why is my new maglite better then my fenix pd30

hey just bought a new maglite 3D led yesterday and noticed how much brighter and further it threw then my fenix pd30 on turbo...im kinda dissapointed in my fenix as i didn't think a stock maglite could do this. ive been researching and i think i got one of the rebel led's but cant figure it out. i looked on top of the led and theres a number "091" i tried reserching but cant figure out what kind of power im pushing out of this maglite. any help would be awesome. i also just bought a terralux upgrade drop in from battery junction but cant get the led out of the body...might have to buy a regular 3d incandescent maglite....

david86 said:

hey just bought a new maglite 3D led yesterday and noticed how much brighter and further it threw then my fenix pd30 on turbo...im kinda dissapointed in my fenix as i didn't think a stock maglite could do this. ive been researching and i think i got one of the rebel led's but cant figure it out. i looked on top of the led and theres a number "091" i tried reserching but cant figure out what kind of power im pushing out of this maglite. any help would be awesome. i also just bought a terralux upgrade drop in from battery junction but cant get the led out of the body...might have to buy a regular 3d incandescent maglite....

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It is the new rebel version. Hence Rebel 091. It has a bigger reflector for more throw.

david86 said:

hey just bought a new maglite 3D led yesterday and noticed how much brighter and further it threw then my fenix pd30 on turbo..

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Well, that's just the nature of "throw". The maglite has a bigger reflector, which gives an advantage when it comes to throw - focusing as much light as possible into a narrow beam.

The PD30 probably gives more light, but not as tightly focused. This is actually MORE useful in the close and intermediate range, I think.

I just picked up a 2D Maglite Rebel and it also throws a far reaching beam. I wonder what the difference is between the 2D -090 and 3D -091 in terms of brightness and throw?

david86 said:

hey just bought a new maglite 3D led yesterday and noticed how much brighter and further it threw then my fenix pd30 on turbo...im kinda dissapointed in my fenix as i didn't think a stock maglite could do this. ive been researching and i think i got one of the rebel led's but cant figure it out. i looked on top of the led and theres a number "091" i tried reserching but cant figure out what kind of power im pushing out of this maglite. any help would be awesome. i also just bought a terralux upgrade drop in from battery junction but cant get the led out of the body...might have to buy a regular 3d incandescent maglite....

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try going in to a bigish dark room. turn the mag on, wait 30 seconds - eyes adjustin, then turn the fenix on turbo, you WILL notice the extra light its giving out. dont be dissapointed, i have a KD Q5 maglite, no idea on lumens ? id have thought 160 lumens ? It has much brighter spot than my 200 lumen Nitecore extreme, and throws 350+ feet, The spill is much dimmer though ( light outside of the hotspot ) the nitecore just chucks out so much more light but in a more usefull bigger hotspot.

david86 said:

hey just bought a new maglite 3D led yesterday and noticed how much brighter and further it threw then my fenix pd30 on turbo...im kinda dissapointed in my fenix as i didn't think a stock maglite could do this. ive been researching and i think i got one of the rebel led's but cant figure it out. i looked on top of the led and theres a number "091" i tried reserching but cant figure out what kind of power im pushing out of this maglite. any help would be awesome. i also just bought a terralux upgrade drop in from battery junction but cant get the led out of the body...might have to buy a regular 3d incandescent maglite....

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very simple to explain:
PD30: small reflector -> not much throw
Maglite: big reflector -> much throw

lumens are relatively unimportant for throw. what matters is the reflector or optical system and the size of the light emitting area. many P7 or MC-E flashlights have an amazing lumen output but don't throw proportionally well due to the big area that actually shines :sigh:

As all the others have said, the maglite has a larger reflector, which means more throw. The P3D probably still has more output. Try a ceiling bounce test.

do you guys think if i got a olight m30 or tk40....it would be brighter and out throw this maglite?

I can suggest the JetBeam RRT-1 Raptor. I put it up against my 4D Mag with a TerraLux drop-in, and my Raptor kicks the Mag 4D's butt. I have tested my Raptor at 250 plus meters, and it will brightly illuminate things well even at that distance....which the 4D Mag with the TerraLux doesn't do. I have had several throwers...including a Lumapower MVP, Tiablo A9, and Dereelight DBS V2(which I still have), and I like the Raptor the best of any of them.

If you just want a thin and narrow beam throw, go for a single die LED thrower like the Dereelight DBS, Tiablo A10, or similar light. If you want lots of output and still a good amount of throw, then a multi die LED light should work for you.

bondr006 said:

I can suggest the JetBeam RRT-1 Raptor.

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I second the Raptor RRT-1 as I have one myself and it is a throw monster!

If you want something that will throw just as far as the RRT-1 but with a much larger hotspot, get the JETBeam M1X. It'll throw a "wall of light" almost as far as the RRT-1.

The build quality of these lights are top-notch also!

david86 said:

brighter and further it threw then my fenix pd30 on turbo...

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If Fenix made a 3Dmaglite-size PD30, that would be a valid reason for you to be dissapointed with.

And it is not brighter... the mag set at spot has virtually no usable spill.

An old krypton bulb maglite will out throw your PD30 also, but your PD30 puts out more light. There can be a big difference between lumens and lux.

Bill

The stock Mags will out throw most of the LED lights that are all the rage here.As previously stated the overall output is much less but the Mags will still have greater range for their beam.I think that many who come here believe that the brighter the light the more capable it is but that is not always the case.

david86 said:

do you guys think if i got a olight m30 or tk40....it would be brighter and out throw this maglite?

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i have a 3D maglite with maglite brand LED drop-in and a 6D maglite with terralux LED drop-in. i also have the fenix tk40. the tk40 completely blows away the maglites in brightness and throw.

your question (subject line) is flawed because your new maglite is not better than your fenix pd30. they're just different. the pd30 is meant to be a more compact light. you're comparing apples to kiwi. the difference is mainly in the reflector. the tk40 has a similar sized reflector, but with a much better LED.

it's not all about brightness to me; i'm all about efficiency and having multiple levels. i have my tk40 for crazy brightness and throw if i want it. (the tk40 can also last 150 hours on its lowest mode.) then i can use the moonmode on my quark that can go for 10 days straight on one AA battery! a lot of flashlight manufacturers have very low modes. they're very useful when you just need a little light and don't want to disturb others around you; and they barely use any energy.

what i love about multi-mode/level lights is being able to use only what light you need and conserving your batteries for more runtime. maglite FINALLY got the idea and just recently started making multi-mode lights and upgraded their LEDs.

Yep, apples to oranges...different designs for different purposes. If you want a lot of throw, you can't beat a light with a big reflector...but if you want a light that will light up a room, have some medium range capabilities, use it to get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom visit without blinding yourself, and you can slip it in your pocket with ease, a smaller multi-level light is the way to go.

It just depends on what you are going to use the light for.