Which fenix lights?

[Matt Schiff]

I know fenix flashlights are popular among racers. Without having them in your hand and checking out the light at night it's hard to pick through the selection and narrow it down. I'm not too tech savvy when it comes to LED bulbs so those specs don't mean too much. I know I prefer a yellower light but when I'm riding I'm not sure if it makes a big deal. There is also the choice of CR 123a or AA batteries to power the light. If you got one, which one do you use and why, and do you like it?

[bmike-vt]

ld-20, 2 aa, very happy with it. will pick up another one this year.
not sure on the led.

went ld 20 so i can use rechargeables at home, and grab lithiums on the road.

[Yagi]

Not sure which Fenix light I've got(I think it's the E11 LED), but it's small and it only uses 1 AA battery.  It's small, tough, and I love it.  Through my work, I've used lots of Surefires that use the CR123A batteries, and although they're awesome lights, I'd much rather have the AA batteries.  You can get AA's readily available almost anywhere, as opposed to a CR123A, which I think would be much harder to find on a tour.  Might mean the difference between carrying all your batteries with you, or being able to stop and stock back up on regular batteries.  Besides all that, most of my equipment runs on AA's, so interchangeability between devices is advantageous for me.

Good luck on the search.

Steve

[mtnbound]

bmike-vt - how long does your ld-20 last, using lithium?  I was thinking about these but I didn't think the charge lasted all that long.  I tried one with normal AAs, and it only last 50 minutes on high (never tried lithium).  

[Matt Schiff]

ld-20, 2 aa, very happy with it. will pick up another one this year.
not sure on the led.

I don't see the ld-20 but probably similar to the ld-22. Not sure it has any benefits for me over the E25 (but maybe it does?). I don't want too many brightness modes to cycle through or hit strobe when I mean to turn it off. I'd like a light that's easy to switch between 150-250 lumens as a bright mode and then 50-100 as a dim mode for hiking. That's what I had last year with the BD Ikon except the light isn't regulated and as you cycle through the modes turning it off is one of them.

[mtnbound]

Matt, you're right. They discontinued it.  The ld-22 looks similar, though. 

Anyone know how long that one lasts using lithium or regular AAs on high (real life testing, not the manufacturer's "claim")? 

Also, I agree that for racing/long distance bikepacking, AAs are much better (whether lithium or regular) since you can easily find AAs at grocery stores and gas stations while CR 123s are harder to find.  Plus, as Yagi notes, interchangeability is a big benefit.  You already carry extra batteries, why carry extra types of batteries?  I limit carrying batteries to AA and AAA, which run all electronics, lights, etc. (except for phone) and am working to limit it to just AAs.

[bmike-vt]

bmike-vt - how long does your ld-20 last, using lithium?  I was thinking about these but I didn't think the charge lasted all that long.  I tried one with normal AAs, and it only last 50 minutes on high (never tried lithium). 

seems like forever... but i've never done any real timed testing.
i rarely use high, usually medium.

i use this on my head. have a dinotte for the bars, although i like the ld20 (will have to look at the 22) enough that i'm likely to get one for the bars this year, so i can have a self contained light (no cords, batter pack to deal with).

[Gimmearaise]

and am working to limit it to just AAs.

All Spots are AAA...

[mikepro]

I've been trying out the LD-22R5's for the past 8 months (bought them for last summer's CTR), and based no my experience with them, I'm not going to use them for bikepacking/racing.  They (I bought 2 of them) are now just a handy shop light or flashlight for traveling by car.  I bought two of them 'cuz I wasn't convinced one would do it.  I didn't have any luck with Lithiums working in them, just regular AA would work.  I wanted the brightest light of the high setting during riding, not the low, but as mentioned above the duration of batts at this setting is 1 hr or less.  The low setting will go for awhile (+4hrs), but is too weak for me.  Yes, even with 2 of them.   The way I mounted them on my helmet, I had a lack of adjustability with the angle, so I ended up using BD Storm headlamp for the CTR and took 1 LD22 along for the ride as a back-up but never used it.  I'm sure the LD22's are workable as several other riders have used them with what they claim is good success, and maybe I could've gotten there with a better mounting system, but ... With the advances in LED technology with other types of bike lights (rechargeable batter pack type lights - getting brighter and smaller and lasting longer between charges), I'm thinking that's the way to go for me.  I'd much rather have 400 to 900 lumen super bright lights and deal with recharging every few days (or once somewhere in the middle of a CTR attempt), or take 2nd batter brick along for the ride?, instead of trying to navigate darkness with 100 to 200 lumens while super tired.  This being said, I'm still very much in the evaluation phase of comparing lighting systems.  Ultimately, what I'm saying is, with my experience, there's too much involved with figuring out to mount Fenix LD22s and not enough advantages over a BD Storm type of headlamp to justify the Fenix lights (Fenix flashlights not that much brighter, or lighter, nor last that much longer).

[Matt Schiff]

  Ultimately, what I'm saying is, with my experience, there's too much involved with figuring out to mount Fenix LD22s and not enough advantages over a BD Storm type of headlamp to justify the Fenix lights (Fenix flashlights not that much brighter, or lighter, nor last that much longer).

does the storm have regulated output or does it dim throughout the life of the batteries. that's the problem I have with my ikon

[Adam Alphabet]

does the storm have regulated output or does it dim throughout the life of the batteries. that's the problem I have with my ikon

It dims quite a bit over time. Lasts a fair while with lithium's but is pretty useless towards the end of their life span. I bought an LD22 (AA) to experiment with this year. I will probably pick up another to have one on the bars one on the helmet. I have to yet to play with with figuring out an adjustable light mount though. That will be pretty key for me in terms of their usefulness.

[mikepro]

does the storm have regulated output or does it dim throughout the life of the batteries. that's the problem I have with my ikon

Second that.  The BD Storm model I have had dimmed throughout the life of batts.  3 years old and just went in the garbage a month ago - none other than reached it's point of life expectancy. It served me well.  In the market for something better.

[mikepro]

This discussion, although topic is about GPS, is one that remember where last year's top TDR winners chime in about their different lighting setups.  I'm trending towards getting dialed with a rechargeable brick battery and 900 lumens rather than "s#!t scary" feeble AA lights.  Took me awhile to search it, but here's the link:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,4917.msg41023.html#msg41023

So, on one hand, there's Ollie, with the rechargeable set-up loses time on recharges, and loses time resting and waiting for daylight on the final push 'cuz his battery is dead, but makes good time in the dark with super bright lights (when they are working); versus Craig with his dual Fenix flashlights hanging from aero bars, that are dim, but always has some AA to keep 'em shining.  Presumably Craig had a headlamp, too. Craig's dual Fenix set-up is visible here http://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/craig-stappler-tour-divide-2012/ and what I tried to emulate on CTR with limited success.

[murf]

Not to hijack and add other brands to the mix but I have had great success using a coast px25 flash light on my helmet it runs on triple a's has 208 lumens and ive used it for 6 hours before.
 attached to the ends of my aero bars I have a led lenzer h7 that has 150 lumens and lasts for about 10 hours on 3 triple a's with the power slide at the half way point.
Both lights combined were about $60 at home depot or lowes
http://www.coastportland.com/px25-led-flashlight.htm
http://www.ledlenser.com/headlamp/lightweight/h7


Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Woodland]

It wouldn't be a true thread about lights without talking mounts. 

What kind of mount is that your using in the pic murf?

[GrizzlyAdam]

I've just put together a refreshed bikepacking light set up, (upgrading from 2 PT Eos lights) and so far, I'm really happy with it. I'm using 2 Fenix PD32 flashlights, one on the helmet, one on the bars. I picked up 2 mounts from Twofish, and they fit the lights perfectly.

The PD32 runs at 130 lumens for 8 hours (claimed) and 315 lumens for 2 hours. It uses 2 CR123's, and while I was hesitant to make that commitment because of availability, I realized that 10 CR123 batteries only weigh ~5 oz. The light, with 2 batteries is around 3.5 oz. I think for any race or ride that isn't the Tour Divide, carrying a few CR123s is perfectly viable. My SteriPen runs on the CR123s also, so I will be carrying a few anyway.

If I ever race a lap 24 hour race again, I'd use the PD32s without hesitation. At their brightest setting, they are BRIGHT. The lowest setting is plenty of light for slogging up a hike-a-bike, or climbing a smooth dirt road. The 2 and 3 settings (there are 4 light levels, plus SOS) are both bright enough for regular riding. I feel like these were the lights we all dreamed about having (but never thought would happen) 5 years ago when I was doing more solo 24 stuff. Small, super light, really bright, interchangeable batteries.

All that said, the LD22 is also a very nice light. My dad has one, and aside from being very long, I like it. It's not as bright as the PD32, but then, bright lights are not always a priority in a bikepack setting.

Fenix also has a PD32 Turbo that has a 700 lumen setting, and a line of bike-specific lights that look promising.

The great thing about a flashlight, however, is that it's valuable away from the bike. I keep one of my 32s on my bedside table.

[murf]

the mount is made for a POV camera . i bought it a few years ago and remember it being quit a bit more then $8. it's nice to see that it's so cheap now.
http://vio-pov.com/products-mounts/double-hook-and-loop-mount.html

[GrizzlyAdam]

Twofish offerings:

Helmet mount: http://www.twofish.biz/attach-a-pump/blog
Bar mount: http://www.twofish.biz/attach-a-light/lockblocks-flashlight-holder

[mtnbound]

Grizzly Adam, I am curious if you would run a test sometime and see how the long the PD32 light actually lasts at either setting (the 135 or 340)(their website says 135 lumen for 8hr 15 min and 340 lumen at 2hr 30 min), before dropping off in brightness.  Is it regulated?

I have noticed that light manufacturer's seem to grossly exaggerate the battery life of their lights (I know that battery life is subject to lots of factors but it doesn't seem like any come close to their representations, or they exaggerate the battery life without disclosing that the brightness fades considerably after X hours/minutes so, yes it last XX hours but the lumen/brightness dropped off measurably after X hrs). Even lights that claim they are regulated will sometimes have their brightness drop off well before the light shuts off.  The PD32 seems like a good light but, for backpacking, I find it is useful to know how good battery life is at a fixed lumen before the brightness or lumen drops off.  Thanks!! 

[Matt Schiff]

Thanks for all the replies and discussion. I started the post really just to compare fenix type lights but have since realized there are several manufacturers that make quality flashlights. Since I'll be riding the CTR I haven't considered stuff that needs to charge and don't want a dyno hub or a solar usb charging kit. That leaves replaceable batteries like AAA, AA or CR123a, or carrying all your battery power with proprietary lithium batteries. The latter can get expensive so when I read Jesse J. did that with Ay-up lights, I tried to calculate the cost but it must be $400 easy for the supplies. So I'm pretty set on replaceables, especially because I don't night ride any other time of year. For some reason when I bought my BD Ikon I thought it was regulated but I must have confused it with some Princton Tech lights, and if it had been, I wouldn't be on this search. The CR123/18500 last longer and even though they might be harder to get on the road, they're cheap online and i could purchase some rechargeables for when I'm not racing, but truth be told I do make purchases exclusive for the CTR on stuff I never expect to use except for a similar race. So I've been reading some more about the fenix type flashlights to understand LED types and what to expect in terms of throw versus flood and what color temperature. I've also read that the claimed run times are low because they are tested with the battery type that lasts the longest. For AA that is Nimh rechargables. Alkaline might only give you 1/2 the claimed time. For anyone else geeking out, candlepower forums has plenty to read through