TK11: First impressions and thoughts

Jarl

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For submission to review forum.

When I received the light (marked value of $70, hence a £14.32 customs charge bringing it to the same price as UK distributors(?)) the packaging had been badly squashed, so much that the grip ring had indented the plastic window of the packaging. The light and accessories were undamaged.

The box containing TK11 (with ring installed), holster, spares bag with two O rings (TK11 isn't double O-ringed, which was a slight disappointment. It uses a large O ring for the body-head seal and a slightly smaller for on the body-tailcap seal), laynard and an orange button (same size as the black one). I was disapointed by the lack of both a spacer ring, and hope to be able to obtain one somehow since I dislike the grip ring. Also in the box is fenix propoganda (bottom left), instructions on maintenance (bottom right, on top of the tray that contained the light, etc) and warranty card (top left). The holster will work with bezel down, but it's tight. It also works bezel up with or without the grip ring, but it's loose.

contains.jpg

TK11


Next picture shows the TK11 with and without the grip ring, and also shows the hugely annoying polarity markings. Fair enough if it was the reverse of normal, but it's not. It's the same way I put batteries in every other light- I don't need to be reminded!! I'm going to get some touch-up paint to fill them in, they annoy me so much. YMMV. edit: I tried touch up paint, didn't work at all, so they're still there. Meh.

thelight.jpg


Next is the light, disassembled (Could have removed the switch guts, but you don't learn much. It's a forward clicky, big woop. Although I did notice my light got brighter the further I pressed the clicky). Also, there doesn't seem to be the problem of the switch retaining ring unscrewing by itself with this light, probably because of the thin contact, discussed below.

takenapart.jpg


Next is (from top right, clockwise), inside the head (didn't attempt further disassembly), the reflector (lit by my D10), the body-head threads and finally the body-tail ring, allowing lockout with a slight unscrew. I was surprised at the thin-ness of this ring, as my L2D is significantly wider. However, I didn't notice any propensity for the tailcap to loosen with use, this may be because of the thinner ring, or might be something else altogether.

insides.jpg


Next is a comparison- from left to right, TK11, L2D (smooth reflector), D10. The tint seems very white, possibly just edging towards purple.

3beamcomparison.jpg


Now the beamshot. Like everyone else, the hotspot is off centre. However, it's not off centre very much, and so doesn't bother me. Other's may have different experiences.

beamshot.jpg


Another comparison. Top is D10/Tk11 (left to right), bottom is L2D (smooth reflector)/TK11.

anotherbeamcomparison.jpg


Next 3 photo's give a size comparison. It's not as big as I was expecting, which is good :)

size3-1.jpg


______________________________________

Now I've got the photo's out the way, general thoughts: Most of the weight is in the head, making the balance point just under a centimetre from where the thermo-magic rings are. This is great for mounting as you just pull it until the ring hits whatever you're using to mount it, and it'll be very near, if not perfectly balanced. It makes it fairly nice to hold. The knurling is OK, but less aggressive as my D10 and E01 (though more aggressive than the chequering on the L2D). The knurling is the same on the battery tube and tailcap. The head is scalloped, which is fine by me as I'm not a fan of sharp strike bezels, but it's useful for knowing whether or not you left it on when you placed it head down on a surface (since it can't tail stand). Cigar hold works well with the ring, it also works without the ring, but not so well. IMO, using it as a civilian in the UK (no guns), the ring is more trouble than it's worth so I don't use it- the ring can be fairly uncomfortable if you pick it up too quickly. It could be a bit longer, but the current length isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. Any shorter and I'd have problems, though. The glass is good- it's very hard to get a reflection off it. My TF 18650's fit with a bit of wiggle room. The teeth on the tailcap don't affect operation of the switch, which pokes out a long way and is possibly a bit vulnerable. A spare switch would have been a good idea IMO, along with a spacer ring. It gets hot on high mode with no cooling such as a hand or airflow (good, because it means the heatsinking is working properly). With cooling, the temperature doesn't get out of hand due to the large head. It has a donut hole at less than 2 feet, but that's not so bad for this light because I use less than 225 lumens for reading in bed. The head is a wee bit hard to turn- not one handed operation, and you can end up turning the tailcap rather than the head if the tailcap isn't snugged up properly. IMO the threads on the tailcap are a bit too fine a pitch, and occassionally it's a bit hard to re-thread the tail cap. I imagine this would be much worse in cold weather with shaking hands, etc. There is no reverse polarity protection. The manual claims the light will strobe in high mode when the batteries run down, I think this is a leftover from the TK10 manual.

Use for mountain biking:

I didn't actually buy this for mountain biking, but after someone pointed it out on a MTBing forum I frequent I gave it a go. I started off using L2D on my helmet, TK11 on the bars along with my customs (3 rebels and flood optics). Just riding with the TK11 on the bars was OK. You don't get any spill near the front wheel, so you have to look ahead unless you point the hotspot at your front wheel (then you don't see anything in the distance), but it was certainly do-able, and the low mode was more than enough for be-seen applications. After a while I got adventurous, and tried some twisty singletrack. Horrible with just the TK11- not nearly enough spill. That's not to say it doesn't work for less exciting stuff, but as a bar light, the beam is too tight for twisty singletrack leaving you hoping that the corner fairies haven't worked their magic as you swerve with the path ahead unlit. Also, beware that when going over bumps, the smaller hotspot going up and down rapidly is a bit off-putting when compared to an L2D with the larger hotspot.

I tried it on my helmet after a while, swapping the L2D onto the bars. As a helmet light, it really excels. The beam is tighter than my L2D so it throws further (I found the L2D a bit lacking in throw as a helmet light), but it's not so tight as to give tunnel vision. It's a bit heavy (153 grams claimed w/out batteries, 174 measured with batteries), but I really couldn't care less. An L2D on the bars (textured reflector) and a TK11 on the helmet (mounted with lockblocks) will get you a very long way, and will be my standard recommendation for anyone looking to get into night-riding from now on. Supplementing that with my custom lights and I had close to 1000 lumens between my customs pointing at the floor, L2D pointing about 10 to 15 metres ahead and TK11 helmet mounted. This worked really well, and turning off the customs and pointing the L2D down a bit gave similar results, though without the 500 lumen safety blanket! Very happy with my purchase, and even more happy with whoever made me consider using it for MTBing. It's certainly going to make my night rides that much more enjoyable :)


However, there is one problem (beyond spacer ring/spare switch)- data on regulation. I noticed a drop in brightness (***see edit***) halfway through my ride (way before 2 hours), but I swapped out the battery for a new one and it was back to full power. I don't know if this was a battery issue, but it's something to bear in mind. I'd recommend waiting for the runtime graphs before purchasing if you're going to use it for mountain biking, as decent regulation is fairly important for that. I purchased it before I thought of using it for mountain biking, that's my excuse!!!

edit: I'm pretty sure this was a battery issue- no runtime glitches second time round. However, the output isn't ruler straight. Runtime graphs please!!!


quick update: Output isn't ruler straight with the Q5, but seems to be with the R2 version- yay! The spacer rings are available, most notably from fenix-store, and if you're considering a light for mountain biking, go for a P7 from DX. Seriously.

:)
 
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TONY M

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Thanks for review Jarl.
Its a shame customs got there thieving greedy hands on the package - I'm glad it wasn't me it happend to! Hehe.:(
I reckon that the TK11 could make an OK bar light if a diffuser could be used as it is heavy enough.
Did you get a sore neck from having it on you're lid? LOL.
 

Jarl

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Thanks for review Jarl.
Its a shame customs got there thieving greedy hands on the package - I'm glad it wasn't me it happend to! Hehe.:(
I reckon that the TK11 could make an OK bar light if a diffuser could be used as it is heavy enough.
Did you get a sore neck from having it on you're lid? LOL.

It's only 50 grams more than my L2D, and my helmet's about 300 grams on its own, so it's not as bad as it sounds. A diffuser could work, but I prefer to recommend out-the-box solutions.
 

Confederate

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Based on what's been written about the TK11, I think it's probably not one of the better buys out there. The P3D clearly has a following and I've been very happy with that light and its runtimes.

It will be awhile before I know whether I chose a better course. Instead of a TK11, I opted for a Solarforce L2 and a Spiderfire R8. Both of these, together, cost less than the TK11. I've heard a lot of good things about the Solarforce L2, but so far my favorite light is the P3D Q5. I don't like too much throw in a light and the P3D is just about right.
 

flash99dark

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Jarl....Thank you for an excellent review. Your attention to detail [O ring size and number and the "absent ring" will have me either wait for a Ver TK12 improved or I will simply replace my lost Surefire C2 with Dereelight module with another C2 setup...William
 

ususer

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Jarl....Thank you for an excellent review. Your attention to detail [O ring size and number and the "absent ring" will have me either wait for a Ver TK12 improved or I will simply replace my lost Surefire C2 with Dereelight module with another C2 setup...William


Does the TK10 have double o rings? Should I get the TK11 or 10 in this case?
 

Jarl

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The TK10 has perfectly flat regulation, but only runs on CR123A's, AW RCR's or unprotected DX cells. (though there's possibly a 2x18650 body tube to come out for it). The TK11 has 18650 and CR123A support, though not perfectly flat regulation or double O rings.
 

drew2001

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Thanks Jarl. Very good review. I have the TK10, and having a textured reflector adds a decent softer spot with a little more spill apparently contributing a bit more spill vs the TK 11's reflector.

Have you or anyone else, had the chance to compare the difference real time on a bike with the 10 vs 11's beams?

I bought the 10 before the 11 came out, but even without 18650 batt option, I still think running the TK10 with primarys is ok, as had not planned to use this as a full time bike light anyway. More for range practice with pistol and so enjoy the grip ring option. Though I have also ridden road bike with my TK10 on the bars and at 20mph speeds on road it works ok as a solo light. Just have not gone off road MTB with it yet though.

Thanks for the comparisons.
 
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zband

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Does the TK11 have a buck-boost circuit or just the boost - like the tk10?

I'm curious because I cant find this answer anywhere. One of the main reasons I like this light is because it accepts the 18650 cell (rechargeable AND long lasting).
Thanks for taking the time to put together the review!
 

mighty82

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Does the TK11 have a buck-boost circuit or just the boost - like the tk10?

I'm curious because I cant find this answer anywhere. One of the main reasons I like this light is because it accepts the 18650 cell (rechargeable AND long lasting).
Thanks for taking the time to put together the review!
Actually the TK10 has a buck only circuit, not boost. The TK11 has buck/boost. :)
 

ususer

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What is flat regulation?

What is Buck Boost?

Thanks

P.S. Just got TK11
 

mdocod

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any runtime charts to backup the claim of buck/boost on this thing? I read in another thread that someone took lux readings that were lower on an 18650 than on 2xCR123s by enough to suggest a lack of proper buck/boost regulation.

Eric
 

Jarl

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I made runtime test with Pila 600P cell, took the output results from lightbox every half hour and here the results:
Time: % from starting output:
0,30h 91 %
1,00h 83%
1,30h 75%
2,00h 71%
2,30h 65%
2,45h 49%
3,00h 15%...and dying...

Pretty much same as Fenix charts except i did get 29% output dropping after two hours, but Fenix get "only" 17%.

It seems that every 3,7v-6v Cree Q5 lights have more or less dropping at output when running single li-ion..
Am i right?

if it were DD, I doubt it'd be that smooth at a drop of 8%/30 mins (except after 2 hours)
 

axolotls

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Thanks for the review. I am giving second thoughts to my TK-11 purchase, which I wanted because of the 18650 option.
 

oregon

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Thank you for the review.

I've had good luck with photobucket, hosting photos, over the years.

oregon
 
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