Fenix E05 quality

LightCrazy

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I think I like the youtube reviews of the Fenix E05 "AAA" key ring light, and some of the info here as well. I definitely like the brightness and color of the beam better than the E01. My question is, I have also read some reviews about the light lasting forever, and other people saying the light just quit working a month or two after they got it. Any opinions here about the overall quality? By the way, I liked my Fenix LD22 which people here recommended. I just got the Fenix PD32 S2 as soon as a semi-local store got them in. Holy smokes! I compared it to my other lights of the same size, and the beam is really bright. The beam from the P32 is actually more useable than the beam from my Strion LED which I keep mounted on my AR. The Strion LED has a more defined hotspot, but has less spill. The PD32 has a wider hotspot, but the beam is more useable and the spill diameter is wider, but also bright. Fenix did it again!!
 

twl

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I have the 27 lumen model, and it seems to have a fine build quality, and the beam and tint are exactly what I wanted. Nice white tint without noticeable colorations, and it's a nice even beam spread which seems to not have bounce-back in your face at closer ranges such as searching for something in a closet. To me, it's just the right amount of light for a personal flashlight.
On mine, the twisty works great, and is not loose. There is no "mode skipping" because there are no modes. It's just on and off.

It's very small and light, has good run time for its light output and battery type(IMO), and it's not expensive.
I think it's WAY better than an EO1.

BTW, I have had mine for about a year, and it works great, and so far I have never encountered any situations where I needed my EO5 to be dragged behind a car, or frozen inside an ice block, or thrown off tall buildings, or boiled in water.
 
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moldyoldy

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over time I gifted maybe a dozen Fenix E05s as supplied from a couple different vendors with no reported failures. ... except maybe a failure when I tried out a 10440 in it - lens quickly (in seconds) discolored from heat to the point of tossing it. :( My only quibble about the E05s is that the beam color and brightness does vary, but nothing to the point that I returned that copy.

Personally I prefer the LD15, or maybe the LD01 (on 10440) as an EDC light. I gifted several of the LD15s and found that the beam color and brightness has been remarkably consistent. I did have one case of a severely off-center LED which I returned. no failures to date

Of course, use of a 10440 in the LD01 means that the warranty becomes invalid. However I never had a failure in the LD01. I did have a couple failures in the L0P for undefined reasons - LED would not light.

I now prefer the LD15 as an EDC because of an effort to minimize use of LiIon cells. I still have several 18650 based lights.
 

LightCrazy

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I was thinkining of the E05 for on my keychain. I could just go to the store and get a cheap LED that runs on coin cells, but the E05 is quality and appears to be very bright for what it is. Finding your path to the car, key hole, something under the seat. That;s all I want it for. I also like that it takes an inexpensive "AAA" battery and not a coin or button cell like the other brands. I was just worried when some people said their light just quit after a month. BUT... How many times did they drom in on the ground in that time as well? Any circuit board in something like that little light is only going to take so many impacts before something cracks.
 
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pinetree89

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Take the plunge on the E05, I think you'll be happy.

If you're worried about possible issues buy your Fenix from a reputable dealer here in the US, that way if there's any issues you can send it back to them rather than sending it off to China. There are a couple of great dealers in the marketplace. They might be a dollar or two more than these Chinese auction site dealers, but if you ever have an issue you'll have additional peace of mind.
 

tam17

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I have the 27 lumen model, and it seems to have a fine build quality, and the beam and tint are exactly what I wanted. Nice white tint without noticeable colorations, and it's a nice even beam spread which seems to not have bounce-back in your face at closer ranges such as searching for something in a closet. To me, it's just the right amount of light for a personal flashlight.
On mine, the twisty works great, and is not loose. There is no "mode skipping" because there are no modes. It's just on and off.

It's very small and light, has good run time for its light output and battery type(IMO), and it's not expensive.
I think it's WAY better than an EO1.

BTW, I have had mine for about a year, and it works great, and so far I have never encountered any situations where I needed my EO5 to be dragged behind a car, or frozen inside an ice block, or thrown off tall buildings, or boiled in water.

Ditto.

Cheers
 

tickled

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I have not taken mine apart to see but I think I have heard from someone here that it is not a potted light.
 

Ualnosaj

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The only downside to me is the relatively low runtime.



________________
Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse the brevity of this message.
 

Badbeams3

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The only downside to me is the relatively low runtime.



________________
Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse the brevity of this message.

What is the run time...my AAA Rofis only runs for 3 hours at 30 lumen...pretty much standard. Isn`t the Fenix rated for longer?
 

LightCrazy

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I think the Fenix E05 is about 27 or 30 lumens, and around 2:50 run time. I know the E01 has 10 times more run time, but if I am using the light maybe 10 seconds a day to see the key hole on my car door, for sake of arguement maybe another 30 seconds a ay in the beginning playing around... Look how long that roughly three hours will last me :)
I was just more concerned about their buil quality on that particular light. But like someone said, reputable dealers will take it back under warranty, and at least one dealer is an authorized warranty service provider :) Can't beat that.
 

Bobpuvel

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I preordered the e05 when it first came out, and that thing was my favorite light. I went from the e01 and was glad I made the switch. But it started turning off out of nowhere and would flicker a lot. I sent it back, they denied it being broken, cleaned it, then sent it back... it was still broken. I just bought the four sevens preon 0 and am loving it so fat.
 

Melson

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bobpuvel,

that sounds like what is happening to my brother's Fenix E05. Granted his has been beat up pretty hard being in his pocket and used for working around his car. However the problem he is running into is he has to twist it 2-10 times before it finally stays on. If it is to be turned on and it ISN'T on, if one hits it against their hand it will flicker on/off.

My dad had this problem with his ITP but now his works fine after cleaning the contacts.

Any suggestions? any comments on a place I could find a replacement head?

Please note that the maratac AAA, the Itp a3 and the e05 all have interchangeable heads. Any help would be appreciated!

I don't mean to derail the thread :eek: but this thread is about the quality of the E05
 

Torpedo

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Got the wife on about a month ago, and it is good quality. At almost three hours run time it will last her a long time before battery runs down.
 

twl

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I think the Fenix E05 is about 27 or 30 lumens, and around 2:50 run time. I know the E01 has 10 times more run time, but if I am using the light maybe 10 seconds a day to see the key hole on my car door, for sake of arguement maybe another 30 seconds a ay in the beginning playing around... Look how long that roughly three hours will last me :)
I was just more concerned about their buil quality on that particular light. But like someone said, reputable dealers will take it back under warranty, and at least one dealer is an authorized warranty service provider :) Can't beat that.

If you use an L91 lithium primary the run time is 5 hours with the E05.

As for run time vs the E01, the E01 has much less light output, so of course it will run longer.
But a considerable portion of its run time is "moonglow" which some people seem to think is fine, but not me.
Prince wrote a song about the E01. It's called "Purple Moon".

In the current world of today, if your flashlight is running out of battery, you put another battery in it. Amazing things, these batteries. You can put another one in the flashlight, and it's just like new again!
We're not in the post-apocalypse Mad Max scenario where no batteries will ever be available again. In real life, you just put another battery in, and it runs again.
I never have understood this idea that you may have to run your one little battery for the rest of your life, after throwing it off a bridge into a raging gorge, digging it out of the shark's belly that swallowed it, and then using it as a last-ditch glowing distress beacon in "moonglow mode" by shining it at a makeshift UL helicopter piloted by a toothless Aussie mercenary who is desperately searching to rescue you.

Anyway, enough with my rant.
The rest of us go to the store and buy a battery when ours runs out. Or if we go camping, we bring a spare battery or two.
 
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leon2245

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If you use an L91* lithium primary the run time is 5 hours with the E05.

As for run time vs the E01, the E01 has much less light output, so of course it will run longer.
But a considerable portion of its run time is "moonglow" which some people seem to think is fine, but not me.
Prince wrote a song about the E01. It's called "Purple Moon".

In the current world of today, if your flashlight is running out of battery, you put another battery in it. Amazing things, these batteries. You can put another one in the flashlight, and it's just like new again!
We're not in the post-apocalypse Mad Max scenario where no batteries will ever be available again. In real life, you just put another battery in, and it runs again.
I never have understood this idea that you may have to run your one little battery for the rest of your life, after throwing it off a bridge into a raging gorge, digging it out of the shark's belly that swallowed it, and then using it as a last-ditch glowing distress beacon in "moonglow mode" by shining it at a makeshift UL helicopter piloted by a toothless Aussie mercenary who is desperately searching to rescue you.

Anyway, enough with my rant.
The rest of us go to the store and buy a battery when ours runs out. Or if we go camping, we bring a spare battery or two.

*L92's. I WISH the e05 took L91's.

Yeah we love to brag about obscene on-paper runtimes though, even if in practice the battery gets swapped long before then anyway. The only thing I'd change about the e05 is to make it a little longer (which would take care of itself if in aa).
 

Inconceivable

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I just recently got one of these. I like the beam. A nice floody even light. I personally would never buy a AAA light for throw but who knows in the future. An interesting note on mine. Mine has a kinda momentary on. If I use my thumb and finger and compress the light head to the body it will come on as long as I keep it compressed It will then turn off when I release. This is when it is screwed down just to the point before it turns on. I have not tested its waterproofness but I think a momentary on feature like this is more valuable to me than being waterproof. This may be a defect but I am not arguing. Does anyone else's do this?

BTW: TWl I agree with you whole heartedly. How hard is it ( or expensive) to change out batteries on a light I will use as my EDC on my keychain? Now for backpacking or survival that is another story...
 

lemurtronic

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I bought my wife one last year. She likes it and it has stood up to being thrown around in her handbag for a while now. Nice little light.
 

Richub

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I bought an E05 about a year ago, and I just love it.

It lives in my front jeans pocket, and it never failed me at all. It certainly is bright enough for general use.
That E05 is even bright enough for a short walk through a dark park or small forest, the beam reaches up to a distance of 10 meters (30 feet).

As for runtime: I'm using an AAA Eneloop in it which I recharge about every 5-6 weeks. That way it's always ready whenever I should need it. :)
 

leon2245

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Re: Fenix E05 retina searing quality

I bought an E05 about a year ago, and I just love it.

It lives in my front jeans pocket, and it never failed me at all. It certainly is bright enough for general use.
That E05 is even bright enough for a short walk through a dark park or small forest, the beam reaches up to a distance of 10 meters (30 feet).

As for runtime: I'm using an AAA Eneloop in it which I recharge about every 5-6 weeks. That way it's always ready whenever I should need it. :)

But do you find it a little too bright for N.A.V.?
 
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