Who loves the dart (Fenix E0)? Longterm experience?

Hello again!

I have already had a Fenix L2T and still posess a P1D-CE. (And some other non-Fenix lights) Now as I recently purchased a L0D as a christmas present for someone else, I am in the mood for a little present for myself. Due to an unfortunate agreement I made, I am not allowed to purchase any more lights for me this year. Luckily it's due to end in a few days, so I am already thinking what should be next.

As the title suggests, I am in the mood for an older type of torch (okay not really that old, but older than the begin of my quest for nice torches) I really love the Dart's design and have read good things about runtime and output.

I have read that quite some people don't like its design, so I'd like to know whether there are others who like it as much as I do, I think it's so much cooler than the boring plain tube..

I'd also like to know, what the low brightness is useful for (e.g. searching something that has fallen down, how far you can see with it, ... ) I realize that it really is low output, but I have a VB-16 from DX and think it's lowest level is still quite useful. Personal opinions are epressly asked for! (Is that correct english :thinking: ?)

Are there any longtime owners who can comment on how it behaved and how well it stood up to its challenges?

Have had an E0 dart on my keychain now for a year. Always there,ready to go. Bulletproof and always works. Just enough light to get the job done. Head will unscrew itself after about two months of carry if not checked every so often. Runtime,I dont know. I have switched out between Eneloops and primaries and can't make up my mind. Hope this helps.

I've carried one in my pocket for over a year with no problems. A battery seems to last forever. Mine replaced my old Arc (ver. 3.1) because of longer run and a better beam. I think it's bright enough for most uses.

Geoff

I've had one on my keychain for almost a year and a half. Never had any problems with it. It's been dropped on the ground as well as in puddles and it is still functioning properly. The head on mine has never loosened. I find the brightness perfect for navigating in the a dark house, looking around the car and I have even used it camping to walk through the woods to go to the washroom. The anodizing on it is wearing off as you would expect being on keychain. I recently got an ARC aaa with the intention of replacing the E0 but so far I have not since the E0 has served me so well. As much as many here say the ARC is a better light, I still do not like the ARC's beam (it has this ring around the corona that I find distracting). My E0 has a greenish/bluish tint but acceptable for its intended purpose. Overall I like mine and I look forward to it being upgraded to a brighter emmitter (hopefully) in the future.

I wonder if this light will get a Nichia DS anytime soon?

phatalbert said:

I wonder if this light will get a Nichia DS anytime soon?

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I'd be willing to bet on it.

I have an E0, and it works quite well. I used to keep it clipped to the edge of a pocket, but recently I've starting keeping it connected with a fishing swivel snap to an Victorinox Classic Alox. The natural finish on both perfectly compliment eachother.

phatalbert said:

I wonder if this light will get a Nichia DS anytime soon?

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I certainly hope so, because I really like the longer run-time and price of the EO over the Arc which has just upgraded to the new DS LED.

I love my E0, I use it as a helmet light for all night bicycle riding, enough light to read cue sheets and see my computer without being too bright. Its so light I don't even feel it, fool proof twisty is easy to use with gloves. And just using it a few seconds every once and while I pretty much never deplete the alkaline battery.

Take Care,
Nelson.

I changed the LED in mine to a whiter one (c1 tint vs stock b1 tint). I believe this is the only complaint people have of the E0

I have one, havent used it much, but its easy to operate, enought light when you really need light. Most of the time its to check where something dropped, or like the other day when I was about to sit down on a bench, I had to check to there wasnt any crap on the becnh
In the house when its dark, its more then enough light to navigate. I once used a E1 to serach some bushes at night, it wasnt total darkness, and for that it wasnt enough light. But for most cases I think its a great little light.
A bit green/bluish tint, but thats ok.

i had one together with my bike keys and it got killed when i had a bike accident:scowl:. got ran over by at least 5 cars. it's head got ripped apart. should have taken the board back. immediately ordered one more to replace it. i always use it for pre and post ride checks on my bike. i do hope that fenix will come out with a better and brighter version not compromising runtimes. i'm still on the first battery for about 6 months.

eebowler said:

I changed the LED in mine to a whiter one (c1 tint vs stock b1 tint). I believe this is the only complaint people have of the E0

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Was it hard to do that change? Would it be possible to excahnge it for a brighter one? Are there better 5mm LEDs available today?

I hope folks will not think I am trying to hijack the thread, since the topic was the original dart, but the original poster was soliciting advise on an EDC light so I have to be honest here and say though I liked my little Dart, I LOVE my L0D-Q4. Yes sometimes less light is nice, but with the L0D I just tweak the head twice and have a nice low long runtime mode which matches an E0/E1 type light but which has a much nicer beam pattern and tint.

Yes, it's multi-mode, and yes the low modes are PWM'ed, but it comes on in a really useful medium level by default and you'll never even know that the other modes are there unless you want them, and personally, like most folks, I rarely even notice the PWM (it's no worse than fluorescent lights).

And finally when there is an emergency and you need output there is this -



But surely this is an unfair comparison!!! What about runtime?

The output from the big incandescent Maglight starts to dim right off the bat when you first turn it on and hits the 50% level in only a little over an hour.

The really amazing thing is that the L0D-Q4 not only puts out more total light than Mag 4 D-Cell light, but will actually exceed the runtime to 50% brightness when run on on a single tiny L92 lithium cell, which will power the light even on max for over an hour and 20 minutes.

In fairness to that good ol 4 D-Cell Mag incandescent, it was designed for more throw with that huge reflector, and it will limp along getting dimmer and dimmer for maybe 10 or 12 hours before completely winking out on the runtime test, but in a keychain light you want a slightly floodier beam anyway, and the L0D has a nice low mode that will run up to about 9 hours on a L92 lithium cell, so if you need long runtimes, they are available, and unlike the Maglight that low mode is there when you want it, with that incredible high mode only a quick twist away.

How many people can honestly say their keychain light outperforms a 4 D Maglight on both runtime and overall output?

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Luminescent,

thank you for your post, but I am sorry to say, I am not at all interested in the L0D. I know its qualities and believe me, I absolutely think it's a great EDC (although I'm sticking to the Fenix P1D-CE and at times the UltraFire C2/DX U2 Clone/VB-16) but in *this* thread I only want to hear about the "Dart".

Why? Well, I haven't found many threads from real users using the forum search and there is one single reason why I want to buy one:

I LOVE THE DESIGN! (sorry for screaming out loud) It's an absolutely unique design (haven't seen anything alike at least) and I am thinking hard whether to buy it or not. I would love to be able to compare it to my VB-16 brightness on super low as I can't really imagine what 3-5 lumens really are. But I wouldn't want to spend 20 quid on a light whose design I love but couldn't find any use for at all. I'm considering it as a 2nd EDC to not run down the (soon to be getting LiFePo4s) P1D with tasks where it's brightness is uncalled for. That's why I also asked whether any upgrades were available to maybe tweak it. Truth is I find the capabilities of the L0D intriguing, but the design..

The born-on-date for my natural E0 is 06-13-07.

It's attached to a set of keys. I use it all the time at work while searching beneath desks for cables, ports, dropped items, etc. I've only received favorable comments from coworkers about it. A few female coworkers mentioned liking it for the natural-finish.

This light is great for walks in the park without bothering other pedestrians or drawing attention. (Of course in my jacket pocket I'll be carrying two/three pocket hot-wires, just in case.) Definitely one of my favorite lights!

Cheers,
Gary

Gunnerboy said:

The born-on-date for my natural E0 is 06-13-07.

It's attached to a set of keys. I use it all the time at work while searching beneath desks for cables, ports, dropped items, etc. I've only received favorable comments from coworkers about it. A few female coworkers mentioned liking it for the natural-finish.

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How is it holding up? Especially the reflector area?

saeckereier said:

How is it holding up? Especially the reflector area?

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The body still looks practically new, but both ends of the light are beat up with nicks and gouges.

I'm still running the same Energizer e2 after six months of daily use.

G

Is the LOD becoming the red sports car for older balding men, who think that they need a WOW in their pocket to impress people?

There is a reason why there is a large following of people who still have an ARC on their key-chain. Rock solid, KISS with a long run-time.

The EO is almost the prefect key-chain light with its super long run-time, except it needs to be twice as bright with a less blue beam.

The EO would rock with the new Nichia DS or better LED.:twothumbs

Bearcat said:

Is the LOD becoming the red sports car for older balding men, who think that they need a WOW in their pocket to impress people?

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Heh, I think some people just like buying a new car every couple of years...or in this case a new flashlight every couple of months. Better technology is always tempting.

I have one and serves its purpose great. Had it a couple of month, froze the light solid in freezer while on, been through water and what not. It keeps going! Passed my physical tests and is very tiny/light with a E2 battery.

I debated between the LOD and the E0. I wanted a simple and reliable backup light with long runtimes. Which is why I selected the E0 over the LOD. LOD has less runtime and more things to go wrong with it(due to modes). I wanted a simple long running back up.

I am still tempted by the red LOD, due to its output and size. I really have no use for it. The E0 works great for when I wake up and need low output and to read in the dark as well.

Also mine has not become loose or had any problems.

Kwijybow said:

I love my E0, I use it as a helmet light for all night bicycle riding, enough light to read cue sheets and see my computer without being too bright. Its so light I don't even feel it, fool proof twisty is easy to use with gloves. And just using it a few seconds every once and while I pretty much never deplete the alkaline battery.

Take Care,
Nelson.

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Is it bright enough to bike with?:thinking: