Fenix LD41 long term use opinion

Jida

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
115
I go walking nightly in my neighborhood at least 2 miles and up to 4 miles. During the walk there are a lot of great 'flashlight proving' dark spots of various ranges along with penetration style tests near bright street lamps. Furthest range is is a big unlit field backed by a tall hill and lots of scrub brush about half a mile in diameter (always the favorite light up spot at the end of the walk).

Over the years I have had a lot of flashlights to bring along with me from old Maglite incandescents to various generations of LEDs but I have pretty much stopped at the LD41 line. I own 2 of the versions, the original 520 lumen and now the latest 960 lumen. Although the newer one is obviously brighter than the original, the use stays the same.

The brightness is not the real selling point here, it is the form and function of the light.

Carrying the light like an ice pick you do notice its size at first but then that is quickly forgotten (I had gone from a Surefire E2D to the LD41). It fits the hand well and it is fairly balanced. What is best about this carry is the power and mode switch buttons. Being a forward clicky, turning on the light at a sound or just to light something up to do a quick check is easy to do. I find that forward clicky switches are my favorite for walks as I rarely turn the light on fully or use it for more than a few seconds here and there. Add to this that the mode switch (which is right above the power button) gives you easy switching to the primary (4) modes and is smaller in diameter which means it is easy to find without having to look. This combination of buttons has been so good that I found myself disliking other configurations even if those lights had better lumens/beam/features/etc. Case in point, I got the wife a Fenix E41 and we both hate it,... size and output are awesome, that button and mode format is so horrible that it is just a nightlight next to the bed now.

With the newer version the output is noticeably higher with a slight range increase of useable brightness but the real nice thing was how they redid the end cap area. They narrowed down and softened the area overall and they changed the build to make tail standing 100% useable. In the older version you could 3 point tail stand by using the extended power button but it was prone to wobbles and falls.

The beam profile is very nice in real life practice, if you light up the area in front of you it lights up everything. Pretty much your complete central view is taken up by the beam. While out there are hills 75-100 yards from the road and it is easy to light up the entire hilltop enough to see what is there. The newer version has a different/more focused hot spot than the original one but that is really the only noticeable difference.

I have been carrying the newer version for a couple months now and it has convinced me to purchase a few more as the primary lights for the house/cars. If something comes along and beats it out I won't be closed minded but I can't seriously think of anything that wouldn't be a direct clone which I would go for.

If you are looking for a (4x) AA light then take a serious look at the LD41 as a general purpose light that does almost everything well, is easy to get anyone using it and won't break the bank.
 

1DaveN

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Messages
593
Location
Upstate NY
Thanks for this - the LD41 has been on my list for a while, and it's good to hear from someone who has used it extensively.
 

PartyPete

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 14, 2015
Messages
486
Good review.

Comparatively, do you prefer it over the E41 because of better modes? Better UI? Brighter? Prefer 2 buttons?
 

CelticCross74

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
4,021
Location
Fairfax Va
good review. The new LD41 looks like a 4xAA version of the new 2015 TK35. Same double switch layout. Glad to hear youre getting very good use out of it. What AA cells do you use? Ive got 4 or 5 of the 3/4xAA "stubby" lights and rock eneloop pros in them all. Expensive but damn do they hold their charge especially if you are good on locking out your light.
 

Jida

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
115
Thanks fellas, you won't be disappointed if you pick one of the newer ones up.

The E41 has a nice size to it, not better or worse than the LD41, just different. I have large hands so both are fine, my wife likes the shorter length but with smaller hands doesn't like the width too much. Beam wise, they are pretty much a wash in RL applications. Side by side you can pick out a few differentiations but not anything for the mid-enthusiast to care about. The biggest issue is the button format. You have one soft touch button at an odd placement, it is not quite at the end of your grip, you have to choke up on it a little to have a 'normal finger' land on it (you can use say a middle finger but it feels a bit off, although you could get used to it). You have to press the button for 1 second or so to turn it on. This is the real killer for me and anyone else who has used it. Case in point, the boy thought it was broken when he tried to use it because holding the button to turn it on is not intuitive. Mainly, trying to use that format in practice is not useful as you have to hold the button to turn it on/off which may be fine for 'usually on' people whereas I am a 'usually off' person. As to the dual buttons, you just can't beat the mechanical ease of mode switching when you have a dedicated button just for that.

I am running a variety of standard Eneloops, some from 5+ years ago and another batch that is 2 years old (white ones and blue ones). Not finding any issues with run times as a fresh set will run me for weeks due to how I use the light on walks (short 1=5 second bursts with the occasional 1 minute or so). Because I did the Costco packs, I have too many chargers so keeping a rotation going is simple.

Another thing to note, I find that I drop the brightness to the third setting (low/med/"high"/turbo) if I use it for extended periods. Plenty of light with the same beam profile and it lasts 2.5x as long as turbo. Turbo is awesome for those short bursts or to get something lit up really far away but for most work high and mid are going to be more workable.
 

Jida

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
115
Took a couple of terrible photos on my phone (wife has better ones on a good camera I can get later).

E2D Led Defender
IMG_0887_zpsqdkg0fjw.jpg


LD41
IMG_0893_zpsvkxo8ekg.jpg


Both were taken at the same spot. The bushes are at 7 yards and the hill in the back is at 110 yards (laser ranged accurate). The phone struggled to pickup the beam for the E2D on the hill, it reaches out there but it is very dim. The LD41 lights up the whole area in front of you and a good portion of the hill at 110 yards.
 

Swedpat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 5, 2008
Messages
3,448
Location
Boden, Sweden
It's just a pity that Fenix is so restrictive with neutral options. A neutral LD41 had caught my attention.
 

Jida

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 16, 2009
Messages
115
Better set of comparative pictures using the Wife's camera. We sat back 100 yards (verified with laser range finder) and aimed at one of the hills. Settings on the camera are - Nikon D5300, ISO 25600, 35mm, 0ev, f/1.8, 1/60. Cloudy night with a light mist (going to rain soon here in a bit). I squatted down 5 feet in front of the camera and all shots are from approx 2.5 feet off the ground.

Control Shot
DSC_0846_zpsfi7mktiu.jpg


E2D Led 200lm
DSC_0843_zpsydlmko9w.jpg


E41 Turbo
DSC_0844_zps40z82hii.jpg


LD41 Turbo
DSC_0845_zpszm1s9n2x.jpg


And for fun, a Stanley Fat Max Lithium Spot Light (approx 500lm or so) that I got at Lowes years ago and happened to have in the back of the car,...

DSC_0842_zpss8rzmqzu.jpg
 
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