Tired of Fenix Lights Failing

Myself, and two co-workers whom were influenced by me to go with Fenix lights, The PD series, have had them fail form drops of about waist high. A couple of occasions it was the batteries (orbtronic) pcb coming off and one battery split. (we use Xtar WP6 chargers)

But each of us now have a useless flashlight. We have done all the webbsite trouble shooting. We are industrial maintenance techs so we have the inclination. No body around here will buy another Fenix.

I don't want to send it in and get another light that will make me fear another small drop failure. These lights have embarrassed me by failing so easily on the folks I recommended them to.
In the trash mine will go. I'll not be recommending lights of any kind to people ever again.

So I go shopping and see several brands of these small straight lights that look just like the PD series with small differences in body machining. So who looks like who? I don't want to buy another Fenix build with a different name or button configuration.

Can I get recommendations on a pocket light in this performance category that is more capable of handling a small drop from say 6 feet?

Armytec is one I am trying now but I don't like the beam or the blinking switch light. The LED has a magnifying looking bubble over it and I suspect that is why. But I had to have a light like this on the job so I am trying it as an "anything but Fenix" mode.

I know lots of you will come to Fenix's aid but I and three others have had bad luck.

Thanks

I haven't owned many Fenix lights but the one Fenix light that has been rock solid has been the TK15. I own the R5 version and I have dropped it close to two dozen times. Have a couple of small dents on the bezel but that's it.

FourSevens may be a good choice. Owned a Quark 123 for years and have dropped it from heights ranging from waist height to a three storey building. Still works

HDS lights are at the extreme end in toughness. You can, and I have throw the light repeatedly at walls and no the light will remain operational. They are expensive though and not so easy to get.

So did the light fail or was it those cheapo batteries that failed? Sounds like you just need to buy some decent batteries.

http://www.oveready.com/battery-/batteries/cat_79.html

Nevertheless,

If you want dead nuts reliable and tough took at the Malkoff mdc series of lights.

https://malkoff-devices.myshopify.com/collections/malkoff-led-flashlights


I'm not personally a fan of Fenix. Not because the lights aren't well made, but because I think their UI and mode spacing sucks. Purely a subjective thing.

Brasso, you beat me to that question by about a second-op, is your dissatisfaction of the Brand due to the batteries being damaged from the drop or was there a failure of the light in ADDITION to the battery failure due to the flashlight being dropped, and on what type of surface did the lights fall onto?

Fenix are one of the better brands from China IMO . With a pcb falling off and a battery splitting, sounds like some
drop!!

Either way a couple of choices I will throw into the mix (no specific order),1st off HDS, be it a clicky or rotary UI. Not the brightest , but solid and dependable and enough output for most tasks. 2nd look at malkoff , hosts or flashlights with various drop in options to suit your needs. Both have lifetime warranty , both have a strong following for reliable ,dependable use in all types of situations .

Good luck

+1 to brasso, missed the post, oveready are another example of reliable and dependable flashlight stuff !

I will throw Eagletac D series into the ring. I have had Fenix lights ever since they first started business. Only one that has ever given me any issues was my first PD35 that I had beaten to death. The lower modes went out. I emailed Fenix about it they messaged me back requesting a serial number which I gave them. Next day they emailed me back with an address in New York state to send the light to for warranty repair. Sent it there thinking the turn around would be a couple months. Had the light back in less than two weeks near totally rebuilt for free it actually works better now than it did new. Sorry to hear about your bad battery. Most PD's that I know of are sprung on both ends of the tube and also have built in over discharge protection ie unprotected flat top cells will work fine. HDS lights are very nice yet very expensive and low output. If all you really need is less than 300 lumens and have the cash for one then go for it.

Most any light will fail from continuous drops on concrete. Best to get some thick rubber tubing to cover them and help absorb the impact to the electronics. Similar to putting a case on one's smartphone.

it's a kind of "Pay cheaply, pay twice" thing. If you buy Malkoff or HDS it will hurt a bit initially, but they will keep on going, and if you do break it, a no question repair will be made.
I understand Armytek now require a videi of the problem to prove the repair is covered by warranty - just more hassle.
P

I can understand feeling burnt by a company and I wouldn't go back either but if I'm understanding correctly the batteries failed and not the light? If this is the case get you some better batteries (maybe imr cells so that there is no protection circuit to break) and see how you like the lights then. I have four Fenixs and they have all been dropped from multiple heights onto multiple surfaces with no issues. I'm not saying they can't break but it seems odd all three have broken.

As far as other recommendations go you can't get much more of a solid light on a budget than to go with a Solarforce p60 host and a Malkoff drop in.

dealing with Armytek over warranty issues is quite the hassle. I bought 9 of their lights over the last 4 months. Initially the Viking Pro I ordered showed up with its emitter 2mm off center the beam profile was half in focus and half smudged. They wanted pics so I posted them here they replaced the light. OP it sounds like you are saying your Orbtronic came apart from a drop yes? As long as there are springs on both ends of the tube get a Sanyo NCR18650GA flat top unprotected cell if its an 18650 light. That must have been one hell of a drop to bust apart an Orbtronic cell. As for Fenix failing well Ive got a TK32 bolted to my 12 gauge 590A1 and it has yet to even flicker under heavy recoil. YMMV I guess.

I had something similar happen with a e21 2xaa light my mechanic light lasted a few uses. Maglite led lasted a few months. the kicker... Rayovac 2aa led still going 2 years later dropped it from waist 100 times

I have a PD32 and PD35 by Fenix....My Thorfire VG15 for a UK £10 knocks spots off the Fenix in build quality alone.

can't go wrong with malkoff stuff I have 1000s of 12g rounds with one mounted

+1 on Malkoff. Dropped my new MDC 2 days after I bought it onto concrete when exiting van. Works fine and now has been properly christened.

I have had a total of 6 Fenix lights and been very happy with them. One of the 6 failed after many years of hard use. It was one of their very early ones and I certainly got my money's worth out of that one. I liked that light so much that I mailed it back to China to see if they could fix it on my dime as the warranty was long gone. The light was so old they didn't have the parts available to fix it but they sent me a similar light to replace it at no cost even that they warranty had expired years ago.

Customer service doesn't get any better than that IMO.


FWIW:

My 1st recommendation would be to switch to a good unprotected battery to eliminate that issue.

I would also give some thought to why they are getting dropped. Is it just a case of butterfingers, usually my problem, or was it a situation where they should have been using a headlamp has they really needed their hands free.

Bob

Solder joints and impacts don't mix well, so thermal epoxy is one solution for potting the engine. I believe Malkoff makes potted drop-ins if you like the P-60 platform.

Elzetas are meant to be tough lights.

I have the very first light Fenix made. It's beat to hell but still works. I've probably had ten Fenix lights and have never had a single issue despite abusing them. Fenix has the simplest warranty--register the light on their website. If it breaks, they fix it. To fix it they usually send it to the Fenix-Store which is right up the road from me. Great guys. Have you tried called Fenix-Store? They will warranty lights that they didn't sell.

This is all coming from a guy that also loves his Malkoffs. If the zombie apocalypse happens, I'd grab a Malkoff but if it's just nuclear war--the Fenix will work. Maybe you need to look at a Solarforce host with a Malkoff or a Fenix TK16 or 09. I'd still call Fenix-Store first though,
.

Another long term user of Fenix E, PD, LD, and HL series over the last 6 years and never had a failure yet. Worst was when I dropped the PD35 from 10ft up onto hard rock and it didn't turn on. Found the tail cap retaining ring had loosened, turned it tight and was good to go.