Was the Fenix TK75 battery carrier/extender idea a success?

I have owned the Fenix TK75 since it first came out and I love the beam and the whole feel of it.

I am interested to hear any thoughts on whether the battery carrier/extender idea was ever really that useful.

I never bought a battery extender kit.

I don't think many people did from what I hear.

The batteries are not easy to get out in my experience without using a lever of some type on them like a small screwdriver.

It is far more easier to change batteries in the Thrunite TN31/TN30 battery carriers.

I don't like the contact prongs that stick out like hooks from the battery carrier.

Was the Fenix TK75 battery carrier/extender idea a success?

Did allowing for an extension make the whole carrier design problematic for those that never wanted to add an extender kit?





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I have a TK75 and extension tube ... I love it for extended run time and to be nicer to my cells when I am blasting away on turbo (which if you have a TK75, you kind of have to). Even for long walks I don't mind the added weight, though it has less shock factor: people are much more surprised with the output from a short compact light.

I wouldn't buy a second extension, but I really dig the design to make it possible if you really wanted to. It does add a bit of inconvenience when trying to change the batteries, they are difficult to get out without a tool, but I think the tradeoff for extended runtime flexibility is well worth it. Except for having to do the desiccant trick every once in a while to prevent fogging, this is by far my favorite light.

STiFTW said:

I have a TK75 and extension tube ... I love it for extended run time and to be nicer to my cells when I am blasting away on turbo (which if you have a TK75, you kind of have to). Even for long walks I don't mind the added weight, though it has less shock factor: people are much more surprised with the output from a short compact light.

I wouldn't buy a second extension, but I really dig the design to make it possible if you really wanted to. It does add a bit of inconvenience when trying to change the batteries, they are difficult to get out without a tool, but I think the tradeoff for extended runtime flexibility is well worth it. Except for having to do the desiccant trick every once in a while to prevent fogging, this is by far my favorite light.

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I like the short design of the TK75.

I still have my TK70 that gets little use nowadays as it is so much heavier and bulkier than the TK75.

I never intended buying an extender.

I really don't run my light on Turbo for very long, usually for only 5 minutes or less as I use the second lowest setting for most of my night walks.

I have never had my light fog up.

I don't see how this particular design should fog up as there are many flashlights out there in the marketplace that don't.

I like being able to put it in my back pocket when I need to.

Are you interested in the RC40?




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Are you interested in the RC40?

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I am interested in the RC40, it is an amazing light, no question about it. I really like the beam pattern it has, and for a search light it is hard to beat. Because I have so many lights/devices that run on 18650s I have decided to standardize on that battery form factor, and additionally get rid of all my cheap *fire batteries and have only what I believe to be high quality protected cells on hand. This investment in batteries also makes the TK75 cheaper for me.

I think the 18650 will continue to be where manufacturers put the majority of their R&D, so I expect those cells to continue to get better at a faster rate. By using 18650s you have the opportunity to upgrade to the newest cells as they come out.

If there were a situation where there was no power for an extended period of time I have the advantage a super long runtime without ever having to change or keep track of spare batteries. A plus in my book. Although I don't expect it would ever be necessary I have had the thought that the battery extension would make the light more useful as a defensive tool.

Now if my situation were a bit different, and I were working a night shift and had to constantly use a very bright light I might go for the RC40 as I am limited to currently charging 4 cells at a time at the moment.

In short I guess another thing I love about the TK75 is the flexibility, the user ultimately gets to decide what the best setup is for their situation. No extension, one extension or two. If it had a button lock-out I think it would be perfect.

STiFTW said:

I am interested in the RC40, it is an amazing light, no question about it. I really like the beam pattern it has, and for a search light it is hard to beat. Because I have so many lights/devices that run on 18650s I have decided to standardize on that battery form factor, and additionally get rid of all my cheap *fire batteries and have only what I believe to be high quality protected cells on hand. This investment in batteries also makes the TK75 cheaper for me.

I think the 18650 will continue to be where manufacturers put the majority of their R&D, so I expect those cells to continue to get better at a faster rate. By using 18650s you have the opportunity to upgrade to the newest cells as they come out.

If there were a situation where there was no power for an extended period of time I have the advantage a super long runtime without ever having to change or keep track of spare batteries. A plus in my book. Although I don't expect it would ever be necessary I have had the thought that the battery extension would make the light more useful as a defensive tool.

Now if my situation were a bit different, and I were working a night shift and had to constantly use a very bright light I might go for the RC40 as I am limited to currently charging 4 cells at a time at the moment.

In short I guess another thing I love about the TK75 is the flexibility, the user ultimately gets to decide what the best setup is for their situation. No extension, one extension or two. If it had a button lock-out I think it would be perfect.

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I forgot about the lack of a lock-out mechanism on the TK75.

I whinged about that little ommision ages ago.

The battery carrier cannot be isolated unless it is virtually completely removed as the two spring contacts have to be moved away from the head contact rings to break the electrical circuit.




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I don't think many people bought the extender kit for the TK75.

If you bought one I would like to hear your thoughts about the extra runtime and the extra weight.

I bought the TK75 to get away from the huge size and weight of the TK70 that I still have.

The TK75 is my one "go to" light every night when I go walking or need to check out a noise around the house.



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I am surprised that Capolini has not chimed in yet ... here is one of his responses I have seen in another thread. I believe he uses his TK75 with extension daily to walk his Siberian Husky.

Re: Fenix TK75 vs. RC40

I forgot one thing that I briefly mentioned before. The TK-75 has battery kits, RC-40 does not!!

With One [1] kit my "Turbo" time improved from 1h 10 min. to 2 h 54 min!! Two and a half times more run time!! More batteries, less stress on each one results in more efficiency!

Also, the TK- 75 [with One kit] is still more than an inch shorter [10 5/8"] than the RC-40[11 3/4"] and only weighs 32 oz[2 lbs.] compared to 52 oz.[ 3lbs. 4 oz.]!!

I REST my case!!! lol,lol,lol!! :thumbsup: ​

Last edited by Capolini; 08-31-2013 at 10:10 AM.

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STiFTW said:

I am surprised that Capolini has not chimed in yet ... here is one of his responses I have seen in another thread. I believe he uses his TK75 with extension daily to walk his Siberian Husky.

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He must have a need for so much runtime or maybe he likes to charge the batteries less frequently by using the extra set.

Does he walk the husky or does the husky walk him?

I would love to know just how many extender kits have been sold so far by Fenix.

I use the TK75 pretty well every night and I just love the beam tint and power of it.

It feels light and comfy in my hand compared to most other lights that I have.



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Oztorchfreak said:

I have owned the Fenix TK75 since it first came out and I love the beam and the whole feel of it.

I am interested to hear any thoughts on whether the battery carrier/extender idea was ever really that useful.

I never bought a battery extender kit.

I don't think many people did from what I hear.

The batteries are not easy to get out in my experience without using a lever of some type on them like a small screwdriver.

It is far more easier to change batteries in the Thrunite TN31/TN30 battery carriers.

I don't like the contact prongs that stick out like hooks from the battery carrier.

Was the Fenix TK75 battery carrier/extender idea a success?

Did allowing for an extension make the whole carrier design problematic for those that never wanted to add an extender kit?

Click to expand...

I have 2 extensions that were supplied with the review sample, so I've been able to run this with 1, 2 and 3 battery packs. Having at least one extension really helps the cells to run without being overly stressed and makes for a comfortable sized light. Using 2 extensions make it a bit unwieldy, so I would personally recommend 1 extension if you use Turbo a lot or want extended runtime, but only 2 if you are a very heavy user.

For my use, the TK75 is generally in the shorter format, but I do add 1 extension from time to time. If you are going to carry a spare set of cells, you may as well carry them in the light and not need to take it apart to use them.

As for taking the cells out of the carrier, I have never had a problem or needed a pry tool. The first one can be a little fiddly, but then you can push the other ones out by putting a finger into the empty slot and pushing the remaining cells out from the inside.

The main attraction for me was that it was short, weighed little and it was quite powerful.

Adding more weight would have defeated the whole reason I bought this great light as it replaced the big, heavy and long TK70 which is just gathering dust right now.

I still have my Olight SR90 and it is so heavy and bulky when I move it around on my shelves nowadays, but it was KING OF THE CASTLE for many years and the benchmark used to compare any newcomers to in those days.

That's technology for you!

If Fenix never incorporated the battery extender into the design I would not have been worried.

I wonder how many extender kits they sold and whether the kits were really ever taken up many buyers.

Was the time put into designing the light around an extendable battery carrier really worth their effort?

If I want a big heavy light I would buy an Olight SR95/96 series or a Fenix RC40.

I am more than happy with the TK75 as I can put it into my back pocket when need be.

I can't see that happening with the other lights above that I mentioned.

The TK75 has a great mix of throw and flood with a really nice beam tint.



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