Fenix Anodizing

Tachead · Jan 3, 2015

Hey guys, just picked up a Fenix PD22UE and it is a pretty nice light but, what is with the anodizing. It is pretty crappy. It looks more like a Type II or powdercoat finish and scratches super easy. They call it type III but, this is pretty terrible type III if you ask me. What brand do I have to go with to get a nice TYPE III MILspec finish like Surefire, Old Pentagon, Old Inova. Thanks guys:thumbsup:

kj2 · Jan 3, 2015

Never really had any issues with Fenix their anodizing finish. Only the extension tube of my TK70 and the head on my TK21 are dark blue instead of black. Order at official dealer? Maybe you can return it and get a new one.

Tachead · Jan 3, 2015

I bought it from an authorized dealer. Its not super bad, it just chips rather easy and does not appear to be near Milspec quality like on a Surefire or some other brands. Even my Inova XS AAA looks to have a nicer finish. Fenix's coating appears thick, shiny, and not matte and thin like on a Surefire. It also seems to have no where near the scratch resistance. I know this is a lower end brand but, is good quality Type III MILspec too much to ask for?

Ryp · Jan 3, 2015

Tachead said:
What brand do I have to go with to get a nice TYPE III MILspec finish

ArmyTek has nice Type III anodizing. Sort of matte-ish.

C.M.S · Jan 3, 2015

Zebralights are top notch , but it's a grey finish .

ven · Jan 3, 2015

I have found many chip/mark easy and tbh i just think its a load of *beep* type III or II .............just marketing for me,either that or military spec is crap!(just my opinion)

I have found olight one of the better anodizing so far,more so the m20/srmini and sr52. Has a nice quality feel to it..........

twl · Jan 3, 2015

There actually are specs for Type II and Type III anodizing, and they are very different. It's a classic behavior by Chinese light makers to pretend they are using Type III Hard Anodizing, when it is actually Type II. Hardness is different, and depth of the finish in the metal is different. True Type III will typically be 3 times thicker than Type II, and much harder too. True Mil-Spec Type III Hard Anodizing can be seen on a Colt or FN AR15 or M16, as furnished to the military. Those have a matte finish on the substrate, but it could also be shiny if the substrate was shiny.

My advice to you is if you want American grade of quality, you'll need to buy an American light.

mcnair55 · Jan 3, 2015

Tachead said:
Hey guys, just picked up a Fenix PD22UE and it is a pretty nice light but, what is with the anodizing. It is pretty crappy. It looks more like a Type II or powdercoat finish and scratches super easy. They call it type III but, this is pretty terrible type III if you ask me. What brand do I have to go with to get a nice TYPE III MILspec finish like Surefire, Old Pentagon, Old Inova. Thanks guys:thumbsup:

Sounds to me like you have a Friday night special,return it as "not fit for use" and request a refund or a replacement.No point going on about it here as you clearly are not satisfied and we as your friends cannot help you but can only commiserate.

thedoc007 · Jan 3, 2015

Sunwayman, Olight, and Fenix all have relatively poor anodizing, in my experience. Nitecore, FourSevens, and Zebralight are middle of the pack. Surefire, Elzetta, and Armytek are top notch. If I could pick one type, though, it would definitely be Armytek. The matte finish not only looks nice, but seems to enhance grip, even when wet.

Of course, all this is only a rule of thumb, based on my experience with only a few lights from each brand. It seems to vary a lot based on model, so it shouldn't be taken as gospel, even if my sample was representative.

ven · Jan 3, 2015

twl said:
There actually are specs for Type II and Type III anodizing, and they are very different. It's a classic behavior by Chinese light makers to pretend they are using Type III Hard Anodizing, when it is actually Type II.

Yes agree,i know there are spec II and III , i did not word it very well,for me its more marketing than actual spec III with many brands of lights from China as they chip/mark too easy for actual mil-spec(mil-spec being crap in jest due to it not actually being that spec).:thumbsup: I would also agree with the spec II rather than actual spec III on most of the lights...........at best in some cases. It makes me wonder if some are even spec II............

martinaee · Jan 3, 2015

Tachead said:
Hey guys, just picked up a Fenix PD22UE and it is a pretty nice light but, what is with the anodizing. It is pretty crappy. It looks more like a Type II or powdercoat finish and scratches super easy. They call it type III but, this is pretty terrible type III if you ask me. What brand do I have to go with to get a nice TYPE III MILspec finish like Surefire, Old Pentagon, Old Inova. Thanks guys:thumbsup:

I don't think of Fenix as one of the "lower end" brands at all. They have become huge for a reason. Have you dropped your light a lot on concrete? If you can scratch it in other ways easily I'd send it back and get your lights elsewhere. I haven't had any of my fenix lights lose their coating at all just from day to day use really ever. I do take care not to drop my lights, but when I have I wouldn't say the coating comes off "easily" unless it's hitting hard rocks or concrete or metal.

I do want to get an Armytek predator xp-g2 though. I've been lusting after one of those and I also have heard the coatings on those are awesome and very different feeling.

thedoc007 · Jan 3, 2015

martinaee said:
I do want to get an Armytek predator xp-g2 though. I've been lusting after one of those and I also have heard the coatings on those are awesome and very different feeling.

Do it! It is definitely the best anodizing I have encountered. It is also a pretty incredible thrower, and an absolute tank of a light.

ForrestChump · Jan 3, 2015

twl said:
There actually are specs for Type II and Type III anodizing, and they are very different. It's a classic behavior by Chinese light makers to pretend they are using Type III Hard Anodizing, when it is actually Type II. Hardness is different, and depth of the finish in the metal is different. True Type III will typically be 3 times thicker than Type II, and much harder too. True Mil-Spec Type III Hard Anodizing can be seen on a Colt or FN AR15 or M16, as furnished to the military. Those have a matte finish on the substrate, but it could also be shiny if the substrate was shiny.

My advice to you is if you want American grade of quality, you'll need to buy an American light.

+1

OP: Although, The Fenixs I have seen seem to have great anodizing?

martinaee · Jan 3, 2015

Yeah. That's what I'm thinking too. There probably is even better anodizing on some lights/brands, but Fenix is far from what I'd call a cheaper company and also far from having crappy anodizing overall. I wouldn't expect really any light to be able to not lose some anodizing if dropped on concrete/rocks/steel a lot. It's wear and it happens to everything eventually.

Maybe diamond coated lights are the future if you like truly hard finishes on lights?

thedoc007 · Jan 3, 2015

I was thinking about my PD32UE and PD35...they both have mediocre anodizing, at best. I totally forgot about the TK75 I owned (I don't have it any more) which had great quality anodizing. I also briefly owned a TK61 (likewise felt quality), but I didn't have it long enough to definitively tell one way or the other. Again, it seems to vary greatly by model, and maybe even by batch, so it is difficult to generalize. But overall, I have been more impressed by other brands than Fenix. Taken the sum of all the lights I have owned, their quality of anodizing for my small sample is below average. I don't care all that much...since my lights get used, and occasionally dropped, none of them look pristine. But it does influence my perception of quality when making a new purchase.

C.M.S · Jan 3, 2015

thedoc007 said:
Do it! It is definitely the best anodizing I have encountered. It is also a pretty incredible thrower, and an absolute tank of a light.

Just looked this one up and I to want one .

gravelmonkey · Jan 4, 2015

Not had a real problem with any of my 'premium Chinese' lights (apart from the L3 Illumination's L10, which has very thin ano, but it was cheap and works well so I'll let it slide). Are you certain you're not scratching material off, ONTO the anodising? IMO, it's all aesthetics, a bit like complaining that you've scratched a hammer...

The anodising on my Peak Eiger doesn't appear to have held up any better, or worse, than my Fenix's, Xeno or ZL. :shrug:

Try Oveready's stuff, the custom black 6P I have has fairly thick anodising, alternatively, get a Ti light and buff the marks out.

Edit to add: My Fenix's are TK20 and LD20, perhaps the anodising quality has gone downhill with the newer lights? :shakehead

ForrestChump · Jan 4, 2015

gravelmonkey said:
Not had a real problem with any of my 'premium Chinese' lights (apart from the L3 Illumination's L10, which has very thin ano, but it was cheap and works well so I'll let it slide). Are you certain you're not scratching material off, ONTO the anodising? IMO, it's all aesthetics, a bit like complaining that you've scratched a hammer...

The anodising on my Peak Eiger doesn't appear to have held up any better, or worse, than my Fenix's, Xeno or ZL. :shrug:

Try Oveready's stuff, the custom black 6P I have has fairly thick anodising, alternatively, get a Ti light and buff the marks out.

Edit to add: My Fenix's are TK20 and LD20, perhaps the anodising quality has gone downhill with the newer lights? :shakehead

Huh. I would be surprised, Im thinking a bad batch?

gravelmonkey · Jan 4, 2015

ForrestChump said:
Huh. I would be surprised, Im thinking a bad batch?

Possibly, would be interesting to hear from people with a bigger sample set. Both are fairly 'vintage' in the world of lights so plenty of time for Fenix to have changed anodising practices. :shrug:

ven · Jan 4, 2015

Out of my fenix lights , all the ano seems pretty good,i have been happy with the quality side,ano etc. The only single negative i have had is one e25 being almost DOA,flickering then nothing,this was replaced FOC by Fenix so all good and of course not ano related.

My lights 2 xe25,one is almost used daily in work,this is still mark free so far.

e05ss but stainless so n/a...........stainless is great for key edc lights though,really does look like new after months.

tk75vn/tk61vn/tk51/tk50

Admittedly none have been thrown around or dropped onto hard surfaces(other brands have not either but chips have appeared)

So from my experience reg Fenix,its good,but as said so has olight too. I will state that the cheaper olight i3s is shocking when it comes to the ano,as with the nitecore T0. Now part will be down to living with keys,but i am sure the ano is not up to the same standard as more expensive models(no set standard maybe...dont know) Nitecore has not been quite as good for me,i am being picky here,the tm15 and p25 have very slight signs of ano chips(might have even come like that tbh as that small...........dont know as its not something i noticed straight away nor do i inspect every light with a magnifying glass :laughing: (maybe i should)

Cheaper branded lights like convoy have proved very good also for me,again no real heavy use and not sure what claimed spec the m2/s8 actually is.

I do believe that manufacturers in general apart from the minority (maybe surefire etc)do have different tolerances(or off days). I have read for example different reports of zebralight,from excellent to poor anodizing............i dont own so cant comment on my experience regarding that brand..........yet

Back to the OP,this pd22ue that is new,has it been abused any,left with metal objects,keys/coins etc,dropped at all......,i am presuming no,if so i would contact Fenix with you issue/concerns and hopefully it should be addressed. I would not be happy if marks/wear appeared without good reason,or i could tell the finish was poor. Maybe drop them an email and take from there,after all ,your not happy and for me it should be sorted by Fenix ,as looking after customers is key to having a good reputation which they do have imo......................just a thought

Fenix Anodizing

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashaholic

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashaholic

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashaholic

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Enlightened

Flashaholic

Similar threads