FENIX L2D CE

[damota]

I need a bit of help to decide if Fenix L2D CE is worth getting, it looks good on paper what with using just a couple of AA batteries and having a 135 lumens out put (on Turbo?) but I have a couple of questions.
From what I have read it can use any pair of batteries but surly if you use 1.2v rechargeables it will have less power than using Alkalines?
When it says Turbo, is that something that can be used for a extended period or is it more for using for a short while every now and again.
Any comments wil be gladly taken.

Dave

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't have much help to offer, but when my L1P arrives any day now I'll happily offer any observations I have.

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/792990/

Def

[NutSAK]

Turbo mode on the L2D is closer to about 110 lumens.  Fenix exaggerates their lumen numbers.  It is still very bright--about 3 times as bright as an L1P on turbo.

NiMh or lithium batteries will be a much better choice for a high current drain device like a LED flashlight.  Alkalines fall flat on their face in these devices.

Here are the L2D runtime graphs from Chevrofreak to illustrate:

[Grant Lamontagne]

Dumb question- what accounts for those sudden peaks in the first graph?

Def

[NutSAK]

Dumb question- what accounts for those sudden peaks in the first graph?

Def

Not a dumb question at all.  That is the action of the regulator circuit.  The circuit will try to "pull up" the current as the battery weakens.  The circuit then detects that the votage is getting low and cuts off abruptly.  You will notice that there are no peaks like that with NiMh.  That is because the NiMH batteries have a higher internal resistance than alkaline or lithium.

Good buy on that L1P, BTW.  You'll like that one.

[damota]

NutSAK
I am after a really bright torch using AAs, would I be able to use this on Turbo all the time? I accept the battery life will be short but AAs are easier to get than CR123 and I only get an hour out of the Madjak halogen light I now use.
Do you think this will do the job I am asking it to do?
My money is in your hands 

Dave

[NutSAK]

Sorry, I forgot to answer that part of the question... 

There will be no problem running it on turbo all the time.  The L2D is designed to run the Cree emitter well within the electrical current specs set by the manufacturer.  There will be some heat generated, but with the mass of the relatively large 2AA body as a heatsink, the heat will be pulled away from the emitter, and it will not affect durability.  However, you may opt to use high instead, as it is plenty bright and the runtime is greatly improved.

I personally don't think you will find a better 2 AA Cree light at any price.  I own a P2D, which is the same light but runs on a single 3V CR123a battery.  That CR123a body is something that you will be able to buy for your L2D head in the future if that interests you.

I recommend you purchase the L2D at www.fenix-store.com.  There's no shipping charge in the US, and the service cannot be beat.

[Grant Lamontagne]

There's no shipping charge in the US,

That's not much help to Dave as he's in the UK!

Def

[damota]

There's no shipping charge in the US,

That's not much help to Dave as he's in the UK!

Def

That's OK Def, there is a company over here that is importing and reselling them for 30 UKP

Thanks for all the help NutSAK, should have one by the middle of next week.

Dave

[NutSAK]

Great!  Let us know how you like it when it comes in.

[damota]

Great!  Let us know how you like it when it comes in.

Well it came this morning and have had a bit play with it tonight.
You were right the max setting is equal to the Madjak cr123.  So it is nice to know I have the extra power that the turbo gives if I need it. I am rather impressed that the emergency setting is a Morse SOS instead of just a strobe. Although I doubt I will ever need to use it.
The only criticism I can find (more of a nit pick really) the batteries that came with it tend to rattle.
The trouble is, I am now tempted to get the single AA version. 

Dave

[damota]

Just as an after thought I wonder when some company uses the Cree LEDs in a house hold bulb, they are certainly bright enough to compete with other forms of lighting.

Dave

[J-sews]

Don't I also remember some discussion about LED automobile headlights?

[NutSAK]

Just as an after thought I wonder when some company uses the Cree LEDs in a house hold bulb, they are certainly bright enough to compete with other forms of lighting.

Dave

It's already being done: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2849

How is the tint on your L2D, BTW?  White?  Bluish? Yellow-greenish?

Regarding the battery issue, I think NiMH are slightly fatter than alkalines, and ought to fit a bit better.

[damota]

It's already being done: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.2849

How is the tint on your L2D, BTW?  White?  Bluish? Yellow-greenish?

Regarding the battery issue, I think NiMH are slightly fatter than alkalines, and ought to fit a bit better.

The tint is white but I am colour blind, so I got a second opinion and he stated there was no tint but it does fade out to gray at the edge.
I am going to get some of the UniRoss Hybrio rechargeables, to try. They are only 2100mAh but they are supposed to hold a charge a lot longer than standard NiMHs when just left laid around and they are already charged when you get them.

Dave

[NutSAK]

They Hybrios are great batteries, as are Sanyo Eneloops and Rayovac Hybrids.  Whereas most NiMH batteries will lose at least 50% charge in 60-90 days, these new "hybrid" NiMH will hold 80-85% charge after 1 year!  They're great to use in devices that you don't use often.

[ceilingCAt]

Mate, if you are looking at a fenix, Just get a cree, the extra $$ is so worth the extra brightness and run-time's.

Also, Fenix sell extra bodies, so find out what model has interesting body combinations, that way you can have a couple of torches in one, u just  remove the head and place it on the other bodies, this would help with the possibility of different Cell types... Or just buy c123's in bulk and never worry about not having any in supply..

As i said, the smaller AA' models will go to 90 lumes on Turbo, but as soon as you put a l2d-ce (2xAA) or p2d-ce(cr123a) body on it, it will jump to 135lumens and double in run time.. Cree is really kool. And Fenix lights are awesome for the money.

*evil laugh* Now decide which one you want.... Mwahahahah !!!!  after 3 days of humming i chose the p3d-ce, I wanted a madness runtime with the possibility of a nice extra bright mode for those occassions when u need it, they dont really have alot of extra size, prolly the same length as an Inova t1.

Enjoy your decision and remember don't rush into it, my advice is Go with cree, not that the other fenix's are no good, I own an l2t and love it too pieces, it's a brilliant torch.

e.z

[NutSAK]

Hey, uh....  Have you read any of this thread?  The guy bought a Cree Fenix.

[Roadie]

Hi, just to bring this thread back from the dead....damota where did you get your fenix from? I'm thinking of getting a "cheap" good light and this is one that i have come accross and the price is good, but you say there was somewhere selling them for £30, the cheapest i can find is £35.....and ever the bargin hunter i thought you might be able to shed some light (and yes the pun was most intentional!!) on it.

Thanks
Roadie

[damota]

Sorry 2 bits of bad news I am afraid, I got mine from Quality Flashlights,

http://www.qualityflashlights.co.uk/termekekmain.php?csoportid=34

Just had a look there and 1/ the torch has gone up in price to £33.95, 2/ They are temporarily out of stock.
Had a look on Glow Gadgets as well and they appear to be out of stock as well when you click the to buy button.

http://www.glowgadgets.co.uk/fenix-l2dce-cree-flashlight-l2d-ce-xre-led-torch.ir?cName=1-flashlights-torches

I wonder if they are being replaced, if I was you, try emailing them Glow Gadgets are only a couple of quid more and get whoever comes up with the goods.

Dave

[Roadie]

They are doing the L2D Rebel one
http://www.qualityflashlights.co.uk/termekekmain.php?csoportid=45#66

It is brighter than the CE so maybe it is the next version, seems to have the same run times but at higher outputs. I'm not going to be buying it soon, maybe a month or so down the road so i'll see what happens. Thanks for the link to quality flashlights not seen that one before.

Roadie

[zackhugh]

They Hybrios are great batteries, as are Sanyo Eneloops and Rayovac Hybrids.  Whereas most NiMH batteries will lose at least 50% charge in 60-90 days, these new "hybrid" NiMH will hold 80-85% charge after 1 year!  They're great to use in devices that you don't use often.

Thanks for the heads-up on the batteries.  I was looking into getting some Eneloops, but it's probably easier and cheaper to get the Rayovac Hybrids (which I didn't know about) that I can charge in my existing charger.

[mrexcess]

I've been a big Fenix fan since I got ahold of my L2D-CE, so when I heard they were making a version starring the Phillips/Luxeon Rebel 100, I had to have one and put in my preorder. After a few delays caused by supply chain problems at Fenix, I was elated to receive one of the brightest flashlights I've ever seen, the L2D Premium 100:





Note the advertised beam strength: 175 lumen max! And while I'm sure there's a bit of marketing hype in that number, and anxiously await some testing performed by members of the community with access to the right tools, I can tell you that it's significantly, noticably brighter than my Cree edition. Which itself was among the brightest flashlights around.

In addition to the "medium orange peel" texture reflector , a couple of other design changes are evident compared to the older L2D models:



These light heads are clearly badged "Premium 100" in addition to being individually numbered.



A more subtle change that I don't find mentioned anywhere..to the left is older L1D body I have lying around, the "slick" tail-switch clearly contrasting the new L2D Premium's textured button shown on the right.

Yes, you might have noticed, I'm a big fan of this light. Here's why:

* Bright. BRIGHT-bright. On turbo, accidentally and quickly waving this light across your field of vision from a foot away will leave a visible streak of depleted rods and cones for several minutes, it's really that bright. Held out of a car window at night, it casts a beam more like a car-mounted spotlight than a hand-held flashlight, let alone one that runs on 2 AAs. This is every bit a "tactical"-class flashlight, easily capable of causing temporary blindness and disorientation in a night environment.
* Versatile. Power requirements to spit out maximum power for 45 minutes are adequately served by quality AA sized NiMH rechargables, in my case Maha PowerEx 2700s. At lowest power mode, which still seems to outshine the average Maglite, it's got two days PLUS of continuous runtime. And if needs be, I can feed it regular alkaline AAs available in even the most remote towns and villages around the world. Don't get me started on lithium flashlights...if you want a lithium flashlight, buy this light and some Energizer E2s, you'll be doing yourself a big favor the next time you're trying to find batteries overseas or at a small-town gas station. Better yet, invest in a portable battery charger (again, Maha makes great products) and 12V solar/dynamo generator for a "forever flashlight" that doesn't suck. Like all of the L2Ds, it's interchangable with the L1D body, so it's possible to instantly reduce your power consumption on the fly. (Wouldn't it be cool if they built in some sort of jumper so you could do this in the L2D body itself?)
* Cheap. With upgraded shipping from Fenix-store.com (and why would you buy this light from anyone BUT the manufacturer?), you'll be paying $75 for a flashlight that easily outperforms the $350 lights most people are still stuck on, if they aren't still lugging around a comparatively punily-beamed baseball-bat D-cell Maglite.

As far as I'm concerned, this thing is the pinnacle of current generation LED flashlights, at a time when LED flashlights are demonstrably eclipsing everything that came before. If you want a good flashlight, you want this flashlight.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Do I dare ask the price of such a monstrosity, or is it the age old "If you have to ask, you can't afford it?"

Def

[mrexcess]

It's really not that bad...like I said, about $75 US, with expedited shipping. Roadie linked to the UK affiliate who is advertising them for £36.

[Grant Lamontagne]

For $75, that's a pretty good looking light!

Def

[damota]

I am starting to hate this group - looks like I am going to have to get in touch with Quality Flashlights after that review.         

Just had a look it is less than 5 months since I thought I was onto a good thing buying the L2D CE, bugger progress.

Dave

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I am starting to hate this group - looks like I am going to have to get in touch with Quality Flashlights after that review.         

Just had a look it is less than 5 months since I thought I was onto a good thing buying the L2D CE, bugger progress.

Dave

[mrexcess]

I've heard some people complain about the spread on the Cree edition, but personally I adored mine. Unfortunately it disappeared at a job site a couple of weeks ago. Seems I'm not the only one who liked it!

If you've got an L2D-CE, you've already got one the brightest flashlights around. Unless you're an enthusiast who just has to have the newest gear, you're depending on the light for tactical purposes, or like me you need a replacement, I don't know that the upgrade would be worth it. On the other hand, we're talking an investment of well under $100, and if you're even considering it, I'll wager that any buyer's remorse will rapidly dissipate the first time you click the Premium 100's turbo mode on in a dark room.

[NutSAK]

I can't justify buying the Rebel version, but not just for the reasons mentioned.

I like to have a very low "low" setting for use with dark-adjusted eyes.  The circuit in the Rebel versions is the same as the Cree versions which, due to the improved efficiency of the LED, makes the low setting brighter than the Cree version.  The Cree version is already nearly too bright for me as is.

The L2D-CE is still my favorite light anyway, so I'm sticking with it for a while.  If I were to buy a Fenix with the Rebel in the future, I would seriously consider buying the L2T v2.0 instead, because it's less expensive and doesn't have all the extraneous features that I don't use such as SOS and strobe.