QwHi guys. Im an auto mechanic and need a good light for work. I cant justify a $250 streamlight stinger off the snap on truck like everyone else. While im not opposed to spending a good chunk of change on a light, i would just rather find a small, bright light i can use at work and carry in my front pocket as an EDC light. Im leaning towards a fenix pd35 but am all ears for suggestions. Thanks guys!!
Basic questions: 1. Budget? 2. Battery preference? (AA, AAA, CR123, etc.) 3. Preference for size: single cell, double cell, etc. 4. Preference for activation: clicky (a button somewhere to push) or a twisty (twist the head until the light turns on, loosen to turn off)
1. $150-$200 for light, quality batteries, and 2 chargers. One for home, one for work. 2 Im torn between single cell cr123's for the small size or an 18650/ 2x cr123. 3. Must be rear clicky type. Prefer no reverse clicky but i can live with it.
PD35 is what I eventually changed over to, from a bunch of different 1xcr123 lights (novatac, D25c mini, i1EOS, etc). It WILL carry comfortably in my front pocket. it has a fwd clicky rear switch, and the side button for changing levels/strobe. The only blinky mode is strobe, and you have to WANT strobe to see strobe. Nice! I like it on the 18650 format. No reverse charge issues, and it maximizes output if I want it. I wish it had a moonlight mode, but the low isn't bad...just a little bright for night-adapted eyes. I did buy the red lens cover for it which works well.
IMO, the best combo is as follows: Solarforce L2P host ($20) Nailbender P60 ($35) Nitecore Intellicharger i2/i4 ($20) Protected Panasonic or AW 18650 rechargeables ($10-20 each) That puts your total investment around $115. Should you run out of juice in your batteries, you can run it on 2xCR123 in a pinch.
That was my only fear about the pd35, was how well it carrys. About how much does it stick out of your pocket? Im by no means a deep carry snob when it comes to knives but from the pictures ive seen of the pd35, it might be too much for my liking. I could always make a semi deep pocket clip i suppose. With the solorforce host and p60 drop in, what can i expect out of it as far as lumens and run time. Im a flashlight noob, sorry!! I need a fairly long runtime (2-3 hours) on about a 2-300 lumen setting. I dont need crazy throw, or crazy flood. Just a happy medium.
+1 on the PD35. I have one and it's great. But honestly, there isn't much you can't do with a single CR123 light these days. Plenty of modes. Plenty bright. Decent run times. I'm becoming a high CRI fan and have been carrying the Nichia 219 version of the a Eagletac D25C pretty much constantly since it arrived a week or so ago. The Ti version is on sale at the Eagletac-USA site by the way. I also like the Jetbeam RRT01. Not high CRI but a good beam. Mag ring control is a great UI and this one dials down below usable light. It also handles an 18350 rechargeable which might be nice in your scenario. The deepest carry clip model I have is a Sunwayman M11R. Another mag ring UI but this one is three mode (versus continuous like the RRT01) off-low-med-high. All are highly recommended. Ken
It depends on what type you get, but getting 3 hours at 300 lumens is absolutely doable. I'd suggest going to customlites.com (Nailbender's web store) and checking them out. I think you'd be best served with a high/med/low unit in either XPG2 or XML. You can also email Nailbender (or Dave) through the site and pick his brain - he should be able to recommend something perfect for you.
Thanks for confiming my decision guys. I just oredered the PD35 with 3 chargers. One for home, one for work, and one for my truck. For now i will be running CR123's as i blew my "allowance" for the week between the light and a few tools off the snap on truck. Ill have to post a few pics of my current edc gear.
