Fenix LD01 SS

[gustophersmob]

Howdy!

Just received two stainless Fenix LD01 R5's and thought I'd share a few 1st impressions.

I found out on CPF that these were on sale at Newegg, otherwise they wouldn't have even been on my radar (posted in deals section).  Now that I have them, I'm glad I went for it!

I used to have an older Fenix L0D, the predecessor to these lights in natural HA.  There were a few things I didn't care for about that light, all of which, when combined lead me to sell it.  The biggest issue for me was the PWM on low.  It was more like a strobe mode!    I also noticed that the edge of the body tube that contacts the circuit board in the head was very sharp edged, and was digging into the PWB after just a little use.  I also didn't care for the mode spacing.  It seemed as though the modes should've been labeled - medium, medium and medium plus a little. 

But, even given those reservations, I figured the newer stainless version going for less than the HA version was too good to pass up. 

The new version has corrected all of my complaints listed above, and I couldn't be happier with them!  They are now current regulated on all modes, which means no more PWM    They also have much better mode spacing.  Now the modes are; Medium (28L, 3 hours), Low (3L, 27 hours) and High (77L, 1.5 hours).  I think these are much more useful modes.

I also noticed that they beveled the inside and outside edge at the top of the battery tube slightly, which should help with the issue I noticed before of it cutting into the PWB in the head.  I also noticed that they seem to have beefed-up the positive contact on the PWB.  It now looks as though there is a brass button of some kind instead of just the gold-plated contact.  This should help with long-term wear and tear.

So, in summary;

Pros:
1) Stainless construction
2) High build quality, including improvements in problem areas on previous versions
3) Current Regulated
4) Better mode spacing

(Possible) Cons:
1) Undecided about the M-L-H mode sequence.  I think I'll like it, but time will tell.
2) Tint isn't my favorite.  No green, as I was afraid may happen, but after using my Zebralight sc50w+, I've come to like warmer tints more.
3) Stainless may be too heavy for some.

Conclusion:  Great lights, much improved over past iterations.  If you've ever been interested in trying one, the prices can't be beat right now.  I also understand this was a limited edition.

[enki_ck]

How's the beam profile on this one? I have the old LD01 SS R2 (I believe it was a '08 model) and it is more of a thrower. That's about the only thing I disliked about it. Also a mid low high light. I wish it had a floodier beam. But the threads, smooth as butter.

[gustophersmob]

How's the beam profile on this one? I have the old LD01 SS R2 (I believe it was a '08 model) and it is more of a thrower. That's about the only thing I disliked about it. Also a mid low high light. I wish it had a floodier beam. But the threads, smooth as butter.

Yeah, this one is a bit of a thrower as well.  I would imagine it is the same type of beam as your R2 version.  I might try some diffusion film on it just to see how it looks, but so far it doesn't bother me much.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Now that does look impressive

[Gareth]

Unlike a lot of people I rather like the med-low-hi sequence that Fenix use on these lights.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts mate.

[gustophersmob]

After some more time with it, I think the M-L-H sequence may work ok for me.  During the day at work I typically use medium more than low anyway.

Or, I could just be rationalizing my excitement over a new light 

[parnass]

I am disappointed with the Fenix stainless steel LD01, though I've carried one as a backup for a few years now.  My LD01 has a greenish tint and the O-ring is large enough to make the head difficult to twist.

[enki_ck]

I am disappointed with the Fenix stainless steel LD01, though I've carried one as a backup for a few years now.  My LD01 has a greenish tint and the O-ring is large enough to make the head difficult to twist.

At least your still works, mine's dead.

[gustophersmob]

I gave away one to my friend who lives in rural Honduras, the same one I gave the modified svord to.  His is still working fine under some serious abuse.

My second rarely gets carried now since I've been carrying the aluminum version.  Both the aluminum and remaining stainless still work, though.  I wonder why you guys have had issues, I thought these were generally well regarded for durability, at least when compared to the olight, maratac, iTP, etc. styles.