HI has anyone herd of these two brands of flashlights Fenix and Olight? I need a few more lights for the house cars ect , right now I have two Surefire lights both 6P LED. The other lights are less expensive than the Surefires but are they worth it? Recommendations
The QC with the chinese lights is, generally speaking, not as good as with Surefire. Lots of people swear by Fenix and other chicom lights, but if you do a good bit of research you’ll find that people encounter more problems with them too. Surefire will at least stand behind their warranty and their products do usually perform as advertised, which is more than a lot of light companies can say.
I personally buy all of my lights. When it comes time to buy one I buy Surefire because I’ve had great service out of my Surefire lights.
From a value perspective the Surefire G2 can be had for very reasonable prices. LED upgrades are widely available for them.
If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive and powerful light COAST LED is a good one. I own two. Not great for tactical weapon mounted lights but otherwise a strong handheld performer and the only one that approaches Surefire quality. Variable intensity, focusable beam. They are tough enough, battery life is obscenely long (80-100+ hours) and they are very bright.
if your trying tto save cash, go with the fenix, something like this.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/fenix-ld10-black-flashlight.html
I have a Fenix L2D. These are awesome lights. It is 180 lumens and cost me about $55. I also strap it on to the handlebars of my Specialized TriCross when I commute. Great weapon light, considering the cost, and outstanding bicycle light. 
I know different manufacturers rate lumens differently… does 100 lumens on Fenix compare to 100 lumens on Surefire?
My understanding is that Surefire is the most accurately rated and the brightest, lumen for lumen. I have the L1 and Ultra U2. Waiting for LX1 to release! Got a keychain-sized Fenix on the way just to play with it and put it in the wife’s purse.
This is the site that gave me the idea to use the lights for my TriCross.
http://www.ruscelli.com/biking_fenix.htm
… lots of photos too.
You may wish to check out < [b]JetBeam[/b] >
Hope you find what you’re looking for and Enjoy!
The real question Debbie is “What do you want to do with the flashlight?” I have owned several Surefires. They have never failed me. However, I have also sold them all in the last year.
Why? Because they were too far behind the technology curve. Surefire has been slow to adopt more advanced LED technology and drivers, and they do not take rechargeable batteries. Ok, so I am a flashaholic…I want to be able to run RCR123’s in my lights if possible. It’s not with SF. I also wanted to get away from multi-cell lights period. It wasn’t until this year that SF came out with a decently bright LED 1xCR123.
Nowadays, I edc a Fenix L1DCE on my belt, and my nightstand light is an American Made Novatac 85T, which you can buy for less than $80, and comes with multiple output stages and a strobe if you want it. It is also programmable if you know the CPF trick…
I like Fenix for everyday usage. It has proved extremely durable around even my kids–so much so, that I gave my Fenix L1P to my then-6yr old, and it still works! I have not owned an Olight, but have read many good things about them on CPF (candlepowerforums.com) . The primary seller I have dealt with has been 4sevens.com, here in the US. He has very good customer service.
For edc, I prefer a light with a single AA battery. Plenty bright, they take rechargeable NiMh batteries, last a long time, and are small enough not to weigh you down or clutter up your belt. They’re also suitable for pocket carry.
I have two Fenix TK11’s and would buy another one without hesitation.
I have been buying SF lights since 1990 and have dozens of them including several weaponlights. SF definitely has first rate R&D and warranty service, but they are far from the cutting edge nowadays. Surefire has laid the groundwork and the recipe to make good reliable flashlights isn’t exactly a secret. They have unfortunately fallen far behind the curve in current technology and other companies have stepped in to fill the void.
I have many Fenix’s with no issues after much rough treatment. I have an Olight M30 that is incredible for size, output, and runtime which has also suffered several serious drops onto concrete with no issues. Back in the day, I knew whenever I dropped my SL20x or 6P onto the concrete there was a pretty good chance I was gonna blow a bulb, but now with LED’s there is much less chance you will break a good circuit board. Both Fenix and Olight have been stress and torture tested by the many Flashaholic geeks on CandlePowerForums and have come out good enough for me to carry on duty.
Basically, I pretty much accept the fact that any of my equipment can fail and I always have a backup plan. If you are only going to buy a couple lights and want full customer service, then by all means buy Surefire. However, I’m a geek who likes to optimize his choices to get the best result for my needs.
Quick list of Duty Lights for plainclothes work:
- SF X300 on G17. Nothing better AFAIK.
- Ra Clicky backup on belt (probably the toughest & most reliable LED with fully potted electronics)
- Olight M30 in back pocket for primary light. BRIGHT! SMALL! RECHARGEABLE!
- Quiglite on armor for reading stuff in the dark
- SF Forend on Rem 870. Malkoff M60W LED drop-in.
I’m transitioning to a Benelli M4 and cant decide between a SF X300 or M900, choices choices…
Dennis.
I recently took the plunge on fenix. I did a lot of research and selected the LD10.
I am pretty impressed by it. My goal was to have a EDC light that took a single AA battery. The LD10 has different power modes and you get about 35 hours out of the 9 Lumen low setting or about 90 mins at 120 Lumen in Turbo mode.
I like being able to get a battery anywhere. It has a good clip on it and cost me $50 shipped.
I like Surefire and run there lights, but they are behind in technology. and Why they have not produced a AA powered light yet amazes me… They can’t live on there M9xx series Mil contract lights forever…
I read positive reviews on Quark as well.
Actually they do produce a 1xAA & 2xAA light. Called the Icon Rogue lights, and they look like weird vegetable peelers, and apparently can actually peel carrots…no I am not kidding.
http://www.batteryjunction.com/rogue2.html
It is a PK design (Mr Surefire), but produced overseas.
Here is a thread on CPF discussing it. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=219946
Just got my Fenix PD10 in the mail…
Pros: Bright, compact, strong aluminum casing
Cons: light is more brown than white, a small gap of bare aluminum is present at the joint where the cap twists on and off
This light boasts 190 lumens. So I compared it to my Surefire Ultra U2 which maxes at 100 lumens. My surefire is brighter and definitely whiter though it is rated almost half the lumens. My surefires both feel better made and throw a more vivid light.
Though I know I would need to compare to a wider fenix line to get a rounder perspective, what I’ve discovered do far would keep me away from them.
I don’t think a mid line 1 battery compact Fenix compares to a top of the line 2 battery full size Surefire… Also, “brown” or warm tint light helps with contrast vs. blue white light and is usually a special order option preferred by people who do a lot of work outdoors. It all depends on what you are trying to do.
You gotta compare apples to apples…
Dennis.
I had always used the surefire G2 light because it was issued. My brother bought me a Fenix P3D when I was in Iraq and I have never gone back to Surefire. The led has a strobe feature which was perfect for EOF at night when on convoys.
Another consideration is to compare similar bezel sizes. That U2 has a 1.47" bezel. The PD20 has at max, a 21.5mm bezel. Also the PD20 only does 190lumens on Turbo mode, not its normal ‘high’ setting.
Yes your SF is going to throw its light better, that’s due to the bezel/reflector. Yes it has more ‘heft’–it has 2x as much metal in the length (2xCR123 vs 1xCr123). Also if you bought a ‘warm tint’ version, the output is lower from the LED so you may not actually have 190lumens out from Turbo.
You’d be better served comparing a U2 to a TK10 or TK11 as they are more similar in design to your typical SF light.
Definitely don’t mean to compare apples to oranges… My primary concern for comparison was sheer brightness and color.
My testing was done in the outdoors (I live in the woods) so at least that variable helped. I compared it to my L1 as well, which is rated at 65 lumens. Each have only one battery (1xCR123). The bezel is larger on the L1. But both are smaller flashlights in each company’s lineup. I don’t think it would be fair to compare the Surefire Titan to the Fenix Pd10, though they are similar sizes. Dollar, lumens, construction are all higher on the Titan.
I didn’t order a “warm tint” on the Fenix… I didn’t even see that option. It is “browner” than my L1 and the contrasts in the outdoors show up better with the Surefire than with the Fenix. The Fenix has a broader spread for the beam. The L1 is more of a spot.
On the highest setting, the PD10 is roughly the same brightness as the L1 on its highest setting. Rated 190 lumens for fenix and 65 lumens for surefire. Obviously, surefire and fenix have a different way of rating lumens. As I buyer I would want to know that.
For $50, the Fenix is great! But as with anything I feel like I got what I paid for. I’m looking for to the release of Surefire’s LX1 for my EDC light.
I guess I am behind the curve as well, I’ve just been using SF the last few years and was blissfully unaware that there may be new lights with improved technical options.
That Novatac does sound impressive. Do you know if there is any information on how the light has been tested or used in field conditions? Admittedly, that’s not likely to be available on a flashlight, yet it’s hard to plunk down $150 on a relatively unknown (to me) brand.
Don’t know about “field condition” useage, but here’s a video of Paul Howe shooting his rifle with a NovaTac.
< [b]Video[/b] >
Hope you find what you’re looking for and Enjoy!