OK I Admit it: The Fenix is my new fave

It's not the absolute brightest. Not the absolute whitest. Not the most compact. But it's damn close in every area. When not doing one of those (overly hyper-analytical) side by side comparisons with anything else, I find it to be clean, white and impressively bright, with a fine spill and good reach, too. Nothing to complain about whatsoever. For me, the length is more comfortable in the hand than some shorter lights and the Fenix L1P design is like a fine work of post-industrial machined art. Much sexier than the Peaks and Nuwais and in league with those sexy Inovas (which can suffer from inferior beam quality.) Although some might think the Fenix slightly long for an EDC, I don't feel it in my pocket. The clicky is comfortable and perfect in its response. Damn near perfect.

I agree on all counts. The Fenix is an impressive achievement, especially considering just ONE AA battery, and the excellent run time.

I can't think of a better "gift light" than the Fenix.

When I pick it up in the dark, I still can't tell which end is up but that's not a major thing. On the battery situation, I sure am glad I read the runtime reviews here--I think Nascar might have been whose tests show the great advantages of running the light with an Energizer E2.

I come across some tiny split rings that fit perfectly in the two holes and also keep it from rolling and you can add a better lanyard to it. If you want to know more about the rings here
About the only other thing I can think of to make the light better is a multi stage switch so you can run it in a lower candle mode tailstanding in a power outage.

Yup the Fenix is sweet !! Including the belt holster as well !!

Agreed with above ..... adjustable brightness levels and a nice belt clip with maybe a couple of tritium vials would make this light perfect !!

Most impressive is the fact that these are only Fenix's 2nd (?) attempt and so reasonably priced ...... can't wait to see what they come up with in the future !!

Deja vu all over again!

It wasn't too long ago that CPFers were saying the same things about the Q-III.

It's an exciting time for flashaholics. With the impending release of the K2, who knows what amazing light we'll be raving about next year?

Even if the K2 doesn't live up to expectations, designs will continue to evolve and improve. After all, there is no stunning new technology in the Fenix - HAIII (old news), boost circuit (old news), UCL lens (old news) and a stinkin' Luxeon 1-watter...

Ya the fenix is great, by the way where are those run charts?

I have yet to see a picture of one....pics?

Nevermind, just googled it! Now I want one! The premium version of course! Where can i get one for the price?

Well, I see that its made in china - ugh... maybe i'll keep looking at the Pelican M6 3W....

For me, made in China can be a distinct advantage. After all, my wife was made in China, and she is the highest quality indeed, I can assure you

Back to the Fenix, the fit and finish are first rate, more of what you'd expect in a $100 light, not a $40 one. The finish, style and ergonomics are better than any light other I own. (so far. . .)

I can't stand it any more!

So...the Fenix L1P is the "premium" version?
I think I am ready to buy one...

Bob

pedalinbob said:

I can't stand it any more!

So...the Fenix L1P is the "premium" version?
I think I am ready to buy one...

Bob

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Yes, the L1P is the 'Premium', which has an R-bin in it, versus the 'whatever that is' bin in the L1 non-premium models.

KDOG3 said:

Well, I see that its made in china - ugh... maybe i'll keep looking at the Pelican M6 3W....

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The impressive part of this light is that it IS made in China and actually is a quality light, outside of the odd mechanical problem which is being addressed by the manufacturer. After all, problems with a light aren't restricted to China alone - I remember your post about a 3-cell L2 Pentagonlight frying on you on this very board.

Besides, all you have to do to say a device or product is made in the USA these days is just have a guy shove an item into a box, pretty much - even a company's word that their product is all-American is no guarantee that materials or assembly didn't happen elsewhere. That's a topic for another thread, however.

I think OTB's comment about the Fenix being a $100 light priced at $40 is right on the money. As someone else said, there's no new technology, no single exciting aspect and it even runs on old school alk batteries if need be, but it all comes together in a single nice, compact package at a reasonable price, by CPF standards.

I have L1P v2.5 on the way, but I'd looking to buy the lesser L1+ for longer runtime.

Well the problem is the same people buying stuff made in China and the like, are often the same people that will be complaining about being out of work when the economy takes a downturn.

Yes, I'm aware of the Pentagonlight problem. But at least I'm funding a problem made here in the USA! heh, heh.... I'm also funding US employees as well...

Not to say that the Fenix isn't a good light - apparently it is - its just the principal of the matter for me, thats all.

KDOG3 said:

Well the problem is the same people buying stuff made in China and the like, are often the same people that will be complaining about being out of work when the economy takes a downturn.

Yes, I'm aware of the Pentagonlight problem. But at least I'm funding a problem made here in the USA! heh, heh.... I'm also funding US employees as well...

Not to say that the Fenix isn't a good light - apparently it is - its just the principal of the matter for me, thats all.

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As I said, it's a topic for another thread.. and as long as people buy from Wally-Mart, and as long as companies WANT to save money (which, in my experience, most do), then jobs are going to drift offshore. And as I said, half of what you're buying is probably coming from offshore anyways, but has that 'made in USA' tag to make you feel better.

However, I'm still impressed that a cheap Chinese product actually has this level of quality, since the QC isn't always the greatest over there.

You can buy the fenix at j.s. burleys.

assassin337 said:

You can buy the fenix at j.s. burleys.

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You can get the runtime charts on the 'First Impresions' thread in the Reviews forum... and KDOG3 was referring to the fact that the Fenix lights are made in China, which means that your money goes overseas to pay for the product, which is something he objects to. The raw materials, manufacturing, and most of the parts come from China, except for the LED, which probably comes from Malaysia... where Lumileds and a lot of other chip companies are fabbing chips these days.

Litemania (Warren) is selling the Fenix L1P now and there's a long thread in the Sell section in case you want to order from him. As someone else said, JS Burleys is another option. Lastly, 4sevens wrote he will be getting in another big batch at some point. It seems these are selling like crazy since the features, quality, good looks and price make it a real bargain. 4sevens must have sold a few hundred easily in his first group buy.

(smirk) You people are killing me. I like my L1P as much as the next guy, well, ok, i don't, but after being severly underwhelmed at first - likely because CPF was ablaze with how this puppy was going to single-handedly cure world hunger - i'm becoming less unpleased, but honestly, if this thing cost $100, not nearly as many would have been sold and we'd have multiple threads railing against Fenix regarding the switch issues (and how some of them are overly-stiff), the dust behind the window, the machining marks on the reflector, the fact that some people can't always tell where the front is (despite it not being symmetrical end-to-end) and how In2theLight's beltable A-21 has almost as much throw and more output while costing less. And no one needs to get all indignant on me, because i'm not saying it's not a good torch, but maybe we could not go to *quite* the extreme? [/rant]

Archangel said:

(smirk) You people are killing me. I like my L1P as much as the next guy, well, ok, i don't, but after being severly underwhelmed at first - likely because CPF was ablaze with how this puppy was going to single-handedly cure world hunger - i'm becoming less unpleased, but honestly, if this thing cost $100, not nearly as many would have been sold and we'd have multiple threads railing against Fenix regarding the switch issues (and how some of them are overly-stiff), the dust behind the window, the machining marks on the reflector, the fact that some people can't always tell where the front is (despite it not being symmetrical end-to-end) and how In2theLight's beltable A-21 has almost as much throw and more output while costing less. And no one needs to get all indignant on me, because i'm not saying it's not a good torch, but maybe we could not go to *quite* the extreme? [/rant]

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Who claimed it cured world hunger? Mine doesn't have the dust behind the lens, the switch isn't overly stiff, and I use a lanyard on it so I always know which side is the business end of the light. This is like the new Q-III, really - a cheap light which, despite various minor issues, does a lot of things correctly (decent finish, good output and throw for the size, decent runtime), and is skinnier than the A-21 you mentioned. It also doesn't need a battery carrier, runs on less power, and has a better finish. That's part of why it costs double of what the A-21 does (HA III), and it also seems to be more waterproof than the A-21 is.

It's like trying to compare a Mag3D with a Streamlight ProPolymer 4AA - neither is meant to be the top of their class, and they have different characteristics in both size, design, and power sources along with their bodies which make them different lights - one is not necessarily 'better' than the other overall, and the only thing really comparable between them in their overall output and their runtime. Or would you claim that the Mag3D is better than the Streamlight because it is often cheaper, is easier to find the 'business' end on, and has more throw? Would you suggest using a Mag light to a guy who works in potential explosive environments, based on this?

They're different lights - and the A-21 is a better flooder due to the fact it uses 21 lights without any reflector; but is it any better than a Fenix because of that fact? Depends on the application, doesn't it? If you didn't need the HA-III, the lighter weight, the use of more common AA cells, and waterproofness, then I'd agree. Otherwise, the Fenix competes well on its own strenghts.