# Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel



## ernsanada (Aug 23, 2007)

I just got the Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel from the Fenix Store

Shipping took 3 days.

Fit and finish is excellent.

Type III Hard Anodize is excellent.

O-rings came lubed.

AW's Protected RCR123's fit snug.

Twisting action on head from high to low smooth.

Reverse clickie goes from high to strobe. You just have to half press the switch. Rear rubber cover is textured.

The Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel has a nice smooth beam. The color of the tint on is on the warm side.












Comes with a holster, extra rear rubber switch cover and 1 o-ring.














































O-rings came lubed.




































In these beam shots the Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel is using AW's Protected RCR123's. The AW's Protected RCR123's fit snug. The batteries were fully charged. The head got warm during these beam shots.

The Olight T20 is using Panasonic CR123's. The batteries have been previously used for beam shots in it's own review.

The Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel is using a Lumilids Rebel.

The Olight is using a Cree 7090 XR-E, 3W.

Left, Olight T20. Right, Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel






Left, Olight T20. Right, Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel






Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel @ 85"






Olight T20 @ 85"






Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel @ 85" Stepped down exposure.






Olight T20 @ 85" Stepped down exposure.






Left, Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel. Right, Olight T20 @ 85"






Left, Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel. Right, Olight T20 @ 85" Stepped down exposure.


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## Nake (Aug 23, 2007)

I wondered what the closed up reflector would look like, now I know.


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## MKatzpp (Aug 23, 2007)

ernsanada,

i had recently purchased the lumapower M1 Cree for its great throw and insanely bright hotspot. i was hoping since you review so many lights you could tell me how the fenix P3D and the Olight T20 compare in hotspot, throw, and spill to the lumapower. i'm interesting in purchasing those 2 lights and need a little convincing, lol.


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## coldlocus (Aug 23, 2007)

Is it just me, or is the Olight much brighter? Both spot and spill? I thought it was 160lumens vs 200lumens?:thinking:


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## ernsanada (Aug 23, 2007)

coldlocus said:


> Is it just me, or is the Olight much brighter? Both spot and spill? I thought it was 160lumens vs 200lumens?:thinking:



I think the reason the Olight T20 looks brighter than the Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel is that the Olight T20 uses a OP near the emitter. Going towards the outside of the reflector the OP turns to SMO.

The Fenix Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel uses a SMO around (flat with the emitter) the emitter going outward OP.

I guess using the OP near the emitter and then having the reflector turn SMO gives the beam more throw.

I was surprised by the results. 

The Olight T20 is using 2 Panasonic CR123 Primaries which were slightly used from a review I did on the T20.

The Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel is using freshly charged AW's Protected RCR123's.

Olight T20 Reflector.






Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel Reflector


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## leprechaun414 (Aug 23, 2007)

Great pics. I need to get a new camera. Once again a great review :thumbsup:


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## tsia (Aug 23, 2007)

Great Review and now I'm tempted to get one too


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## WadeF (Aug 24, 2007)

coldlocus said:


> Is it just me, or is the Olight much brighter? Both spot and spill? I thought it was 160lumens vs 200lumens?:thinking:


 
The P3D's hot spot is much larger, so the lumens aren't as focused. A bounce test between the two would be more telling.


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## Phaserburn (Aug 24, 2007)

Erns, what is your eyeball impression of total output between these two lights?

Gotta admit, I'll sacrifice spill _size_ for spill and hotspot brightness anyday....

Oh, btw, did I mention I like reading your reviews? Nice job, and thanks!

:twothumbs


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## PocketBeam (Aug 24, 2007)

From what I see both the hot spot and the side spill are larger on the Fenix, assuming both are from the same distance. Because of this it is VERY difficult to judge from these pictures which one is giving out more total light. A bounce test would be best, or even a subjective ceiling bounce would give an idea.

From what I see if you work closer then P3D, farther away then T20. But this should be confirmed with a throw test. I like both beams for different reasons.

Nice Review, thanks for posting it.


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## gsnorm (Aug 24, 2007)

ernsanada,

How does the output of the fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel compare to that of the Pelican 7060?


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## [email protected] (Aug 24, 2007)

Hey ernsanada,
Nice review, thanks for your hard work! :twothumbs
It looks to me from your pictures that the Rebel does not have as much spill as the Cree, how does the Fenix Rebel compare to the Fenix Cree in side spill? Is it noticeably brighter than the Fenix Cree?


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## ernsanada (Aug 24, 2007)

gsnorm said:


> ernsanada,
> 
> How does the output of the fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel compare to that of the Pelican 7060?



I got beam shot of the Pelican 7060 from my review. The shot is taken 10" further out. The Pelican 7060 has a SMO reflector. The Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel has an OP reflector.

Pelican 7060 LED @ 95"






Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel @ 85"






Pelican 7060 LED @ 95" Stepped down exposure






Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel @ 85" Stepped down exposure.


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## ernsanada (Aug 24, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Hey ernsanada,
> Nice review, thanks for your hard work! :twothumbs
> It looks to me from your pictures that the Rebel does not have as much spill as the Cree, how does the Fenix Rebel compare to the Fenix Cree in side spill? Is it noticeably brighter than the Fenix Cree?



The only comparable Fenix Cree I have is the Fenix P1D CE.

When I compare the side spill of the Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel vs the Fenix P1D CE. The Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel has more side spill.

BTW I am using an AW RCR123 in the Fenix P1D CE.


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## ernsanada (Aug 24, 2007)

Phaserburn said:


> Erns, what is your eyeball impression of total output between these two lights?
> 
> Gotta admit, I'll sacrifice spill _size_ for spill and hotspot brightness anyday....
> 
> ...




The Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel has a wider hot spot or corona. At the same distance the Fenix has a wider side spill. The Fenix has a warmer tint.

The Olight has a tighter hot spot. The side spill brightness looks about equal. The T20 has a different tint more on the blue side.

I think the throw goes to the Olight T20 by a small margin.

Both lights are different. It depends on what you like to see in a beam.


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## ernsanada (Aug 24, 2007)

Another alternative is using AW's 14670 Protected 1100mAh Battery. It fits with no problems.

AW's 14670


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## gunga (Aug 24, 2007)

So protected 17670s don't fit well?

I've read many posts saying yes they fit and no they don't, hwo about yours?


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## ernsanada (Aug 24, 2007)

gunga said:


> So protected 17670s don't fit well?
> 
> I've read many posts saying yes they fit and no they don't, hwo about yours?




Sorry I don't have a 17670. :sigh:


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## vic2367 (Aug 24, 2007)

Great Review ...thanks


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## d123 (Aug 24, 2007)

gunga said:


> So protected 17670s don't fit well?
> 
> I've read many posts saying yes they fit and no they don't, hwo about yours?



I have had no problems with 17670's in my standard P3D, not even tight. I'm still waiting for my Reb100 to arrive to check. 

What I dont like with the 17670 is the shorter Turbo mode than when using 123's (whether primary or RCR).

Dave


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## MattK (Aug 25, 2007)

ernsanada said:


> Left, Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel. Right, Olight T20 @ 85"
> 
> 
> 
> ...



THE KING IS DEAD!

LONG LIVE THE KING!

*the crowd cheers*

I need :smirk: and :gloat: smilies for this thread. 

:naughty:


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## chakrawal (Aug 25, 2007)

How does the output and beam shot of the fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel compare to that of the Surefire L4?


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## matrixshaman (Aug 25, 2007)

I'm sure the L4 is going to be way more floody with much less hot spot than this Fenix Rebel. I don't have a Fenix Rebel yet but do have a Rebel and unless you do something really heavy with OP'ing the reflector it's not likely to look anything like an L4.


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## Whitelitee (Aug 25, 2007)

nice review, does the Rebel P3D's driver work with the 2 RCR's, Or is it like the P1Dce, and all the levels are pretty much the same with the higher voltage?

Thanks


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## d123 (Aug 25, 2007)

Whitelitee said:


> nice review, does the Rebel P3D's driver work with the 2 RCR's, Or is it like the P1Dce, and all the levels are pretty much the same with the higher voltage?



P3D uses a different style of circuit, all modes work as they should with RCR's.

Dave


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## Xygen (Aug 26, 2007)

Whitelitee said:


> nice review, does the Rebel P3D's driver work with the 2 RCR's, Or is it like the P1Dce, and all the levels are pretty much the same with the higher voltage?





d123 said:


> P3D uses a different style of circuit, all modes work as they should with RCR's.


Mine behaves a little strange with full 3.7V RCR123s. In normal mode it starts with medium instead low. In turbo it starts with strobe instead turbo. And switching is difficult: It seems one need a exact timing when pressing the button. Not to short not too long.... Not so easy.
This stops when the voltage drops....
Anyone else discovered this?


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## flashy bazook (Aug 26, 2007)

ernsanada,

many thanks for yet another very helpful review!

I had a question (for anybody who might know): are the P3D and P2D rebel's compatible via battery tubes?

In other words, if you buy the P3D rebel premium and then later get the battery tube for the P2D rebel, would they work together? (or the opposite, say you get the p2d rebel, later get the p3d battery tube...)

thanks!


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## ingokl (Aug 26, 2007)

P2D head to P3D body: NO WAY, the voltage would kill the circuit of the P2D head (at least it would override the LED AND the circuit!

The other way round may work, but the P3D circuit is made for the high voltage of 2 CR123. I am not sure, how it will behave with less than 3V.


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## ElectronGuru (Aug 26, 2007)

ernsanada said:


> I just got the Fenix P3D Premium 100 Rebel
> 
> The head got warm during these beam shots.



I'm trying to determine how useful the Turbo mode is on the P3D. Some quote a 10 minute max run time, leaving a true max of 90 or 112, the same or less than the non turbo maxes on the AA L1T/L2T twins. What's it like in person?

Thanks


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## j3bnl (Aug 28, 2007)

Nice pics and excellent review.
Thanks.


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## Haesslich (Sep 18, 2007)

Okay, my impressions on the light after playing with it for 20-30 minutes (thanks to David from fenix-store.com). 


* It's horribly bright, at least compared to my old-school lights. Against my LionHeart light, on the regular mode its low level matched the Level 2 of the 5-stage UI interface on the LionHeart, the Medium mode matched Level 4, and the high mode beat the Level 5 of the LionHeart by quite a large margin; the hotspot was slightly brighter, and the spill definitely was.

* Turbo's of limited utility; it's very bright, to be fair, but the ten-minutes-at-a-time runtime does bring it down... but given how warm it got after 3 minutes on Turbo, I can't blame them for suggesting going only 10 minutes at that. With the quoted 1.8 hours runtime on Turbo (or about 108 minutes), I'll use that sparingly as well. 

* Having the fast-strobe available only on Turbo mode... not sure how to feel about that. The slow strobe's something of a waste, IMO - I'd rather either have it momentary at that point, or an SOS or something. Or maybe an ultra-low mode instead. _ *EDIT: I just read the manual again and found that it's an SOS. I still find it relatively useless*_

* The walls of the P3D feel thinner than the ones on my L1; it may be an illusion, but that's how it 'feels' even if it looks to be about the same thickness. Maybe it's the longer length affecting this impression.

* I hate the holster. It should at least have had a belt loop rather than that loop to hook onto a clip or something, and a cover to keep the light from possibly falling out and getting lost somewhere. (After Nake pointed it out, I found the belt loop. Not as impressed as I was with my earlier Fenix L1P holster, which has a flap and an external sewn-on belt-loop, not that it needed one due to the size).

* No problems so far with my RCR123's - I'm using the UltraLast RCR123's that I got from Radio Shack (which they also sell at Fry's, IIRC), and they work okay. I don't expect long runtimes out of the 700mAh cells, but the rechargeable nature assuages my guilt over using 123-based lights as regularly as I do.

* The spill is quite useful; my best lights for walking have been my LionHeart and the Aleph 3; both of them had fairly large reflectors (27.5mm IMS and 38mm McGizmo), and this one's as good as the LionHeart but with more usable spill.. and that one has great spill. Yet the reflector appears to be only a 19mm at most; perhaps this is due to the deep reflector, or else the nature of the Rebel LED. Not sure yet; but it's definitely joining my EDC collection, while my LionHeart's more of a 'my precious' which comes out more for specific missions (ditto the Aleph 3).


And have I mentioned how comfortable the grip is?  Fits my fingers perfectly - I've heard complaints about the grip of the L2D, and the photos I've seen only seem to justify it. No such complaints about the P3D; it's as nice to hold as my little L1P, and appears to be the same thickness or close enough. I'll post a photo shortly.

And the photo comparing it to my L1P, both in size and in reflector depth. L1P is the smooth, non-orange peel one.









* One more note - my L1P from about 2-3 years ago has a different, less shiny HA III coating. It's a lot easier to grip in winter, I've found; the one on the P3D feels almost slippery in comparison. Don't know how well it'll 'wear' over the next few months; I guess I'll find out, since I don't cut lights to test their HA, unlike certain reviewers.


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## Nake (Sep 18, 2007)

It's got a belt loop, look at the holster closely.


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## Haesslich (Sep 18, 2007)

Nake said:


> It's got a belt loop, look at the holster closely.



I stand corrected. Still dislike the design, though - I prefer having a flap so I know it won't get 'loose' too easily.


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## BobbyRS (Sep 19, 2007)

Nice write-up Haesslich!


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## BobbyRS (Sep 19, 2007)

Another great review ernsanada! Do you have a main profession in photography?


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## kboy25 (Sep 19, 2007)

I have two P3D rebels...#1 from the original batch (first ones) #2 from the 2nd batch when they had a 2nd run of the rebels.

I bought 4 sets of AW RCR123's to run them on my bike.
I had both #1 and #2 on my bike with fresh batteries on Turbo mode.
#1 lasted 35 minutes.
#2 lasted 1 hour 10 minutes
I replace #1 with a set of fresh fully charged AW RCR123's and in the 2nd go around it again lasted about 35 minutes.

bike ride lasted 1hr 40 minutes...(i also had a headlamp on and the sun was coming up by then).

Was the first batch inferior to the 2nd batch?


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## Haesslich (Sep 19, 2007)

kboy25 said:


> I have two P3D rebels...#1 from the original batch (first ones) #2 from the 2nd batch when they had a 2nd run of the rebels.
> 
> I bought 4 sets of AW RCR123's to run them on my bike.
> I had both #1 and #2 on my bike with fresh batteries on Turbo mode.
> ...



Weird. I THINK mine's from the second batch, since it was backordered (and I'd been foolish enough to leave this place alone for a half-year, which meant I had no clue about the P3D RB100 until about two days before the pre-order was ending), and it's bright and warm in tint. 

I wonder, if those people who're having issues with their P3D's got them in the first or second batch...


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## ernsanada (Sep 20, 2007)

BobbyRS said:


> Another great review ernsanada! Do you have a main profession in photography?




Photography is just a hobby.

I just got back from a mini vacation. I went to Monument Valley, Utah and the Grand Canyon Arizona. I took 330 pictures.


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## Ice (Sep 20, 2007)

> I have two P3D rebels...#1 from the original batch (first ones) #2 from the 2nd batch when they had a 2nd run of the rebels.
> 
> I bought 4 sets of AW RCR123's to run them on my bike.
> I had both #1 and #2 on my bike with fresh batteries on Turbo mode.
> ...


What about the brightnesses of the two?


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## kboy25 (Sep 20, 2007)

oh the brightness is the same...both are excellent.
I have no qualms about either of them...i was just shocked at the run time. at first i thought maybe i didnt fully charge them, but when it happened again on the 2nd set i was sad. :mecry:


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## woodrow (Sep 20, 2007)

ernsanada,
Thanks again for the great review of this light. I just got mine today and though it is not dark yet, I am really impressed with it.


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## bluecrow76 (Sep 24, 2007)

I just got mine today and holly crap burn my eyes out! Can't wait to do a MAG mod with these Rebels! It really gives my LumaPower M1-T a run for it's money. It's convinced me to get the M1-R upgrade!

I tried a 17670 in mine. It fit through the top end (not the bottom) and worked great in turbo, but nothing else worked: no low, no medium, no high, no sos. So I'm going to run it on 3.6V RCR123's and keep my CR123's for the next hurricane!

I also have an L1D-CE and L2P with custom 123 body, which will hopefully be SSC modded soon.

Keep up the good work Fenix, and nice review ernsanada!


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