# Fenix TK12 - a TK10 with Indoor/Outdoor and Tactical modes...Pics and gen. impression



## woodrow (Aug 14, 2009)

My Olight M20 was having some issues so I decided I needed a new 2 cell tactical light. I decided to take a chance on a Fenix TK12. It is much smaller than my TA30, and slightly smaller than my Olight M20.






The light comes with with what apears to be a very robust clip and cigar ring attached.





The cigar ring and clip are removable...or can be used individually.





When used without the cigar ring...but with the clip, most of the cigar ring threads are covored...except for a small gap.





The light has an slight orange beal reflector with an crenalated bezel...but the "teeth" are not like the TA30 sharp "weapon" teeth, they are wide and should not raise the eyebrows of airport security or tear clothing.





The tailcap is surrounded by protective ridges...but cannot tailstand when on like the TA30. Activation of the switch is not difficult for either momentary or constant on.





*EDIT: tHERE IS NOW A 18650 TUBE AVAILIBLE FOR THIS LIGHT. THE TK12 runs at full regulation on 123a's and a 18650. link to review from light-reviews.com below. Way to go Fenix!*

The light will only work with 123a's (rcr's ok) and not 18650's But has a nice balance of wall thickness without making the light overly heavy. Here is a picture of the thickness of the TK12's tube, next to the Olight M20's tube.





And finally, the lights beam. I could do beamshots, but Low, 90 lumens and 225 lumens are basically identical to my M20 R2's (OP) beam in output across the board...(though the strobe on the TK12 is faster...do not know if that is good or bad) and the beams even look identical in throw...just with the R2 being warmer and TK12 being cooler...seriously, beams are basically identical. (and both leds in this case are ever so slightly off centered...but not horribly) Here is a picture of both the TK12 and M20 on low. TK12 on left.





As to the output modes of the TK12, for me, it has 3 modes. Mode one..."Inside" gives a choice of 90 lumens with bezel tight and 5 lumens with it loosened. Perfect for use arround the house. 

To get to what I am calling "Outdoor" mode, you twist the head loose and tight again twice within a second or so and you will see the light increase to 225 lumens. Loosen the head and it goes to 45 lumens. Basically what I use if I am outdoors.

The third mode "tactical" can be accessed by loosening and tightening the head again twice quickly and the light will be at 225 high again with the head tightened...or strobe with it loosened. I do not plan to use this mode..so I can bypass it qiuickly with two more quick twists...to be back to "inside" mode.

I both like and dislike the UI of this light. I like how smooth the light is to move from high to low with a simple twist. (smoother than the Olight) I like that Finally I have a "TK10" with a low mode. I also like that I do not have to bypass the strobe or medium level to get from high to low or low to high...like on my beloved Olight. Also, the UI is really simple in that most of the time I will only be using high/low, and when I need to switch modes, it really is a pretty fast change.

I dislike having to go through the "Tactical" strobe mode to get from "Outdoor" to "Inside" mode, but in all honestly, I find this less annoying than constantly going throught the Olights strobe and the common level misses that I have put up with for the last year. (not that its strengths did not make up for this)

Overall, although it does not have a new super led in it, I feel like I am going to like the TK12. It is compact and solid...without being heavy. It lets me have a TK10 with a Low mode...nice for moving around the house when others are asleep, and it feels like it could take most any amount of abuse I could possibly throw at it.

I also like the very solid clip and that it is a nice looking light with a great HAIII finish, and has bezel teeth that will not tear my pockets. Others who have not played with one may scoff at its different UI, but I think it is a pretty good solution for giving four levels of output (and a strobe if you want it) and a very simple UI 95% of the time. 

Good job Fenix!


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## Henk_Lu (Aug 14, 2009)

Nice review with good pics! Thanks! 

Are you sure the clip should be used like the picture shows, over the threads? Looks horrible to me... 

As for the rest, your review confirms my opinion about the TK12 : Nice light in the TK-class, more complete UI than the predecessors, same quality, somewhat same look.

If you don't have a TK10 and/or a TK11, it is surely a good buy if you want a versatile tank light. But, I'm also confirmed that I really don't need this light, as I own both TK10 & TK11 (next to other brands in the same format) which cover everything the TK12 is made for, except the Low, for which other lights serve.

I'm waiting for a really new Fenix TK with another emitter (SST-50???).


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## tab665 (Aug 14, 2009)

Henk_Lu said:


> I'm waiting for a really new Fenix TK with another emitter (SST-50???).


 it does make me wonder how the sales are doing with the tk-12, and the new eagletacs with all us CPFers knowing the sst50's and xp-g's are right around the corner.


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## dudu84 (Aug 14, 2009)

Thanks for your review, woodrow! Exactly what I've been waiting for :thumbsup:.

The UI is as I expected but I'm a little disappointed in the beam quality (I believe I heard TK10 has one of the smoothest beams for XR-E) :candle:



tab665 said:


> it does make me wonder how the sales are doing with the tk-12, and the new eagletacs with all us CPFers knowing the sst50's and xp-g's are right around the corner.



I think the new SST-50 will have its own place because it is very different from the current XR-E class. SST-50 has min forward current of ~0.8A (I just estimated the value from the graph in the datasheet) which produces 137.5-175 lumens, and that is great when we wants lots of light. The drive current @ 5A or higher simply means it's designed for larger torches that can accommodate multiple batteries to lower the load. Imagine running SST-50 @5A off 1x18650, even if the battery can safely provide the demanding current, common forward mechanical switches will probably smoke in no time. 
However, XP-G sounds very promising :thumbsup:, anyone has the data sheet for it?


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## woodrow (Aug 15, 2009)

dudu84 said:


> Thanks for your review, woodrow! Exactly what I've been waiting for :thumbsup:.
> 
> The UI is as I expected but I'm a little disappointed in the beam quality


 

I know what you mean by beam quality...ALL of my other T series Fenix lights have had Perfectly centered emiters too...but I guess I was due to get one a little off eventually. Here is a Pic of the TK12 on high at 7'. It is not bad...just not perfect.





Here is the M20


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## dudu84 (Aug 15, 2009)

woodrow said:


> ALL of my other T series Fenix lights have had Perfectly centered emiters too...but I guess I was due to get one a little off eventually.


Thanks for your additional beamshots, Woodrow. I guess hoping for a ring-free TK12 is too much to ask for  .


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## woodrow (Aug 15, 2009)

dudu84 said:


> Thanks for your additional beamshots, Woodrow. I guess hoping for a ring-free TK12 is too much to ask for  .


 
I don't know...all of my other T series lights have been spot on.... It does make me appreciate the Quark light's feature that pretty much ensures a centered led though.

The light feels solid enough though that I am willing to overlook the slightly off center corona. The beam really is decent for regular use.


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## dudu84 (Aug 15, 2009)

woodrow said:


> I don't know...all of my other T series lights have been spot on.... It does make me appreciate the Quark light's feature that pretty much ensures a centered led though.
> 
> The light feels solid enough though that I am willing to overlook the slightly off center corona. The beam really is decent for regular use.



What other Fenix T lights do you have, Woodrow? Do they all have similarly textured reflector (except TK11)?
If you have TK11, could you tell me if its body will also fit on the TK12 head?

thx


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## woodrow (Aug 15, 2009)

The only other T light I have now is the TA30...its beam is perfect. Slightly less throwy though. I also have had a T1 with a perfect beam and a TK20 which was spot on....No TK11... Sorry


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## dudu84 (Aug 16, 2009)

woodrow said:


> The only other T light I have now is the TA30...its beam is perfect. Slightly less throwy though. I also have had a T1 with a perfect beam and a TK20 which was spot on....No TK11... Sorry



No worries man! Thx for sharing :thumbsup:


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## DimeRazorback (Aug 16, 2009)

Nice review mate!

Thanks for shedding some light on the TK12 for me (excuse the pun :shakehead)


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## dudu84 (Aug 20, 2009)

woodrow said:


> Here is a picture of both the TK12 and M20 on low. TK12 on left.



The TK12 seems at least equally bright as M20 on Low from that image. My TK12 is also quite bright on Low, I'd say more like 7-8 lumens instead of 5. I'm not complaining as I actually prefer 8-10 lumens low but I wondered how that affects the claimed runtime.

Also, I tried my Olight T25 T's switch boot with the shorter Fenix tactical switch module (from TK20) in my TK12 and they fit nicely. My TK12 now can tailstand (only when it's ON) and still easily accessible to the switch.


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## woodrow (Aug 20, 2009)

dudu84 said:


> The TK12 seems at least equally bright as M20 on Low from that image. My TK12 is also quite bright on Low, I'd say more like 7-8 lumens instead of 5. I'm not complaining as I actually prefer 8-10 lumens low but I wondered how that affects the claimed runtime.
> 
> Also, I tried my Olight T25 T's switch boot with the shorter Fenix tactical switch module (from TK20) in my TK12 and they fit nicely. My TK12 now can tailstand (only when it's ON) and still easily accessible to the switch.


 

Cool idea....Thanks for posting. I tried my TA30 tailcap on the TK12...no dice threads are different. 

I dug out a AW 17650 and tried it in the TK12. Fits fine (I always take the sticker off right away..so do not know how that would have affected things....but light seems as bright. I will charge up the 17650 and see what kind of runtimes I can get. I really do like how stout the light feels. That is most likely my favorite part of this light.


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## dudu84 (Aug 20, 2009)

woodrow said:


> Cool idea....Thanks for posting. I tried my TA30 tailcap on the TK12...no dice threads are different.
> 
> I dug out a AW 17650 and tried it in the TK12. Fits fine (I always take the sticker off right away..so do not know how that would have affected things....but light seems as bright. I will charge up the 17650 and see what kind of runtimes I can get. I really do like how stout the light feels. That is most likely my favorite part of this light.



Is your TA30 switch module the shorter or the longer version? I only know that tailcaps of TK12 and TK20 are compatible with both switch modules and it's a great design 




Left:TK12 switch, Right:TK20 switch

My TK12 is also very bright with UF 17670 battery, maybe it's ~10 lumens less than when using 2x AW16340 batteries (estimated from ceiling bounce tests). Do you have a lux meter to use in the runtime test?


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## woodrow (Aug 21, 2009)

dudu84 said:


> Is your TA30 switch module the shorter or the longer version? I only know that tailcaps of TK12 and TK20 are compatible with both switch modules and it's a great design
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I am not sure which version my TA30 is...but the fins on the tailcap are slightly linger. Thanks for your pics. I think all lights should tailstand...even those with forward clickys. I do not have a lux meter or I would do runtime tests. Hopefully someone who does will do a review on this light.

I have a fealing though...with the new leds coming out, these latest Q5/R2 lights may not get as much play here on cpf.


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## woodrow (Sep 14, 2009)

I saw the review at light-reviews.com .... full regulation with an 18650. I sold mine...but I knew it was a good light... Fenix just keeps getting more and more impressive to me.


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## woodrow (Oct 16, 2009)

Here is the link: http://light-reviews.com/fenix_tk12/


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## idiotekniQues (Dec 28, 2009)

i haven't been paying attention much to the flashlight scene since getting my e2l dual-mode cree, but ******* this light is sexy. pretty much my ideal light.


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## dudu84 (Dec 28, 2009)

woodrow said:


> I saw the review at light-reviews.com .... full regulation with an 18650. I sold mine...but I knew it was a good light... Fenix just keeps getting more and more impressive to me.



I finally received my lux meter sometime ago from DX and did a runtime test for the TK12.

My TK12 does not regulate as well as his so I'd dare to say that the TK12 does not officially have full regulation on turbo mode, with 1x18650 battery. If you are lucky enough to end up with a low Vf Q5 (chance seems pretty good for recent batches) and use a high quality 18650 cell, which holds its under-load voltage well, you can indeed get a fully-regulated output 





The very same TF18650 cell if used in my L-mini 2 will provide constant output on Max brightness, but the circuit only allows 6.0V max


My point is, TK12 is a great light with versatile battery options, but if someboy wants 100% regulation on both 1x3.7V AND 2x3.7V Li-ion batteries, then TK12 may NOT be THE ONE, they should go for an xp-g light instead due to their lower Vf


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## DM51 (Dec 28, 2009)

This is a very good and useful review - thank you! I must have been away when you posted it, or I would have moved it straight away to the Reviews section. I'll rectify that now.


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## sigsour (Dec 29, 2009)

I gotta tell ya, I bought this light off of woodrow. The UI takes a little getting used to but it is a great light and has just the right amount of throw even if the emitter is slightly off center.


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## biggin215 (Jun 9, 2010)

I just got one... It's nice. I want to change to the orange button but cannot figure it out... HALP?


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## Kid9P (Jun 10, 2010)

I've been undecided on picking one of these up or not, but this review helped me decide.

I'll be ordering one of these bad boys


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## woodrow (Jun 14, 2010)

I sold mine at the marketplace forum...and regretted it. I quickly picked up the R2 version. The R2 version is slightly warmer, and the beam is 98% centered. I am very tempted to pick up the latest R5 version...but the r2 is very bright and has very nice throw...so I am still on the fence. The ui is still unique...but I mainly leave it in "indoor" mode anyway...so not that big of a deal. I still think its a pretty solid and well made light.


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