Convince me a Fenix is better than a bunch of DX lights

So, here's the problem guys.

I also have a $9 LuxIII MinimagLED and a $15 3D Mag, which I thought were pretty good deals.

I got an E01 for $13.xx, and 2 L2D CEs for $38.xx

While I can justify one of the L2Ds (it matches the minimag away on Medium and is a MUCH nicer tint). Part of my head is screaming at me telling me that I can split the $38.xx into a couple (or 3) DX lights that seem to be decent quality too. What gets me more is that An Akoray AAA (or something similar) will cost me less than an E01. I really want a tiny light that is quite bright (I think that's just cool)

I have a shiningbeam Q5 on order, and I can think of several reasons why a L2D can cost the 50% more (build quality, multimode, efficiency)

So, convince me!

Some background: I don't use lights as part of my job, they pretty much sit around in the car or in the room until the power goes out (happens once every year or two, and usually for only a couple hours and might not be at night)

The only regular use of lights is for biking at night, and finding tennis balls when the light goes out unannounced.

I don't think I have flashaholics in the way that I would spend hundreds of dollars on a bright light, esp if I have no need for it. I love a bright light, but a hundred bucks can be spent many ways!

Really tempted by one of the DX AAAs that produce bright light! And in the future if I should need it I can get some nice DX lights...

Consider this a rant/thinking out loud... feel free to ignore me, but I hope someone can convince me!

This topic has been discussed many times however I will add my opinions none the less....

From a weekend modders point of view the DX cheap lights are good for experimenting and simply playing around with circuits. Most all of them have issues and need to be tweeked to perform at a semi-decent level. I have purchased some in the past and had great fun swapping emitters or using the internals in other better hosts.

I destroyed many cheap lights playing around however did not feel bad simply because I did not have much invested anyway. The biggest downfall with several of the cheaper makers is horrible wait times usually on shipping and receiving the product. If the product is defective or even the wrong item returns are usually a huge problem if even an option at all. They do have their place I believe however I find many here usually move on to more reliable products as well as better service from other dealers over time.

The Fenix products I have, as well as many other mid-range makers, are usually good to go out of the box and really do not need to be tweeked or modded to suit my tastes. I have found if there is any problem with the product returns/exchanges are quick and much easier and to me that is worth the extra costs involved.

I have rarely waited more than 4 days from order to receiving my lights from Fenix and this is also a huge plus for a very impatient flashaholic such as myself. Basically I like the cheap stuff for passing time tinkering around however I carry daily the better quality mid range stuff such as Fenix.

I agree with Robocop, DX lights are good light for learning.
Now that I have tried Fenix, Nitecore, Zebralight and so on. I woud
Newer go back.

I have Fenix lights and cheap DX lights. I buy DX lights for, well, cheap thrills.

Some generic differences I found (might not apply to all)

Switch
Fenix - Nice tactile feedback consistently for most models (at least the ones I've handled)
DX - Different brands have different switch "feel", so unless you know someone who owns the model you want, it's up to your luck if you get a switch that's simply sucky to operate or on par with Fenix.

Anodising
Fenix - When they claim it's HA III, it's HA III.
DX - They claim HA III, some turns out to be HA II

Lumens
Fenix - Generally accurate as stated on specs
DX - Manufacturers tend to exaggerate the output.

Durability
Fenix - Tested and abused, for example P3D here
DX - Reading through the buyers' reviews, most has some defects one way or another.

Customer Service
Fenix - Comes with warranty
DX - huh?

However, as mentioned earlier these do not apply to all, there are some gems in DX, you just have to find out what you're buying. But for Fenix, it has come to be known for a certain standard of quality assured. So, yeah, Fenix is better than a bunch of DX lights provided no gems are within the bunch. AFAIK, there some outstanding gems like Solarforce L2/L2M and the defunct Dexlight X1, which IMHO, give Fenix a run for their money.

tnforever said:

While I can justify one of the L2Ds (it matches the minimag away on Medium and is a MUCH nicer tint). Part of my head is screaming at me telling me that I can split the $38.xx into a couple (or 3) DX lights that seem to be decent quality too. What gets me more is that An Akoray AAA (or something similar) will cost me less than an E01. I really want a tiny light that is quite bright (I think that's just cool)

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There is your problem. They aren't.

tnforever said:

I have a shiningbeam Q5 on order, and I can think of several reasons why a L2D can cost the 50% more (build quality, multimode, efficiency)

So, convince me!

​

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You laid them out right in front of you, seems like you can convince yourself if those are reasons enough. BTW, add "warranty" to the list, as in "unconditional lifetime".

I guess my main line of thought is that my use of lights are not heavy compared to others. They just go on a bike that gets ridden on th road, so i'm sort of thinking that maybe I can get by with liights that are not necessarily high quality.

Theat P3D thread was nice...

btw any DX gems to look out for?

tnforever said:

btw any DX gems to look out for?

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Im guessing that you like ordering from Hong Kong?

"Heavy" use isn't necessarily the issue for me. My EDC comes out of my pocket a dozen or more times each day, the rest of my lights are mostly toys.

How much of a problem will it be for you when you are riding your bike on the road at night and your bargain DX light suddenly doesn't work any more? If you are okay with that, well, DX is just fine. For me, the lights I depend on (and my bike lights DO fall into that category) won't come from there.

tnforever said:

I guess my main line of thought is that my use of lights are not heavy compared to others. They just go on a bike that gets ridden on th road, so i'm sort of thinking that maybe I can get by with liights that are not necessarily high quality.

Theat P3D thread was nice...

btw any DX gems to look out for?

Click to expand...

tnforever said:

I guess my main line of thought is that my use of lights are not heavy compared to others. They just go on a bike that gets ridden on th road, so i'm sort of thinking that maybe I can get by with liights that are not necessarily high quality.

Click to expand...

Some of them are really junk, maybe good for some parts. Most of them can be made into something you can get by with, with a little or a lot of tinkering. And a few of them are good, some even outstanding.

Just buying 2 or 3 random DX lights with good-looking specs will likely leave you somewhat disappointed. Shopping carefully, depending on others' reviews, you can probably make equivalent or better value -- but it all depends what you're looking for.

btw any DX gems to look out for?

Click to expand...

The Akorays -- the AAA/10440 (single-mode) and AA/14500 models on DX are good, the CR123 model may still have the old 6-mode ciircuit, although KD seems to have a 3-mode version that should be equivalent to the AA model.




Oh, and comparing the Fenix E01 and the Akoray K-102 doesn't make much sense -- the K-102 is much more comparable to a Streamlight Microstream. The E01 is deliberately a much lower output, but long life, so you can leave it on your keychain, use it whenever, and never think about your battery (I guess); it also has an emphasis on small size to fit better on a keyring (making it a twisty). The K-102 and Microstream are both moderate output, with comparatively short runtimes, forward clickies, and pocket clips. The K-102 still comes out ahead, though.

The main disadvantage, in areas where you can compare the E01 to the K-102, is that the K-102 is not hard anodized (or maybe HA-II?:shrug, so it will show pocket wear, and is not suitable for sawing through Maglites. I don't mind pocket wear, as long as there's no impact on functionality, but it's a point to be aware of.

tnforever said:

So, convince me!

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The Cafe, being our off-topic forum, isn't expected to be about topics properly covered in our topical forums. However, keeping the trolling out of our topical forums is appreciated.

Since it is a troll for controversy, and it is in the wrong forum, we'll just close it here.