Is the Fenix Digital P3D really worth 60 bucks?

Hi Guys new to the forum, have been looking at the Fenix Digital P3D it looks like an incredible flashlight and the reviews are just outstanding.

However, there are lights with the same Q5 LED for half the cost, such as Ultrafire.

Is the Fenix P3D worth the extra 30 dollars.

Welcome to CPF :wave:

If the light is worth it or not depends on you alone. A light is more than the Q5 LED though. In fact, the Q5 is the least interesting part of a the light, as it is shared by almost all of them.

If unsure if a light is worth buying for you, ask yourself if you need or want the features it offers and compare it with other lights.

The most important features are the user interface, runtime, brightness, beam pattern, toughness, reliability, battery type, rechargeable options and so on. Then there's the price to factor in, but the price is not a feature, the price is a consequence of the quality of the item, in most cases.

It is usually best to define your needs, your criteria, and compare the lights that meet them.

Have fun !

bernie

If you're after personal opinions, I paid the equivalent of $60 for my P2D when they first came out, and in terms of quality, features and performance I think it's well worth the price.

Kiessling nailed it.

Generally speaking you get what you pay for with flashlights. I think "paying for the brand name" is mostly a myth - Fenix has spent over three years now building a good reputation and it shows with the brand loyalty you see here. Flashlights are hardly the sum of their specifications as there are many things that cannot be qualified - beam shapes and quality, reliability and strength of build, efficiency of circuitry, ergonomics, etc. Fenix is not at all my favorite but they are still extremely good and I have over a dozen and have had even more pass through my hands, all good quality and increasingly nicer over time.

I was in the same situation a couple of weeks ago. I decided to go with the PD30 because it is shaped alot better with antiroll better knurling and just looks cooler. also its supposedly slightly brighter and is supposed to throw a little better. I love mine.

The Cree XR-E Q5 is only the LED. You can put that LED in a cheap plastic 3AAA direct driven light. Yes it will be bright for a bit(a few minutes) but the LED will overheat(no heatsinking), no regulation(direct drive), and probably break(cheap). Extreme example yes, but it is somewhat true. A budget light, if you pick well, can be pretty good espicially considering the price. But if you don't pick well, it could break soon after you put the batteries in. In the end though, they are still budget lights. The thing that is almost always missing is warrenty and a history.

Is it worth $60? That is up to you.

If you want to try out the the current gen high power LEDs, I'd suggest buying a decent-good budget light.

:welcome:

I'd pay $100 for a light built as good and as bright as my P2D. I suggest not going the cheap way, and get the P3D, since it will never betray you.

:welcome:

I used to EDC a Fenix P3D. I loved the form factor and the performance... I just didn't like HAVING to use primaries (CR123 batteries as opposed to having a rechargeable option). I have since moved on to other lights that meet my "needs" better, always wishing though that I could find one with a similar size. I think I finally did... the Jetbeam III PRO ST. It runs primarily on 18650 rechargeable cells, which I have many of and is just 2mm larger in diameter than the P3D.

That being said, while you're entering into the flashaholic world, the P3D would be a great place to start!

bluecrow76 said:

... I just didn't like HAVING to use primaries (CR123 batteries as opposed to having a rechargeable option)....

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The P3D can take up to 16v(maybe more). It works fine with RCR123s. Now you have two lights though which is a good thing.

Gunner12 said:

The P3D can take up to 16v(maybe more). It works fine with RCR123s. Now you have two lights though which is a good thing.

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That's right... that is the time that I decided to try out single cell lights though, simply because I only had unprotected RCR123 cells and didn't feel like buying more protected cells. Looking back it seems kind of silly considering the amount of $$$ I've spent on other lights... I could have saved a ton of $$$ if I had simply spent $20 and bought two protected cells!

One thing to consider as well, is the fact that if you buy one from FenixStore.com/4Sevens.com, all Fenix lights come with an unconditional lifetime warranty:


FenixStore warranty

I love my Fenix lights (including my P3D Q5) and the warranty is just icing on the cake IMHO.

Toohotruk said:

One thing to consider as well, is the fact that if you buy one from FenixStore.com/4Sevens.com, all Fenix lights come with an unconditional lifetime warranty:


FenixStore warranty

I love my Fenix lights (including my P3D Q5) and the warranty is just icing on the cake IMHO.

Click to expand...

And don't forget the CPF8 coupon code

So this isn't for all Fenix lights, only the ones purchased from the Fenix Store, and only if you have proof of purchase? I bought several Fenix lights from the Fenix Store, I should have kept the receipts I suppose.

Toohotruk said:

One thing to consider as well, is the fact that if you buy one from FenixStore.com/4Sevens.com, all Fenix lights come with an unconditional lifetime warranty:


FenixStore warranty

I love my Fenix lights (including my P3D Q5) and the warranty is just icing on the cake IMHO.

Click to expand...

rockz4532 said:

I'd pay $100 for a light built as good and as bright as my P2D. I suggest not going the cheap way, and get the P3D, since it will never betray you.

Click to expand...

A word of caution - nothing is absolutely, completely reliable.

Hence the old adage, "Two are one, one is none."

-Trevor

Bigsplash said:

Hi Guys new to the forum, have been looking at the Fenix Digital P3D it looks like an incredible flashlight and the reviews are just outstanding.

However, there are lights with the same Q5 LED for half the cost, such as Ultrafire.

Is the Fenix P3D worth the extra 30 dollars.

Click to expand...

In my opinion, yes, it worth.

It´s even superior than lights that cost more than 100 dollars!

Gary007 said:

So this isn't for all Fenix lights, only the ones purchased from the Fenix Store, and only if you have proof of purchase? I bought several Fenix lights from the Fenix Store, I should have kept the receipts I suppose.

Click to expand...

All Fenix lights come with a limited lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. The Fenix-Store warranty is an additional unconditional lifetime. As for the records, they should have sent you an email with your order (which you should have), and most likely you also have a PayPal record with the order information. All else failed, you can give them an estimate of when you bought it, and they can look you up manually in the system.

Although now you people have me thinking about the TK20.

Argh.

-Trevor

I do not have CR123A lights, but will try to describe the difference between my Fenix and Ultrafire AA/AAA lights.

-

Fenix L1T v2.0 vs Ultrafire C3 Q5 (1AA):

Fenix L1T
Tighten bezel for turbo, loosen bezel for low. Click for on off.
(With the L1D/L2D/P2D soft press in turbo brings you strobe; soft press in low brings you to medium then high then SOS. If you are in off mode for more than 3 seconds you always start up in turbo or low depending on bezel position. You never see strobe or SOS unless you want to.)
Ultrafire C3 Q5
5 mode with memory - medium, low, high, strobe, SOS. Soft press to change modes; wait x seconds to come back in last mode. Say you are in medium, soft press or 2 will get you to low or high. Now you have to cycle through strobe and SOS to get back to medium.

Fenix has some of the most efficient boost circuits so runtime is longer at the same brightness level with the same battery.
The trade off is you cannot use 3.6V RCR123 Li-ons (14450 for my L1T (also L1D)) in a Fenix. The cost of primary CR123A is a concern especially if you need one in a hurry.
The Q5 in the Ultrafire is slightly brighter (maybe just whiter) than my L1T RB80, no big deal in normal use. The allowed use of a 3.6V 14500 vs 1.2V NiMH lets the Ultrafire run way brighter. (This will be less when comparing a 3.0V CR123A with a 3.6V RCR123A.)

-

Fenix L0P SE/L0D CE vs Ultrafire 602c (1AAA)
The Ultrafire is a clone of the single mode Fenix L0P and mine works as advertised. But 1/2 my batteries won't fit.
The Ultrafire I got is rated for 3.6V 10440 (note other models do not). It limits the current to 450 mA. The 1-1/2X brightness is not noticeable in real use.
The Fenix are not rated for 10440 and doing so will void the warranty. However it will run at 1200 mA and be awful bright. The battery, LED, and circuit board are all running way beyond design limits and there are reports of failures.

-

Fenix has fairly consistent QC. The Ultrafires, MTEs etc from DX have very spotty QC. All 5 of my Fenix multimodes go back to default after 3 seconds. The DX lights vary from less than 1 second to more than 10 seconds for memory to kick in. That is why I said x seconds earlier. This is not a problem with 1 torch but with multiple torches remembering what timing goes with which torch can be a problem.

If you are in the US 4sevens provide excellent service. Replacements for faulty units are sent right away.
Try do a return to Hong Kong/China. The postage alone is 1/2 the price of a new light. And the wait for the faulty light to cross the Pacific and the replacement to come back the other way.... When combined with the lack of QC in the DX lights.....

I have bought from DX/KD
1 No name AAA - died in 1 week;
1 Kai 130 lumen 3xAAA - there is an electrical leak, my batteries drain down when not in use, light cuts out when I tilt the torch;
1 Ultrafire 602c AAA/10440 - some batteries won't fit, otherwise working;
1 MTE 5 mode SSC-P7 - really fast timing <1 sec for memory (I was stuck in strobe not knowing how to get out the 1st week), others reported <10 sec, otherwise working;
1 Ultrafire C3 Q5 AA/14500 - another CPF member broke his switch, I sent him mine and it broke within a week, the head still works on my Fenix/Civictor V1 body;
4 MTE single stage AA - all working;
1 Romisen RC-W4 3xAAA - working.
Note only 1 light does not work, a lot of them just does not work too good.
-
All my Fenix lights except my original L1P are working.

Anything is worth the money when they can make you happy.

The P3D has great value, but for few bucks more this is even better: T10C2.

absolutely:thumbsup: