Fenix E12 run time graphs compared with other popular lights

[Overclocker]

The lines are just a little thin but could tell them apart all right even on my phone!

really? so i magnified and used the eyedropper tool and painted over a fatter line. the colors are still ambiguous because as i've mentioned the JPEG compression destroys them

 

[reppans]

....I find the advantage with AA-lights is the possibility to use several kinds of batteries, usually at least 3, and with some lights 4, included 14500...

Can you folks in Europe get 3V/1500 mah CRAAs lithium primaries? That cell really closes the gap to the CR123 platform.

 

[Swedpat]

Can you folks in Europe get 3V/1500 mah CRAAs lithium primaries? That cell really closes the gap to the CR123 platform.

Yes, we can but they are usually extremely expensive. Earlier I ordered big packs from USA but because of restrictions in USA many dealers don't ship lithiums overseas any more.

 

[reppans]

Yes, we can but they are usually extremely expensive. Earlier I ordered big packs from USA but because of restrictions in USA many dealers don't ship lithiums overseas any more.

Sorry to hear that... they're $1.50 here (as you probably know). The problem with them is the monopolistic supply and they're often out of stock, but I tend to bulk purchase to cover the dry spells.

Not many lights can support them though... Even many wide voltage tolerance (AA/14500) lights tend to have batt meters/auto step-downs/physical polarity protection that precludes their use.

(Sorry for the hi-jack)

 

[hiuintahs]

thanks for taking the time to do this but the lines in the legend are too thin, and the JPEG compression destroys them which makes them unreadable

pls take screenshot again then save as higher resolution PNG

OK so I went back and figured out how to widen the lines in Excel. I also saved as PNG this time but I think JPG would have been fine also now that the lines were wider. I think they look a lot more readable. I just edited the top post.

Thanks for clueing me in on this.

 

[bhds]

Anyone know if there is any kind of parasitic drain?

 

[Scooby214]

Anyone know if there is any kind of parasitic drain?

The E12 has no parasitic drain, thanks to the mechanical reverse clicky switch.

 

[bhds]

The E12 has no parasitic drain, thanks to the mechanical reverse clicky switch.

Cool! Parasitic drain is a non starter for me. I've been looking to buy a few of the newer version E11's to compliment my old E11, might have to pickup the E12 instead.

 

[MojaveMoon07]

I did a run time test of the E12 at high mode and medium mode. In the high mode, they must really be pushing the current out of a single AA battery as it only lasted 62 minutes. I estimate the lumens to have averaged 150 over that time frame. It's apparent to me that an XP-E2 isn't meant to be driven like an XP-G2 or XM-L.

Thank you for your work !

I am so pleased with the E12. With the exception of the Zebralight SC52 and the Armytek Partner 1a, this light comes the closest to what I've been looking for in a flashlight for everyday general indoor use and everyday outdoor use in an urban environment specifically pitch black parking lots and roads, dark green lawns, and grey sidewalks.

For those particular flashlight needs, I need the following:
- no moonlight mode because it's a mode that I would have to twist or click to get past to get to the low, med, or high and because for the needs I cited I don't ever need moonlight mode
- no memory mode
- no forward clicky; twisty is acceptable but I would prefer a reverse clicky
- a low mode not lower than approximately 8 lumens; anything lower than 8 lumens is too low for my outdoor needs
- a middle mode of approximately 50 lumens but not lower than 50 lumens and not more than upper 60s lumens
- a high mode that is high enough to be unmistakeably detectable when I am crossing through pitch black parking lots
- a wide hotspot
- be able to fit inside the side pocket of a Case Logic TBC-403 case that I wear everyday from my trouser belt


The E12 satisfies every one of those requirements at only $ 26.95.


praise:
The hotspot is wonderful -- it's about the size of the hotspot of our Thrunite Ti2 XP-G2 and is even in brightness across the entire diameter. The throw is wonderful -- it's a little longer than that of our 4sevens MiNi AAx2 and is far enough for when I have to throw something away in the alley and want to make sure the alley is clear of anyone. The E12 is comfortable to hold, and the weight is well balanced. The brightness of the high mode is high enough to brightly illuminate pitch black pavement; anything less bright would not be bright enough for what I need in a high mode.


I have several small criticisms:

- During my outdoor walks in the city, I've concluded that 50 lumens is perfect. The E12's med is just a bit brighter than that and can seem a bit close sometimes in brightness to the high depending on the distance and the terrain

- The high mode is a little erratic if the flashlight is not tightened 100% tight. At even 99% tightened, it's erratic. Maybe the E12 is over sensitive to the length of the battery ?

- Our eneloops are 1900mAh. So I agree with hiuintahs' measured runtime on high. My guess would have been 45 to 50 minutes


Comments:
- I'm puzzled by the comment that I've read in another thread that the E12 does not have any spill. To me it definitely has spill. However, it's a little dimmer than the spill of our 4sevens MiNi AAx2 which till I had regarded as having the dimmest spill out of our flashlights.

- Here's the reason I said "With the exception of the Zebralight SC52 and the Armytek Partner 1a"
Regarding Zebralight, I'm waiting to buy a either an SC52 or H52 when I have a guarantee that it will be cool white without any green tint. I had bought and then returned an H52F that had an unmistakeable immediately detectable green tint. Regarding the Armytek Partner 1a (either XPG or XML), I'm waiting for the 3 mode version; and even then there's a chance that it might be a tiny bit too long to fit in the side pouch of my Case Logic case.


beamshots:
"Thread: Fenix E12 quick photoshoot"
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?379967-Fenix-E12-quick-photoshoot

"Thread: New Fenix E12 vs Eagletac D25A Ti neutral beamshots"
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...nix-E12-vs-Eagletac-D25A-Ti-neutral-beamshots

 

[MojaveMoon07]

sbflashlights.com's L3 L10 Nichia 219 takes care of my other two indoor needs -- the Nichia 219's tint for reading and the L10's moonlight mode for moving around at night.

 

[UpstandingCitizen]

Thanks for doing this. The graphs were incredibly helpful!

Clearly the D25A XP-G2 bests the E12 on high, and I'm guessing that it also is more efficient in medium mode in regards to lumen hours.

For $10 or so less the E12 still looks like a great buy, especially if you: don't care too much about a clip, you plan more so on using the lower levels, and you prefer a mechanical clicky.

I'm actually trying to decide between the two as we speak and this review made the decision that much more difficult. Haha. I'm an efficiency freak and I love a good clip, so right now the D25A is ahead. I think.

 

[MojaveMoon07]

Maybe I'm overlooking something -- but the way I read the runtime chart for high is that the only model with a higher brightness is the JetBeam PA10 which corresponds to the dark green line.

The three lines that are just a tad dimmer on high but have better runtimes/efficiency are the tan line (Fenix E11), light purple line (Eagletac D25A twisty), and dark purple line (JetBeam BA10).

I didn't realize it until UpstandingCitizen pointed it out, but even the mini twisty D25A twisty has a clip:
http://www.eagletac.com/html/d_series/compare-d-series/index.html

 

[hiuintahs]

Upstanding, I'm an efficiency freak too. I prefer a well regulated efficient light to the brightest ones. For single cell, simple operation, decent price gift light, I've been using the E12. I don't really care for the reverse clicky, but not much option in that area where you get good performance and decent price......especially when you can utilize a coupon. Out of all single cell AA lights I've tested, I like the D25A twisty XP-G2 the best. The E12 is very efficient at the lower modes as you note, with the capability to be fairly bright for short durations..........but not as bright as the D25A twisty with its 90 second burst mode.

MojaveMoon, your right the Jetbeam PA10 is the dark green line.........but is the 3rd most efficient light of those tested. I listed the chart on the graph in the order of efficiency. Efficiency being the area under the curve (length x output).

 

[UpstandingCitizen]

Upstanding, I'm an efficiency freak too. I prefer a well regulated efficient light to the brightest ones. For single cell, simple operation, decent price gift light, I've been using the E12. I don't really care for the reverse clicky, but not much option in that area where you get good performance and decent price......especially when you can utilize a coupon. Out of all single cell AA lights I've tested, I like the D25A twisty XP-G2 the best. The E12 is very efficient at the lower modes as you note, with the capability to be fairly bright for short durations..........but not as bright as the D25A twisty with its 90 second burst mode.

Glad to hear there's others out there! You hear about the high lumen freaks, the sub-lumen freaks, but not as much about efficiency. Somehow I got this concept of lumen hours in my head and I just can't shake it.

Do you think it's possible that your sample (E12) just doesn't run as flat on high as other samples might? That big yellow slope sticks out like a sore thumb! Interesting that the other slope is also a Fenix (LD15), but that one's got the XP-G R4, I believe.

I agree about the reverse clicky, but I also was happy to see a third mode added. Kinda wish Fenix would have used a UI similar to the Thrunite Archers wherein you get the momentary clicky and change modes through the head.

Anyway, sounds like you favor the D25A and see the E12 as an excellent option to gift out (lowest I found was about $24.XX shipped, which is a steal!), and I think I'm inclined to agree. D25A has the flatter regulation on high, the clip, and the nice SS bezel. Plus I like the removable glass...it makes it so you can use those photography color filters quite easily (in order to manipulate tint). The only thing that gives me pause on the D25A is that I've seen some people with loose attachment points for the clip screws. If that happens and the clips becomes useless, I'd be bummed. Do you have a preferred reputable AD for Eagletac? Maybe you can PM me?

 

[N_N_R]

Maybe I'm a little off topic, but is there anyone who has both the new version E11 and the E12? I'd like to know if they're equal in size/length. Thanks.

 

[hiuintahs]

Upstanding, I think the reason the E12 doesn't do so well on high is from 2 reasons......single AA power source and the XP-E2 LED.

The XP-E2 forward voltage drop with 350mA is 2.9v whereas the XP-G2 is 2.8v. The XP-E2 highest bin is 142 lumens at 350mA whereas the XP-G2 is 158 lumens. The way the output on the E12 behaves looks to me to be a circuit driver that is extracting as much energy out of the AA battery as it can so as to drive it to an output that rivals the XP-G2 but it takes a toll on the battery life as it can't maintain that output for long.

So some of these smaller LED's can be as efficient as the bigger guys at the low levels, but when trying to drive them harder, it's the bigger LED's like the XM-L2 that will perform better. At lower levels, they all seem pretty equivalent.

I noticed this especially when the XM-L first came out and comparing it to an XP-G. At sub 100 lumens, the XM-L was about the same efficiency as the XP-G but above 200 lumens, the XM-L was 20% more efficient for the same lumen output.

I think if one uses the Fenix E12 mostly at the lower levels its a great task light

NNR,
I had a Fenix E11 once but no more and they seemed about the same length. However when I looked around on the internet, the E11 was stated at 3.8" and the E12 at 3.54". I would assume the difference is the forward click switch on the E11 vs the reverse clicky switch on the E12.

 

[N_N_R]

Aha, thanks for the reply. Yeah, this is a small difference, perhaps it's the clicky. Just long ago, when considering my new E11, it read it was just as long as the older E11, but the new one proved shorter (good for me). So I don't trust specs anymore . But if the E12 is even a little shorter, it will be great...

 

[UpstandingCitizen]

I think if one uses the Fenix E12 mostly at the lower levels its a great task light

Yeah that 50 (+/-) lumen medium is perfect, and the low is a good level for casual users. It looks like an excellent general use or backup light. Or even a great EDC if it suits someone's needs.

 

[Trevilux]

Some Pics and runtime with Eneloop 2400 about Fenix E12:

8/10

 

[Grijon]

This thread is excellent for someone looking into getting an E12; thank you OP and contributors!!