*2016* New Fenix PD32 2016: 900 Lumens

[kreisl]

am not sure if an English version will follow but the lumen charts (graphs) can be understood without language barrier. our friend UPz reviewed the light on the Hispanic forum

REVIEW : FENIX PD32 2016 Edition (XP-L HI, 1x 18650/2x CR123a)

Turns out that the light has the highest efficiency and nicest build quality in this class. A winner all along!

 

[CelticCross74]

wow the 2016 PD32 really nails its claimed specs to the wall! Love it! Which cell is the NCR18650A again?

 

[KeepingItLight]

Pany "A" 3100mAh

 

[CelticCross74]

thank you KeepingitLight....

 

[scs]

am not sure if an English version will follow but the lumen charts (graphs) can be understood without language barrier. our friend UPz reviewed the light on the Hispanic forum

REVIEW : FENIX PD32 2016 Edition (XP-L HI, 1x 18650/2x CR123a)

Turns out that the light has the highest efficiency and nicest build quality in this class. A winner all along!

The way efficiency is measured, the results can be misinterpreted and therefore misleading. The reviewer himself has noted as such. Look at the "to 50% ANSI" efficiency measurement; the Fenix is dead last by an unbelievable margin. For the longest time, I have thought Fenix's claim of "Digitally regulated output to maintain constant brightness" is also very misleading. It should include a disclaimer stating that max output is not constant throughout the stated runtime, in this case 1 hr 55 mins. This just might as well be a merely 400 lumen light.

 

[tango44]

An average Joe flashlight aficionado here and for me it's the best light ever powerful and small enough to EDC.

I have an old model PD32 and both are great lights!

PD35 it's too big for EDC for me.

Enjoy

 

[CelticCross74]

I still have the old 360 lumen PD32 and it still works as well as the day I got it. Love the new one especially how it is a touch slimmer than the 35. As for how ANSI specs most of us old folks are well aware of how ANSI specs are measured...

 

[oldways]

The Quark Pro switch boot works perfect on the PD32.
Excellent switching action with it installed.
I really really like this light now.

 

[Alone In The Dark]

.........

at least Fenix has great looks with all the perfect alignment along the entire flashlight length.
Fenix just rocks, it's professional quality stuffz:

note: in the above picture, all three parts (head, body, tail) are fully tightened.

This is rather interesting...

I just received my new PD32 2016 today. When everything is fully tightened, the tail on my flashlight is approximately 45 degrees off from the head switch. I can try to take a picture or two later, but for the moment imagine that the tail on the flashlight shown in the above pictures has been rotated 225 degrees in a clockwise direction. Put another way, if you were staring at the tail of my flashlight with the head switch pointed up at the 12 o'clock position, then the lanyard holes in the tail would be between the 4 and 5 o'clock positions.

As for the many comments about the tail switch being too stiff, I so far agree. It may not matter so much when clicking the flashlight on and off, but I find the increased force required to depress the tail switch uncomfortable when using the momentary-on feature.

 

[MaxStatic]

^i have a pair of them and neither is lined up like the quoted picture. One is more like how you describe and the other is almost exact 90' off or perpendicular. I love them though. I actually prefer the switch as is for my use. Been carrying one loose in a cargo pocket while at work. Runtime on 2300mAh cells is good for the level it's putting out. I see a few folks on here not terribly impressed and while I agree there isn't a whole lot groundbreaking, it's a completely legit upgrade from previous offerings. Cheers.

 

[Alone In The Dark]

I have not even owned my PD32 2016 for 24 hours, and already I have modified it.

It now has a .032" (.81 mm) nylon washer added in the tail switch. The momentary-on feature feels so much better!

 

[kreisl]

f you were staring at the tail of my flashlight with the head switch pointed up at the 12 o'clock position, then the lanyard holes in the tail would be between the 4 and 5 o'clock positions.

hehe. thought that my photo would cause some confusion about the alignment. truth is, even on the Fenix website, the parts are not aligned for nice photo posing. very interesting. Is at least your flashlight body nicely aligned to one of the other parts ? It makes perfect sense to align the pocket clip with the head switch, or 180 degress to it. However, if the 4 body ridges don't align with the pocket clip, then it starts to look messi. In the end, everything should align with everything: clip with body, body with head, clip with head, body with tail, tail with head, and last but not least the absolute location of the lanyard attachment point: imho ideally it should be at 9o'clock, not at 3o'clock, when your thumb points to 12o'clock and lies comfortably in the switch cut-out.

btw i have been carrying and using the pd32 now a lot. A lot. easily vanishes in the front jeans pocket, clipped to the pocket edge. More powerful EDC 18650 flashlights are out on the market but this one is slim, throwy and really pocketable. Is a slim Zebralight 18650 as throwy? i dunno.

 

[roger-roger]

Currently have one in the USPS pipeline. It'll end up in my hurricane/tsunami kit, along with a parcel of US made Duracell CR123A, and BatteryJunction Titanium Innovation matched pairs.

 

[oldways]

This PD32 is proving out to be the best pocket EDC light i have used.
Bright, good beam and tint,compact and light weight,and easy to use.
Get one!

 

[Jash]

Re: New Fenix PD32 2016

Does the 400 lumen mode step down at all like the High mode on the PD35 does after half an hour? I originally bought the PD35 for the High mode so I could use it as a bike light, but the step down is annoying. The E35 doesn't step down, and it's got less mass.

 

[kreisl]

Re: New Fenix PD32 2016

Does the 400 lumen mode step down at all like the High mode on the PD35 does after half an hour? I originally bought the PD35 for the High mode so I could use it as a bike light, but the step down is annoying. The E35 doesn't step down, and it's got less mass.

http://reviewsdelinternas.blogspot.com/2016/04/fenix-pd32-2016-edition.html

 

[dog off leash]

Re: New Fenix PD32 2016

Just received a PD32 (2016 version).

Wow! I'm honestly pretty impressed! Up to this point I've been a Streamlight, Surefire, and Elzetta guy, with my only Fenix being a headlamp. I picked up the PD32 as an EDC light and a work light (law enforcement), and I'll be running primarily with 18650's (Fenix 3500mah) with cr123's as backup.

From past reviews, I expected the tailswitch to be a real beast, and while it takes a bit of firm pressure, the click itself is clean and crisp (unlike the extremely mushy switches on my Elzettas, which I find to be the biggest drawback to the brand).

The modes are easily & quickly changed, beam shape is great, beam itself is a nice shade (no strange tints), and runtime is excellent. Size of the light itself is good for EDC; it slips into a back pocket perfectly.

Overall I'm very pleased with the purchase.

 

[oldways]

Re: New Fenix PD32 2016

The PD32 is now my EDC because the things you said I have found true too.

 

[Cobraman502]

I also have the pd32 2016 and yes it is a very good light.

 

[kreisl]

Re: New Fenix PD32 2016

Also very cool and extraordinary:

When the Turbo mode does the stepdown 3.0min after activation (from ~875 Fenix-lm down to ~385 Fenix-lm), the light in fact leaves the Turbo mode and enters the High mode. In practice, that's the cool thing, one only needs to press the side button 1x to get back to the Turbo mode with 900 ANSI lumen (as long as the battery still has enough juice to deliver the necessary current!).

This feature is great because otherwise you'd land in the Moonlight mode after 'clicking 1x on the Turbo mode' because of the proper mode sequence Moonlight-Low-Medium-High-Turbo-Moonlight-etc. So you'd have to cycle thru all modes, i.e. click 5x to get back to Turbo and to reset the 3min-stepdown timer. That would be very inconvenient, if things were like that!

Only very few other lights have this 'mode down-stepping' feature (in contrast to the more common 'brightness down-steppping' within the same mode), too, where one could conveniently step-up back with 1 single click.

The following graph, taken from UPz's review, shows how the Turbo mode drops out of the Turbo mode after 3.0min and factually enters the High mode:

And same is true for the High-mode: When the High mode does the stepdown 30min after activation (from ~385 Fenix-lm down to ~145 Fenix-lm), the light in fact leaves the High mode and enters the Med mode. One only needs to press the side button 1x to get back to the High mode with 400 ANSI lumen (as long as the battery still has enough juice to deliver the necessary current!).

And so on.