Fenix changed reflector type for TK-10?

I have ordered several TK-10 units, always from 4sevens. Till now they have always(atleast that I have noticed) had the usual heavy op reflector.
Now the last two units I got today turned to be something else. The reflector is clearly different than before.
This new version is lighter orangepeel, it produces a visibly brighter hotspot and also less spill. And rings. AARG.

Some pics to clarify:

Now this is my oldest TK-10


Here is the newest. Both two received are identical. Also notice how the emitter is not really centered but leans a bit to the upper right corner. This is not just a 'glitch' in the picture,
but also clearly visible in real life. Hard to get a good picture of it.


Then some beamshots. Don't mind the color or anything else, just the form of the beam. Green wall plus crappy camera = :shrug:

Old, notice no artifacts rings or anything else. Just a nice smooth beam


New, pretty visible rings



The quality of the beam has always been one of the best things about the TK-10 and the biggest reason I have recommended this light to many co-workers. If this has now changed I dunno can I do that anymore.
Have you guys had similar experiences or is this just very recent change?
:thumbsdow

My TK10 has heavey OP, but that means sacrificed beam strength. If i were you, i would convince the other people that it does not matter of there are rings, because you can have a car that looks awesome with a motorbike engine and no seatbelts, or you can have a car with all the power and function you need, and who cares if it has red seats anyway...

I would rather have a light that can reach out and touch someone, than have a pretty beam and have less ability to see at distance. Personal preference i guess, but i like the new changes, just the TK series are too big for my needs, so my TK10 is in the draw backup category. However i LOVE the PD30 smooth reflector.

Sampolainen,

Bad to hear, because I agree with that Fenix TK10 has(had) the best beam I have seen of all lights. As mentioned practically without visible artifacts just a wide bright hotspot and a bright even illuminated spill.

I don't know why Fenix have changed a good formula, the throwing ability and unsmothness they already have transfered to TK11. It has to be a quite recent change, I ordered my TK10 autumn last year and you are the first mentioning this issue.

Regards, Patric

I have a TK10 with a chinese number that I ordered 8 months ago... from DX when they had the sale on TK10s.

But my buddy has one about 9 months old from GB and it has a lighter textured reflector with better throw. It also has slightly less grippy knurling and a few subtle changes. We weighed them on a digital scale and all of the parts were the same weight (going by memory at least). The beam on his is still very smooth and personally I prefer having more throw.

Ofcourse it is still perfectly usable in real world situations. I just liked that soft beam. If I'd wanted more throw, I'd gone for a TK-11. Well, not such a big deal but anyways. These lights'll get some heavy use when it's their turn

I believe that both Fenix and Eagletac are trying to answer all the posts on this forum that the SF E2DL is "brighter" than these 2 brand's tactical lights because it has the better hot spot. I would guess its kind of discomforting to make a 225 or higher light only to have some one say my 120 lumen appears brighter because it has more throw. We have all seen the posts. So now based on what they perceive to be a lot of input that the smaller but brigher beam is more popular they are trying to lean more towards better throw and less overall illumination. The cost is of course quality of the beam. In real world usage the artifacts of the beam are meaningless and having a bit more throw out there is useful to some. It would really be nice if they simply sold a collectors kit of reflectors so we could pick and choose what we want for any given job. I would love to have a real smooth polished one, a mild orange peel and then deep orange peel for my Fenix T1 and my Eagletac T10C2 from each respective company, that I could change at will.

Having seen the E2DL I still prefer both the Fenix or Eagletac T series for overall use but sure wouldn't mind having the additional reflectors to switch back and forth, hint hint.

Both of mine have the heavy the heavy OP reflector. I would tend to agree with MrGman. In real world use the "artifacts" are not noticeable and I would also prefer a little more throw. This is a classic light with alot of character. I'm sure some will say, "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" But some minor tweaking is not always a bad thing!

Strange.. guess they changed it.

From your pictures, I kinda like the new one more. It almost looks like an E2DL now. Most of my flashlight usage is outdoors so I don't really notice rings. Plus, I'm a big fan of good throw .

Yes good throw is nice to have around I agree. But I believe that the TK-10 was not designed to be an actual thrower to begin with. It's been quite a while since its release and original reviews but if IIRC some reviewer described the beam as being throwy with a nice size hotspot and lots of spill. Was it not because of this that the TK-11 was created with a smooth reflector, for throw? Ahh, I guess I'm just repeating my self

I like that !
Even with the risk of a black ring around the hotspot.
The latest TK10 will be like the T1 ....Before it was a bit behind as throw.

You can't find sweetie natural colour and orange ring at TK11 ! :shakehead