I have had a TK20 for four years and it has been my goto light since I got it. It has never failed me and it has been gentle on batteries. Great light
I had a TK 20 and loved it - so naturally, they discontinued it. The E21 comes close and is a great light in its own respect, but the TK20 was just a beast of a light for running on two AAs.
Saw a pic of the LD12 in another thread, and it looked cool. Googled it, and man there are a bunch of variations. What in the world is the difference in LD12 models G2, R5, S2, etc. To a flashlight newbie all that gibberish is way over my head...
A lot of the model differences tend to lie in the emitters, the LEDs used. By and large, that's pretty irrelevant to a newbie just starting to explore. For that matter, I tend not to be up on emitters either except for specific instances.
I bought seven of the eight Fenix lights I own, used, but in fantastic condition, both here on EDCF, and on CPF MarketPlace, from fellow members, and have had zero problems with any of them. Very nice groups to buy from, and you can find excellent lights, for far less than you would pay, new. You can also find thorough reviews on many of these lights, here, Candle Power Forums, and other places, on-line, so you get a really good idea of what the light can do - often with beam shots, graphs, and probably more information than you'll ever need or want lol. You can also find a lot of demonstrations/reviews on youtube. Just type in the make/model of light you're are curious about, and you'll probably find a bunch of videos on that light. This is a great way to try out a light, without spending full retail (or anywhere near that much) on it. For all intents and purposes, these lights I purchased were in new, or as-new condition, when I got them. In fact, had it not been for the substantially lower cost of buying them used, from fellow flashlight enthusiasts, I could not have bought them, otherwise. Often, people selling lights here, and on other forums, are looking to upgrade their lights, or the one they bought was nice, but not exactly what they were looking for, so they sell them (They call it "catch and release"), and they're often in perfect condition, or hard to notice wear and tear, but still functioning flawlessly. To answer your question about G2 (as it applies to Fenix lights) - that's the new generation. I have a PD22 G2 (Generation 2), and the main diference, besides a few more lumens (as you compare the previous model with a G2 model), is that they've incorporated a side switch, and that's where you change modes (low, med, high, etc.) rather than all on the tail cap switch. Some people prefer the all mechanical switch on the tailcap, but I find the electronic side switch, very useful, and have had no problems with any of them. My PD22 has an XP-G R5 emitter, which is not super white (not really cool white), and slightly more on the neutral side. The S2 emitter (as on my TK15), in my opinion, is a cooler white-tinted emitter - a brighter white. Both have their purposes. As you start to buy more lights, you'll discover that there are certain color temperatures, beam patterns that you like. But for the most part, it's kind of hard to tell huge differences between one tint and another, unless you've got both lights out, and are comparing their beams, side by side. What kind of light are you wanting? The more you can specify your needs, the more someone here can help you, by recommending the most suitable choices, that'll cover your flashlight needs. One of the biggest factors is how much you can spend on the light. There are literally thousands of lights to choose from. I've found there's no one light that suits all my needs - so I carry eight - but I'm a flashlight fanatic. There's bound to be a light or two that'll suit all your purposes, that won't break the bank. Good luck with your search!
@david57strat Wow, you're a wealth of info. I did look up some reviews and watched a few YouTube videos of the LD12 after seeing a pic of it on this forum. That's why I want one now The flashlights purpose will be as a duty light (EMS). I don't think I'm too picky about beam/color. I like the side mounted switch and all the different modes. That way I can have lower light to look at a head wound, but higher light when I have to trek down a dark area to find the patient or to survey a large scene. The strobe to possibly mark my position more if need be. The momentary light will come in handy too I think. The clip is a much desired feature, and using double A batteries is a plus to me. I think I've borrowed a cop's Fenix flashlight before, and it worked well. Was too busy to take note of what model though. Off to scour the EDCF marketplace...
The Fenix Family, thus far: E15, PD20, PD22, PD30, E50, TK15, E40, and TK41. I EDC the E15, the PD22, The E50, and the TK15.
Hi Gator25, I got a ld12 about a month ago and I am very happy with it, although I am by no means a flashlight expert. I ordered the one with the xp-g2 emitter. I think it is the newer model and has about 10 more lumens on high and slightly better run times. Had to order it from the US as they only have the older emitter ones in stock in OZ. Found it prefers lithium batteries and I would expect similar performance when I get around to getting eneloops batteries. It gets pulsations a (think its called pmw) on low and medium after cycling through the modes, but seems to stop when you turn it on and off again. The pulsations were worse / more often on alkalines and less now on lithiums. As I now know how to stop the pmw its not such an issue but one night when I was not feeling well the pmw made me so much worse I nearly threw the torch away! Hope this helps.
Close - it's called PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). I'm not sure why the PWM would occur more, or less, with different batteries, though. There's a really excellent post on PWM, on CPF: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?316080-PWM-What-is-it-How-does-it-work-and-how-to-detect-it (if this link ends up being non-approved by EDCF, my apologies. Feel free to remove it. In that event, go to candlepowerfourms, and look up PWM - What is it, How does it work and how to detect it. I've never experienced PWM with any of my Fenix lights. I'm afraid I don't have any LD series lights, so I can't speak from experience, about yours. I'm fairly sure they use constant current, but I could be wrong. I hope this helps.
Hi david57strat, thanks for bringing me up to speed on pwm with your link and advice. I specifically got the ld12 based on a lot of research, and one of the things I expected was it to be regulated, which I believe it is but I does strobe in low and medium. Since the last post I have come believe I was mistaken about the batteries having an effect but more certain about the strobing (pwm). It strobes after cycling through the modes with the front switch but stops when you turn off and on again with the rear clicky. I got one for my wife as well and hers behaves identical. I will try to capture a photo and post it. Really, now I know how to stop it, I carry it every day as an edc torch and I really enjoy it now.
Thanks for all your help y'all. I received my LD12 G2 version in the mail about two weeks ago. I've since put it through it's paces at work. I really like it. I love all the different modes. Used the lightest mode to check out some nice lacerations to a guy's face and then bumped the mode up when the cop tried to out-do me with his flashlight. My output beat his on only the 2nd mode. Then it came in handy on the cardiac arrest at midnight in a tiny dark room where of course we discovered the only available light source (lamp) was broken. I was the only one of us between my partner and two firefighters that had a light on me. Enabled my partner to get the IV in the EJ a lot easier than by feel alone. And countless other times it's been useful so far. And best of all, it has the pocket clip that I needed/wanted which was the whole reason I was willing to buy a new flashlight. I still have no desire to be a flashlight connoisseur, but I will say I'm happy with my purchase and think it was money well spent.
I got LD12 for me and my GF I wanted a tiny versitile light that shed actually carry lol And well i wanted one too cus it bein AA Awesome light and hasnt left my pocket since. And i have tons of fenix Lights. But really love the 12 Low is perfect and high is great I carry a TK15 on my pack also Showed it off to a work buddy and he got one for his daughter that needed a light And he liked it so much his wife got him one for fathers day lol Oh finally wore the battery out too. Was in strobe mode one morning and wouldnt Change. New battery and poof. Worked fine lol And the lady loves hers and was amazed how much she uses it and loves the brightness Levels and how small it is but not tiny Still wonders how she got along with out one lol
I have 3. One on one of my ARs, one I keep in the drawer beside my bed, and one that will be going in one of my BoBs. Love them and they are priced right.
..it's sooo true..love that lil light. It's perfect, small so I can carry it but nice n bright. I use it all the time
