Hitchcraft – Fenix E12 Ring Fob

My new Fenix E12 was mentioned as playing a helpful role in this happy story.

I’m sure arguments have raged for years on CandlePowerForums over which battery is the best, but I just gravitate towards lights that run on commonly available / rechargeable AA or AAA batteries. (18650 and CR123 batteries aren’t going to be found if I have to stop at a gas station along a highway in northern Ontario.) And I’m especially a fan of single AA lights. Maybe not the brightest, or the longest run time, for my needs they’re okay.

I have been a very happy user of a Fenix L1D for years, but wanted another, similar light.

I had been carrying this around in various pockets since getting it, intending to whip up a pouch for it. I also had grand schemes to take lots of photographs before I put this fobby, ringy thing on it. Like the pouch, neither idea was realized.

The fobby, ringy thing was realized this afternoon, and the pouch will be soon as well.

Details for all the flashaholics. 

Runs on one 1.5V AA battery, which powers a Cree XP-E2 LED with a 50,000 hour lifespan. Made of aircraft-grade aluminum with a Type III hard-anodized finish. It’s 90mm (3.54") long, with a 19mm (0.75") diameter, and a weight of 28.5gm (1.0 oz) without the battery. (1 AA cell can weigh between 15 g (0.81 oz) to 31 g (1.1 oz) ).Pressing the tail cap all the way down clicks the flashlight on or off. When it comes on it is at its lowest setting, 8 lumens, which will run for 40 hours on a Ni-MH and 22 hours with an alkaline battery. A tap on the tail cap, bumps it up to the mid level, 50 lumens which runs for 6½ hours on a Ni-MH and 3½ hours with an alkaline battery. Another tap bumps it up to its highest setting level, 130 lumens, which runs for 1½ hours on a Ni-MH and 1 hour with an alkaline battery. It’s digitally regulated, meaning that the the power drawn from the battery remains at a constant the whole time. No slowly waning light over a long time. Bright, even light for a given period, and then it dies. The maximum distance the light will reach out to is 88 meters (289'). It is rated to survive a drop from 1 meter (3.3'), and has an IPX-8 rating to be waterproof to a depth of 2 meters for 30 minutes.

Unlike the L1D I have, only one side of the light opens up, the bottom (light end).There is no tail cap switch out, but the, end you open to get at the battery takes care of that by rotating it slightly. No strobe or SOS function, but lightly tapping the tail switch, makes for a rudimentary strobe.

Goes for around the $30 mark.

The ring fob serves as a tactile indicator, both what it is and which end it is, to pull it from a pouch or pocket, and as a more secure way to hold it. I can grasp it to shine on something, but I can also drop it, still retain it, and do whatever I need to do with my fingers.

 8 lumens.

130 lumens.

It can be hooked over either the forefinger or thumb, although I prefer the forefinger.

Here you can see a flaw where the grey Spectra cord I used as a base shows through. Two loops worth that I sewed together side by side, since I didn’t want to have a bump from a knot in it. Covered that with neon orange micro-cord in a solomon bar or cobra knot.

Some views of several indented rings, beveled areas on the tube and areas of knurling that make it a very grippable light.

If there is a drawback to this addition, it’s that I can’t stand it up on the tail now. Not that was ever really a consideration, so the drawback is a very minor one.

If you look really closely you can see where some of the anodizing has been damaged by several weeks/months of being carried around in pockets with keys, lighters, etc. Putting the split ring on the back also marred it a little bit. I don’t mind, expect it, and if I wanted a pristine light I would leave it in the packaging in a safe. I get lights to use them and expect them to get dinged up.

So far this has been another terrific little light from Fenix. Light, as in the weight sense. Bright. Several very useful modes. Nothing it doesn’t need. Fits easily in a pocket or pouch. Good self defence item. Runs on a battery type that is utterly ubiquitous, and can be had in rechargeables. $30. Added a ring fob to it which makes it even better. Also shows off my Netherlandic pride and makes it easy to find if I drop it.

Specter Gear Light Pouch Modification

I got a Specter Gear Surefire 6P/G2 Light Pouch a few years ago. All in all a great pouch, the first pouch I got with a Natick Snap. But wait for it, there were some things I wanted to change.

The first was of course the Velcro closure. I removed it and replaced it with a side release buckle. The other thing I decided to alter was the floating lid. If you have a flashlight with a large bezel, such as the SureFire M-4 Devastator, you can adjust the lid so that it covers it. I knew that I just wanted to use this for the SureFire G2 Nitrolon. (sadly about the only SureFire light I can afford.) That change also made getting the light in and out a little easier. The floating lid had hook Velcro that went all the way to the bottom. Removing the webbing and the Velcro made for a less snug fit.

Mods sewn by hand. Not pretty, but they work.

I found that a Walkman strap I had kicking around fit perfectly. Remove the tail cap, put the loop on and screw the tail cap back on. Like it was made for it. Makes a good wrist loop.

This pouch also fits the the Fenix T1 perfectly.

Fenix T1 Pouch Modification

In 2007 I got a Fenix T1. It’s rated at 60 and 225 lumens, which up to that point far outshone any of the Sure-Fires I had. Phenomenal light. The advances in flashlight technology have been astounding in the last few years. Not to mention that it’s built like a tank. (This video will give you a sense of just how mind bogglingly tough it really is.)

For some more reviews of it, CPF has this indepth look at it. This is another great CPF review, which shows that this is a better light than one of those big hand held 1,000,000 candlepower spotlights. (It should be noted that this light is now several years old, and Fenix has come out with several lights that far surpass this one. This isn’t Maglite we’re dealing with here.)

The pouch that came with it left some thing to be desired however. It has a belt loop on the back that could detach at the bottom via velcro, and a velcro closure. You’ll notice that I have a bit of an aversion to velcro for the most part, and that I like transforming everything I have to be PALS compatible.

As usual, this was sewn on the daily train commute. It’s ugly, but it works.

Hitchcraft – Fenix L1D

I’ve been rocking one of these Fenix L1D flashlights for about two years now and think it is one of the best pieces if kit I’ve ever bought.

Less than 10 cm long, and powered by 1 AA battery, it gives the user the choice of several output modes. It’s turned on via a clickable tail cap, and the tail end can be turned so that it locks out - ie it can’t be accidentally turned on. Turning the bezel as tight as it will go, and clicking the tail cap gives you turbo mode (which is 120 lumens {which runs for 1.5hrs}) and tapping the tail cap again gives you strobe mode. The strobe is as bright (very bright!) as the turbo mode, and makes a really effective self defence tool. Loosening the bezel slightly gives you general mode, and tapping the tail cap once gives you 12 lumens (which runs for 25hrs, and is fine for most general use), tapping the tail cap a second time gives you 53 lumens (which runs for 5hrs), tapping it a third time gives you 107 lumens (which runs for 2hrs), and tapping it again gives you SOS mode. It’s digitally regulated, meaning that the the power drawn from the battery remains at a constant the whole time. No slowly waning light over a very long time. Bright, even light for say an hour, and then it dies. You are given a warning ahead of that point when it flashes on and off several times. It’s waterproof and is constructed from aircraft grade aluminum and coated with a tough anodized finish.

All in all, a really fantastic flashlight in a very light, compact size. Easy to carry every day. I carry it in my hand at night, ready to turn on at a moment’s notice, either just for general illumination, but also as a self defence mechanism should that need ever arise. The light is blindingly bright.

The only real draw back to it is that it has a ring inside the tail cap that comes loose just from the vibrations of walking, and prevents the light from coming on. Now that I know this though, I just open the tail cap every few days and tighten the ring back up. The ring has two dimple in it and any small point will suffice – a ball point pen, a paper clip, the tooth pick from my Swiss Army Knife, etc. – can be put in to one of the dimples and turned to tighten. All in all, a small inconvenience for an other wise superb light.

In general I try to avoid products made in China like the plague. I’m always disappointed when I see the “made in China” on a product from a North American company. And I’m even more disappointed by cheap Chinese knockoffs of products that were developed in North America. But Fenix is a company that is totally upfront about being from China, and they’re coming out with really innovative products at a really decent price. Worth checking out. Compared to a company like MagLite who’ve been resting on their wilting laurels for a very long time, and SureFire who make great products but at breathtaking prices, Fenix is a worthy contender.

And of course, this great little light needed to be jazzed up with a fob. Makes pulling it out of its sheath very easy. I also left enough of a loop so that I can put it over my thumb or forefinger when carrying it. If I need to free my hand up for something, I can just let it go and it won’t clatter to the ground. And there’s like this totally profound concept behind it eh, like it’s white and black, like the light cutting through the dark. Woah, is that deep or what? :-)