# FENIX TK10 Full Review



## Hitthespot (Mar 24, 2008)

When I received the offer to test and write a review on the soon to be released Fenix light the TK10 I was apprehensive. I felt this light was so much like the Fenix T1, the obvious question would be what are the differences between the TK10 and the T1? Never owning the T1, I could not answer any comparative questions and felt readers may be disappointed in a review that didn’t directly compare the two. However, being a flashlight enthusiast and being satisfied with every Fenix light I’ve purchased so far, especially the P2D-Q5, and knowing there had to be improvements on an already good light the T1, eventually got the better of me. I thought I could write a thorough and comprehensive review without owning what most would consider its predecessor. I would just present the facts as best I could, point out features I thought had been changed, and let the readers decide if the Fenix TK10 would meet their needs based on its own merits.

For more information you can visit the www.Fenix-Store.com or you can ctrl+click this link: https://www.fenix-store.com/product_info.php?products_id=433 As of March 25, 2008 this link is suppose to take you to the TK10 and not chocolate cake. If the cake is still there the light should be up soon. Edit: The cake is gone the light is up for pre-orders!

I only had a couple of days between receiving the TK10, testing it, and being able to write the review by the deadline, all with a personal schedule that quite frankly didn’t allow it. So please forgive any grammar errors or poor quality pictures. I would have liked to have done some controlled scientific tests but just didn’t have time. I’m sure others reviewing the light will fill in the gap with light meters, current tests, run time graphs, tanks running it over, being shot with 50 caliber machine guns, and strapping it to the rockets of the space shuttle. You know the normal tests. For the purpose of this review I am reluctantly assuming the pre-released light and shipment I received will be identical in everyway to the official light released.

THE FUN STUFF

Official Specifications, notable features, and items included with shipment:
Manufacturer: FenixLight Limited
Model: TK10
Estimated Release Date: March 25, 2008
Designed for Rugged Outdoor and Military use
Cree 7090 XRE Premium Q5 LED (50,000 Hour Lifespan)
High Efficient Parabolic OP Reflector
Two brightness modes: 225 Lumens: 1.5 Hours / 60 Lumens: 10 Hours
Digitally regulated for constant brightness
Removable Steel Clip with supplied Allen wrench and two extra screws included
Removable Tactical Grip Ring for the cigar technique included (made of Grade T6 aircraft aluminum)
Rubber Switch Boot included (edit: see findings below)
Two spare O-Rings included (One for the head and one for the tail cap) 
Both a Black and an Orange rubber switch boot included. (Black installed) Having both included was a very nice touch.
Dimensions: 135 mm x 34 mm (25.4mm = 1.0 inch—Sorry left the RPN HP at the office)
Weight: 136g excluding batteries
Takes two CR123A batteries (Not Included)
Body Construction: Aircraft Grade Aluminum
Toughened ultra clear glass lens with anti-reflective coating
Premium Type III Hard Anodized Anti-Abrasive Finish
Water resistant to IPX-8 Standard
Reverse polarity protection
Low battery indication system
Lanyard included
Holster included
Estimated street price: $75.00 US

Test Findings and Observations or the Short and Sweet

· Will not tail stand. The switch boot is out past the end of the tail cap. (see photo)
· With the switch protruding out past the tail cap I found the switch is easy to push and I didn’t feel the tail cap was too sharp. I have looked at the pictures of the T1 and I believe this has to be a positive update on the TK10. (See Photo)
· The head and Bezel are one piece. The Stainless Steel is gone. The bezel tops are cut fairly square and the result is they are not very sharp. I found them acceptable.
· Anti-roll design works well.
· Tail Switch is a single stage forward click with momentary on. Switch feel is always a debatable feature but in my opinion Fenix got it right. The click has a nice medium feel to it. Not too light or too heavy.
· Not designed for 18650 Li-ion batteries. I measured the I.D. of both ends of the battery tube at exactly 17mm.
· Placed in one foot of water for 20 minutes. No intrusion of water detected.
· Dropped 4 times at a distance of 4 feet onto a folded towel placed on a Concrete floor. No damage detected. Testing that the components were mounted solid and would not easily come loose was the only test (that could have been destructive) I was comfortable with since I new this light would be used and depended on, sold with full disclosure, or given away.
· The LED was centered.
· The Lens was very clear and you can see the anti-reflective coating on it. I detected no debris in the head. 
· The finish was beautiful. There were no machining marks anywhere I could find on my sample. There were no uneven spots in the HA-III coating. The head, battery tube, and tail cap all matched as though they were polished and coated together as one piece. A very nice looking light and better looking than its predecessor. IMHO. My pictures don’t give it proper justice.
· The threads could have used some grease but were smooth right out of the box. The threads also seemed a little more heavy duty to me than other lights I own.
· Target identification was listed out to 200 Meters and I thought I should touch on this. I have no 200 meter beam shots but my tests confirm the light will shine this far especially in a completely dark atmosphere. In my tests at 105 meters there was plenty of light. After 150 meters the quantity of light starts falling off to the point that these old eyes start straining. If I really wanted or needed to light up an area 200 meters away on more than just a rare occasion, I would want something with a little more kick. Remember this is my opinion only and the quantity of light you need at 200 meters may be less than I feel I need.
· No SOS or Strobe modes.
· The head is not designed for user changeable Drop Ins. 
· The removable belt clip is thick and stiff. It takes two fingers to pull it away from the light and is the way I think a clip should be. It should securely hold the light on the belt and still allow the light to be easily removed. It almost appears in the pictures as though it would move with the head. It does not. Once tightened in place the clip does not move. I did have a problem with the screws. In my opinion the metal is too soft and while tightening the Allen wrench it twisted inside the screw heads. If you don’t plan on taking the clip on and off often you should be ok, plus there was an extra set of screws. Fenix will definitely have to provide better quality screws. With the tactical ring in place I found the belt clip very difficult if not impossible to use because the tactical ring is in the way. I’m not sure if they were designed to be used together or not; wouldn’t some users want to use the belt clip and tactical ring? It is also interesting I have not seen any pictures of both installed on the light. So, I took a close up picture of the light with both the tactical ring and the belt clip installed.
· The tactical grip ring could be tightened forward or backwards giving it a Quarter (1/4) turn adjustment or it could be left floating (moving a half turn in either direction). In my opinion it was placed forward enough for good light balance and yet rearward enough to comfortably operate the switch in my medium sized hands. Good job on the tactical ring.
· High mode called Turbo Mode by Fenix (225 lumens) is selected by tightening the head. Low mode called General Mode by Fenix (60 lumens) is selected by loosening the head.
· The Switch boot is a dark burnt orange color. I really thought it complimented the finish of the light much better than the bright orange shown in preliminary pictures. This is used for covering the threads when the tactical grip ring is removed and not used. The manual says it is rubber, but it sure felt like aluminum to me and it was threaded on the inside. I believe one of the photographs shows this. I tried crushing it between my fingers, (lightly of course) and it is very firm like aluminum. I doubt it is rubber unless it is a formula I’m not familiar with.
· I measured the outer diameter of the battery tube and the tail cap at 25mm or a couple of thousands under one inch. The light should work in one inch scope rings for those who want to weapons mount it. Just remember the head is 34mm for clearance purposes. The total length measured 134mm from the head to the end of the switch boot. (Around 5.25 inches.). The usable mounting length between the top of the battery tube and the end of the usable tail cap was 64mm or approximately 2.5 inches.
· The holster was heavy nylon and the light would fit in the holster head up or head down and with the tactical grip ring attached. The holster had a Velcro strap.
· The light could be locked out by loosening the tail cap one quarter turn. A feature I prefer on all my lights.
· The Knurling on this light was good. Not quite as deep as another favorite manufacturer of mine but still very nice.
· The tint was different than any LED light I own but also to my liking. That’s a lottery game we all play when we purchase lights on the Web. I like the warm sometimes slightly green if I can have it. The tint on the TK10 was white and very warm, and almost appeared to have a little red in it when compared to my Surefire G2 with BOG-Q5 and Olight T20-Q5. Both have a very cool white beam that looks blue when compared to the TK10. I’m not sure if this will come out in the pictures or not. Color is hard to capture correctly with imperfect white balance and the fast shutter speeds of a camera. 
· Both the TK10 (225 lumens) and the G2 with BOG-Q5 drop in (230 lumens) had around the same size spot at short distances with the TK10 having a soft corona around its core. Also both lights visually appeared around the same brightness with a slight edge going to the Fenix. The two completely different tints made it impossible to determine which was actually brighter, but again I thought the TK10 was. One thing I have learned. I am not using a light meter and visual interpretations are sometimes misleading, especially when dealing with different colors. Both lights have excellent spots and are bright! Again I’m not sure how much of this will be detailed in a picture.
· The Reflector is an Orange Peel type. I believe I read somewhere that Fenix will not be issuing the TK10 with a Smooth reflector. Based on the beam quality of my sample I can understand why. Visually the rings are very well controlled. At short distances there is a bright spot, a very small soft corona around the spot and then the spill. There is just a hint of interruption just past the soft corona but you really have to strain to see it and it does not show in the pictures. Out of the now 6 Q5-led lights I own, the TK10 has the best beam quality and tint hands down. All of my other Q5 lights have noticeable rings. Of course the TK10 also has the biggest head of all my Q5 lights. I hope my sample is indicative of all the TK10’s, and not just a unique and unusual sample. Everyone should experience the Q5 like this. See the first two beam shot photographs taken at two or three feet. If the picture of the TK10’s beam doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, then you’re not a true flashaholic. Notice the rings in the BOG and the lack of rings and very smooth beam of the TK10. Well believe it or not it only gets better as it opens up. The spill on the TK10 is just a solid wall of light with no rings and no artifacts.
· The lanyard is missing from the all in one shot because I hadn’t noticed it fell on the floor. The lanyard is black and (1/4) wide by 6 inches long. It is included in the box. Hey regardless of what my wife says I’m not perfect.



















































For the comparative beam shots I used a favorite of mine the Surefire G2 with BOG-Q5 drop in already mentioned. I have always liked the material and feel of my old faithful companion the G2, (it was the first high quality light I purchased many years ago) and using it made sense because the BOG-Q5 is listed at 230 lumens. I also took a comparative shot with the only other two cell LED light I own, the Olight T20-Q5 listed at 205 lumens on high. Another light I’m fond of. All lights had fresh Streamlight batteries. A Fujifilm S6000fd digital camera was used for all pictures and a Bushnell Laser Range finder for distance measurements throughout this review. The distance beam shots were taken at 43 meters. Any further out and I just couldn’t get enough light to take a decent beam shot and the spots opened up to large. I also should have taken a tripod due to the slow shutter speeds. So each light would not affect the other I took 3 separate beam shots. One shot of each light at the exact same camera settings. All three 43 meter shots were shot at ISO 1600, one quarter (1/4) second, @ f3.5. In my opinion, the spot on the TK10 while larger, maintains its core brightness better than the other two lights, plus it lights up a larger area. Your interpretations of the pictures may be different. In my outdoor testing the tint of the TK10 also allowed it to better illuminate objects at further and further distances. While the spot was tighter on the BOG-Q5 and the Olight T20-Q5, the very cool white beam both had just seemed to wash out faster than the TK10, especially when shining them in the woods. One thing is now for sure after my night time testing. I won’t be selling my TK10 anytime soon.

TK10







BOG-Q5





Olight T20-Q5





BOG-Q5





FENIX TK10










Summary:
Except on limited occasions, my life is not usually in situations where I would consider a flashlight necessary to make any profound differences. Flashlights just make my life much more convenient, and ok I admit it, I enjoy playing with them. I mostly prefer small one cell lights safely tucked in a pocket, patiently waiting on the moment I feel like pestering my wife, the kids or innocent bystanders. This is the reason I was never really interested in the T1. However, many groups and individuals must depend on a flashlight to make a consequential difference in the outcome of everyday activities, or an unfortunate event. For some the most important feature of a light is that it is perdurable and works time and time again when it needs to. You wouldn’t want to be stuck in a cave with a couple of lights that quit the first time you dropped them or got them wet, or be a crime scene investigator ready to collect crucial evidence in the middle of the night and be fumbling around with a dim and inferior quality light. For those that serve and protect the need for a reliable light could fill a page. As with any new potentially life saving outdoor or tactical device, it needs to earn and prove its worthiness. My impression, and based on my limited testing in the very short time I have had this light, it is without a doubt heavy duty and rugged just like its predecessor, and most importantly, should work when you need it to even after taking a fair amount of punishment. It is bright by almost anyone’s standards, has a beautiful beam and good throw for long range target acquisition, a lower mode for medium range work and all night usage on one set of batteries, and can be modified to suit different types of usage and carry styles. Fenix is clearly listening to their customers and taking definitive steps to keep the new tactical lines moving forward. The swift response on making a removable clip, better designed tail switch, and new tactical ring, is proof of that. However the light is not perfect. Some will vacillate because of their disappointment in the TK10’s inability to take standard Drop Ins so the light is user upgradeable, or its inability to use rechargeable 18650 Lithium-Ion batteries. The TK10 was surprisingly smaller than I thought but still slightly larger than some other proven tactical lights. I also suppose that though highly debated, and even more on a tactical light, a small few would argue for the SOS or Strobe, especially for outdoor use. The screws are troublesome as is the belt clip and tactical ring not playing together very well. Lastly, in my opinion 200 meters was slightly stretching the usable distance, probably due to the OP reflector. I would not count any updates or new features out in the future as these exciting tactical lines continue to evolve for Fenix. I’ll conclude by saying that despite the impugnable short comings I’ve listed during the course of this review, the present features of the Fenix TK10 did impress me and win me over, and should make it a serious consideration for anyone needing its mixture of ruggedness, brightness and throw, tactical features, and now changeable body features. An estimated street price of around $75.00 in my opinion is just a bonus, especially considering the www.fenix-store.com has free shipping and a good reputation for customer service. 

Bill Kincaid

P.S. In case your curious, there was no monetary gain or the promise there of for the review of this pre-released light. My only relationship with Fenix is I buy and use their products. I considered it an honor to do the work and be able to post this review on CPF, and though during the coarse of this review I called it exactly as I seen it, good or bad; remember that much of this review is the reviewers opinion and buyers should read more than one review before making a decision.


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## olrac (Mar 24, 2008)

great review and beam shots, looks like we have a winner here!:thumbsup:


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## Crenshaw (Mar 24, 2008)

good review, only hope mine will live up to it...mines not here yet though.. which is gonna be a strain if i have to get the review out before the 28th..

Crenshaw


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## Centropolis (Mar 24, 2008)

Thanks for the review. I found it useful and enjoyed reading it.


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## thefly01 (Mar 24, 2008)

Nice Review! I was wondering how the clip and ring were going to work together I guess they don't. I also like the fact that my T1 can be used like a candle. I didn't realize that was changing on the TK10. In any case mine is on it's way to pair up with the T1.:thumbsup:


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## iTorch (Mar 24, 2008)

Hey - nice review, thanks!


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## Kato (Mar 24, 2008)

Great review! Thanks! :thumbsup:


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## Khaytsus (Mar 24, 2008)

I thought I'd read that it was shipping with two boots, or two boot configurations.. One of them sticks out rather far, the other one sits farther inside the tail fins.

No such multiple configurations on the Tk10?


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## Crenshaw (Mar 24, 2008)

Khatysus, i believe i wrote that, and i wrote that reading about it from someone who aparently saw a Tk10 in person or something...wonder if that person could chime in?


i wonder if Willabbott was called upon to give his review...

certainly would be interesting to see how the new tactical fenix measures up..

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=181673

Crenshaw


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## TDKKP (Mar 24, 2008)

:twothumbsExcellent review! I enjoyed reading it.


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## Burgess (Mar 25, 2008)

Great Job on yer' review. :thumbsup:


Looks as if this flashlight is* really* gonna' Hit the Spot. 



Sorry, just couldn't resist. 

_


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## Hitthespot (Mar 25, 2008)

Khaytsus said:


> I thought I'd read that it was shipping with two boots, or two boot configurations.. One of them sticks out rather far, the other one sits farther inside the tail fins.
> 
> No such multiple configurations on the Tk10?


 
There are two boots. One orange and one black. However they both look identical in size to me. I think someone just thought that on was bigger. They're not. The switch is nice. I can't see why you would need to change anything in my opinion.

Bill


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## tsask (Mar 25, 2008)

Nice work, what an excellent review! Thanks.
from a happy TK10 owner


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## husky20 (Mar 25, 2008)

cant wait to see ernsanadas backyard beam shots:thumbsup:


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## Federal LG (Mar 25, 2008)

I think this is the BEST review that I read here in CPF. Congratulations!

:thumbsup:

And congratulations to Fenix. Looks like we have a top notch light!


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## primox1 (Mar 25, 2008)

Great detailed review....Thanks!


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## Monocrom (Mar 25, 2008)

A very thorough review. Thanks for that.


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## e2x2e (Mar 25, 2008)

Nice review, thanks for taking the time to do it.


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## Sharpy_swe (Mar 25, 2008)

Thank you for an interesting and informative review!


:twothumbs


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## techwg (Mar 25, 2008)

I enjoyed this review, thanks.


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## Hitthespot (Mar 25, 2008)

Wow, Never expected so many kind comments.

Thank you everyone and I really am happy you enjoyed the review. I've had a chance to play with this light a little more, and though I think a few minor things need corrected, I can honestly say I really like this light. I can' wait until we start seeing 300 and 400 lumens out of a light like this. It will be a keeper for me unless my brother cons me out of it. He has been begging me for it since he first layed eyes on it.

Bill


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## glenda17 (Mar 25, 2008)

Good to see that Fenix is designing out the Cree Rings. Hopefully they will update the P2D next.


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## Khaytsus (Mar 25, 2008)

Hitthespot said:


> There are two boots. One orange and one black. However they both look identical in size to me. I think someone just thought that on was bigger. They're not. The switch is nice. I can't see why you would need to change anything in my opinion.
> 
> Bill



No big problem, just I thought I'd seen that one will tailstand because it's lower profile.

Not a big deal for me either way, I never do that.


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## Hitthespot (Mar 26, 2008)

glenda17 said:


> Good to see that Fenix is designing out the Cree Rings. Hopefully they will update the P2D next.


 
I'm not so sure it was a specific design criterial as much as it was a function of the size of the reflector and head. Removing the rings from the P2D's head is probably much more difficult. The TK10 is the only light with the Q5 emitter that I've seen so far that has virtually removed the rings and I have some Q5 lights costing $200+. But all of them have much smaller heads.

Bill


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## Grateful Ned (Mar 27, 2008)

Super review, thanks ! 

Gotta gets me one of these :twothumbs

Would love to see a side by side with a P3D to check that size diff. And runtimes with RCR123s, etc. Looks like Fenix did a lot of things right with this light.


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## jezzyp (Mar 27, 2008)

Good job


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## Hitthespot (Mar 29, 2008)

Grateful Ned said:


> Super review, thanks !
> 
> Gotta gets me one of these :twothumbs
> 
> Would love to see a side by side with a P3D to check that size diff. And runtimes with RCR123s, etc. Looks like Fenix did a lot of things right with this light.


 
The P3D is considerably smaller than the TK10. But the P3D is not listed as a tactical light. Pick the poison you need. The P3D is a good light in its own right.

Bill


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