Customer Reviews

Fenix L2D 6 Level High Performance Cree LED Flashlight (Black)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

Having tried out a regular L2D-CE and being impressed I decided to see if this Q5 was any better. Essentially, the Q5 is exactly like the L2D-CE with the same battery runtime but is brighter on all modes. This is what really peaked my interest in this light. As advertised, it lives up to this claim much to my joy as companies don't always deliver what they promise.

The turbo mode of 180 Lumens (vs 135 for the L2D-CE) is just incredible power for such a small flashlight running on just 2 AA batteries. For those wondering if I can really see the difference between the two, the answer is absolutely yes. This flashlight is astonishingly bright on Turbo mode, so bright that's it's like someone shrunk a larger handheld spotlight into something as small as a mini-maglite!

To me though the coolest thing about this flashlight is being able to run it on "Low mode" (12 Lumens) for 80 hours straight if you run Energizer E2 Lithium batteries (around 55 hrs on low mode on Alkalines) but having the ability to switch to different modes, all the way up to an incredible 180 Lumens if you really need a bright light.

I bought this as an outdoors\camping light because of the its extreme runtime on Low mode but also having the versatility of a brighter light if needed. FYI Low Mode (12 Lumens) is about as bright as a late model mini-maglight (non-LED) if not brighter so this mode has enough light most basic tasks.

The clicking tailcap is easy to use and seems to work well so far. Overall just a monster flashlight in a very small package.

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

Unbelievable! I received my L2D-RB100 a few days ago and am utterly amazed just how much light this 2AA flashlight can produce. I have no scientific light measurement equipment, but doing the backyard-eyeball test, this light looks as bright as my 6D cell Mag-lite. It looks like it's two or three times as bright as my 3D cell Mag-lite.

Here are a few observations (Skip to the end if you just want the bottom line summary):

- The L2D-RB100 seems as bright as my Mag-6D, however the Mag does a better job as a spot light (when focused to a tight beam). Both the Mags yellow-incandescent light and adjustable focus made it possible to easily light up and see depth and texture of the tops of trees that were many hundreds of feet away. With the L2D there is a bright center spot, however there is a ton of spill around the edges that seems to light up every dust/water molecule in the air and washes out your long distance view.

- On the flip side, because the L2D has a lot of spill, it is fantastic for lighting up a room or outside space that is relatively close. It has a bright center and smoothly spills out with no rings, dead spots, etc. With my Mag-lites if I de-focus the beam to get a broad light there is always a large dead-spot in the center.

- The L2D has a strobe mode. Some say it's good for self-defense but frankly I would much rather have my 6D Mag-lite if I ever found myself in that position. The L2D strobe is almost as disorienting to the user as the recipient and then what? Are you going to knock the guy out with your 5 ounce Fenix? I could see using the strobe in a signaling/rescue situation though.

- The fit and finish of the L2D is outstanding. The shape is rather odd with so many different diameters along the barrel, however it feels fine in my hand. The click switch in the end is very crisp and works well. I wish Fenix would have designed the controller to start in whatever mode I last used. As it's currently designed, when you turn it off, it reverts to the default settings.

- The light from the Rebel-100 LED looks yellow-green to me. Sounds awful but it's actually pretty good. I like it better than the blue-white that a lot of LED's produce.

- Dirty little secret, that I didn't discover until purchasing the L2D, is that the instructions say you shouldn't use the "turbo" mode (175 Lumens) for more than 10 minutes at a time or it may harm the battery/flashlight... So it seems that turbo mode is targeted for a quick look-see, using the strobe, or showing off how much light this tiny light can produce.

- I considered the Surefire 6P which I think looks nicer, and is domestically built, however I could not bring myself to buy a light that uses $2.00 batteries (CR123A) when I can get AA's for $.20 each.

Summary
------------
It won't replace every flashlight I have, but it's easily the best all around flashlight that I own! With the exception of extreme spot-light use or baseball-bat emulation (self defense), the L2D covers all my hand held lighting needs. I can't comment on the long term Fenix reliability having owned it for only a week.

Pros: Uses cheap AA batteries. Amazing light output (175 Lumens). Very good for broad illumination (hiking-trails, indoor-use, etc.) Superb light pattern with no dead spots/rings. Multiple light output modes lets you choose battery life/brightness trade off for different situations. Excellent fit/finish.

Cons: Not as good for spot light use. Many modes (but no "remember-last") make for lots of clicking. Limited to 10 minute run time in turbo mode.

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!

I bought this flashlight a few months ago to take to Egypt so I could pretend I'm an explorer and crawl around inside of things and illuminate dark areas. Compared to a regular flashlight I was using and that I thought was bright, the Fenix L2D completely obliterated the other flashlight.

True story: I got to go inside the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Cairo and since it was dark (and extremely humid, but that's another story), everyone had their flashlights out. I pulled out this flashlight and overpowered their flashlights so much that I attracted a few people who were interested in what I was shining my light on and even got a few "wows" out of how bright this was. And this was even without it being super bright!

I haven't used the other two modes - the rapid flashing or the super bright mode that much. The rapid flashing will literally cause disorientation if you shine it at someone (good if you're a police officer, bad if you're a robber.)

I never thought that I'd care about flashlights or just thought that Maglites were the awesome ones. Ever since I got this, I'm extremely happy and overwhelmed at the sheer awesomeness of this.

This is a great little flashlight. With 2 regular batteries, it was brighter than my Surefire flashlight. At half the price of a comparable Surefire flashlight, you can't beat the value. My rechargeable lights keep dying on me. Being able to use regular batteries and not having to worry about a dead (rechargeable) flashlight is a life saver. I was totally amazed by the amount of light produced. Also the light is easy to turn on and off. No need to rotate anything. Just push the end cap to turn on and with each tap (on the end cap), changes the setting. Very fast and easy. It comes with a nylon holster that you can easily attach to your sam browne belt.

OK, I'm an engineer without stars in my eyes. Here is what to expect from the L2D Q5. The build-quality is 90 out 100. The chinese are getting much better,but it isn't German quality. It's on-par with a US-built product.
Fit and finish are excellent.

The Switch is fine. Depression pressure to actuate it is just right. Cycling through the modes works perfectly.

The Cree LED puts out a very nice color temperature. I was surprised at how nice. the light is white with a very slight green tinge - a good tinge. It is superior to ANY LED flashlight I own. Light output at 12 lumens is the same illumination as a Brinkman 2xAA. At the next step up, it is a serious light..similar to a 5 cell brinkman incandescent. At 105 lumens it is dam bright. This is the level at which you can light up an area at night. The transision from it's hot spot in the center to the flooded area is nice...about exactly what you would want most.
At Turbo 180 lumens it perks up about 50% and for short periods, you can amaze yourself. Let's get real. It doesn't look like a million candle power flood. That said, your eyes won't need 30 minutes to re-adjust to the dark once you turn it off. The strobe mode is fast and powerful.
The SOS mode is too slow for me (being a code man)...but anyone would recognize it as SOS.

That's it. Would I buy it again? Sure. It it a massive light blaster that will set paper on fire? No. It's pretty dam cool over-all.

After ordering this Fenix L2D CE Q5 180 lumens, I was very anxious to use it. This little flashlight is amazing! 6 light settings, 180 max lumens, throw and distance is very good, the best I've seen for this size. I really don't think anyone can get a better deal than Fenix brand.

For those who are hesitant to spend $60, well its worth it. See some youtube videos you'd be surpised, and even that, its much brither in real life. I've tried it in backyard at night, its like a giant spot light. Any intruders would be disoriented and annoyed by the strobe effect.

Incandescent is the thing of the past, circuit regulated LED's are the future. Save yourself money and stop spending on expensive surefires or other ones that uses lithium CR123A batteries, this is the one to get!

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.