Fenix UC02

[Metaxa]

I bought one of these a while back but not used it much. Went to fire it up today and nothing, battery is flat. It wasn't left turned on. Does anyone know if it had over-discharge protection built in, if not I might have goonered the battery...

 

[proceed5]

I bought one of these a while back but not used it much. Went to fire it up today and nothing, battery is flat. It wasn't left turned on. Does anyone know if it had over-discharge protection built in, if not I might have goonered the battery...

hi Metaxa,
Hmm, this model is probably only a few months old.

I cannot be 100% certain, but I do believe All Fenix made flashlights do have over-discharge protection.

Anyway, have you tried taking the unit apart and clean the contact points ?
And perhaps you may like to plug in the USB and charge it up fully, and then try turning it On again.
Due to the rotating twisting of the head, one may likely without realising it moved the head unit to an one of the On positions.

 

[Dr. Mario]

Been contemplating getting this Fenix UC02 LED flashlight, as I would like something small and lighter than the Maglite Solitaire LED flashlight to go on my car key chain (and it's a pain in the @$$ to charge the Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, for what would be a rather pitiful runtime for the size of the batteries themselves in the Maglite flashlight).

Looks pretty nice, however it's a tough sell regarding price and color choice, what the heck - I will take the stab here; which one is much more rugged, stainless steel or black Anodized Aluminum?

 

[proceed5]

Been contemplating getting this Fenix UC02 LED flashlight, as I would like something small and lighter than the Maglite Solitaire LED flashlight to go on my car key chain (and it's a pain in the @$$ to charge the Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, for what would be a rather pitiful runtime for the size of the batteries themselves in the Maglite flashlight).

Looks pretty nice, however it's a tough sell regarding price and color choice, what the heck - I will take the stab here; which one is much more rugged, stainless steel or black Anodized Aluminum?

LOL ... hello Dr.Mario.
I think the Stainless Steel should have better resistence against scratches .

The stainless steel version has 2 colour options, stainless Gold and stainless Blue. The blue one is more attractive
The aluminium version has 3 colour variants, Black, Blue and Red.

Hope you will enjoy your new acquisition(s)

 

[Metaxa]

hi Metaxa,
Hmm, this model is probably only a few months old.

I cannot be 100% certain, but I do believe All Fenix made flashlights do have over-discharge protection.

Anyway, have you tried taking the unit apart and clean the contact points ?
And perhaps you may like to plug in the USB and charge it up fully, and then try turning it On again.
Due to the rotating twisting of the head, one may likely without realising it moved the head unit to an one of the On positions.

I think you're right. I took the battery out and metered it, getting about 3.49v so it's not discharged. Put it back in and it works ok.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

I think you're right. I took the battery out and metered it, getting about 3.49v so it's not discharged. Put it back in and it works ok.

At 3.49 volts the cell is mostly discharged. Charge it to 4.2 volts.

Bill

 

[Metaxa]

At 3.49 volts the cell is mostly discharged. Charge it to 4.2 volts.

Bill

Ah, ok, thanks. I've not been playing with Li-ion batteries much, I thought under 3v was discharged.

 

[archimedes]

Ah, ok, thanks. I've not been playing with Li-ion batteries much, I thought under 3v was discharged.

Actually, at that point, it is damaged and perhaps dangerously so ....

 

[Dr. Mario]

LOL ... hello Dr.Mario.
I think the Stainless Steel should have better resistence against scratches .

The stainless steel version has 2 colour options, stainless Gold and stainless Blue. The blue one is more attractive
The aluminium version has 3 colour variants, Black, Blue and Red.

Hope you will enjoy your new acquisition(s)

Got an itchy trigger finger, wound up ordering black one, with new membership coupon. Hopefully the anodizing is as good as the Convoy M1 flashlight - mine barely has a scratch.

As for the battery being discharged below 3 Volts, I agree it can get unstable at this voltage however only LiFePO4 cells tolerate being discharged way below the 2.5 Volts mark (for A123 18650 cell I have, that is - my 70 mW Gallium-Nitride green laser eat the living * outta the cells, and they seem to tolerate that just fine for some reasons, even though I am sure I am unintentionally murdering them slowly). If the cells get to 3 Volts under load, it may be okay as some flashlight implement the battery voltage cutoff protection either in hardware or software, which is why you see them going back up to over 3.4 - 3.5 Volts quickly once the load is removed.

 

[proceed5]

Got an itchy trigger finger, wound up ordering black one, with new membership coupon. Hopefully the anodizing is as good as the Convoy M1 flashlight - mine barely has a scratch.

Very good , and hope you will enjoy your UC02.

I just realised that a difference between the UC02 and UC02SS, that is, the Stainless version has incorporated IP68 dust and water seals.

 

[Dr. Mario]

UC02SS is a bit pricey because the stainless steel is somewhat unforgivable - unless you have the right bits for the steelwork that is. But still it's a nice looking flashlight, even for the $40, excluding the discounts. I may buy UC02SS, probably the next month.

 

[Dr. Mario]

Got it, and mounted onto my keychain. It's a quite nice flashlight, and even so it's bright for its size.

 

[proceed5]

Got it, and mounted onto my keychain. It's a quite nice flashlight, and even so it's bright for its size.

Congrats Dr.Mario,
+1 and agreed. This tiny UC02 or UC02SS is very bright for such a tiny light. Respectable throw too
I am satisfied with my purchase, hope you will enjoy yours too.

 

[Dr. Mario]

Yep, I am quite happy with my purchase, as it's half as long as the Maglite LED Solitaire flashlight. Perfect for keychains.

 

[proceed5]

Perfect for keychains.

Hmm, I have always wanted my car keys to be uncluttered, ok, I shall give it a try and see how this weighs

 

[Dr. Mario]

I'd suggest UC02SS, so you don't scratch up the finish, unless you don't mind it dinged up. I bought it as an emergency flashlight I'd carry on the keychain, and so I don't scratch up the car paint looking for the keyhole in the dark (currently paired up with the green Tritium vial keychain fob, so I don't lose the whole thing that easily).

 

[wernerh]

I've had the Fenix UC02 (black aluminum version) for a few months now and really like it. I attached it to my dog's leash so I always have a flashlight available on night-time walks. For me, the UC02 is a great combination of small size, bright performance and handy operation.
Prior to the UC02, I used a Streamlight Nano. The Nano is an ok light (very small and sturdy), but the light output wasn't great and replacing the 4 button cell batteries was a pain.
I tried a Nightcore Tube for a short while - it certainly is much brighter - but I just didn't like the button interface on it and the shape was awkward (for me at least).
Then came the UC02 - yes it's a bit bigger than the Streamlight Nano - but performance wise there is NO comparison. Even on the low power setting the light displayed surpasses the Nano (IMHO). On the 130lumen high setting - it just blasts away and lights up the walking path just great.
Bottom line - a great little light, nicely sized, two brightness settings and it's rechargeable too! Highly recommended!

 

[Loverofthelight]

Haha, I prefer UC02SS, stainless version, pretty cool and attractive.

 

[asqasu]

I bought some for my familiy

 

[Loverofthelight]

Honestly colight，I don't feel like adding more weight to my keys.
I just have this one in my bag, I like the size and the neutral whie light source, BTW, I don't like bulky light.