FOURSEVENS Preon Penlight Review - A Layman's Perspective

AardvarkSagus

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FOURSEVENS Preon Penlight

Hey look! It's a FOURSEVENS pen! It's like deja vu all over again. Wait, this one's a flashlight? Well there's a novel idea.


FOURSEVENS Preon Penlight

Meat and Potatoes

This latest release by longstanding favorite manufacturer FOURSEVENS is definitely more along the lines of what I initially expected upon hearing that they were producing a pen. That's neither here nor there however. What is here is an amazing new addition to the fabulous Preon series.

The Preon Penlight is exactly what you would envision a penlight to look like. One of the stealthiest flashlights I have yet carried, especially since I have been known to wield more than your average Bic when it comes to writing implements. I've actually been asked before whether someone could borrow it looking to jot a quick note. Simple and minimalistic in design, the penlight is unobtrusive in nearly any pocket.
Powered by 2 AAA cells and sporting a Gen 2 Cree XP-G, the Penlight loses its similarities with other competitors when it comes to function. This Preon has a simple 3-mode operation that tops out at a blistering 180 lumens. Gone are the blinkey modes that previous models contained despite how well hidden they were. I don't remember having trouble accidentally accessing them, so I imagine the exclusion was caused by either a lack of enthusiasm about those features, or a desire to simplify the electronics. There is a tradeoff however, FOURSEVENS has dropped the previous PWM based power regulation in favor of the much nicer (and in my opinion vastly superior) constant current regulation. There is absolutely no flicker visible to this beam.


FOURSEVENS Preon Penlight

And what a beautiful beam it is too. Owner David Chow mentioned that they went through numerous iterations trying to get the tiny textured reflector just right. I think they did a spectacular job at it too. This beam is incredibly smooth and well balanced. It's not a thrower by any means, you'd be very hard pressed to achieve that out of a reflector this minuscule but rather a beautiful floody spread. It's ideal for the short range work that a penlight is designed for.

Fit and finish is simply beautiful. The anodizing on the Preon series has long been something of a point of pride for the FOURSEVENS team. This shining example is no exception. One of the most beautiful examples of standard colored anodizing I've yet seen, to be honest. Paired with the silver colored accents, the Preon Penlight is a very attractive piece. Of course they have also made sure to smooth any possible points of roughness so that what you have left is nothing short of excellent by way of manufacturing. My only question about mine is color. They supposedly are available in brown, orange, black, and blue. My review sample is clearly red. I don't know if this makes it limited edition or simply a vision of future availability, but it looks darn good.


FOURSEVENS Preon Penlight

Constructive criticism

While there is much to love about this little light, there are points where improvement could occur as well. Most notably with the switch. Yes, my criticism of the original Preon 2 once again comes back to haunt this successor to the Preon name. The pen-button style clicky switch on the Preon Penlight, though stiffer than I remember the switch of the Preon 2, still suffers the same malady of accidental activation. My first, brand new, set of Alkaline primary cells was used in its entirety within a few weeks of light use. And if I had to guess I would say at least 50% of the runtime occurred inside my pocket. It became quite a regular occurrence to be told that my pocket was glowing, and on more than one occasion I was able to figure it out myself simply because of the dramatic and rapid increase in temperature (that's a lot of power for such a small torch). I found myself resorting to carrying the light slightly loosened in order to lock it out. This caused its own set of problems though as I found the Penlight completely disassembled in my pocket a few times. It looks like once again the 2 cell AAA light is being relegated to shirt or coat pocket duty only. This is not one I can wear or carry in my pants pocket and be able to rely on it at all.

Conclusions

The FOURSEVENS Preon Penlight is an exceptional little tool. I enjoy using it immensely. I just don't enjoy carrying it. Perfect for the briefcase, desk drawer, or shirt pocket however.

Provided for review by the kind folks at FOURSEVENS.
 

carrot

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I'm in agreement with you. I've been carrying mine since it came out and overall I am pleased. I love this slim form factor.

I wish there was a longer travel and higher actuation force on the switch to reduce accidental activation but simply twisting the barrel slightly does the trick. Locking it out requires less than 1/8 rotation, so it doesn't bother me the slightest.
 

Patriot

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Feb 13, 2007
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Arizona
The first thing that I start scanning for on any of these Preon Penlight reviews is some mention of the switch characteristics, since the original preon clicky was SO BAD.

I'm a little disappointed to hear that they only marginally improved / increased level of force for activation, especially considering what I would call a premium price point. They've had time to get it right. I could be wrong in this case but it seems like as a light company grows, they rely less on 3rd party individuals, enthusiasts & testers and bank on their own internal team of designers and engineers. End users will never agree on exact specifics but this is the 3rd mention of the still weak switch that I've read, enough to be a consensus for me. If the switch is too soft for CPFers, imagine how quickly it would be dead in my Mom's purse, Dad's European Shoulder bag or my brother's work belt.

I can probably overlook this little area of concern but only for myself. I'd never gift an item that I know can be potentially frustrating. Greater that my complaint of accidental activation with the first edition was the lack of reliability. I had 3 Preon1 clicky failures and gave up on them as an edc item I could rely on. I eventually switched back to the standard tail cap because I liked everything else about those lights. I'm hopeful that the reliability is improved in this version because I think the physical design is sleek and elegant. What a sweet little form factor compared to every other 2 x AAA light out there! I suppose that after a few months we'll have some data on that as well.

Thanks very much for taking the time to post your mini review! On the surface, it sure seems to be 47's <(I know) best Preon yet and I'm eager to get one of these in hand. :)
 
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