FD65 quick opinion

This FD65 opinion is based on one evening walk of about an hour.

- The FD65 is well made.
- I really like the separate up and down output switches, either of which will serve as an on/off switch. very effective in use.
- no battery cage. internal cell contacts are all on springs. battery cap has no springs.
- maximum output seems less than 3800 lumens, but definitely above 3000 lumens.
- the rotation of the focus is smooth but stiff, about 90 deg between wide and narrow stops.
- the tightest focus is not at the narrow stop, but rather seveal degrees off the narrow stop.
- the beam color is definitely _neutral_ white. very nice!
- unfortunately the FD65 neutral white makes my too-warm FD45 beam color look even worse. I do not like warm white beam colors! I may dispose of the FD45.
- there is no hole in the FD65 beam at any spread. There is an obvious ring in the beam that forms during transition between narrow and wide - not objectionable and not really visible outside.
- 4x18650 cells makes for a relatively heavy light, but it is still jacket-pocketable. The holster is well done.
- The narrowest beam setting is wider than the FD45 or the TK75.
- the wrist strap is braided nylon and leather stops. well executed.

My shortest opinion, I strongly prefer the FD65 over the FD45!

Hi moldyoldy,

Thanks very much for your sharging, just right here struggle, now I know which one fits.:laughing:

Thank you for the quick down and dirty of this light. Waiting to close on a new house so I can buy some new lights, this being one of them.

Question: Does beam exhibit a hotspot in spot or flood modes?

Yes there is a slight dimming of the beam about midway between zoomed out vs in. That is visible primarily on a white-wall test. Outside if you were looking for some animal or noise in the woods, that dimming would not be noticeable. that 'dimming' expands out to a slightly lighter ring that, sort of dissolves in to a full wide-angle beam that is surprisingly even at the widest angle.

However the FD45 did have a distinct and irregular 'hole' in the beam that is visible outside. the 'hole' is not as significant as, eg, the EA81 with the quad-die LED.

I disposed of the FD45 because I dislike 'warm' beam colors, in spite of Fenix designating the FD45 as having a neutral beam color. The FD65 does have a neutral beam color. IOW I lost the LED color lottery with the FD45.

After several evening walks with the FD65 and comparing it with other lights I have, I believe it is a keeper, and not a shelf queen. the up/down switches are very effective in use. either switch can be used to turn off or on.

On the FD65, the 'lower' switch turns on the beam one step up from the lowest output. Conversely, the 'higher' switch turns on the beam one step down from the highest output. IOW, the last output level used is not memorized.

one last point: The FD65 on the narrowest zoom setting is not really a 'thrower'. The beam is 'focused', but with a relatively large spot. for example, even the EA81 will easily 'outthrow' the FD65, in spite of a listed 2150 lumens (EA81) to the 3800 lumens (FD65). The effective range of the FD65 is really about 100 meters max to be able to discern what kind of a creature is out there.

Hello. I have come to appreciate a beam without a hot spot for indoor use and outdoor walks. A hot spot at short range creates reflections off of walls, ceilings etc indoors and off of the street outdoors. This interferes with vision. The FD41 which I use indoors has some minor artifacts (not hot spots) over the middle of it's range due to its lens but is beautifully smooth at the extremes. Just an even beam of light with smooth coverage if you get my drift. Likewise some non zooming reflector lights like the Noctigon M3 and the Olight x7R by virtue of their multiple overlapping leds provide the pattern of smooth coverage that I am looking for. There is a Fenix picture showing the FD65 in what looks like narrow mode aiming down at the ground. It seems to show a hot center and a spill much like a single led/reflector setup. The widened beam may not have this. I was hoping to find the 65 to be a more powerful 41 for the reasons I mentioned earlier but I am not sure that is the case based on this beam shot. Maybe the lenses are set up differently. In your experience am I interpreting that pic correctly, ie tight beam with concentrated (hot) central spot and surround spill or am I missing something here? Thanks
Gerry

Thanks for the quick feedback moldyoldy, i really like the look, idea of the UI and the LED's used(and choice of temp). This would be perfect for me in many ways, its just a bit too expensive/nice to get beat up in work! I can just see and hear it now rolling off something and onto the floor:duck:I do hope these 5000k xhp35 HI's get used along with Fenix's cooler xhp35 HI's as a choice on other lights using the same(tk75 to name one).

ven said:

Thanks for the quick feedback moldyoldy, i really like the look, idea of the UI and the LED's used(and choice of temp). This would be perfect for me in many ways, its just a bit too expensive/nice to get beat up in work! I can just see and hear it now rolling off something and onto the floor:duck:I do hope these 5000k xhp35 HI's get used along with Fenix's cooler xhp35 HI's as a choice on other lights using the same(tk75 to name one).

Click to expand...

to solve a rolling problem, especially with larger lights, I use a bead or strip of hot glue appropriately applied on the light. a strip of hot glue only needs to be about 5mm long to be effective. The height of the strip applied depends on you. too low and it could still roll. Ensure that the hot glue gun is hot enough to have glue dripping out the nozzle. the goal is to have the glue as hot as possible when it contacts the light surface so that it flows into the irregularities of the surface. if the glue is can be squeezed out of the nozzle, but relatively cold, the hot glue strip peels off rather easily. I still lose some of these dots or strips over time - no problem, just peel off the remnant and apply another strip. the metal surface of the light is not damaged in any way. I do not apply hot glue to plastic-bodied lights.

Where? I apply a strip about every 90 degrees around the base cap of the light, which also provides an improved grip. I usually place a longer strip just above the power/level button on the head. That way in the dark, I roll the light in my hand, find the long strip, and just below that will be the power or level button. no need to look at the light. I have applied multiple strips of hot glue on the X7 to improve the grip on that light.

grioces said:

Hello. I have come to appreciate a beam without a hot spot for indoor use and outdoor walks. A hot spot at short range creates reflections off of walls, ceilings etc indoors and off of the street outdoors. This interferes with vision. The FD41 which I use indoors has some minor artifacts (not hot spots) over the middle of it's range due to its lens but is beautifully smooth at the extremes. Just an even beam of light with smooth coverage if you get my drift. Likewise some non zooming reflector lights like the Noctigon M3 and the Olight x7R by virtue of their multiple overlapping leds provide the pattern of smooth coverage that I am looking for. There is a Fenix picture showing the FD65 in what looks like narrow mode aiming down at the ground. It seems to show a hot center and a spill much like a single led/reflector setup. The widened beam may not have this. I was hoping to find the 65 to be a more powerful 41 for the reasons I mentioned earlier but I am not sure that is the case based on this beam shot. Maybe the lenses are set up differently. In your experience am I interpreting that pic correctly, ie tight beam with concentrated (hot) central spot and surround spill or am I missing something here? Thanks
Gerry

Click to expand...

Hallo Gerry, I am unsure of which FD65 beam photos you were looking at, but here are some very illustrative beam photos of the FD65 at either zoom position, whether on a 'white-wall' or outside on a building. Scroll down to find the beam shots. No need to read the German. The 'spot' photos show a relatively broad spot with decent spill. the full flood photos show an even full-flood beam, very wide angle. the only 'hot spot' in the full flood photo on the white-wall test is because of the fall-off of the light at the edge by distance. Full flood zoom is really a even flood light. That website FD65 review convinced me to purchase the FD65.

Just to experiment, I use the FD65 to read the WSJ newspaper - unfolded - in the dark morning with no problems, except from my wife who thinks I am crazy. I lay the FD65 on a US tissue box that is standing on the end. functions rather well, better than a ceiling bounce at about any zoom degree.

During my outdoor walks, depending on the terrain I am walking thru - wooded or streets - I often vary the zoom level. During my walks, I rarely employ the widest angle, but almost all other degrees of zoom are used.

Ok MO. Thanks for sharing the review. Does look like the 'floodier' settings throw a beam with smoother more even coverage. Seems like a nice light and I will add it to my short list of 'things that I do not need but am going to buy anyway' Enjoy the light