PD30, LD20 or TK11?

Finally after days of lookng at many sites, I have narrowed my quest for my AAMaglite replacement to a final 3.

Fenix

PD30 - (Good illumination, may be a little short for me, but whats a couple of inches. battery life ok)
L20Q5 - (Very handy single piece body, in my opinion the perfect lenght)
TK11-R2 - (I am drawn to the brightness and the battery duraton. It is also a decent size)

I would be interested to hear what you think of them

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation

PD30 - A very solid 2x123 performer, but this battery config doesn't make much sense in a Fenix - their 1x123 lights are nearly as bright, and their 2xAA lights have more runtime.

LD20 - A perennial flashaholic favorite, excellent efficiency makes this among the best of the 2xAAs regardless of criteria.

TK11 - The extra-runtime version of the "Tank" series, but not nearly as pragmatic as some of the smaller lights, due to a narrow beam and only two modes. A good choice for a weapon light, but not as useful for general/everyday EDC.

The LD20 would be my general recommendation for anyone looking to take the giant leap forward from a MiniMag, so long as you're comfortable with the multi-mode interface; if you're not yet ready for a full-on flashaholic-features light, the Fenix E20 is a simpler choice, as it's essentially the Fenix version of the MiniMag.

If you're entirely comfortable with a more technologically savvy light, you might also consider the 1x- and 2xAA-powered Nitecores and JetBeams. These have more sophisticated interfaces, but allow for more finely-tuned control of output/runtime.

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation

I would go for the LD20, the common battery size is super convenient and the multiple modes are very handy. If you want something super bright, you may want to wait for the tk40 instead of getting the r2, although the tk40 will be significantly larger.

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation

StarHalo said:

If you're entirely comfortable with a more technologically savvy light, you might also consider the 1x- and 2xAA-powered Nitecores and JetBeams. These have more sophisticated interfaces, but allow for more finely-tuned control of output/runtime.

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You wouldn't happen to like JetBeams, would you?.....OH! is that a JetBeam sticker I see there?.....

Nice neat assessment, though. I've just got my first 'real' flashlight, a Fenix L2D and it's pretty amazing. But I can see, somewhere in the not too distant future (!), wanting something just as strong and powerful, but more 'tuneable'. I'll certainly look at the Nitecores and JetBeams, thanks for the tip.

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation

sybaris said:

Finally after days of lookng at many sites, I have narrowed my quest for my AAMaglite replacement to a final 3.

Fenix

PD30 - (Good illumination, may be a little short for me, but whats a couple of inches. battery life ok)
L20Q5 - (Very handy single piece body, in my opinion the perfect lenght)
TK11-R2 - (I am drawn to the brightness and the battery duraton. It is also a decent size)

I would be interested to hear what you think of them

Click to expand...

PD30 (I have P3D) Very nice size and good light, but watch out for battery price.

LD20 (I have L2D) This light is a bit to long for me, but I used it on my bicycle last winter with 2XNiMH batteries, it worked very well for that.

TK11 (I have the Q5 version) A nice light, it is to big for EDC, but the size is good when holding the light in my hand. I am running it on a 18650 battery.

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation

I think the LD20 would be the better of the bunch. It uses AA batteries, is a good length, and has a good amount of output.

The PD30 has a bit more output but uses CR123 batteries.

The TK11 has more throw and a forward clickie but is larger.

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation







I can only speak of the PD30 but I only have good things to say about it.

I will take pictures of anything you want.

Welcome to CPF, sybaris.

I've changed your thread title. People prefer to have some indication of what the thread is about, rather than having to guess.

+1 for the LD20

I've had mine for about 2 weeks now and its great. Works excellent with Energizer AA Lithium cells (and eneloop). I've had the L2T, L2D, and still have the L2D CE and now the LD20. I prefer the LD20 over the L2D CE in terms of brightness, beam, and body.

Now worries about changing the thread, I should have been a little more accurate. Will do so next time.

Hmmm I had heard of jetbeams and the Jet III pro something or other has caught my attention.

A lot of people suggest the Fenix LD20 that seems to be the popular choice here but it is not as bright as the TK11.

Is there much of a difference between 180 and 240 lumins? other than its 30% more lumins. Sorry but I cant really visulise the difference, but its a fair percentage difference.

Oh technology doesnt phase me, I am the gadget man.

PD30 would be the best choice brightest perfect size good runtime and you can find the batteries online for less than 1.50 a piece instead of the store price of 5 dollars apiece.:thumbsup:

Re: Can anyone shed some light on the situation

StarHalo said:

PD30 - A very solid 2x123 performer, but this battery config doesn't make much sense in a Fenix - their 1x123 lights are nearly as bright, and their 2xAA lights have more runtime.

LD20 - A perennial flashaholic favorite, excellent efficiency makes this among the best of the 2xAAs regardless of criteria.

TK11 - The extra-runtime version of the "Tank" series, but not nearly as pragmatic as some of the smaller lights, due to a narrow beam and only two modes. A good choice for a weapon light, but not as useful for general/everyday EDC.

The LD20 would be my general recommendation for anyone looking to take the giant leap forward from a MiniMag, so long as you're comfortable with the multi-mode interface; if you're not yet ready for a full-on flashaholic-features light, the Fenix E20 is a simpler choice, as it's essentially the Fenix version of the MiniMag.

If you're entirely comfortable with a more technologically savvy light, you might also consider the 1x- and 2xAA-powered Nitecores and JetBeams. These have more sophisticated interfaces, but allow for more finely-tuned control of output/runtime.

Click to expand...

what do you mean the 2xcr123a doesnt make sense are you kidding me you can get the batteries online for really cheap energizer lithium's for less than a 1.50 a piece 1.43 is what i pay and it has longer runtime than the single cr123a and brighter 220 lumens versus 180.I dont care if you cant really see the difference it is brighter and its the absolute perfect size in my opinion perfect! I have the PD30 and the P3D rebel and they are my alltime favorite lights the LD20 looks kind of dorky if you ask me but it is a very cool light.

sybaris said:

A lot of people suggest the Fenix LD20 that seems to be the popular choice here but it is not as bright as the TK11.

Is there much of a difference between 180 and 240 lumins? other than its 30% more lumins. Sorry but I cant really visulise the difference, but its a fair percentage difference.

Click to expand...

As far as actual/overall brightness goes, you'll need at least a 20% difference on well-adjusted eyes to see even the slightest difference. But when it comes to perceived difference, you can make a light look a lot brighter by giving it a narrower beam. The TK11 has a very narrow beam, and when compared to the balanced beam of the LD20, the TK will seem much brighter. The TK11 will also light distant objects better. However a tight beam is a compromise in a daily-use flashlight..

Walking along a path, for example, the LD20's broad beam is similar to a car headlight, with a generous hotspot lighting up things directly ahead and a notably wide spillbeam giving you plenty of visibility on the sides. The TK11 has a very thin, intense hotspot with a spillbeam that is dim in comparison, so as you walk, you end up doing a "bouncing ball", moving the flashlight around to see objects not directly in front of you. Plus the TK's lowest output mode is a not-low-at-all 60 lumens (roughly the same output as a 3D cell Maglite), which combined with the narrow beam means close-up work and about-the-house-at-night use (low enough to keep your night vision) is not an option.

You'll find that the LD20's 180 lumens is actually excessive in most general/everyday-use situations, I know when I carred a P2D I rarely ever used it beyond "Medium" for mundane tasks. My advice would be to get the sensible EDC light now, then afterwards look for a separate insane-output flashlight.

Thanks that tight beam v overs spill makes it a lot clearer. I am leaning towards the PD30 now and will compare that to a jetbeam pro III. Mind you the LD20 is not out of the runnings yet

sybaris said:

Thanks that tight beam v overs spill makes it a lot clearer. I am leaning towards the PD30 now and will compare that to a jetbeam pro III. Mind you the LD20 is not out of the runnings yet

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Get the PD30 you will not be disappointed perfect in every way IMO.:thumbsup:

Just my 2¢? =P

For me personally the PD30 looks a lot better than the LD20 which i find pretty ugly (sorry Fenix xD) so based on that alone I would pick up the PD30.

If u want AA i guess the LD10 would be perfect. It's really small and can be carried really easily and is WAY brighter than the Mag you are replacing. Way brighter than U actually need for normal usage.

sybaris said:

A lot of people suggest the Fenix LD20 that seems to be the popular choice here but it is not as bright as the TK11.

Is there much of a difference between 180 and 240 lumins? other than its 30% more lumins. Sorry but I cant really visulise the difference, but its a fair percentage difference.

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Don't go by quoted specs. See this thread for some actual measurements. In general the TK series are fairly accurately rated while the LD/PD series are a bit overrated. In reality it's more like 240 lumens versus 145 lumens. It is a large difference and easily noticeable to the naked eye.

StarHalo said:

The TK11 has a very narrow beam, and when compared to the balanced beam of the LD20, the TK will seem much brighter. The TK11 will also light distant objects better. However a tight beam is a compromise in a daily-use flashlight..

Walking along a path, for example, the LD20's broad beam is similar to a car headlight, with a generous hotspot lighting up things directly ahead and a notably wide spillbeam giving you plenty of visibility on the sides. The TK11 has a very thin, intense hotspot with a spillbeam that is dim in comparison, so as you walk, you end up doing a "bouncing ball", moving the flashlight around to see objects not directly in front of you. Plus the TK's lowest output mode is a not-low-at-all 60 lumens (roughly the same output as a 3D cell Maglite), which combined with the narrow beam means close-up work and about-the-house-at-night use (low enough to keep your night vision) is not an option.

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Just about everything said here is wrong. TK11 and LD20 spill beams have approximately the same beam width. In addition TK11 spill is brighter than LD20 spill. LD20 hotspot is slightly larger than TK11 but far dimmer. Simple fact is that TK11 just plain outmuscles the LD20 with sheer output. If you ever handled both lights at the same time the differences and similarities in beam patterns would be very obvious.

If you want to see examples, take a look at the beamshots in this thread. These two in particular are very revealing.
http://www.megatorch.ru/img/test_07/1000x667/40m/FENIX_L2DQ5_OP.jpg
http://www.megatorch.ru/img/test_07/1000x667/40m/FENIX_TK11_SMO.jpg

Keep in mind this is the Q5 version of the TK11, so the R2 will be slightly brighter all around. The LD20 has a slightly dimmer spill and brighter hotspot compared to the L2D tested so the difference will be even more pronounced. For actual measurements go here. The numbers for spot/spill on max are

TK11 Q5: 11240 lux / 217 lux
LD20: 4190 lux / 148 lux

The TK11 works very well for walking along a path. I should know, I've used mine every day for the past half year to do so coming home from work

My brothers TK10 doesnt look that much brighter at all or throw all that much better than my PD30 thats why i dont want one yet.The PD's are not over rated.:shakehead i will take a PD over a TK anyday untill the TK's are pumping out 400+ lumens im not interested.I shouldnt say not interested if they break into the 300's i will get one.sorry its all about the massive retina burning power for me.I keep all my lights on turbo until i need to do some mundane stuff.I have a custom made 3Dcell maglight with the seoul P7 that does a good job of lighting up a masssive area like unreal built for me by a cpfer.

StriderSMF said:

My brothers TK10 doesnt look that much brighter at all or throw all that much better than my PD30 thats why i dont want one yet.The PD's are not over rated.:shakehead i will take a PD over a TK anyday untill the TK's are pumping out 400+ lumens im not interested.

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TK-40 is on pre-order. You're interested lol.

StriderSMF said:

My brothers TK10 doesnt look that much brighter at all or throw all that much better than my PD30 thats why i dont want one yet.The PD's are not over rated.:shakehead i will take a PD over a TK anyday untill the TK's are pumping out 400+ lumens im not interested.

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No one's asking about the TK10 here. I'll take the measurements of a calibrated IS that say the PD series are overrated over your subjective opinions any day.