Fenix PD40R V2.0

[nate j]

Looks like they're taking pre-orders.  I can't deny that I'm tempted.  Anyone else?

[comis]

I went on their website to check on the spec and watch some videos about it, I think it looks alright but would have like it even better if the adjustment is infinite. 

Meanwhile, I just saw a new instagram post from Jetbeam about a new RRT01.  Personally, I quite like the RRT01 v2 Raptor which is easily one of the best lights in 2019(thanks to Sos24 recommendation) and this new offer may worth a look as well, if you are looking for a new light.

[Sos24]

It does look really tempting and I probably will end up getting one.  Fenix is second only to HDS in flashlight brands that I truly trust.  The tail switch and rotary control UI is my favorite.

[Sos24]

I went on their website to check on the spec and watch some videos about it, I think it looks alright but would have like it even better if the adjustment is infinite. 

Meanwhile, I just saw a new instagram post from Jetbeam about a new RRT01.  Personally, I quite like the RRT01 v2 Raptor which is easily one of the best lights in 2019(thanks to Sos24 recommendation) and this new offer may worth a look as well, if you are looking for a new light.

I foresee myself purchasing that Jetbeam, especially with the return of the tail switch in addition to the rotary.  It will also be hard to resist if it has the CR123 and AA battery option like the previous Jetbeam RRT-0 did.

[nate j]

The RRT01 looks like a very pocketable little light, but not in the same class in terms of output and runtime as the larger PD40R v2.  Continuously variable brightness is a neat feature too, though personally I'm not sure I need more than about four or five brightness levels if they are set up correctly.

[theonew]

OK, I'm definitely tempted.
Really don't need it but yeah I will probably get one

[nate j]

OK, I'm definitely tempted.
Really don't need it but yeah I will probably get one

Oh, we're beyond "need"... 

[Sos24]

Oh, we're beyond "need"... 

:agree: I surpassed “need” as justification for a flashlight.  I think my flashlights may outnumber my SAKs.

[nate j]

Well, they were taking pre-orders...and I had a 20% off coupon...so I've pre-ordered one.  June 14th is supposed to be the release date, so hopefully that doesn't slip too much.

[Sos24]

Well, they were taking pre-orders...and I had a 20% off coupon...so I've pre-ordered one.  June 14th is supposed to be the release date, so hopefully that doesn't slip too much.

I’m sitting on the same 20% off coupon code, but haven’t hit order yet. 

[nate j]

I’m sitting on the same 20% off coupon code, but haven’t hit order yet.

You know you want to...

Plus, 20% off is a pretty good deal for Fenix, and if you manage to resist through this weekend, you'll probably end up buying one later at a higher price.

[Sos24]

You know you want to...

Plus, 20% off is a pretty good deal for Fenix, and if you manage to resist through this weekend, you'll probably end up buying one later at a higher price.

You are probably right, but I just had to pay personal property taxes and next month I have to pay flood insurance, so my funds are pretty slim right now.

[nate j]

You are probably right, but I just had to pay personal property taxes and next month I have to pay flood insurance, so my funds are pretty slim right now.

   Bummer; I hate it when adult responsibilities and expenses interfere with knife and flashlight acquisitions.

If and when mine shows up, I'll be sure to post at least a mini-review here to help you decide if you want one in the future.   

[Sos24]

  Bummer; I hate it when adult responsibilities and expenses interfere with knife and flashlight acquisitions.

If and when mine shows up, I'll be sure to post at least a mini-review here to help you decide if you want one in the future.   

I look forward to the mini-review

[nate j]

It shipped today, and should be here Monday. 

[Sos24]

It shipped today, and should be here Monday. 

Look forward to hearing your opinions.

[nate j]

Well, I apologize for being a little slow with this, but the PD40R V2 did arrive this week, and I've played with it a bit.  Initial impressions are very good.  Overall quality is high, as I expect from Fenix.

The mechanical rotary switch is a thing of beauty.  It provides tactile feedback as each brightness level is reached, and seems to have just the right amount of resistance to prevent accidental activation but still be easily operable with one hand.  In contrast to an industry trend that seems to generally favor increasingly complex options (outdoor mode vs. tactical mode, Ten Tap programming, hidden modes, lockout mode, press and hold, double quick press, etc.) operation of the PD40R V2 is refreshingly simple.  The rotary switch has six clearly marked positions, corresponding to (in order):  Off, Low, Medium, High, Turbo, and Strobe.  That's it; there is nothing else to know about operating the light.  Obviously, this means one may have to switch through several brightness levels to obtain the desired brightness (or to turn the light off), but this is a worthwhile trade off in my opinion.

The pocket clip can be rotated around the light to any position, but is configured for head-down carry only.

The light will tail stand.  This seems to be an important point for marketing folks (I guess), but is of limited utility in the real world in my experience.

Assuming the rotary switch remains solid and consistent through many cycles of use, the charging port with its little rubber cover may turn out to be the weak point of this entire design.  According to Fenix, the charging port is waterproof even without the rubber cover, and the main purpose of the cover is to keep dirt, sand, debris, etc. out of the charging port.  Even with this caveat, this particular set up just seems kind of small and fiddly to me.  I'm a big fan of integrated charging ports (as opposed to having to take the light apart in order to remove the battery to charge it separately), but I much prefer Fenix's magnetic charging system.  Hopefully, my concerns here turn out to be unfounded.

The PD40R V2 has built in automatic battery level indication, which is a great feature and should be standard on all good quality flashlights going forward in my opinion.

This light is really bright.  How bright?  Well, I've put together a few tables.  The first table is simply a compilation of published manufacturer data.

For the second table, I ran my own tests, aiming the lights at a white wall in a dark room from about a meter away and measuring the lux using an iPhone app.  I ran three trials with each light.  I think I was still refining my technique during the first round, as those results are somewhat less consistent, but I felt like I was starting to achieve good consistency/repeatability with the second and third rounds.  A few quick observations from this exercise:

• The E30R is an impressive performer, especially for its fairly diminutive size.
• The Streamlight Polytac X is a solid choice, though I'm not sure it is really the best option available, unless one specifically needs a polymer as opposed to an aluminum body.
• The brightness of the PD40R V2 blew away the competition, but this performance comes at a price, both literally ($120 for the PD40R V2 vs. $80, $60, and $55 for the E30R, Polytac X, and LD22, respectively) and in terms of the weight and bulk of the light.
• While its performance is below that of its competitors according to both manufacturer data and my tests, given that the LD22 (2015) is a five-year-old design running on two AA batteries, I felt it held its own.

To summarize, I'm impressed with the PD40R V2 so far.  It is just a bit too heavy and bulky to make the cut as an EDC or "just in case I need a flashlight" torch, but when I'm going into a situation where I'm sure I'll need a light and want to really be able to light up the scene or see from a distance, it will be my new go-to flashlight.

[Sos24]

Well, I apologize for being a little slow with this, but the PD40R V2 did arrive this week, and I've played with it a bit.  Initial impressions are very good.  Overall quality is high, as I expect from Fenix.

The mechanical rotary switch is a thing of beauty.  It provides tactile feedback as each brightness level is reached, and seems to have just the right amount of resistance to prevent accidental activation but still be easily operable with one hand.  In contrast to an industry trend that seems to generally favor increasingly complex options (outdoor mode vs. tactical mode, Ten Tap programming, hidden modes, lockout mode, press and hold, double quick press, etc.) operation of the PD40R V2 is refreshingly simple.  The rotary switch has six clearly marked positions, corresponding to (in order):  Off, Low, Medium, High, Turbo, and Strobe.  That's it; there is nothing else to know about operating the light.  Obviously, this means one may have to switch through several brightness levels to obtain the desired brightness (or to turn the light off), but this is a worthwhile trade off in my opinion.

The pocket clip can be rotated around the light to any position, but is configured for head-down carry only.

The light will tail stand.  This seems to be an important point for marketing folks (I guess), but is of limited utility in the real world in my experience.

Assuming the rotary switch remains solid and consistent through many cycles of use, the charging port with its little rubber cover may turn out to be the weak point of this entire design.  According to Fenix, the charging port is waterproof even without the rubber cover, and the main purpose of the cover is to keep dirt, sand, debris, etc. out of the charging port.  Even with this caveat, this particular set up just seems kind of small and fiddly to me.  I'm a big fan of integrated charging ports (as opposed to having to take the light apart in order to remove the battery to charge it separately), but I much prefer Fenix's magnetic charging system.  Hopefully, my concerns here turn out to be unfounded.

The PD40R V2 has built in automatic battery level indication, which is a great feature and should be standard on all good quality flashlights going forward in my opinion.

This light is really bright.  How bright?  Well, I've put together a few tables.  The first table is simply a compilation of published manufacturer data.

For the second table, I ran my own tests, aiming the lights at a white wall in a dark room from about a meter away and measuring the lux using an iPhone app.  I ran three trials with each light.  I think I was still refining my technique during the first round, as those results are somewhat less consistent, but I felt like I was starting to achieve good consistency/repeatability with the second and third rounds.  A few quick observations from this exercise:

• The E30R is an impressive performer, especially for its fairly diminutive size.
• The Streamlight Polytac X is a solid choice, though I'm not sure it is really the best option available, unless one specifically needs a polymer as opposed to an aluminum body.
• The brightness of the PD40R V2 blew away the competition, but this performance comes at a price, both literally ($120 for the PD40R V2 vs. $80, $60, and $55 for the E30R, Polytac X, and LD22, respectively) and in terms of the weight and bulk of the light.
• While its performance is below that of its competitors according to both manufacturer data and my tests, given that the LD22 (2015) is a five-year-old design running on two AA batteries, I felt it held its own.

To summarize, I'm impressed with the PD40R V2 so far.  It is just a bit too heavy and bulky to make the cut as an EDC or "just in case I need a flashlight" torch, but when I'm going into a situation where I'm sure I'll need a light and want to really be able to light up the scene or see from a distance, it will be my new go-to flashlight.

Thanks for the mini review and your impressions.

[nate j]

So, I spent most of the day (and well into the evening) Friday out and about assessing storm damage to power lines and associated equipment. (I work for our local power company.)  I took the Fenix PD40R V2.0 out with me, and it did not disappoint:

• When I wasn't using it, it rode comfortably in my pocket.
• The brightness level was easy to adjust one-handed.  I usually carry and use my flashlights in a forward grip anyway, so didn't need to adjust my grip to adjust the brightness or turn the light on/off.
• High and turbo modes did an excellent job when I needed to see lines in the air or equipment at the top of a pole.  The light got noticeably warm in hand, but not uncomfortably hot.
• Low mode was adequate when I needed to turn the light to the ground to see where I was walking.
• Every time I turned the light on, the battery level indicator reassured me that the light wasn't about to run out of power at an inopportune time.  (I was prepared to charge the flashlight in my vehicle between stops if needed, but this turned out not to be necessary.)
• For camping and other purposes, I would love to have a very low/eco/moonlight mode, but the lack of one wasn't a disadvantage for this particular work.

Overall, the Fenix PD40R V2.0 is proving itself an amazingly bright light in a pocketable package, and will probably be one of my go-to lights until I find a comparably sized flashlight that has meaningfully more capability.

[McStitchy]

Oh boy.... that looks like a nice replacement for my Jetbeam PA40 

Thank you very much for your review Nate 

[nate j]

Oh boy.... that looks like a nice replacement for my Jetbeam PA40 

Thank you very much for your review Nate 

My pleasure!

I continue to enjoy my PD40R V2.

I see Fenix has also come out with a yellow cerakote version.  It looks cool and is supposed to be even more wear-resistant than the standard version.  However, I really don’t see significant wear issues with the standard finish on my Fenix lights, and the price difference is kind of hard to justify IMO.

[chip]

I have had one of these lights Sitting in my amazon cart for over a week and so far I have managed to resist. Then this thread pops up and I start trying the rationalise why I might need another light.