Among Fenix Flashlight what model has the most throw?

Hi candle power. I will be buying my first "quality" flashlight.

In my country, fenix flashlight is available. Some maglites and surefire.

But i like the fenix brand.

How will i know if a flashlight is a flood or throw light?

I also saw an EO1 and LD01 keychain lights. Is it worth to buy the LD01 or E01 is enough?

Thank you

Welcome :wave:

LD01 all the way! Much brighter and more advanced UI. Why not get both since the E01 is so cheap?

Only buy an E01 if durability and ruggedness are most important to you in a single AAA light.

The output and beam quality of the L0D and LD01 trounces the E01. And quite badly I might add. Even with the LD01 set on low-mode. If you can afford to spend the extra, definitely get the LD01.

Throw depends on the emitter used .For example TK11 or TK12 with R2 emitter has better throw than the newer TK11 (TK12) with R5 emitter though the less lumens (R2 = 240 lumens,R5=280-285 lumens).

Same principle with PD and LD series. R2 versions throw further than the R4 ,but R4 have better spill.

EO1 is a rugged key light with enough lumens & batttery life to light your way .LD01 is an AAA high output flashlight with all the cons and pros of a such light .Small size,high output & multiple user interface ,short battery life and heat when used on high.

At this moment Fenix has TK45/TK40/TK30 which throw ~ 300 meters but i suppose cost a lot for a first quality flashlight.Followers are TK11R2 and TK12R2 ,but some people prefer R5 for the spill.

daf3m said:

Throw depends on the emitter used .For example TK11 or TK12 with R2 emitter has better throw than the newer TK11 (TK12) with R5 emitter though the less lumens (R2 = 240 lumens,R5=280-285 lumens).

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Well that is because they are different Cree emitters versus just being R2 or R5.

The R2 in TK11/TK12 is XR-E while the R5 in this case are XP-G which has a bigger hotspot and not as throwy as the XP-E (with a smaller hotspot compared to XP-G) which would have been better competition in throw compared to the XR-E R2.

Batang Regla said:

How will i know if a flashlight is a flood or throw light?

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As a rule of Thumb: to get throw you need a LED with high surface brightness and a large,deep and smooth reflector.
Most current fenix lights use XP-Gs at similar light output so thats of reduced importance.

Good throwers: the TK30/40, depending of your choice of batteries, if you don't mind the weight.
As runner ups there are the TK11/12 and the LD40. The TK45 has similar throw, but is much floodier and larger.
If you want a more compact option there is a variant of the E21 with a smaller emitter.

Thanks to all of you lovecpf

I saw the price of tk40 and its expensive for my first flashlight. The tk11 i liked but its cr123 battery.

I forgot to write that i want my first flashlight to be aa batteries.

I have questions again. If i undestand it correctly the newer fenix xp-g is less of a thrower. Why did fenix change their previous model, what is the advantage of the newer xp-g?

What can you recommend the best fenix thrower using aa/aaa batteries? I read a lot about fenix ld20. Why it is so popular?

If you are planning on carrying the light every day - say in a pocket - then you probably would find the single AA lights to be most appropriate for your "first flashlight". Since you are only looking at Fenix I have no hesitation in recommending the Fenix LD10 R4 -- it is probably the brightest single AA currently shipping (the Zebralight SC51 will nudge it out of that spot once it starts shipping) and has excellent regulated output. The LD10 is small enough to pocket and has a sturdy clip.

If you want a little more output and longer runtime out of AA cells then you need to step up to 2xAA format. Due to the additional length, these aren't as comfortable to carry in a pocket. The LD20 and LD25 might appeal to you - the LD25 will be somewhat less expensive, the LD20 may offer just a little more performance. In most uses, you probably won't notice the difference in max output.

Note: these lights, like many other brands, will deliver their best performance when used with rechargeable NiMH cells. Alkaline cells just can't keep up to the current demands of modern lights. If you expect to be running Alkaline cells most of the time, the LD10/20 might be your best bet. The LD25 *may* have inherited the LD10/20's ability to extract the most out of alkalines but I've not yet seen a careful study of that aspect of operation for the LD20. At least with the LD10/20 you know it is up to the job.

On AA tubes ,i like my TK20 though it is a little oversized-big head =good throw.At this moment i would have a look on the new LD25
http://www.fenixlight.com/viewnproduct.asp?id=74

or the E21 .

LD20 with the Q5 is a good 2 AA thrower. That was my first quality light.

In order from most to least throw:

TK40 has the most throw in the Fenix line
Closely followed by TK45.

The rest don't come too close to these, but are worth the look if you don't want to spend too much:

TK11 / TA series
TK20
Nice medium sized throwers. All TK series lights are very, very tough.

Then in the personal flashlight line:
PD30 closely followed by the PD20 (only the output makes a difference here)
LD20 (don't have an LD10, so I can't speak for that one.)

I haven't had a chance to really test my LD15, but it throws nicely for the size, with plenty of flood too.

I have the L0D (ancestor of the LD01) and E0. Both very nice lights too. The E0 is significantly smaller than the LD01, but only has one mode.

Fenix has only two floody lights: the TK45 and the E0.

I'll be ordering a LD45 sometime this month and expect it to trow a little more than the TK11, but probably not by much.

Here are my throw-testing beamshots of all my Fenix lights and more:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/282767

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/281699

BTW, Fenix is a great choice for a first quality light. I'm totally hooked.

Honestly, Fenix does not make a light with good throw. The LD20 is not a thrower at all - it is a flood light. The TK11 and TK12 are both very floody. If you want a thrower, you need to go to a different brand. Sure there are some Fenix lights with more throw than others, but Fenix as a brand does not make lights with a lot of throw. Anybody who has owned a lot of lights will tell you the same. A lot of people mention the TK20. Sure it is a nice light with a nice tint but it does not have much throw compared to other brand lights (it does have more throw than an LD20 though). It will do about 6k lux @ 1 meter which is not a lot of throw at all. I guess it depends how much throw you want. The TK30 has the most throw of any Fenix light but if you want to stay with AA batteries, the TK40 is your best Fenix thrower (again, not that great of a thrower though). Don't get the tk45. It puts out a light of light but it is pure flood.

Comparing the LD20 to the QuarkAA2 I call it a thrower.

There are other brands that throw better, he asked out of Fenix lights thou and prefers AA batteries.

I think for it's size the LD20 does alright

tre said:

Honestly, Fenix does not make a light with good throw. The LD20 is not a thrower at all - it is a flood light. The TK11 and TK12 are both very floody. If you want a thrower, you need to go to a different brand. Sure there are some Fenix lights with more throw than others, but Fenix as a brand does not make lights with a lot of throw. Anybody who has owned a lot of lights will tell you the same. A lot of people mention the TK20. Sure it is a nice light with a nice tint but it does not have much throw compared to other brand lights (it does have more throw than an LD20 though). It will do about 6k lux @ 1 meter which is not a lot of throw at all. I guess it depends how much throw you want. The TK30 has the most throw of any Fenix light but if you want to stay with AA batteries, the TK40 is your best Fenix thrower (again, not that great of a thrower though). Don't get the tk45. It puts out a light of light but it is pure flood.

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What I know TK30 and TK40 has exactly the same LED, reflector and max output. These two are the best throwers of all Fenix lights. Though they actually are not throwers they will throw best because of the high output.
I like my TK30 but would like an optional deep head and reflector with a narrower beam and hotspot for brighter hotspot and spill to make it a TRUE thrower.

Regards, Patric

The new Fenix E21 is probably one of the throwiest models they have, based on the beamshots I've seen here on CPF.

The best way to determine if a light has a beam pattern you're going to like, is to read through as many of Selfbuilt's reviews as you can here.

http://www.sliderule.ca/flashlight.htm

His reviews are the best technical evaluations of any reviews I've seen here. UnknownVT also does excellent reviews, and his work tends to focus more on the perceptual/usability aspects of the lights he writes up. Aardvark Sagus also does great "Layman's perspective" reviews where he discusses actual usage situations with a light and the strengths/weaknesses of the lights he discusses. All of them will be very helpful in educating yourself about these tools and should help you make a good decision.

CarpentryHero said:

Comparing the LD20 to the QuarkAA2 I call it a thrower.

There are other brands that throw better, he asked out of Fenix lights thou and prefers AA batteries.

I think for it's size the LD20 does alright

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The op asked for a fenix thrower. The LD20 is a flood light. It does not throw well for the size. I have smaller lights that throw much farther and I have other AA lights that throw much farther. My LD20 (on turbo) measures about 2500 Lux @ 1 meter on my lux meter. That matches what my eyes see. It is not even in the same ballpark with my dereelight Javelin which is a good AA thrower but even the Javelin is still not a good thrower compared to 18650 lights that were designed to throw.

There are better fenix choices. The LD40 looks like it has a bit of throw but the TK40 is the only Fenix choice for the most throw and AA batteries.

Thanks again candle power forumers

Will check E21.

Ive read the reviews about ld10/ld20 q5 vs r4. Which is the best?

Also, I want to learn more about led flashlight(basics, advance, technical...etc) Where do i start?

Batang Regla said:

Thanks again candle power forumers

Will check E21.

Ive read the reviews about ld10/ld20 q5 vs r4. Which is the best?

Also, I want to learn more about led flashlight(basics, advance, technical...etc) Where do i start?

Click to expand...

This is probably the best place to start. Just start reading the threads/discussions that look interesting. Also, read the flashlight reviews section, and the batteries and chargers section too. That will help give you a well rounded overview of what these tools are all about, what their characteristics are, and what goes into their use and maintenance.

I've used both the TK20 and E21 Q4 neutral. They pretty much have exactly the same beam pattern and throw. The E21 only has a bit more diffusion around the hotspot. (slightly more blending the transition - but size and definition of the hotspot is exactly same)

I did as well notice the E21 being considerably brighter on regular/low mode with energizer lithiums compared to alkalines or NiMh, but the TK20 did not do this.