Fenix Fenix L0D questions

I'm sick of feeding AG13's to my Coast, so I am going to buy a new keychain light this week. I was going to buy an arc-aaa, but I really like having the option for a bigger burst of light, so I'm looking at the Fenix Fenix L0D in natural finish with the Rebel 80 LED (since I doubt the Rebel 100 version is coming anytime soon).

I was wanting to run a rechargeable in it, but I don't want to kill it with a Lithium-Ion. So I was thinking I'd run one of the new hybrid NiMh cells in it.

Will it run alright at only 1.2 volts, or will it flicker like the new Inova X1? Will I get decent run time out of a good rechargeable?

If I don't get the LOD, then I'll probably get the P1D CE, even though it's a little thick for a keyring IMO. Will the P1D CE do ok with a Lithium Ion rechargeable at 4.2v? Or will I just burn it up?

1.2 V nimh is the best choice for L0D. It runs safe and long. ALkaline is okay, but runtime is shorter on brighter modes.

Li-on (10440) is hit or miss depending on who you talk to. Many have had success wih the Cree version, I'm not as sure about the rebel (lower vf, higher current and heat).

P1D CE runs fine on Li-on but loses all low modes for most of the battery life. It works better witha lower voltage option (LiFEPO4, 3.0V Li-on) and is best with primaries.

I love the L0D. Nice light.

P1D CE is a pocket rocket, a lot smaller than I thought, but still almost twice as fat as the L0D (similar length tho).

Have fun!

+1

"1.2 V nimh is the best choice for L0D. It runs safe and long."

So it won't go into stobing or moon mode until the voltage is much lower than 1.2?
Will I still get full brightness? I assume I will because of the boost circuit. Just making sure. 50 bucks is a lot to explain to the wife!

Yes. to all.

1.2V nimh is what the lighbt was designed to use.

So yes, it works fine.

Just go get some eneloops or other Low self discharge Nimh and you will be very happy.

The LOD will keep the same output until the cell reaches around 0.8v. NiMH will keep a high voltage of 1.2-1.3v for most of their life. Alkalines will actually be much worse in the LOD, as their voltage sags under high load.

Sheesh! After a month of trying to decide, I finally pick the one I want and they are out of stock!

Alero said:

Sheesh! After a month of trying to decide, I finally pick the one I want and they are out of stock!

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Doesn't appear to be out of stock....
https://www.fenix-store.com/product...d=342&osCsid=4b0419fa14308379538bb9d76c8bcdd7

If you want an extra 15 lumens and you like red, might want to look at their Christmas special
https://www.fenix-store.com/product...d=370&osCsid=4b0419fa14308379538bb9d76c8bcdd7

Click on the add to cart button and it will tell you out of stock.

Dang I might grab the red one! Any disadvantages to it? Seems to have same run time and more output!?

HA3 comes in red? I really prefer the natural HA3 color and red will show key scratches won't it? And my EDC will have bells and snowflakes! Yuck!

But that deal might be too good to pass up. Wish it came in a more "normal" color!

Of course my EDC now is a Coast with blue HA2 finish, so obviously I'm not all that picky.

hey will the red one come with an OP reflector or smooth?

Alero said:

Click on the add to cart button and it will tell you out of stock.

Dang I might grab the red one! Any disadvantages to it? Seems to have same run time and more output!?

HA3 comes in red? I really prefer the natural HA3 color and red will show key scratches won't it? And my EDC will have bells and snowflakes! Yuck!

But that deal might be too good to pass up. Wish it came in a more "normal" color!

Of course my EDC now is a Coast with blue HA2 finish, so obviously I'm not all that picky.

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Fenix makes a damn fine light, but to tell the truth, I have always had my doubts about their claimed HAIII finish. It's a lot slicker and smoother than some other lights I have which have the classic dull gray HAIII finish, and doesn't seem to hold up nearly as well. So for lights like my Jetbeam C-LE, I can buy that it's 'real' HAIII (because it has the correct dull gray finish and is tough as nails) but for the Fenix lights, I am not so sure.

Chinese companies like Fenix have a tendency to look at claims like 'HAIII' like American companies look at words like 'sophisticated' and 'stylish'. In other words like they are just nice sounding things that are good to put on your label to sell the product.

So I wouldn't let the red 'HAIII' finish worry you too much. It probably has about the same toughness (or lack of it) as the black Fenix finishes.

The Fenix finish that seems to hold up best is the 'natural' finish. This finish may or may not be any tougher, but small nicks and dings show up a lot less.

If you put it on a keychain, the black Fenix L0D (and presumably Red as Well) will pick up small nicks and dings over time. If you think this will bother you, then you may want to wait for something like a Q4/Q5 or RB100 L0D in natural finish.

Does seem strange that we don't have a nice natural finish L0D RB100 (or Q4/Q5) light by now. When a few natural finish L0D RB100 lights were snuck through the system by a dealer in Japan, about a hundred folks posted 'gee I wish I could buy one of those!' responses here on CPF.

Instead of responding by offering the light people want in a nice durable natural finish, as you point out, we get weird red 'holiday theme' lights with cutsey bells and snowflakes on them.

I for one have always been a sucker for flashy blue, red, and gold anodized baubles, and the chance to get a Q4 L0D at the same price as the regular model, was just too good to pass up, so I went ahead and ordered one of the RED L0D Q4's , but even I usually like my lights in basic black or natural finish, and so would have rather had a L0D RB100 in natural finish. (or the true dull dark gray HAIII).

Alero said:

HA3 comes in red? I really prefer the natural HA3 color and red will show key scratches won't it? And my EDC will have bells and snowflakes! Yuck!

But that deal might be too good to pass up. Wish it came in a more "normal" color!

Click to expand...

This is probably a "miss print" as, if I remember correctly, HA cannot be dyed like soft anodizing.
So, if it's red, it must be type 2 anodizing.

Email Fenix Store, they'll tell you. They're honest.

disadvantages to the red one!
are you crazy man? :shakehead
that's got the cree q4 in it!
the best led you can put in a aaa light.
buy it and don't look back

Calina said:

This is probably a "miss print" as, if I remember correctly, HA cannot be dyed like soft anodizing.
So, if it's red it must be A2.

Email Fenix Store, they'll tell you. They're honest.

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They specifically state:

The L0D Q4 is finished in a durable deep red hard coat (type 3) and comes in a matching red box

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And yes, you can do HA-III in some colors. In reality, it will probably more like the HA on the slick black Fenix's, and not quite as durable as their natural finish.

If I remember correctly, HAIII is a hexagonal crystaline lattice and dye can be absorbed in the center of the hex. I'm sure someone will very helpfully point out anything that I've forgoten/misremembered.

Luminescent said:

I have always had my doubts about their claimed HAIII finish.

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Didn't they market them in the past as Extra Tough HA II ??? I seem to remember something about it...

Type II anodizing should not be called "HAII". Some are tougher then others but they still aren't hard anodizing, which is type III or HA or HAIII, which ever one you choose to call it.

I don't know why but it always bothers me when I see "HA II"

If it was like last year's Christmas special light was, the red L0D-CE Q4 is probably Type II. But as people have said, HA III can be colored. Check with Fenix Store.

There is also the normal P4 version of the L0D-CE(which also comes in natural, it won't be as bright as the Q4 version but it should be plenty for a keychain light, 8% off coupon is "CPF8").

The black HA finish on the L0D scratches and chips easily. Many have questioned whether it is really HA, or whether the aluminum is just poor quality.

The LOD isn't current regulated is it? Does it flicker noticeably at the lower levels? The person this would be for would often use it for reading in bed and a flicker would be fatiguing.

Minjin said:

The LOD isn't current regulated is it? Does it flicker noticeably at the lower levels? The person this would be for would often use it for reading in bed and a flicker would be fatiguing.

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It uses PWM and yes, it flickers quite noticeably. Some may not notice tho.

The frequency is around 100 Hz I believe.

If it's for reading in bed, you might do better with an LF2, or used Jetbeam Jet-u (tho I'm not a huge fan of these).

SIngle mode lilghts would be good too: Arc AAA, Fenix E0, Peak Matterhorn, or a few others.

Headlamp is good too, if a bit geeky.

I have no problem reading with it set on low whatsoever. At 100Hz that's way over the flicker rate you get on a normal TV and you don't notice your TV flickering all the time.