Fenix LD02 vs Fenix E12 - measured and commented
LD02 and E12 have very similar beam profile, with LD02 having stronger and wider flood part (ring surrounding the hotspot, which are almost the same). I feel most people do not actually understand a difference between lumen and lux so I understand what they meant to say (commenting desired Lumen levels), but what they actually wrote makes absolutely no sense. I am willing to bet many "experts" will claim LD02 has 2-3 lumens instead of declared 8 lumens on Low because of that!
Without seeing the LD02 and E12 you could expect them to have the same low at 8 Lumens, mid would be visibly different (25 and 50 lummens) and High would be quite similar, bit stronger on the E12 (100 vs 130 Lumens). Well, if you take a look at the throw (or Lux) you should immediatelly realize they are nothing alike. The beam differs.
LD02 has a bit wider hotspot part of the beam than E12 (slightly) but it also throws more light outside the hotspot then E12. So, when you turn on LD02 (mid, 25 lumens) on a target it will have the same brightness as E12 on low (8 lumens)! I have measured (calculated from measured Lux, ANSI style): 18 meters throw on both lamps (78 and 82 Lux)!
When I change LD02 to Low (8 Lumens) it throws only 9 meters (21 Lux). Actually, I am typing this with the LD02 Low on my head, my keyboard is nicely lit. With E12 Low or LD02 Mod it glares uncomfortably.
LD02 High 100 Lumens measured short 36 meters (326 Lux) while E12 on High 130 lumens measured a reach of 74 meters (1360 Lux).
LD02 is perfect for EDC but not for main lamp. Its low is actually lower than any other light I have with 8 Lumens, and is soft and clean. LD02 Low is perfect for walking around a home or reading or doing something with your arms. You can walk with Low mode, but not in bad trail nor fast. LD02 Mid is excellent for walking, searching for cats and dogs (I look if any of our cats want to go home, they will be waiting somewhere in our yard, at distance 5 to 15 meters from the window, without any ambient light other than moonlight). On High, it will show nearby objects at 15 - 20 meters clearly lit.
E12 has strong Low, bit to strong for work at arms-lenght but acceptable. Perfect for walking, shows my yard and cats at 5-7 meters easily (in relatively low light since I do not want to annoy my cats if they are looking at me). Mid has a reach of 46 meters (527 Lux) and ends comparison with LD02 completely. Lights 15 meters away in my yard with strong light. High shines suprisingly bright, kills e.g. Nitecore MT1A (140 lumens claimed on Turbo rated with the same throw) and makes me think my extremely used 5 year old Fenix LD10 (2009. with CREE XR-E Q5) with 120 Lumens on Turbo has just escaped it (81 m, 1645 Lux), but not by a large margin. But, for outdoors (trail, woods, boating...), LD10 with smaller and brighter hotspot and instantly accessible Turbo mode (by bending the head) is significantly better light than much wider E12.
All Lux Multimeter measured values have been systematically confirmed by multiple trys in real life at various situations by multiple people. My claims are valid for my samples with normal Eneloops.
