My Slippery Black Fenix Days are Over...

First, I don't understand why a flashlight tube should be slippery...lots of good flashlight manufacturers have figured this out, and make very grippy 'lights. Second, I don't want a black flashlight...it's usually dark when I'm looking for it!

I buy natural anodized color when I can, but these two come in "any color so long as it's black." So I bought some 3/4 - recovers to 3/8 - inch heat shrink tube at the local electronics store. Took off the head and tail cap, removed the battery, and made these "custom" red jackets with the help of my wife's hair dryer. The grip has improved significantly, and they're easier to spot in the dark.

Now, I'm thinking I may want to relube the threads & O-rings after getting them warm...suggestions?

I forgot to add: a simple "bead" from a craft store will make the lanyard much more useable. You can cinch it up against your wrist using the bead, with no worry it will just slide off. The downside is: try to buy just one! I had to buy a couple hundred beads (for a couple dollars) at Michael's. If you want a nicer lanyard, talk to greenLED.

Awesome job. I am going to run right out and pick up some heat shrink from the local electronics store. Looks great. I think I might go with another color though.
Thanks:twothumbs

A couple of other ways to deal with a slippery Fenix (Turk's Head knot on my L2P, big o-ring wrapped several times around body in my L1D):

A bicycle inner tube will give you a good grip. You can simply roll the tube down to change the batteries.

I like that bright red color though

Looks nice, I'll do that to my L2D too. I don't understand why so many lights are in black. Do they have glow in the dark heat-shrink?

What can I add to make it anti-roll?

vader said:

I think I might go with another color though.

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"How are you gentlemen! All your red shrinkie Fenix are belong to us."

Yeah, I debated that too. At my store, they had yellow, light blue, red, white, and black. Obviously white would have been the easiest to see in the dark, but I didn't think it would look as good.

A caution: SOME of the 3/4 shrinky didn't fit. I'm guessing it had been in the store so long, and was near a window, that it seemed to have shrunk down a little on its own, and I could not get it on my 'light. 3/4 shrinky is a reasonably tight fit for a Fenix, pre-shrink.

NA8: Your innertubes were the inspiration for the shrink tube! Thanks for giving me the idea.

LED_Thrift said:

Looks nice, I'll do that to my L2D too. I don't understand why so many lights are in black. Do they have glow in the dark heat-shrink? What can I add to make it anti-roll?

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Wouldn't GITD shrinkie be awesome. Wonder if it's made. Regarding anti-roll, you could place a small cylindrical object UNDER the shrinkie before you shrink it, like drafting pencil lead or a match stick. It would leave a smoothed-out bump underneath that might serve as your anti-roll device.

Actually, I guess you could get pretty creative with what's under your shrink. Imagine wrapping your light in paracord, and then shrinking over that.

*Dang.* Wish I had thought of that earlier.

Nice job Bolster. I think you picked the right color of the choices you had available to you. It looks clean and it's definitely very visible.


GreenLED, where did you get the large o-ring to triple wrap your Fenix? Great idea btw.

I use very tight o-rings to build up a grip ring at the narrow part...



Works good on the P2D too. Best part on this one is how you can easily change from Turbo to low with one hand...

Love the look of the red.

NA8 said:

A bicycle inner tube will give you a good grip. You can simply roll the tube down to change the batteries.

I like that bright red color though

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This is a great idea. Where did you buy your innertube and what size did you get? Are you still able to turn the bezel for Turbo?

This seems like a really good idea as its an extra element of moisture/dirt proofing that is still removable.

where do you find it?
I am not aware of a local electronics store.
quote
3/8 inch heat shrink tube

etc said:

where do you find it? I am not aware of a local electronics store. quote 3/8 inch heat shrink tube

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Well if you happen to live in Torrance CA, it's Signal Electronics. However I'll bet all the Fry's Electronics stores have 3/4 - recovers to 3/8 - shrink, and probably in more colors than our local mom-n-pop electronics store. Alternately, you can google "Polyolefin Heat Shrink Tubing." Wow, this place has all kindsa cool colors I've never seen before.

Good thinking, people! You're givin' me some good ideas!:twothumbs

Bolster said:

Well if you happen to live in Torrance CA, it's Signal Electronics. However I'll bet all the Fry's Electronics stores have 3/8 shrink, and probably in more colors than our local mom-n-pop electronics store. Alternately, you can google "Polyolefin Heat Shrink Tubing." Wow, this place has all kindsa cool colors I've never seen before.

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They even have GID ones.

Is 3/8 the correct size, it seems awfully narrow.

Wow - thanks for the info and link. :thumbsup:

_

Calina said:

Is 3/8 the correct size, it seems awfully narrow.

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It's borderline. For instance, the tube of red I bought, will just fit over the body of an L2D but will get "stuck" pulling it over the head. Another tube of yellow in the store, same 3/4 - recovers to 3/8 measurement, didn't fit around the body of my L2D.

Since I was buying it in person, it was easy for me to pick the stuff that fit.

I'm new to these high performance lights but am also surprised at all this shiny, slippery stuff. I live in the Northwest - heck it's wet here 2/3rd's of the year and I don't want a black, shiny light flying out of my hand in a parking lot. I'm gonna look into the wrap too but man, can't Fenix and others help out here with some textured surfaces? There is something to be said for not having a light get stuck in a holster but even my old Mags have a textured (knurled?) grip.