Fenix PD35 vs Nitecore SRT5

This light is for some EDC, outside use, power outage, working on the car or motorcycle possibly, tactical use with handgun, camping, & hiking.

The PD35 seems to be just a little bit longer. The PD35 is about 100 lumens brighter (I'm not sure if that's a big difference in real world). For being outdoors I'm not sure if I'd want a few settings or the continuous control ring. The price between them is only 15 dollars.

I'll be running an 18650, can both of them run the 3000mah models or what is the max size they can each take?

For battery life they seem to have different batty life at different lumens. I'm not sure which is superior in that regard. I'm not sure if I would have a use for the red or blue LED


Which one has more throw or flood? any pros and cons I should be aware of from their differences based upon my intended uses?

100 lumens is not much of a difference provided the lumens are run.

I don't like either light but I'd go for a Fenix before a Nitecore unless I like the features on the Nitecore better - from my own personal experience Fenix make good lights. Nitecore are not bad either but reading through posts and threads, it sounds like Fenix have better QA before they launch a light on the market.

Runtimes: forget about comparing data on manufacturers specs, too many of them use too many tricks to make runtimes look longer than they are. They will probably both offer decent runtimes.

If you look for pictures the PD35 is definitely floody. Not sure about the Nitecore.

The Nitecore has probably a lower low while the PD35 is around 10 lumens which for some people is too bright as the lowest output level.

As for the batteries the mAh themselves offer no problem to battery compatibility, it's more the specific size and top contact (button or flat) that make a given battery compatible with a light.

Overall, I'd say the major difference lies in the UI and possibly the beam profile.

As for the uses you mention, I don't see a problem except maybe for the tactical - would you want to grab both your gun and your flashlight in an emergency and find out they are on lowest output and have to fiddle with the side switch or control ring to go to brightest level or strobe as quickly as possible? I don't know but you might want to think about it. If that's your primary use then maybe you might want to think about looking elsewhere. If that's just one of the many potential uses, either might still do: after all people ten years ago were using incans with bulb that could easily burn for tactical situations, I guess a decently rugged led flashlight for an unlikely event would still top that.

I was thinking about that with these lights. I'm not 100% sure of their user interface. The Nitecore says it can stay on a setting, but I also like to know what the setting is going to be. What would you choose instead of the PD35? I'm open to suggestions as I'm not in a hurry on this purchase.

Personally I would choose a PD31 and use with a PD32 tactical tail switch: roughly 500 lumen less but I very much prefer that UI. That's just me though and I have a very peculiar preferences! : )

Otherwise I'd go for a Surefire but aside for the price (which can be justified by better CS + warranty + reliability) and having to get it bored for 18650 compatibility: for camping, hiking, work on the car or at home, or a blackout I find the having several - at least 3 and preferrably 4 - brightness levels a better option than just 1 or 2. To give you an example with my lights I use mostly the lower low and the highest brightness settings but a couple of weeks ago I was doing work on my and at some point I had light up some bolt down behind the battery and 370 lumes were too many and 2 were too few so having 70 and 140 lumen levels helped getting things done quickly.
If you are hiking you might also get better runtimes by using intermediate brightness levels instead of having to highest output because the low one is too low for a given task. If you go camping, you might want to have 4 or less lumens for use in the tent or when you want to preserve night vision without having to flip on a red filter. But for tactical use Surefire seem to be one or the best option. They would still work for camping, hiking, and other type of EDC but depending on your use, offer less flexibility of brightness levels and runtimes. At least that's how I see it based on my experience.

In the same form factor as the PD35, you could possibly take a look at the Klarus XT2C: the UI is very easy to use with one hand, it only has 3 levels and always comes on on high. The downside is when camping or for EDC you'd get 580 lumens first all the time but you'd be able to go down to 150 lumens in the fraction of a second with a bright flash by pressing both tail switches at the same time. It's not as bright as the PD35 and build quality is not as good - at least threads and clip - but is still rugged and with a simpler UI. THere are probably many other lights from other brands too that could suit your needs, I just don't know them.

All things considered, a reliable flashlight with at least two modes and will work for all the uses you mentioned. To find a flashlight that has a UI ideal for so many different purposes is a whole other story and a more complicated one too!

It looks like the rotating wheel on the Nitecore's is pretty solid and doesn't just move on it's own much. The one thing I hate about some of the lights that have you switch between settings is I get blinded at night going through high. I really like the idea of being able to scale the brightness down without having to cycle through the different setting.

2 reasons I want more throw from my sc52 (and better UI and a tad larger). There was a fire at the resort I worked at a week ago. My flashlight did not give me the throw I wneeded. It did work and that sc52 comforted myself and many people I went out of the spa with. I was outside and needed to use my EDC and the sc52 simply didn't have the throw I needed.

I'm really leaning towards the SRT3 and SRT5 for pocket carry, at home, and hiking. Then I would have the same UI as well.

Can you cycle through the PD35 without going through the high settings?

I know the PD35 has more lumens compared to the SRT5, but does anyone know which light shines further?

passive101 said:

Can you cycle through the PD35 without going through the high settings?

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The PD35 will always run from the lowest mode > highest mode.

I think I'm leaning towards the SRT5. Does anyone know if it needs a flat top or a button top 18650?

passive101 said:

I think I'm leaning towards the SRT5. Does anyone know if it needs a flat top or a button top 18650?

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Button top is required in the SRT5.

I was doing research on the 18650 batteries and found good things about AW, but they are all flat tops at lighthound.

passive101 said:

I was doing research on the 18650 batteries and found good things about AW, but they are all flat tops at lighthound.

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I have AW 2200 mah cells that are button top. Works in my SRT7.

passive101 said:

I was doing research on the 18650 batteries and found good things about AW, but they are all flat tops at lighthound.

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AW batteries quite good. So are the Eagletac batteries. Any of the rebranded protected Panasonic's should be fine.

I decided to just get 3100 mah 18650 Nitecore on Ebay. Those should be compatible and have a button top and fully protected.

I just ordered the Nitecore SRT5 as well

passive101 said:

Can you cycle through the PD35 without going through the high settings?

I know the PD35 has more lumens compared to the SRT5, but does anyone know which light shines further?

Click to expand...

Can't say anything about the PD35, but I can say with confidence that my SRT5 is floody.

I ordered 2 3400 man Nitecore batteries. These things should keep it nice and bright for a while!

passive101 said:

I decided to just get 3100 mah 18650 Nitecore on Ebay. Those should be compatible and have a button top and fully protected.

I just ordered the Nitecore SRT5 as well

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Nice! My SRT5 is out for delivery according to USPS.

passive101 said:

I ordered 2 3400 man Nitecore batteries. These things should keep it nice and bright for a while!

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Is Nitecore selling 3400 now? Thought their hieghst capacity battery was 3100 mah.

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Labrador72 said:

Is Nitecore selling 3400 now? Thought their hieghst capacity battery was 3100 mah.

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Yup, they're selling 3400's. http://www.nitecore.com/productDetail.aspx?id=89

I ended up ordering the SRT3 & SRT5. One for carry and the other for the night stand and planning to be outdoors

I can't wait for these to arrive with my first li-ion charger and li-ion batteries

Nice! Please let us know how you find them when they are side by side!