Gunfighter

Behr · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Htown

I have some friends on a world tour with a rock band and they keep telling me I need to buy a Fenix flashlight. They use lights constantly and there is a lot of wear and tear associated with touring. Im sure Fenix must produce a great flashlight. The price is great. Supposedly they are one of the brightest lights out there when used in turbo mode.

my concern is their switch. Is it like my surefire? I like to be able to slightly push the button on my surefire for just a momentary burst of light, without having to click it on and off.

Hoff · Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 779 Location: Warrior Nirvana

I am still impressed with Streamlights TL2, TL3, and Supertac. They have extremely bright and condensed beams, and after depending on them through Hurricane Ike, still on the same batteries.
Hoff

oldfoureyes · Joined: 25 Oct 2008 Posts: 1

I bought a Fenix (123 Lithium battery version) to evaluate. I used it for over 6 months.

Regarding the switch, it did not last long in terms of providing the specialized modes (strobe, SOS). It also did not reliably provide the dim/bright function after three months. Regular on and off was unaffected but getting the high illumination output was dicey.

Momentary on is not as easy compared to Sure Fires. Beam is a bit narrow and the light seems dim if cast onto a dark surface like a black couch, dark painted wall, etc... Anodizing looks cheap and the finish chipped easily after being carried in my pocket for a few weeks.

I replaced this with a G2 Nitrolon LED. Cost was about the same. Beam is wider. Does not dim out against dark surfaces and switch is reliable.

LED is not as good as Xenon if mist, fog and smoke is a concern. It will still provide decent light but will not throw was far.

Can't recommend the Fenix from the point of view of durability and reliability. Then again, it is a Made In China light....

Muzzlebreak · Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

I own several Surefires and they're great but pricey. Over the last several months I've purchased 2 Jet Beam lights - A Jet III Military and a Jet 1 Pro V3. I haven't used the III as much but I use the small Pro all the time. I've found the switches have held up well and I like them quite a bit. Build quality seems on a par with Surefire but they're less expensive. Worth a look if you're looking for a new flashlight.