somemoregear
Newly Enlightened
First Impressions:
The LD75C I got to review is very solid without batteries and the battery tube does not feel thin or flimsy at all, in part due to the lack of a separate plastic battery carrier. My testing sample came scuffed up around the bezel and slightly scratched elsewhere on the body, but this being a prototype I suspect it was one of the lights used at various shows and expos, so some wear is to be expected. The grip is nice, and the buttons are placed well within reach. The bolt-on button plate is aesthetically pleasing and is mounted clean and flush. The lettering is Fenix's usual cool grey.
Fit and Finish:
The milling on the body is clean and no milling errors/defects are visible. The tailcap threads are square cut, which increases durability and has been standard with Fenix for a while now.
The LEDs are all very slightly off center towards the button side of the light.
Some of the epoxy used to attach the battery tube to the head is visible at the seam, but this will hopefully be fixed by production time. I have never seen this on any of my other Fenix lights. All the buttons have the same very positive click to them, but one of the screws holding the button mounting plate arrived stripped, so hopefully I will never have to open it.
As I mentioned before, the bezel had scuffs and scratches on it right from Fenix.
Specs:
The advertised max lumens are 4,200, because both the color modes (which include the 200 lumen white LED) and the normal modes can be run at the same time. In use, it is more practical to just use the 4,000 lumen turbo mode.
Spec Comparison:
Functionality and User Interface:
First of all, the ability to tailstand, which this light does very well, is a welcome feature for a Fenix flashlight. Any anti-roll features built in don't work well at all, but I found it easiest to just set down on the bezel or on the tailcap.
Eco, low, mid, high, and turbo, which are all controlled by the button with the power label, are the normal modes. The star button is for instant turbo and for instant strobe. The C button cycles the blue, green, red, white, flashing red, and flashing blue-red modes on the center LED. It is also used for the battery level check.
The instant turbo and instant strobe are very convenient, because they eliminate the need to cycle through other modes and the button dedicated to these modes is recessed - making it less likely to be hit on accident - which is a nice safety feature. Instant strobe is turned on with one click, and turbo is turned on with a 1 second hold. Turbo and strobe are both are returned to the previous state (to off or to strobe/turbo respectively) with a click. The strobe flashes at 6Hz and 15Hz and cycles between the two at 2 second intervals. Color modes and normal modes are activated and turned off by pressing and holding the corresponding buttons for .5 seconds. To cycle color modes and normal modes, just a quick press is needed.
To show the battery level just double press the color button while the light is off. The color representative of the battery level will shine for 3 seconds. Green = high level, Blue = medium level, Red = low level, Red flashing = critically low level. The indicator function only works with Li-ion rechargeable batteries.
Note: the color modes and normal modes can be used simultaneously.
Note: the light can be run with 2 18650s or 4 CR123As in the correct slots. Either both batteries in the two slots to the left of the buttons, or two to the right of the buttons, will power the corresponding two LEDs. Output will be cut in half, but run times will not change.
Beam Shots:
All the color modes have equally gross looking beams, because each of the colors comes from a separate part of the single LED in the center, so the origin of the beam is slightly off-center, thus producing an asymmetrical beam. In the woods, or away from a flat surface these artifacts in the spill and hotspot are infinitely less apparent, but still worth noting.
For the following color modes I needed to move the light very close to the wall and mode the camera to the side to get a good picture. The light is one foot from the wall and the camera is three feet from the light.
Camera settings were as follows:
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/50
The main modes have an interesting beam, because in addition to a clear hotspot and very dim spill, a corona is very visible. The spill is so dim that at first I did not even notice it and thought that the relatively clean edge of the corona was where it all ended. The actual spill is very full of artifacts. However, due to the reflectors the artifacts are symmetrical with a scalloped edge. Because of the very wide angle and low brightness of the spill it is visible only on higher brightnesses in use, but can be easily seen against a blank white wall at all levels.
The light is on turbo mode and is one meter from the wall. The camera is two meters from the wall.
Camera settings were as follows:
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/25
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/50
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/100
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/500
In this picture you can see the wide, dim spill, the corona, and the hotspot.
This is a road sign at 200 yards with turbo mode compared to car low and high beams.
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 2.5 seconds
F: 5.6
Low Beams
Sign at 200 yards
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 2.5 seconds
F: 5.6
High Beams
Sign at 200 yards
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 2.5 seconds
F: 5.6
4,000 Lumen turbo mode
Sign at 200 yards
Design:
The LD75C uses the traditional short, stout proportions of most other 4x18650 lights on the market. There is no battery carrier, instead the inside of the battery tube has been milled out with four slots for the batteries. Labels indicate where the positive and negative ends go.
If any serious anti-roll features were built in, they do not work. As I mentioned before, the milling is neat and precise on my sample. The circumferential milling around the body where the buttons are located is deep and sharp, which provides very substantial grip. The texturing on the battery tube is more subdued, but still adequate.
The thick, satin aluminum crenulated bezel is a nice touch that gives the light a more heavy duty appearance, but it would not be practical as a self-defense feature. It is nice, however, in the off chance that you set the light down bezel down while it is still on, because you can easily see that it is still on.
Applications/Uses:
I can see the LD75C being used for various outdoor applications, which is consistent with the outdoor oriented LD-series of lights. This light is large enough that it would not be ideal for backpacking or other weight- and size-conscious activities. But for a river rafting trip, overland expedition, canoe camping trip, or other activity with fewer limitations, this light would do very well. For the average consumer looking for a very powerful light bridging the gap between flood and throw, this light is great for the glove compartment, short hiking trip, or urban exploration/adventure bag. Uses are admittedly limited by size and weight, but thats why there are many types of flashlights on the market!
Improvements I Would Like to See:
One thing that would be nice for the outdoor situations is an SOS mode, or at least a beacon mode to use as a long lasting and bright signal.
The ability to physically lock out the batteries with less than multiple turns from the tailcap would be nice because the buttons can be easily pressed when the light is in a bag next to other gear. The literature provided for me stated that a half-turn of the tailcap would lock it out, but on my sample it took two turns.
Less important, but still nice, would be a true eco mode that would give it around 500 hours of runtime so that, if needed, an extremely long lasting light source is available for someone in such a situation.
The light will ship with a holster, lanyard, and extra o-ring. Because this is a testing sample, those were not included but a holster would make this light easier to carry on your person, bridging the gap between your hand and the backpack.
This LD75C was provided by Fenix for testing and review
The LD75C I got to review is very solid without batteries and the battery tube does not feel thin or flimsy at all, in part due to the lack of a separate plastic battery carrier. My testing sample came scuffed up around the bezel and slightly scratched elsewhere on the body, but this being a prototype I suspect it was one of the lights used at various shows and expos, so some wear is to be expected. The grip is nice, and the buttons are placed well within reach. The bolt-on button plate is aesthetically pleasing and is mounted clean and flush. The lettering is Fenix's usual cool grey.
Fit and Finish:
The milling on the body is clean and no milling errors/defects are visible. The tailcap threads are square cut, which increases durability and has been standard with Fenix for a while now.
The LEDs are all very slightly off center towards the button side of the light.
Some of the epoxy used to attach the battery tube to the head is visible at the seam, but this will hopefully be fixed by production time. I have never seen this on any of my other Fenix lights. All the buttons have the same very positive click to them, but one of the screws holding the button mounting plate arrived stripped, so hopefully I will never have to open it.
As I mentioned before, the bezel had scuffs and scratches on it right from Fenix.
Specs:
- weight: 430 grams/15.16 ounces (without batteries)
- length: 15.8 cm/6.22 in
- head diameter: 7.4 cm/2.91 in
- body diameter: 5.2 cm/2.04 in
- batteries: 4 rechargeable Li-ion 18650 or 8 CR123A
- main LEDs: 4x CREE XM-L2 U2 (50,000 hour lifespan)
- color LED: CREE XM-L Color
- mode memory for all modes (no memory needed for instant strobe and turbo)
- digitally regulated output for constant brightness
- double circuit design for flexible power options and better reliability
- over-heat protection
- low voltage warning (gradual mode loss as well)
- over-discharge protection
- reverse polarity protection (circuit-based, there is no physical protection)
- tailstand ability
- type-3 hard anodized anti-abrasive black finish
- 1 meter impact resistance
- IPX-8 waterproof to 2 meters
- toughened, ultra clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating
- color-coded battery level indication
The advertised max lumens are 4,200, because both the color modes (which include the 200 lumen white LED) and the normal modes can be run at the same time. In use, it is more practical to just use the 4,000 lumen turbo mode.
Spec Comparison:
| Light Model | Fenix LD75C | Fenix TK75 | Fenix TK76 | Nitecore TM26 | Nitecore TM06 | Thrunite TN36 | Thrunite Mini TN30 |
| Max Lumens | 4,000 | 2,900 | 2,800 | 4,000 | 3,800 | 6,510 | 3,200 |
| Max Runtime | 7.3 days (175 hrs) | 8.3 days (200 hrs) | 2.75 days (66 hrs) | 41.7 days (1,000 hrs) | 18 days (433 hrs) | 33 days (792 hrs) | 98 days (2,352 hrs) |
| Beam Distance | 490 meters | 690 meters | 450 meters | 454 meters | 334 meters | 299 meters | 265 meters |
| Intensity | 60000 cd | 119500 cd | 50800 cd | 51600 cd | 28000 cd | 22400 cd | 17640 cd |
| Impact Resistance | 1 meter | 1 meter | 1 meter | 1.5 meters | 1.5 meters | 2 meters | 2 meters |
| Waterproof | IPX-8, 2 m | IPX-8, 2 m | IPX-8, 2 m | IPX-8, 2 m | IPX-8, 2 m | IPX-8, 1.5 m | IPX-8, 1.5 m |
| Weight w/o batteries | 430 grams | 510 grams | 794 grams | 438 grams | 277 grams | 390 grams | 384.3 grams |
| Length | 15.8 cm | 18.5 | 22.1 cm | 14.2 cm | 12.5 cm | 12.6 cm | 12.6 cm |
| Head Diameter | 7.4 cm | 8.6 | 7.6 cm (width) | 6.8 cm | 5.0 cm | 6.4 cm | 6.4 cm |
| Body Diameter | 5.2 cm | 5.3 cm | 5.6 cm | 5.7 cm | 5.0 cm | N/A | N/A |
| Extra Modes | Strobe, Blue, Green, Red, Flashing Red, Flashing Blue/Red | Strobe, SOS | Strobe, SOS | Strobe, SOS, Beacon | Strobe, SOS, Beacon | Strobe | Strobe |
| LEDs | 4x CREE XM-L2 U2 | 3x CREE XM-L U2 | 2x CREE XM-L2 U2, 1x CREE XM-L2 T6 | 4x CREE XM-L2 | 4x CREE XM-L2 U2 | 3x CREE MK-R | 3x CREE XM-L2 |
| MSRP (USD) | $219.95 | $280.00 | $350.95 | $499.00 | $239.95 | $199.95 | $109.95 |
Functionality and User Interface:
First of all, the ability to tailstand, which this light does very well, is a welcome feature for a Fenix flashlight. Any anti-roll features built in don't work well at all, but I found it easiest to just set down on the bezel or on the tailcap.
Eco, low, mid, high, and turbo, which are all controlled by the button with the power label, are the normal modes. The star button is for instant turbo and for instant strobe. The C button cycles the blue, green, red, white, flashing red, and flashing blue-red modes on the center LED. It is also used for the battery level check.
The instant turbo and instant strobe are very convenient, because they eliminate the need to cycle through other modes and the button dedicated to these modes is recessed - making it less likely to be hit on accident - which is a nice safety feature. Instant strobe is turned on with one click, and turbo is turned on with a 1 second hold. Turbo and strobe are both are returned to the previous state (to off or to strobe/turbo respectively) with a click. The strobe flashes at 6Hz and 15Hz and cycles between the two at 2 second intervals. Color modes and normal modes are activated and turned off by pressing and holding the corresponding buttons for .5 seconds. To cycle color modes and normal modes, just a quick press is needed.
To show the battery level just double press the color button while the light is off. The color representative of the battery level will shine for 3 seconds. Green = high level, Blue = medium level, Red = low level, Red flashing = critically low level. The indicator function only works with Li-ion rechargeable batteries.
Note: the color modes and normal modes can be used simultaneously.
Note: the light can be run with 2 18650s or 4 CR123As in the correct slots. Either both batteries in the two slots to the left of the buttons, or two to the right of the buttons, will power the corresponding two LEDs. Output will be cut in half, but run times will not change.
Beam Shots:
All the color modes have equally gross looking beams, because each of the colors comes from a separate part of the single LED in the center, so the origin of the beam is slightly off-center, thus producing an asymmetrical beam. In the woods, or away from a flat surface these artifacts in the spill and hotspot are infinitely less apparent, but still worth noting.
For the following color modes I needed to move the light very close to the wall and mode the camera to the side to get a good picture. The light is one foot from the wall and the camera is three feet from the light.
Camera settings were as follows:
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/50
The main modes have an interesting beam, because in addition to a clear hotspot and very dim spill, a corona is very visible. The spill is so dim that at first I did not even notice it and thought that the relatively clean edge of the corona was where it all ended. The actual spill is very full of artifacts. However, due to the reflectors the artifacts are symmetrical with a scalloped edge. Because of the very wide angle and low brightness of the spill it is visible only on higher brightnesses in use, but can be easily seen against a blank white wall at all levels.
The light is on turbo mode and is one meter from the wall. The camera is two meters from the wall.
Camera settings were as follows:
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/25
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/50
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/100
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO: 200
F: 10
Shutter Speed: 1/500
In this picture you can see the wide, dim spill, the corona, and the hotspot.
This is a road sign at 200 yards with turbo mode compared to car low and high beams.
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 2.5 seconds
F: 5.6
Low Beams
Sign at 200 yards
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 2.5 seconds
F: 5.6
High Beams
Sign at 200 yards
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 2.5 seconds
F: 5.6
4,000 Lumen turbo mode
Sign at 200 yards
Design:
The LD75C uses the traditional short, stout proportions of most other 4x18650 lights on the market. There is no battery carrier, instead the inside of the battery tube has been milled out with four slots for the batteries. Labels indicate where the positive and negative ends go.
If any serious anti-roll features were built in, they do not work. As I mentioned before, the milling is neat and precise on my sample. The circumferential milling around the body where the buttons are located is deep and sharp, which provides very substantial grip. The texturing on the battery tube is more subdued, but still adequate.
The thick, satin aluminum crenulated bezel is a nice touch that gives the light a more heavy duty appearance, but it would not be practical as a self-defense feature. It is nice, however, in the off chance that you set the light down bezel down while it is still on, because you can easily see that it is still on.
Applications/Uses:
I can see the LD75C being used for various outdoor applications, which is consistent with the outdoor oriented LD-series of lights. This light is large enough that it would not be ideal for backpacking or other weight- and size-conscious activities. But for a river rafting trip, overland expedition, canoe camping trip, or other activity with fewer limitations, this light would do very well. For the average consumer looking for a very powerful light bridging the gap between flood and throw, this light is great for the glove compartment, short hiking trip, or urban exploration/adventure bag. Uses are admittedly limited by size and weight, but thats why there are many types of flashlights on the market!
Improvements I Would Like to See:
One thing that would be nice for the outdoor situations is an SOS mode, or at least a beacon mode to use as a long lasting and bright signal.
The ability to physically lock out the batteries with less than multiple turns from the tailcap would be nice because the buttons can be easily pressed when the light is in a bag next to other gear. The literature provided for me stated that a half-turn of the tailcap would lock it out, but on my sample it took two turns.
Less important, but still nice, would be a true eco mode that would give it around 500 hours of runtime so that, if needed, an extremely long lasting light source is available for someone in such a situation.
The light will ship with a holster, lanyard, and extra o-ring. Because this is a testing sample, those were not included but a holster would make this light easier to carry on your person, bridging the gap between your hand and the backpack.
This LD75C was provided by Fenix for testing and review
Last edited:
