

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Different kinds of NiMH's. GP, Sony, Fuji etc. And on fresh cells. I guess it could depend on eyesight also, mine might not be the best. As mentioned, I see a difference, but not a dramatic one. It's easier to notice with a ceiling bounce. But in normal use, there is no point for me to drain the battery on turbo. Even medium(even though there is a more significant change there) lights up enough for almost any task. Sure, turbo is brighter, but it's not night and day, as when compared to low.

A thought, would cleaning the contacts increase the jumps in output? What should I use for cleaning(preferably something that is commonly available in a household)? And Which areas should I clean? The threads also?

Progold is sold on the Fenix store. But rubbing alcohol will work. Anything that makes a better metal to metal contact. Stay away from metal cleaners, as many "protect" the metal which means they coat the metal.

As for Turbo, if it helps in a ceiling bounce but isn't needed otherwise or most of the time, well that seems perfect. After all they don't call it high, the call it a Turbo. As in I need that extra kick of power. Otherwise for normal use but bright use high, save power and no big difference. It is kind of like how we drive 70 mph most of the time, so that is High, but we can do 80 for passing. 80 is not that much different then 70, but it is there when we need it.

BTW, I don't have a L2d or L1D yet, but expect to get the L2D Rebel 100 with L1D body today maybe tomorrow. So far this turbo mode sounds like I would expect, since we know that to see a real difference you need twice as much light.

PocketBeam said:

Progold is sold on the Fenix store. Btu running alcohol will work. Anything that makes a better metal to metal contact. Stay away from metal cleaners, as many "protect" the metal which means they coat the metal.

As for Turbo, if it helps in a ceiling bounce but isn't needed otherwise or most of the time, well that seems perfect. After all they don't call it high, the call it a Turbo. As in I need that extra kick of power. Otherwise for normal use but bright use high, save power and no big difference. It is kind of like how we drive 70 mph most of the time, so that is High, but we can do 80 for passing. 80 is not that much different then 70, but it is there when we need it.

BTW, I don't have a L2d or L1D yet, but expect to get the L2D Rebel 100 with L1D body today maybe tomorrow. So far this turbo mode sounds like I would expect, since we know that to see a real difference you need twice as much light.

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Thanks for the help. I'll try that. Btw, what do you mean with "running alcohol"? And does deoxit work as a lube also? For o-rings and such? I had o idea that there was so much maintenance involved in this hobby.
And good choice on the L2D rebel 100! And the turbo on that should actually be a turbo, going by the lumens number. I'm still tempted to get one, but it's hard to justify the funding, when I allready have the L2D, and it works flawlessly.

I think he meant rubbing alcohol [the 'n' and 'b' keys are next to each other].

I have an L2D-CE and notice the biggest difference on fresh [unused]alkaline batteries. I use NiMH mostly and the difference between high and turbo is small, whether freshly charged or not. I think the farther the combined voltage of the two cells is from 3.0v the smaller the difference in the two modes. For me the difference between medium and high is more noticeable than from high to turbo.

make sure you check it outside. sometimes you cant really see a difference inside mine is alot brighter on turbo.

coldlocus said:

And does deoxit work as a lube also?

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I purchased a 2-pack of Deoxit at radioshack (regular cleaner + gold treater) and applied to a light. Both are just very watery and didn't lube. I ended up cotton swabbing the last of it off and applying a little teflon pipe joint compound that I found in a finger-sized tube at home depot. I would think eraser/rubbing-alcohol and a lubricant would suffice, though the Deoxit will last a long time.

It's "Rubbing Alcohol"

Note the B & N keys are adjacent !

thermal guy said:

make sure you check it outside. sometimes you cant really see a difference inside mine is alot brighter on turbo.

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Yeah, people say you'll notice the turbo outside when looking at something farther away.

The L1D turbo format is ugly because it's ~80 on high and only ~90 on turbo.

I've had my L2D CE since Feb.and its worked flawlessly - one of my favorite lights. And the 45 lumen difference between high and turbo is slightly noticeable, more so in a ceiling bounce test.

But I use ProGold and DeOxit, which are great for conductive contacts, not for lubing o-rings and threads. Isopropyl alcohol is also a good cleaner.

For lubing o-rings, use silicone grease - it can be found in the plumbing dept. at Lowes.

For metal threads, go to Radio-Shack and buy some Precision Lube - its in an applicator pen for around 3 bucks.

There is better stuff (Nyogel) available on the inter-web for more $$$, but the above listed products have always worked well for me.

coldlocus said:

...I see a difference... But in normal use, there is no point for me to drain the battery on turbo. Even medium(even though there is a more significant change there) lights up enough for almost any task.

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This really gets at the nub of it: what are you looking for? A light to illuminate walls and scorch your eyeballs, or to illuminate real tasks at either short or longer-range distances? Either is perfectly appropriate, but this little one cell light seems to be great for the task illumination job and not a mind bender at the wall illumination job.

I do field medical work and off-road vehicle repair (more than Iwant), and this light does a quite creditable job at both of these, and it allows me to standardize on an almost universally available battery type, incl lithium chemistry. My Mag85 really burns the walls.

John

coldlocus said:

Thanks for the help. I'll try that. Btw, what do you mean with "running alcohol"? And does deoxit work as a lube also? For o-rings and such? I had o idea that there was so much maintenance involved in this hobby.

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For O-ring/contacts/threads, I use permatex dielectrical grease that I have for on electric connections on cars. It's silicone based so good for rubber too. A tube is around $5 at auto parts store and will last you a loooooong time, lifetime even if you just use it for flashlights.

Yep, rubbing alcohol. Opps, typo, as was said the b and n keys are next to each other. Fixed post. Thanks. Oh and it was hinted at here but not really said, don't use rubbing alcohol on o-rings as it can dry them out.

With my L2Dce, I also dont notice much difference between high and turbo indoors. But outdoors, standing on top of a 4 story building and pointing at a building across the parking lot, there is a very big difference

Also, turbo is way more fun in the fog. 50' lightsabers are fun!