Fenix L1D-CE Comparison Review

[whc]

How is the user interface?

I mean, you turn it on and what mode is it on? And will it remember the last mode used, or do you have do go through all the modes by turning the head or clicking the switch, to get to high or turbo???

I really hope I will remember the last mode used, if you have to go through the modes every time you turn it on, I will defiantly not buy one, I can't stand that kind of operation.

Nice review by the way ...

 

[ackbar]

This is good news......

yes?............

I was wondering what that gap in the head was. Quick! Someone design a turbo head

 

[paulr]

If you have it strobing and turn that off, do you really want it strobing again when you turn it back on? I wouldn't.

 

[UnknownVT]

whc wrote: "How is the user interface?
I mean, you turn it on and what mode is it on? And will it remember the last mode used, or do you have do go through all the modes by turning the head or clicking the switch, to get to high or turbo???"

I think the UI (user interface) is very good -

When the head is screwed down - the light is in Turbo mode -
switching on the light (from cold) always goes to the default Turbo (highest) brightness.
Turning off the light and turning it on again within 1.5secs (or simply tapping the tail-switch) gets the strobe mode -
it cycles between these two modes.

Head slightly unscrewed (most of CPF?

) - the light is in General mode -
turning on the light (from cold) always gets the default lowest level.
Off then On within 1.5secs (or tap the tail-switch) gets the Medium level.
Next tap -> High
next Tap -> SOS
cycles through these 4 modes.

Note: "cold" start - means the light is turned on when it has been off for at least 2 seconds.

In any mode if one twists the head to get to the other set of modes - eg: on say SOS - twisting the head down will get the default Turbo brightest setting.

Or say in Strobe - un-twisting the head will get the default lowest level.

So the light can be used as Lowest - twist head to Turbo brightest - twist head back to lowest - much like the L1T/L2T (tapping the tail-switch gets other modes)

To compare the High in general mode with Turbo - I set the light to High (turn on in general mode, tap twice) then twist the head to get Turbo brightest setting. So I can see if there is any difference going from High (immediately) to Turbo. It does not work the otherway round - untwisting the head from Turbo brightest setting goes to the default Lowest setting and one has to tap twice to get the High again.

 

[paulr]

What do you by "tap" the button? Is it a clickie, that breaks the contact when you click it? So does tap mean click twice?

 

[WildChild]

Reverse clicky, only pressing gently without the click breaks the contact.

 

[UnknownVT]

paulr wrote: "What do you by "tap" the button? Is it a clickie, that breaks the contact when you click it? So does tap mean click twice?"

Fenix uses reverse clickies - which means it has a momentary OFF.

So turning on any Fenix light (with reverse clicky) one can lightly press the tail-switch (without click) to get OFF as long as the light pressure is held.
Tapping the switch when the light is ON, gives literally a momentary OFF - which is great for switching modes....... that's why I think the UI is very good.

I never thought I'd be saying good things about a reverse clicky.

 

[paulr]

Sounds like they should really cut the "tap" time down from 1.5 (or is it 2) seconds, down to maybe 0.25 seconds, so you really would just tap the button to switch modes. It sounds like a huge pain in the neck to me that you can light something up with turbo mode, look at it for a while, then shut off the light, then realize a moment later that you're really not finished so you try to turn the light back on but instead it starts strobing. As mentioned earlier that's already happened to me with my L0D CE.

 

[UnknownVT]

paulr wrote: "Sounds like they should really cut the "tap" time down from 1.5 (or is it 2) seconds, down to maybe 0.25 seconds, so you really would just tap the button to switch modes. It sounds like a huge pain in the neck to me that you can light something up with turbo mode, look at it for a while, then shut off the light, then realize a moment later that you're really not finished so you try to turn the light back on but instead it starts strobing. As mentioned earlier that's already happened to me with my L0D CE."

I think
all things considering and getting things in perspective -

the UI on the L1D-CE is very good considering it operates on just one button and a twist of its head.

Although cutting down on the time between switching may seem OK - that may be a detriment for anyone who prefers to use the full OFF/ON cycle with clicks.

and even when I agree with you about the "inconvenience" of getting the strobe mode when one changes one's mind switching the light back on -
for me, although it's obviously not impossible - but pretty rare,
and anyway, with the L1D/L2D-CE - this is remedied by a simple quick tap of the tail-switch to change the mode back to Turbo brightest level.....
different, and a lot more convenient than the twisty L0D-CE

 

[paulr]

It might be rare to trigger the strobe mode accidentally, but I think it's also rare to trigger the strobe mode on purpose. So triggering it accidentally probably happens at least as often as triggering it on purpose. If the UI leads to doing the wrong thing more often than the right thing, that is a sign that it needs improvement.

 

[UnknownVT]

paulr wrote: "It might be rare to trigger the strobe mode accidentally, but I think it's also rare to trigger the strobe mode on purpose. So triggering it accidentally probably happens at least as often as triggering it on purpose. If the UI leads to doing the wrong thing more often than the right thing, that is a sign that it needs improvement."

This is a fair comment - and improvements are always desireable -
to get to a "perfect" flashlight........

BTW - how many of those do we personally know?

I just think Fenix has done a pretty good job on the L1D-CE -
yes, it has its faults -
but accidental (and rare) strobe mode -
just would not be anywhere near a deal breaker for me.

Now if Fenix or anyone else claimed the L1D-CE is a "perfect" light -
I'd be one of the first to chime in with this fault -

but I would also understand if others are likely to laugh at me....

 

[WildChild]

UnknownVT, I ask it again! What is the brightness level of the SOS mode? This the last question I have about this light.

 

[WildChild]

Double post...

 

[UnknownVT]

WildChild wrote: "UnknownVT, I ask it again!

What is the brightness level of the SOS mode? This the last question I have about this light.

"

I don't know -

it looks like High -
I have NO means of measuring....

 

[whc]

I think the UI (user interface) is very good -

When the head is screwed down - the light is in Turbo mode -
switching on the light (from cold) always goes to the default Turbo (highest) brightness.
Turning off the light and turning it on again within 1.5secs (or simply tapping the tail-switch) gets the strobe mode -
it cycles between these two modes.

Head slightly unscrewed (most of CPF?

) - the light is in General mode -
turning on the light (from cold) always gets the default lowest level.
Off then On within 1.5secs (or tap the tail-switch) gets the Medium level.
Next tap -> High
next Tap -> SOS
cycles through these 4 modes.

Note: "cold" start - means the light is turned on when it has been off for at least 2 seconds.

In any mode if one twists the head to get to the other set of modes - eg: on say SOS - twisting the head down will get the default Turbo brightest setting.

Or say in Strobe - un-twisting the head will get the default lowest level.

So the light can be used as Lowest - twist head to Turbo brightest - twist head back to lowest - much like the L1T/L2T (tapping the tail-switch gets other modes)

To compare the High in general mode with Turbo - I set the light to High (turn on in general mode, tap twice) then twist the head to get Turbo brightest setting. So I can see if there is any difference going from High (immediately) to Turbo. It does not work the otherway round - untwisting the head from Turbo brightest setting goes to the default Lowest setting and one has to tap twice to get the High again.

Thank you wary much UnknownVT .

Wary nice I must say. Was afraid that it would be some thing like the P1D UI, but like you said it kind of reminds of the L1T, just with some more modes to chose from, but still with the simple tight/loos head solution, nice work Fenix, will defiantly get me one of these bad boys now ...

 

[paulr]

The strobe mode is not a dealbreaker for me either but I see it as a significant flaw. I just can't imagine a LEO, military operator, security guard, or whatever, wanting to use a light with a UI like this. I can live with using it myself but that's because I'm just a lowly software geek and not in any of those professions that make more demanding use of flashlights. The very existence of the strobe mode makes the light seem less like a serious illumination tool and more like a james bond gadget advertised in the back of a comic book.

Getting rid of the possibility of accidentally activating strobe mode would be very easy, by just eliminating strobe mode altogether. But at the very least, it should be moved to the other bezel position, so that the "turbo" position would not have other extraneous modes. So:
Position 1 - low - med - fast strobe - slow strobe - SOS
Position 2 - turbo and nothing but turbo
Note that I got rid of "high" since it seems completely redundant. I added a second strobe mode for those who like strobe modes but could do without it just as well.

 

[ackbar]

UnknownVT: is the treads on the head side of the body anodized or bare like the LxT?

 

[paulr]

This is a fair comment - and improvements are always desireable -
to get to a "perfect" flashlight........

BTW - how many of those do we personally know?

I just think Fenix has done a pretty good job on the L1D-CE -

I would say the L1P was pretty close to perfect. It was one of the most popular lights on CPF last year and everyone loved it. Once Fenix had the L1P in its hands, they should not have needed a complex trial and error process to find perfection, since they already had it. The only thing they needed to do was put the XR-E or SSC P4 led into the L1P (with an appropriate reflector update) once the XR-E or SSC became available. This is what's driving me nuts about the whole situation. They were making a near-perfect light that was well established and praised, and they took it away from us in favor of this digi-nonsense. They even reintroduced the L2P but with the old led. I can't figure out why.

I actually find myself thinking of looking for a non-loctited L2P on BST and modding it with an SSC P4, as an alternative to buying the new computerized version.

 

[paulr]

This is a fair comment - and improvements are always desireable -
to get to a "perfect" flashlight........

BTW - how many of those do we personally know?

I just think Fenix has done a pretty good job on the L1D-CE -

I would say the L1P was pretty close to perfect. It was one of the most popular lights on CPF last year and everyone loved it. Once Fenix had the L1P in its hands, they should not have needed a complex trial and error process to find perfection, since they already had it. The only thing they needed to do was put the XR-E or SSC P4 led into the L1P (with an appropriate reflector update) once the XR-E or SSC became available. This is what's driving me nuts about the whole situation. They were making a near-perfect light that was well established and praised, and they took it away from us in favor of this digi-nonsense. They even reintroduced the L2P but with the old led. I can't figure out why.

I actually find myself thinking of looking for a non-loctited L2P on BST and modding it with an SSC P4, as an alternative to buying the new computerized version.

 

[UnknownVT]

paulr wrote: "The strobe mode is not a dealbreaker for me either but I see it as a significant flaw.
But at the very least, it should be moved to the other bezel position, so that the "turbo" position would not have other extraneous modes. So:
Position 1 - low - med - fast strobe - slow strobe - SOS
Position 2 - turbo and nothing but turbo
Note that I got rid of "high" since it seems completely redundant. I added a second strobe mode for those who like strobe modes but could do without it just as well."

Different strokes.....

Without meaning any disrepect or being argumentative -

I much prefer the L1D-CE as-is, over your new design - sorry.

The High mode, to me, is not redundant -
Fenix claim it's regulated - it draws lower current and has a longer spec'd runtime..........

As always YMMV -
and for me it's always interesting to read other people's input and opinions.