Fenix LD20 R4 and LD20 R5 comparison with beam shot

Got this LD20 R5 couple days ago. It has same construction and design with LD20 R4 except the head. On LD20 R5 it has HOT engraving logo, reminds me with most Surefire head which has CAUTION HOT SURFACE



Fenix LD20 R5 now using ANSI NEMA / FL1 for lumen measurement.



But the HOT finishing is not perfect as you can see in the picture below, does not painted / printed well.











Below is side to side picture between LD20 R4 and LD20 R5











I don't know if Fenix include this with LD20 R5 purchase, but i got whole with all accessories for free. Diffuser cone, diffuser lens, traffic wand, red filter lens.











The accessories have new design, the diffuser cone now comes with transparent design while the classic one is fully white colored. The diffuser lens design also has new design, makes it more easy to attached on LD20 bezel compared with the classic one.













Compared with LD20 R4 ( both using fully charged eneloop 1000 cycles version ), LD20 R5 is slightly brighter than LD20 R4. Tint color on LD20 R5 on my eyes look Greenish while on LD20 R4 looks purplish on my eyes. I could also slight donut ring on LD20 R4 and LD20 R5.









Diffuser Cone Beam Shot





The New Cone Diffuser is give more floody light projecting toward the diffuser cone VS more side floody light projecting beside diffiuser cone compared to classic version. You could see it on 1st and 2nd picture above, on 1st picture you will notice there's a light on ceiling while on 2nd picture the lights goes beside the diffuser cone.



Round Diffuser Beam Shot






Notice on classic Round Diffuser, it's all clear plastic which on low light condition, the diffuser could projecting the light back to your eyes. On new round diffuser there's still small light projection to your eyes but not so much compared than the classic round diffuser.

Thanks for this comparison test. It made up my mind to get the R5 version and I'm not at all unhappy. I don't know if it will be a nice thrower like the Q5 yet but I'll give it a run in tonight on my bike ride. The smooth reflector might be good or bad as a bike light.

thanks for the comparation, see u in forsen kaskus

guess I've been lucky. I picked up the R5 by accident, your comparison has made me glad I did. I quickly went to find out which I had, the R4 or R5. Happily I was able to find the model shown right on the lights body. It's the first performance light like this that I've owned.

I'm glad you've found my post helpful, enjoye your LD20 !!! I wish they will make OP version in future...

Thanks

I must be honest, I see very little difference between the two....

That "HOT" symbol is just stupid, my Fenix lights never gets "HOT" only a little warm, but that is probably put on for the american marked to avoid lawsuits...

First of all thank you owners for this site I have been a long time reader and now first time poster I am so glad I found this thread that has made me put my foot down and buy a Fenix LD20 and thank you guys for your informative posts.

kts said:

That "HOT" symbol is just stupid, my Fenix lights never gets "HOT" only a little warm, but that is probably put on for the american marked to avoid lawsuits...

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I was actually interested in knowing about this...I have the LD20 but haven't kept it on turbo for any long period of time. But now I'm considering buying that Flashlantern which lets me use a flashlight as a lantern, and I was wondering if I could leave the light on turbo till the batteries burn out or would it get too hot...did you ever let it stay on that long?

I have R4/R5 LD01s and the same beam tints apply as well to them as well.

goodfellas said:

I was actually interested in knowing about this...I have the LD20 but haven't kept it on turbo for any long period of time. But now I'm considering buying that Flashlantern which lets me use a flashlight as a lantern, and I was wondering if I could leave the light on turbo till the batteries burn out or would it get too hot...did you ever let it stay on that long?

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Just tested the ld20 r5 with the diffuser cone on turbo for about 15-20 mins. Got warm but not even close to being hot. But room temp is only about 60f. If I remember correctly, during summer the ld20 was close to getting hot on turbo with outdoor temps about 85f

Thanks for the review! I have an R5 on the order. I think it might end up a gateway drug.

Cool thread. Thanks for the comparison.

I can't see much of a difference. The R5 looks a tad bit greenish, but it could be the camera. I doubt anyone could see enough difference to be worth any $$$, but what about runtime. Runtime is the major factor with me, all other things being equal or similar. Fenix makes fine products, but the "hot" warning is a bit much. Maybe they're trying to add a tactical look to it.

The accessories are another story. Some very nice changes there.

@RI Chevy,Brightidea342 :
Thanks, hope it will be useful for you.

@Confederate:
It is not so much different in term of lumens, LD20 R5 is slightly brighter than R4 but not much ( from what i understand R5 is only 7% brighter than R4 ). As for the tint, it's greenish as far as my eyes tell. There are many flashlights lately come's with "HOT" warning, but it's don't really catch my attention.

Well done review.

As I've said before, I think we reach a point of diminishing return with flashlights. Now that we've achieved plenty of light for camping, hiking and so forth, we've got to get it to last longer. Olight's M20 R5 was "improved" to go from 320 lumens (4 hours) to 500 lumens (1 hour). Was this really an improvement??? Plus, using the same batteries, the first M20 provided 5 lumens for 600 hours!! But the "improved" model only offers 10 lumens for 85 hours. Which would you pick for a bugout bag?

In other words, I'd like manufacturers to concentrate on runtime rather than lumen blasting. Just my druthers. I have another flashlight for throwing and boy does it throw. But it wouldn't be my first choice for a survival light.

For cops, lumens and flood mean a lot. And the 18650 battery has been a Godsend. But I hope we can break the one hour barrier that most lights have at full blast.