Fenix L2D CE, Black, 135 Lumens Reviews

• ideal everyday carry light

  
  By A14J87NHJAGPYR on 2007-04-11
  This powerful flashlight sports a Cree XLamp 7090-XR module. Cree XLamp 7090-XR modules are the newest LED technology and have the highest efficiency (lumens per watt) of all LED modules currently on the market, beating out even the latest generation Luxeons by a comfortable margin.
  
  Because of its high drain nature, this type of flashlight functions better with NiMH or lithium batteries than with regular alkaline batteries. I will probably put some low self discharge(Rayovac Hybrid or Sanyo Eneloop) NiMH batteries in it. For car use, I prefer the 2 AA size because it is much easier to hold than the puny 1 AA size and the batteries last longer and it's brighter than the 1 AA version to boot.
  
  Take the battery life specs with a huge grain of salt as the stated battery life at different settings are grossly optimistic. There is a HUGE variance between the specs and objective battery life test results reported on a well known flashlight review site. At the 135 lumen Turbo mode, the specs state the batteries last for 2.4 hrs., but actual 3rd-party tests show that alkalines last only 41 minutes and 2650mAH NiMH batteries last only 1 Hr. 50 minutes. At the 80 lumen level, the spec says 4 hrs., but tests show 1 Hr. 41 min. with alkalines and 4 hr. 51 mins. with 2650mAH NiMH batteries. Keep in mind that the 3-rd party test results are based on measurement when the output falls to 50% of the starting output, but the battery life drops off like a rock after the 50% mark, especially with NiMH batteries, so the 50% mark is a good measure of practical battery life.
  
  At 6" long, it's about the same length as a 2-AA Mag-lite, only it's slightly thinner than the Mag-lite, especially in the head area. I'd rate it as only dunkable. The o-ring seals are not tight enough for it to be diveable.
  
  Like many fixed focus LED flashlights, this light has a rather wide beam. This means the beam radiates out from the light source at a somewhat large angle. This makes it an ideal light for close range use, but it doesn't work that well as a long range spotlight because the throw isn't all that great. Even at the turbo setting with its very large 135 lumens, the beam is so wide and so diffuse beyond 20 feet (think of it as a very bright floodlight) that it's essentially useless beyond 50 ft. to 60 ft. This is not a design flaw of the light. It's just a design philosophy of Fenix that it favors a beam with a broader angle for close range use. A narrow spot beam doesn't give good coverage for objects up close, plus a tight spot beam will be far too blindingly bright up close. Fixed focus lights always involve some compromise. In terms of my personal use, more than 99% of the objects I ever illuminate with a flashlight are well within the 50 feet range, so to me a broad beam pattern definitely is more useful than a tight spot beam.
  
  Its lowest setting at 9 lumens has about the same brightness and intensity as a 2AA Maglite with a xenon bulb. Combined with the broad beam, the lowest setting gives the perfect light source for map reading inside a car without interfering with your night vision. And when you need a brighter beam, just gently push the tail button once or twice to toggle to the higher intermediate settings, or twist the front cap to switch to the turbo mode. The SOS mode is kind of a nuisance, but you can quickly bypass it.
  
  The instruction doesn't show the owner how to properly attach the lanyard. The tailcap has two holes and the lanyard has to thread through both holes using a paper clip in order for the lanyard to function correctly. If the lanyard is only threaded through one hole, the flashlight won't stand firmly on its end. The notch in the endcap is not needed if the lanyard is fastened correctly. To do this, thread the lanyard through one hole starting from the outside. Then thread it back out the other hole starting from the inside. Then pass the hand strap through the tiny loop of the string. Once it's done this way, you'll see you don't need the notch. The notch is only needed if you threaded the first hole starting from the inside out, which you shouldn't have done.
  
  I'm not sure what the previous reviewer's complaint about the holster is all about. The back of the holster is made with a double ply webbing. There is an opening between the two plies for the belt to slip through to form a secure attachment without requiring the owner to buy anything extra. An alternative method of attaching the holster to the belt is to buy a cheap carabiner or keyring and attach it to the plastic ring on the holster and then hook the carabiner or keyring to the belt or backpack or something.
  
  Lastly the sales literature's reference to "6 output levels" is marketing fluff. It's actually only 4 output levels, i.e. 9, 40, 80, and 135 lumens, along with two additional output modes besides the steady mode. The strobe mode is at the 135 lumens level and the SOS mode is at the 80 lumens level.
  
  It's a very versatile light, not cheap, but definitely worth the $55 price.
  
  

• As good as it gets in a small light

  
  By A2SY62XT85J1N5 on 2007-03-04
  I own several Cree based Fenix lights, all provide incredible performance by any standard that AAA and AA cell lights are judged.
  
  Fenix CE lights I own are:
  
  L0D CE - 1 AAA battery
  L1D CE - 1 AA battery
  L2D CE - 2 AA batteries
  P1D CE - 1 CR123 (3 Volt)
  
  These are all versatile and bright beyond anything in the past that used conventional incandescent bulbs. The first time someone who has only experience with conventional flashlights uses one of these new generation Cree LED lights, they are literally astonished at how powerful they are. The smallest light, the L0D (single AAA battery), on its bright setting is more powerful than a 2 D cell Maglight. The L1D on a AA outperforms a 3 cell easily and the L2D had more punch than a 6 cell. And all will run longer as well.
  
  The L0D CE is a very tiny single AAA pocket light has more output than a 2 D cell incandescent and will probably be sufficient for most people as an EDC (Every Day Carry) flashlight. I carry one and it's all I need 99% of the time.
  
  The L1D CE is a single AA pocket light with an output that leaves little to be desired. An excellent EDC by any standard.
  
  The L2D CE (2 AA) will rarely leave a user wanting something more powerful. It's incredibly bright at its highest output while still having a dim (9 lumens) mode that can be used to light a menu in a restaurant without blinding the rest of the guests. I personally would have preferred the dim mode to be even more dim, probably around 5-6 lumens, but 9 is still OK, and at that level it will run for days.
  
  Being just slightly longer than a 2 AA Mag, the L2D is not really a pocket light, but with the addition of a pocket clip on the tail end, it slips into and rides quite comfortably in a side pocket. I've carried it this way all day in a suit without being aware of it and it makes almost no bulge.
  
  The L2D has 6 output levels (see specs) and their easy to select. I find some of the outputs that are common to all Fenix CE lights (strobe, SOS) to be mostly useless, but neither do they get in the way. At the highest output level (Turbo Mode), of 135 lumens, the L2D can nearly serve as a backup headlight for a car and it will maintain that level for over 2 hours!
  
  The P1D CE uses a single CR123 (3 volt battery) and it's small enough to be a pocket light, although it is a bit fat and will make a fair sized lump. It essentially shares the same attributes as the L2D CE with regard to output. It has fewer output choices (2 vs 6 for the L2D CE) but still remains a very small, very powerful light.
  
  I cycle a lot and I've used the L2D CE (also the P1D CE) as a headlight on my road bike. Even on a fast, heads down ride with speeds of 20-25 mph, it's very good on High Mode (90 lumens) and excellent on Turbo Mode (135 lumens), equaling the output of my conventional 13 watt halogen bike light that uses a 2 pound water bottle battery. And all that from a couple of AA batteries! Incredible!
  
  A word about batteries:
  
  These lights don't function at their best using common alkaline batteries. Alkalines have some trouble delivering the high current that these lights want if they're to perform at their best. Although some people might object to the higher cost of the top quality batteries, let's be frank about it; if your comfortable paying $40-$75 for a pocket light when you could grab a 2 AA light a WallMArt for a couple of bucks, then the cost of batteries isn't likely to be a much of an issue. What you want is performance, and that's what these lights give you. Feed them well and don't complain.
  
  The L0D works best using a Lithium battery and you'll get quite a bit more run time from it as well.
  
  The L1D and L2D use AA batteries. Alkaline batteries work reasonably well but for best performance use either high quality rechargeable NIMH batteries (2500MA) or disposable Lithium batteries. Both will give better brightness and runtime over common Alkaline batteries.
  
  No one can go wrong with any of these lights and all of them represent nearly the "State of the Art" at this time in personal or pocket lights while still maintaining a reasonable cost.
  
  AFH
  
  
  

• Blinded by the light!

  
  By A2JVTIF4ZN1P9D on 2007-04-09
  This is simply an unbelievable light! It uses just 2 AA batteries (alkaline work fine and are inexpensive, but rechargeable NiMH best, especially the Eneloop LSD, which give you great shelf life for intermittant use and have a better energy delivery than alkalines), and is essentially the size of a MagLite 2AA, but that's where the similarities end (well, they are both black, too!).
  
  I've used MagLites for years; they're the "standard" for a daily use (e.g. non-military/police/special use) light. But, the bulbs burn out and they're really only bright with brand new batteries. Their light constantly and quickly dims. LED's, on the other hand, can last 50K hours (what this one is rated); that's 5.7 YEARS of continuous light, 24/7/365! They're tremendously more energy efficient, giving many more hours of light given the same driving batteries. They can also be "regulated" as this one is, to put out a pretty steady amount of light until the very end of the battery's life. What's not to like? Well, until recently, they're really not "projecting" or distance lights, which is what I prefer and need. They put their light out over a fairly short distance. Not any more!
  
  I have a 6 D cell MagLite (huge, and weighs a ton), and recently had the opportunity to compare the light given out by that device with this virtually pocket sized little beauty - remember, it uses only 2 AA cells. Staggering! I was able to see as clearly, at distance, with this light! The light is also very "pure" and the beam is extremely uniform, with a bright center and a uniform spillover around the center beam. The end of the incandescent may be near!
  
  The only minor quibble was the holster. Very nicely made, solid appearing, but doesn't readily hook onto a belt by itself. I found that one of my old MagLite 2AA holsters works just fine due to the size similarities of the 2 lites, and works better for my needs.
  
  You won't regret this purchase. I've been shopping for quite a while for a newer LED light, doing lots of comparisons and waiting for this light to come along. Very nearly went for a 123 cell light, but I'm a bit concerned over some of the reports of cell explosions (search the web, you'll see a lot written about this). There's lots of very interesting discussion about this apparently rather rare problem, acknowledged by battery retailers, and after reading the debates, I decided to stay with the tried and true (not to mention much cheaper and widely available) alkaline and/or NiMH AA's. If I need new batteries in a pinch, I can get them anywhere, cheaply (single use 123 cells at a local store are as much as $5-6 each!). This Cree LED apparently gives a little more performance with a 123, but for the reasons above I decided to forego the small performance edge to go with this product, and am COMPLETELY happy with the purchase!
  
  

• In the competition

  
  By A3G5SJ0OYGTFXE on 2007-09-19
  I did quite a bit of research before settling on this item which I gave to my son-in-law to use while serving in Iraq with the Army. I had previously given a SureFire to my Marine son who used his in Iraq. Thought we'd see how they compare in a real-time environment. The Fenix has been a hit and has become a show-off piece amongst the troops. They really like the automatic SOS feature. That it uses AA batteries is a bonus because they are readily available (unlike the SureFire) though, if at all possible, you want to keep it loaded with lithiums rather than the standard AAs. Its durability has been very good thus far (the SureFire fared a little worse but, then again, it--along with my son--survived an IED explosion). It's a lot of light with a lot of options in a small package with a fair price. Not five-star because of Fenix's poor user instructions--you shouldn't have to search the Internet to find out from others how to use its features. Also, the packaging was crushed because of the poor mailing container of the seller.
  
  

• The best 2 "AA cell" flashlight by far!

  
  By A3VTOLNB5N6FVP on 2007-03-10
  I've had this light in my collection for about 4 weeks now and must say it's the light
  to have. Yes, $54 is a lot but if you depend on a bright effecient well made
  torch this one is worth it. I have a number of Luxeon flashlights and my best 3 watt
  doesn't touch this Cree LED, drawing the same power the output is much brighter!
  It has 6 levels, 4 are steady output, and the others are SOS and a fast strobe.
  Look out for deals on shipping, I got burned by a big seller of Fenix lights who sent
  me a defective one, it was clearly tampered with before I got it. Free shipping isn't always
  what it seems.
  
  
• Great light for the Buck$
  By AMUV9P53ALH71 on 2007-04-03
  I've had several high perforamnce LED falshlights this is a remarkable deal, 53 bucks and it compares to my $270.00 Sure fire U2. Great little light. Then of course you get a good quality smart AA NiMH charger and some powerex 2700 mh AA and you're good to go. I would not hestiate to recommend this light. Don't belive me... [...]
  
  
• Very good light output but turbo mode damages flashlight
  By A485MAQ6M5335 on 2007-06-24
  I recently purchased this LED flashlight. I am pretty happy with it - it outshines an old maglight I was using by a considerable amount. However there are several issues that I do not like:
  
  1 - The batteries shake around laterally inside the unit - The interior was machined to be too large a diameter.
  
  2 - Although nothing in the documentation warns you not to run the light in Turbo mode for long periods of time, a Fenix representative has informed me that using Turbo mode for long periods of time can damage the LED permanently reducing the light output of this unit. I don't think a product is well designed if it is not safe to use it continously.
  
  3 - This flashlight rolls around when placed on flat surfaces.
  
  
• Bright, long battery life, and takes no gup from nobody
  By AISWT1XKI3A7D on 2007-12-15
  I bought this last year and it's served me very well as a replacement to the industry-standard MiniMag. As a professional lighting technician, I'm constantly stuck in the dark, making a good flashlight incredibly important. A few weeks ago, I helped load-out a concert that had been set up on a swampy garden site in the middle of the night. Our Lull forklift had no lights on it, so guiding it up and down a narrow path between a pond and a sharp hill was a challenge. On its brightest intensity, this guy cut right up the path, outperforming and outlasting even the big hand-lamp the operator was trying to use.
  
  The weight and size are great. It's light enough to tack on your belt and forget about it, or bite on for a hand's free lighting experience without straining your jaw too much. Being about MiniMag size, it fits in a variety of tool pouches meant to carry multi-tools and flashlights. It's put up with a rough time on my belt with surprisingly few scratches and no dents at all.
  I found no real use for the lanyard and the strobe modes are pretty annoying. I'm sure SOS could come in handy if I was out camping, but when you're looking for plain illumination, it can get in the way. The high power strobe is even more useless. I find I don't tend to use the two medium intensities much, either. If low isn't bright enough, the 135 lumen turbo mode will do the trick.
  The AA cell power source is great. I've had lights that used N-cells, which are a pain to find in a hurry. I've been using NiMH rechargeable AAs for a while with decent success. In time, I find that gunk builds up on the contacts, causing the light to flicker, and unwittingly switch modes. But some rubbing alcohol or even scratching at it with a fingernail cleans them up.
  
  It's pricier now than it was when I bought it. I suspect FenixLight discontinued it in favor of the version 2. If that's anything like this, it's well worth the extra money if you rely on a flashlight at work.
  
  
• Great Light!
  By A2V5A0S2405YGO on 2007-03-30
  I own many flashlights and use them in my job. One of my favorites is the sure fire Z2, which is a great flashlight and i use it often. This new Fenix with the Cree LED is a wonder!! Great throw, increased lumens all on 2AAs. No messing around with expensive CR123 batteries. I highly reccomend this flashlight..its moved into my #1 spot for daily use!
  
  
• brightest
  By A2YHXGPCTENZY3 on 2007-05-10
  This has replaced my D cell Maglights. Output levels give you choice between long life and blinding white light. Is difficult to distinguish between low and lowest. Lowest still bright enough for all house tasks and almost too bright for tent reading.
  
  Output far exceeds Luxeon models. Cree LEDs are more efficient than Luxeon, less waste heat per lumen.
  
  Unscrewing the tail cap will lock out accidental activation, but will back switch components out of tail housing. Switch will not function if not seated in tail housing. Repair requires pointed object (or special two prong wrench you'll never own) to screw it back down. This should have been addressed with Locktite at factory.
  
  I only use AA lithium batteries, they don't leak and have very long shelf life.
  
  EDIT-
  One of my two units has problems. After very little use high mode flickers. New batteries didn't help.
  
  

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