For those of you who own a Fenix TK30..

ACRbling

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May 2, 2010
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Before I pull the trigger and order this light, are you satisfied with your purchase of this light?

I saw on one of Selfbuilt's reviews and it showed the TK40 with high ceiling bounce output ratings. Higher than flashlights with 700+ advertised lumens (i.e. Jetbeam M1X) So with the TK30/TK40 being rated at 630 Lumens at the emitter, do you feel that Fenix underrated this light?

I know that there are lots of great lights in this price range and the TK30 isn't one of the hard hitters, but it does have excellent build quality, intuitive UI, high overall output right?

Also, would it destroy my ET T20C2 MKii throw wise?

Thanks
 

Hfili

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Jan 13, 2010
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I love my TK30 and would not hesitate to recommend it. It is the brightest light I own and hasn't given me any cause to doubt it's quality or durability. I can't comment on the comparison to the other light you mentioned but I don't think you will be disappointed if you pull the trigger on this one.
 

Locoboy5150

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So with the TK30/TK40 being rated at 630 Lumens at the emitter, do you feel that Fenix underrated this light?

Since the TK30 has the exact same emitter head as the TK40 it has the same light output, which in the TK40's case, was over rated by Fenix. It does not put out 630 lumen as advertised or at least mine did not when Bigchelis measured it with his integrating sphere. See his big thread posted at the top of this forum for the true measurements.

I honestly wouldn't worry about the light output being over rated a little bit. Trust me, when you use your TK30 (if you decide to buy one) you will never ever say "darn it...this just isn't bright enough!" If you do actually say or think that, then you just have to kick it into high or turbo mode and then sit back and smile. :) In my about six months of using my TK40, I have never complained about it not being bright enough...ever.

What's more important than lumen ratings in my opinion is that the TK40 is *extremely* stable. Its light output is rock steady, even after it heats up from use. If you look at Bigchelis' test results, my TK40 actually *increased* in light output as it was running. I don't think that any other lights that he has tested so far have done that.
 

CM2010

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Ive just recently purchased a TK30 and out of my 3 main lights (M30,Catapult,TK30) its my fav.
 

nodoubt

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Ive just recently purchased a TK30 and out of my 3 main lights (M30,Catapult,TK30) its my fav.
will that cat not out shine and out throw that tk30 by a good bit?
it should with close to 400 more lumens??
 

CM2010

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It will out throw it but i like the flood of the TK30 and the TK30 isnt a slouch when it comes to throw its a nice combination of the two.
 

easilyled

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@ OP

I think you'll find that the M1-X that you refer to in selfbuilt's review is a version one M1-X.

From the second version on, the M1-X had more current supplied to the MCE and therefore more overall output.

I would therefore expect all but the 1st version of M1-X to be at least comparable with the TK40/TK30 in output.

I would advise you not to get too caught up on manufacturer's ratings as they are invariably inaccurate and therefore worthless.
 

Swedpat

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Jan 5, 2008
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Fenix TK30 is the light which impresses me most of all my lights. Apart from some straylight outside the main beam the beam in it self is very close to perfect with a wide and bright hotspot. I think that the stated lumen value is quite correct. The beam is impressive; at the same time the beam is much wider than the beam of TK10/TA30 as well the hotspot and spill is significantly brighter.
When I compare the lux value with ceiling bounce test the TK30 has very close to three times higher number than TK10/TA30 who are stated as 225lumens.
If I mention any drawback with this light it would be the tube: it could be thicker and with even better knurled grip like, for example, Malkoff MD4.
Otherwise I can only recommend it and I would buy it again if I had lost it.

Regards, Patric
 
Last edited:

msloshooter

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Nov 23, 2008
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I am a Police Officer in California and I use the TK30 as a primary duty light. It has been dropped and banged into just about everything. It continues to work without fault and impresses everyone who borrows it from me. One of my coworkers purchased one he was so impressed. I liked it so much I bought a second that I installed on my Patrol rifle in the shorter two cell configuration.

The UI is simple and gives several choices of output "modes". The Jetbeam is a little more versitle as you can set the low mode where you want it. I have not used a jetbeam but from beamshots collected on this site the performance is similiar. Even if ther is a 50-75 lumen difference in output you would not be able to tell. Whichever one you geet you will be happy, just get the one that fits your needs as far as battery configuration and UI.
 

nodoubt

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It will out throw it but i like the flood of the TK30 and the TK30 isnt a slouch when it comes to throw its a nice combination of the two.
so the tk30 has a better flood even at a good distance out from the beam??
say 100 yds or better?
 
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