Fenix L1-P HA scratches right thru

Just got in three new Fenix L1-P. Naturally was curious about quality of hard anodizing.

took my smalle sebbie, picked a not noticeble spot on new fenix. pressed tip of blade against HA. scratched right thru.

would not consider this finish to be true hard anodize. knife tip should bounce off.

finish has dull texture indicating part has been subjected to longer anodic bath and higher current than color anodizing.

finish has been dyed, so hard to tell deepness of natural film.

That's too bad. One would hope for more. I have tried this on other lights, too. You would rather be surprised by finding that the finish is harder than expected.

need to clarify fenix finish does apear to be more durable than std color anodizing.

it's just not up to HA quality of Surefire or Arc.

Yeah, I've noticed I've got minor dings in the finish of my L1P that has always ridden in either my bare pocket (with nothing else) or the holster. I tried cutting the finish between the lanyard holes inside the tailcap. The finish is better on the L1P than it is on the silver L1, but it's definately not in the league of HA Inova or ARC.

I once keyed my Inova T2 to test its hard anodizing and was horrified to see a huge scratch on it, i rubbed off the shaving and noticed that the finish was unblemished and the key was missing a chunk of metal, i was relieved that the light was undamaged. I would like to see this kind of quality on a fenix.

cy said:

need to clarify fenix finish does apear to be more durable than std color anodizing.

it's just not up to HA quality of Surefire or Arc.

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cy, has Arc used black HA3? Mine have all been natural, and I haven't used an SF with black HA3, either.
Guess what I'm asking is if you're pointing out the difference between different manufacturers' black HA3, or between natural and black HA3(?).

Haven't carried either of my L1-Ps enough to comment on them, but my experience with black HA3 has been that it isn't close to natural HA in scratch resistance or toughness. My black HA3 Aleph2 that has been carried for a matter of months is quickly gaining in visible wear on a SF E2e body that has several years of use with four different heads. A natural HA Aleph2 head that has actually been carried more than the black one shows no wear, only some gouges from being dropped.
I don't know much about anodizing, so can't speculate as the "why", but black HA3 has failed to impress me when compared to the natural. It's seems to be a good bit better than black type 2, though. I have a black Nuwai Q3 that got more wear in a few weeks than that SF body did in as many years...

hard anodizing will acept dye of most any color.
HA natural is honest. usually one can tell thickness by by relatative darkness of film.

color dyeing hard anodizing masks how thick film is.
note alloy of aluminum can also effect final tint of anodizing.
higher copper content makes metal darker.

yes Arc & Surfire has made black HA models

My experience is limited to testing the anodizing on a black Inova x1 - there was no damage when scraped with a stainless steel knife. I don't think they even advertise this product with this feature.

Cy's experience is mine too...the "HA3" finish of my Fenix L1P is in name only - Mr. LowWorm brushed it against a metal post and hey howdy, took off a nice strip of finish around the bezel.

In the Fenix, it seems like you are buying a light more than an assurance of quality that higher end brands offer. So really, you get what you pay for in many respects.

I still love my Fenix, but seeing that it's a new model light with a cheap price point and no real manufacturer's presence behind it, I don't have super high expectations for it in the long run.

greenlight said:

My experience is limited to testing the anodizing on a black Inova x1 - there was no damage when scraped with a stainless steel knife. I don't think they even advertise this product with this feature.

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well, they just advertise it with HA...

I was wrong... I checked the package and it does say hard coat. Pretty good for a sub 15 dollar light.

Now back to the fenix...

Are all the different versions anodized similarly? Maybe some did get coated with a harder finish.

My L1P scratches fairly easily, too. Sure this isn't the HA3 we are used to from SF et al.
But hey ... you get what you pay for, and this is a lot when looking at the Fenix, but did anyone really think this light would be able to match the "real" high-end units?

On a related note ... I have another far-east light, a Microfire 10W HID that has the same problem, sais HAIII but sure isn't.

bernie

This is really sad news.

JonSidneyB said:

This is really sad news.

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Well, I haven't got mine yet, so I don't know how bad it is, but on the other hand the Fenix isn't exactly expensive. It would have been nice to have a "real" HA III, but I'm not too worried. It can't be worse than my old Maglites, and I'll use the Fenix as a beater.

Hans

Kiessling said:

On a related note ... I have another far-east light, a Microfire 10W HID that has the same problem, sais HAIII but sure isn't.

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Well, they never state that they anodize to mil spec, ant that is what we get from surefire ant the others.

My lights get scratched and dinged anyway, so it is not a real problem.

It isn't a problem if you know what you will get in advance ... but if you don't you will fall for the "hype" and over-estimate those products when comparing them to well-known high-class products and thus screw-up your "internal database" with false info and draw incorrect conclusions. And this is bad.
bernie

P.S.: I still think the Fenix is worth the cost big time ...

Hi Y'all,

So far my Fenix still looks pristine. I've carried it for a few weeks in my pocket with keys, etc. Sooner or later I will drop it. If it starts looking bad I will just take it apart and bead or sand blast it back to raw aluminum.

If it only gets dings on the front rim of the head (or tail), I'll just sand it off and give it a "two tone" look.

Every other light that I have carried has aquired dings and wear marks. But this one is my "dress" flashlight, so far.

I got mine thru JS Burly.....cheers to him.

Steve

I'm carefull with mine as all my lights and this fact doesn't change my attitute towards the light. Allthough I'll be more scared now of getting a scratch in it.

My SL jr Lx has the beater title now when working on my car. The fenix is kept in mint condition EDC only.

need to reinforce this post about HA quality is not meant to slam fenix.

not only is L1-P one of best values currently available. it's also one of the best 1x AA light available from anyone.

hoping mfg will take this feedback and make it better. It apears fenix has been anodized at higher current for longer than std color anodizing. and will be more durable than std anodizing. it's simply not at hard anodize stage yet.

could be something simple as lowering temperture of anodizing tank. reason sulfuric tank is cooled is to prevent attack of anodic film buildup by acid.

Did anyone think if it was possible to send a fenix to the HAIII group anodizing?

It would be nice to have a fenix in HAIII natural