Fenix LD 15 Review

Conan

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Reviewer's note: This Fenix Flashlight was sent to me by the Philippine dealer of Fenix. It came with no accessories.

The arrival of the Fenix LD 15 test unit couldn't have come at a better time. You see my ITP A3 Titanium just recently conked out (around 6 months old quite disappointing) so I was in need of an EDC size flashlight.
Specs of the Fenix LD 15 copied from Fenix's web site:

• Cree XP-G LED (R4) with lifespan of 50,000 hours
• Two modes of output:High (117 lumens, 1.5hrs) -> Low (8 lumens, 39hrs)
(Tested with Ni-mh battery with actual capacity 2500mAh)
• Stable current regulated circuit, stable brightness
• Uses one 1.5V AA battery (ni-mh, alkaline)
• 80mm (Length) X 16.6mm (Diameter)
• 21-gram weight (excluding batteries)
• Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
• Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
• Waterproof to IPX-8 Standard
• Toughened double ultra-clear glass lens
• Reliable twist switch
• Candle mode (Capable of standing up securely on a flat
surface to serve as a candle)
• Accessories: key ring, lanyard

I also recently acquired an ITP A2 EOS so I will include it in some pictures for comparison:

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The Fenix LD 15 is just slightly longer than the ITP. The Fenix evidently has more knurling which gives a more "grippy" and secure feel in one's hands.

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My test unit comes with an orange peel finish of the reflector. The beam projection is very floody with no visible rings (very useful for indoor purposes). The beam is cool white in color.

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Here we see the brass head (great at dissipating heat on high mode) separated from the body.

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Here we see the size comparison next to it's power source a Sanyo Eneloop AA.

I did some beam-shots in my driveway (all shots taken at shutter speed = 2 seconds, aperture F4, ISO 250, with the camera mounted on a tripod). Batteries used were AA Eneloops fresh off the charger. The distance of the flashlight to the target (my gate) is about 12 feet away:

IMGP4428.jpg


Low mode of the ITP A2 - 1.5 lumens

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Low mode of the Fenix LD 15 - 8 lumens

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High mode of the ITP A2 - 80 lumens

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High mode on the Fenix LD 15 117 lumens

Here we see the difference of the "floodier" beam of the Fenix as it also illuminates the ground area of the driveway.

Overall I really like the Fenix LD 15. It's size is just right for attaching it to my car keys. It has two useful output settings of 8 lm and 117 lm (quite bright for its size!). In the beginning I felt that it needed a medium setting just like the ITP A2 that I have, but in actual use the simple two power settings seem just right and adequate for EDC duties.

Handling the Fenix LD 15 exudes quality. The feel of turning the head to go through it's power settings is very smooth. I think this flashlight is a great addition to the Fenix line!


 
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Kilovolt

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Interesting review, thanks for sharing. :)

You don't say if your light comes on at high level or low level. My LD15 (production specimen) has a smooth reflector and high first switching.
 

Conan

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Interesting review, thanks for sharing. :)

You don't say if your light comes on at high level or low level. My LD15 (production specimen) has a smooth reflector and high first switching.

Thank you! My light comes on at the low level as what I've read of most test samples. I think I prefer it this way as compared to the retail samples coming on at high. Does your smooth reflector have any rings/donut holes with the beam?
 

Kilovolt

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The beam is nearly perfect and has no dark rings.

I agree with you, I would have liked better a low first switching.
 

mcnair55

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I would like it even better if it had a good middle mode around the 30 lumens level,for my work edc use the low is to low and the high is just a waste,but apart from that I like it,still probably will buy the LD10 though.
 

nickdolin

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Sep 29, 2009
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Great review, I just recently ordered an LD15 as for a 1xAA it appears to be very powerful and the initial impressions seem very positive. I've had great experiences with Fenix thus far and I expect them to continue. I personally like the High -> Low and I'm not really sure that a smooth reflector will make much difference... perhaps they realized how floody the xp-g is? lol
 

moldyoldy

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How do you switch between the 2 levels? Off then back on or twist of low and twist further for high?

twist on = high. twist off, then back on w/in a couple seconds = low. Either repeat the twisting or simply wait ~5 seconds for the UI to reset. In all of the LD15s I have purchased, all came on high first. Frankly, I prefer high first, and the new owners of nearly all of the gifted LD15s also prefer high first.

edit: the tail-stand ability has been favorably commented on by about 1/2 of the recipients. Tail-standing to bounce the beam off the ceiling in a room provides sufficient room illumination for most power-outages.

I consider the LD15 to be nearly ideal for an AA gifted light. It is best to drop a Lithium cell in the light before gifting for long run time. The price of Lithium AA cells is dropping - maybe the new owner will repeat what works so well. I used to hand out only the LD01, but then discovered the E05 or the LD15 choices - better and simpler. For a gifted AAA light, the E05 for a lower cost and a simple on/off interface. For the E05, purple seems to be very popular. Or for a higher cost AAA light, the LD01 for a higher cost has been my choice although I am much more restrained now in handing out the LD01 - too many twists with the 3 levels and most users rarely "discover" the highest level.

BTW, the two-level interface and with high level first is arguably the best for non-flashaholics. Most of the time these users expect a lot of light at turn-on. I have not had good experiences with non-flashaholics using multi-level twisty or clicky interfaces.
 
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moldyoldy

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addendum to the LD15 two-level interface: The user should be careful in twisting to turn-on only. The head can be twisted a lot farther which will crush at least some part of the cell inside. That design question was noted in an earlier LD15 review on CPF.
 

pblanch

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Mar 22, 2011
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+1 the warning about crushing batteries. Already ruined one lithium and I don't hand it out to anyone anymore as I keep Eneloops in it now. It is still my backup EDC (my EO5 is on the key chain) as it is so small. Recently got a 47's preon 1 and am very happy with it , but seriously is only marginally smaller (with the clicky is longer) than the LD15. I do carry that around with me because I find that starting on low is preferred BUT will mean it also get used more often (thus don't know what charge your battery is at) so keeping the LD15 for emergencies at full charge is an advantage and the way I prefer it.
 

Superjuice

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Jan 27, 2013
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I have yet to crush any batteries in my LD15, is this warning only for rechargeable batts? I have used lithiums solely due to their long runtime and storage life. Between this light and my pd20 I have been extremely happy with my fenix purchases.
 

Roanqoan

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Sep 15, 2013
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I've noticed a good amount of play where the head screws onto the body when the light is in the off position. does anyone else notice any wiggle in their LD15?
 
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