For an objective review, I must tell you two things: 1. I just received this flashlight two days ago, and 2. I am already a big fan of Fenix lights.
That being said, what a great little light! I bought this after my positive experience with the Fenix PD30, so I already had high expectations. The light did not disappoint.
The Build: Quality. The machining is excellent, the seals good, the fit on the parts is tight but not impossible to move, and the button has a good feel to it. It is easily turned on with my mildly arthritic thumb, and it has a momentary switch in the endcap. The knurling is nice, and though the finger tabs are small, they are also not obtrusive in your pocket, so I am going to say that they are a plus.
The Light: Blinding. I am probably going to get sued by one of my workers... I shined it at him to be funny from about forty feet away...he was not amused. I tested it at different distances, both inside a building and outside.
Inside it lit up the hallways even when the lights were already on. The longest hallway in our building is 104 feet long, and the light put up a circle at that distance that was about 10-12 feet by 10-12 feet, with another 10 feet of spill on each side. The circle was bright white and easily definable. Outside it was no less than excellent. I walked down the alley where it is totally black. When I finally turned the light on I sent all sorts of rats and raccoons scrambling. I shined it into a yard that was about 75 feet away and it became essentially daylight. I have read reviews that compare it to a car headlight. I would say that is true, if it was the halogen headlight on my pickup truck, focused a little tighter.
The low power is more than enough, and reminds me of the old D Cell days. I spent a couple of hours out in the cold playing around, and saw no decrease in power, which is what I expected with the flat regulation. I am hoping this will be similar to my other Fenix lights, and that it will meet the manufacturers specs regarding length of use. I am using two rechargeable CR123's, and felt no shake from the batteries.
Overall I am very pleased, and felt it was worth the money.