# PKFL2LE review (650lm, 2xCR123A, 1x17650)



## viperxp (Jun 20, 2014)

Greetings All,
This is a review of a very special flashlight, the most special that I own. I will first write some information about the flashlight, than I will review it.







*So ,what's so special and who is PK ?*







So .. Many of you might heard about Surefire company. There are lots of topics about it's products, and many will follow, for many reasons. So .. Paul Kim worked there as a Vice President of Engineering for a lot of time (19 years total), designed a lot of cool stuff and recently left Surefire. He opened his own company, and the flashlight is his first flashlight made independent from Surefire. The flashlight shares much with Surefire flashlights, so that existing accessories will fit.


*Specs*







What's interesting? Not much really, besides the fact that only 1000 flashlights will be made. 650 lumens and usage of non-rechargeable batteries does not look very attractive, given the competitions. Remember Surefire, right?

*
Lets get started*












So ... this is the actual package of the mega-exclusive almost 200 dollars flashlight.






This is the content - very spartan. Flashlight, sticker and user manual.













I find the flashlight beautiful, but it's a matter of taste. A lot of edges, fine details. The manufacturer is proud that the flashlight will not slip from the hand even if you use gloves or hands are wet even with blood.
The quality is excellent, I could not find any flaw. The flashlight itself is much smaller than I thought, it even can be considered to be called compact.















A beautiful detailed piece of engineering. Bezel is one-of a kind, I was very surprised that it did not tear my pants pocket. The Glass has anti-reflective coating and of a sophisticated type - try to google "borofloat". No fingerprints or dust was found on/below the lens.













The flashlight came with well lubricated threads. Not square cut, but anodized. The tail-cup is very beautiful,even proud design with "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the outside and the manufacturer logo on the inside.











The flashlight does not have spring in the head. The LED is perfectly centered. Specs say about some clever reflector tech - from my point of view it might be special it does look shinier than some.













The flashlight in company of other popular tactical - and not so tactical flashlights, to give you idea of it's size.
Left to right you can see Olight M22, Thrunite TN12 2014, Olight M18 Striker, PKFL2LE, Olight S20 Baton. As you can see the flashlight is quite compact.

*Does it even work??*

Yep, and works pretty well in my opinion. The light itself is cool white with no visible tint. The flashlight has two brightness modes - high and low. The flashlight starts from high, the flashlight has tactical switch. The switch itself has a very nice feel, the button is just stiff enough and the click is solid.







Control shot









Thrunite TN12 2014 1050 lumen. On all the pictures first I point the flashlight at the closest tree, and then on a more distant (distance is 50 and 100-150 meters I think)









PKFL2LE . Does not look very different from the Thrunite.









Olight M18 Striker. 800 lumen.


*Some numbers (lux in hotspot from meter)*


Flashlight/ModeLowMidMediumHighTurboThrunite TN 12 2014 (1050 lm)21452670750010000Nitecore P12 (950 lm)8480-19838950Olight M18 Striker1300---6200PKFL2LE485---9500

A large clever reflector allows PKFL2LE to almost catch 1050 lumen Thrunite with only 650 lumens 

 *PWM, Noise*

I could not detect any sound coming from the flashlight on any mode, and no PWM


*Conclusions*


So ... Features/lumens vise it's not a great hit - many other flashlights give more at a fraction of it's cost. But it you take into account the durability and the value of the flashlight - the fact that it's a result of a work of a real master that influenced the flashlight industry as we see it today, and the fact that the flashlight is a part of limited edition - it may look very different.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions/suggestions I will be happy to hear and assist. My English is far from being perfect, so sorry for the typos.

*The flashlight was provided by PK for a review*


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P.S. Some flashlight, and PK himself pictures for you.


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## kj2 (Jun 20, 2014)

Great light  -thanks for the review.


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## viperxp (Jun 20, 2014)

kj2 said:


> Great light  -thanks for the review.



Thank you. it's my pleasure


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## Barefootone (Jun 21, 2014)

viperxp, 

Very nice review :thumbsup:.
You covered PK's FL2 LE differently than I did in my review and I like that. I like what I read and I'm sure Paul will enjoy reading it as well.
This is my review if you have not read it. 

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...2-Beam-Shots&p=4454012&highlight=#post4454012

Yes the FL2 LE is a great light for sure. Thanks for your review.


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## viperxp (Jun 21, 2014)

Barefootone said:


> viperxp,
> 
> Very nice review :thumbsup:.
> You covered PK's FL2 LE differently than I did in my review and I like that. I like what I read and I'm sure Paul will enjoy reading it as well.
> ...



Thanks, it's been my pleasure reviewing it. I will read you review and give my thouts about it as well  .


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## sledhead (Jun 21, 2014)

Thanks for the review and great pictures! I have the pen .... might need the light.


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## pk (Jun 21, 2014)

viperxp,
Gratitude for intuitive and practical review to enlighten all.
However, did you *must* use that old photo of me!! That's when I was young & wild and now I am not that anymore!! 






Just looking at that haircuts make me feel... 
Now I will go back hide into my cave!


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## RedForest UK (Jun 21, 2014)

Is it seriously a _20 second _reset to high mode? That just seems riduculous. Think about just how many times you could find yourself having used the light 10-15 seconds ago, then needing it again and getting the low mode instead of high. For me, tail cycling with long reset or memory times are one of the most important factors to avoid in a light of any price. Hopefully I have misunderstood, because I just can't believe that someone with so much experience in the market would choose about the worst UI possible, and for such an expensive premium light as well.


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## Greta (Jun 21, 2014)

RedForestUK... so what would be an acceptable time for you?


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## RedForest UK (Jun 21, 2014)

Well, between 1 and 2 seconds is generally an acceptable reset time. Most decent manufacturers who use a 'scroll through' UI (e.g. Surefire's E2L and newer G2X/6PX/P2X line) have settled on around that limit. It is generally the really low-end lights that have longer reset times, often termed 'next-mode memory' as they so often come on in the following mode because the pause between use hasn't been long enough. The same problem is also evident on Armytek's 'partner' line however, which is the only thing stopping me from purchasing one as I love the quality and beam profile of TIR Armyteks.

Personally I prefer the 'head twist' UI, where the mode setting is decoupled from standard operation, e.g. the Quark tactical line or many Fenix lights. If a scrolling UI is chosen though, then I would much prefer an even faster than normal reset time of 300-500ms. This would mean that the light can be comfortably used as a momentary on without switching between outputs unless specific effort is put in to do so and would certainly make for a better 'tactical' UI in my opinion (not that momentary activation is only useful in 'tactical' situations).


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## Greta (Jun 21, 2014)

RedForest UK said:


> Well, between 1 and 2 seconds is generally an acceptable reset time. Most decent manufacturers who use a 'scroll through' UI (e.g. Surefire's E2L and newer G2X/6PX/P2X line) have settled on around that limit. It is generally the really low-end lights that have longer reset times, often termed 'next-mode memory' as they so often come on in the following mode because the pause between use hasn't been long enough. The same problem is also evident on Armytek's 'partner' line however, which is the only thing stopping me from purchasing one as I love the quality and beam profile of TIR Armyteks.
> 
> Personally I prefer the 'head twist' UI, where the mode setting is decoupled from standard operation, e.g. the Quark tactical line or many Fenix lights. If a scrolling UI is chosen though, then I would much prefer an even faster than normal reset time of 300-500ms. This would mean that the light can be comfortably used as a momentary on without switching between outputs unless specific effort is put in to do so and would certainly make for a better 'tactical' UI in my opinion (not that momentary activation is only useful in 'tactical' situations).



Interesting. Well... I just "tested" my FL2 and it took me less than two seconds to get from high to low to high again. I guess what you're NOT wanting to do is push the button more than once. But you prefer two hand operation for the 'head twist'? Personally, I HATE two hand operation when it comes to tactical cuz what are you going to do with your weapon while you're twisting the head? Doesn't make sense to me - but that's me, I guess. I just like to keep it simple. 

So in summary... I guess this light isn't for you! Not every light is for every body. Vive la difference!


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## Overclocker (Jun 21, 2014)

frankly i'm not impressed. and it's got that cheapo light vibe to it... that crumpled sheet of foam kinda validates that






is that a bare PCB trace as + terminal in there? no proper metal terminal? i take it this is not weapon-mountable...






"in god we trust". really? that's a little scary to put in there... thomas jefferson must be turning in his grave






i wanna know if the bezel is pressing directly against the glass. yes impact resistance...


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## RedForest UK (Jun 21, 2014)

Greta said:


> Interesting. Well... I just "tested" my FL2 and it took me less than two seconds to get from high to low to high again. I guess what you're NOT wanting to do is push the button more than once. But you prefer two hand operation for the 'head twist'? Personally, I HATE two hand operation when it comes to tactical cuz what are you going to do with your weapon while you're twisting the head? Doesn't make sense to me - but that's me, I guess. I just like to keep it simple.
> 
> So in summary... I guess this light isn't for you! Not every light is for every body. Vive la difference!




I think maybe you've missed what I'm getting at, or I may well be misunderstanding either your post or hopefully the mode description, then this wouldn't be a problem at all!

If you turn the light on in high and then turn off and wait for 5 seconds, then turn it back on again, does it come back on in high or low? 

It's not the speed of mode changes that bothers me but the speed by which it resets to high, if it takes 20 seconds to reset then a temporary use in high will mean that if it is needed again in any time less than 20 seconds it will come back on in low. I like to be able to turn the light on in the primary mode temporarily to light something up, then release the switch for off and turn back on in the primary mode after a break of only a couple of seconds, something which wouldn't be possible if the mode reset time was longer than the couple of seconds it was off. 

That's the advantage of the head twist UI to me, I always know what mode it will come on in and I can use it in that mode momentarily over and over without worrying about accidentally switching to another unsuitable mode. I agree that needing two hands to change mode isn't ideal, and yes in a tactical situation changing the mode would be even more awkward with that UI. However I would think that in such a situation you would generally only want access to the primary (probably the highest) mode and it is most important to simply know you can rely on the light to come on at that level without worrying about waiting a set period of time before reactivating it. This is why the 'tactical' versions of the Surefire 'x' line are single mode, so they can be relied on to always come on in high.

Try taking it for a walk in the dusk, when you don't need a light on permanently but intermittently wish to highlight something in the shadows. If the mode reset time is too long you'll find yourself in low half of the time and have to 'scroll' it back to high. It depends on how you like to use the light, which of course not everyone is the same, but I like to use momentary quite a lot so for me this irritation is a major reason not to purchase any light where it's featured.


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## Overclocker (Jun 21, 2014)

RedForest UK said:


> Is it seriously a _20 second _reset to high mode? That just seems riduculous. Think about just how many times you could find yourself having used the light 10-15 seconds ago, then needing it again and getting the low mode instead of high. For me, tail cycling with long reset or memory times are one of the most important factors to avoid in a light of any price. Hopefully I have misunderstood, because I just can't believe that someone with so much experience in the market would choose about the worst UI possible, and for such an expensive premium light as well.





agree! that's just ridiculous...

i prefer fast reset, like 2 seconds. so if you're at HIGH then you turn off, as long as you don't turn it on again within less than 2 seconds then you're pretty sure it'll fire up at HIGH again. this is how a tactically oriented light should behave


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## subwoofer (Jun 21, 2014)

There are lots of things I like about this light, but some of the shortcomings overclocker has pointed out spoil what could have been a truly top notch light.

Whatever beliefs you may have, it does seem very tacky to me to put 'In God we Trust' on a bit of tactical kit. I'd rather trust the kit.

PK, we know you can do better.


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## Greta (Jun 21, 2014)

RedForestUK - point taken. I guess I just don't use my lights EVER in the way you describe. Just doesn't happen. 

But for argument's sake... using temp on (not depressing button all the way), it's really not that difficult or time consuming to get back to high. I just shot this quick video... (can't believe Sasha didn't give me that classic "WTF?!?" bulldog look!)


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## RedForest UK (Jun 21, 2014)

I agree that depending on usage style it can prove either a bigger or lesser problem, and it is quite easy to get back to high if needed. 

The problem is that this isn't just an irritating 2 second reset time, but 20 whole seconds. This means that the problem will show up even if it isn't being used for momentary on as I described. Even if it was constantly on for a few minutes, then you switched it off/put it down for even 19 seconds, when turned on again it would be in low mode instead of the high that you would otherwise expect. 20 seconds is a long time, by which time (assuming you are actually doing something else in this time instead of testing what mode the torch comes back on in!) you would probably have completely forgotten to expect it to change mode. 

Yes it's easy to switch back to what you want and you could explain it away as only a minor gripe. But then many of the issues on this forum are even more minor really; an poor tint, beam profile artefacts, off-centre LEDs, anodizing blotches or mismatches are all not major issues in general use. From my own experience, when you are expecting high, and get low for something you needed high for, this can get really frustrating. It's like having random mode activation instead of a reliable tool. That is just as big a problem as any of the other examples I listed imo, and whilst it is ok to put up with it on a sub-$10/15 light, in a premium light where things are well thought out and effort is put in to get everything else right it just is not a flaw I would expect or put up with.

Anyway, I do hope that you're right it's not a big problem for you, but please let us know how you feel again after perhaps a few weeks or months of use.


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## Greta (Jun 21, 2014)

> ... an poor tint, beam profile artifacts...




Ok now THOSE are not minor issues. Tint gets me every time and I've embarrassed my husband on more than one occasion by commenting on the tint of someone's flashlight. The most recent was the plumber who came to fix a leak in our attic. I believe my comment was "Wow that's a crappy light". He ended up finishing the job with my FL2 and leaving our house with an ICON Rogue 2. He wanted my FL2 but I wouldn't let him have it cuz it's MINE! 




> Anyway, I do hope that you're right it's not a big problem for you, but please let us know how you feel again after perhaps a few weeks or months of use.




I've had mine since January...


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## DAN92 (Jun 21, 2014)

Good review and beautiful light.


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## Barefootone (Jun 21, 2014)

PK,
You are still a wild and crazy guy you can't fool us. 











pk said:


> viperxp,
> Gratitude for intuitive and practical review to enlighten all.
> However, did you *must* use that old photo of me!! That's when I was young & wild and now I am not that anymore!!
> 
> ...


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## texas cop (Jun 21, 2014)

Overclocker said:


> frankly i'm not impressed. and it's got that cheapo light vibe to it... that crumpled sheet of foam kinda validates that
> 
> 
> 
> ...



And why would Thomas Jefferson be turning in his grave? I like the In God We Trust. If this was a government run company then delete the quote, it's not separation of church and business. Don't let it scare you.

I would like to see the tube opened up to allow 18650's.


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## RedForest UK (Jun 22, 2014)

Of course the 'In God we trust' quote will be a bit controversial; a positive for some and a negative for others. Regardless of personal taste, my thoughts were that it was a cheap and easy way to make the light seem more American, given that it's actually made in China but clearly aimed at an overlapping market to the 'buy American' crowd.


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## Greta (Jun 22, 2014)

RedForest UK said:


> Of course the 'In God we trust' quote will be a bit controversial; a positive for some and a negative for others. Regardless of personal taste, my thoughts were that it was a cheap and easy way to make the light seem more American, given that it's actually made in China but clearly aimed at an overlapping market to the 'buy American' crowd.



Or maybe it has something to do with the designer/manufacturer being an American and wanting to somehow express and incorporate his pride and appreciation of that. Sometimes people want to "read" more into something than is really there. Funny that - I remember years ago PK telling me something that I have never forgotten... "It is what it is - nothing more". I don't remember what he was referring to at the time but the sentiment stuck with me. I think that was the first time I'd ever heard that expression and thought it pretty profound and in line with my own personal K.I.S.S. principle.

Edit added: BTW... /start shameless plug: I LOVE the new CPF and CPFMP mobile apps! I get instant notifications on my phone for subscribed threads. This really is NICE!! /end shameless plug


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Jun 22, 2014)

RedForest UK said:


> Of course the 'In God we trust' quote will be a bit controversial; a positive for some and a negative for others. Regardless of personal taste, my thoughts were that it was a cheap and easy way to make the light seem more American, given that it's actually made in China but clearly aimed at an overlapping market to the 'buy American' crowd.



I think somebody spends an inordinate amount of energy carrying around a chip on his shoulder. :sigh:

~ Chance


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## RedForest UK (Jun 22, 2014)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> I think somebody spends an inordinate amount of energy carrying around a chip on his shoulder. :sigh:
> 
> ~ Chance



Fair point, it's just a torch and not even my money being spent on it. I don't want to be a pr*ck about it.

It's not a 'chip' that bothers me in real life tbh, where I'm actually quite laid back 

I guess it's a bit like the whole 'extremebeam' thing, though of course this is a totally different situation in many ways. I didn't want to come out and imply this was the case but I really don't like what I see as market exploitation.. I suppose I just don't get what makes this light special in any way apart from the name, or even as good as other offerings at a fifth of the price. Maybe PK deserves to take advantage of his reputation, I don't know him but he's probably a great guy. I just think that if this light had been released under another brand name and judged solely on merit then the response would have been very different.

I have no problem believing that PK is a good at designing torches. But as another poster said, on this evidence alone, I think he can do better.

Anyway, I didn't mean to upset the apple cart, so I really should have just left it at mentioning the possible downsides of the UI. I shouldn't have bothered to get involved with comments about something so trivial as writing on the tailcap but my thoughts above were just my honest initial reaction. Of course I may have been too cynical. I'll just shut up about it all now and leave you guys to carry on with the thread.


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Jun 22, 2014)

RedForest UK said:


> Fair point, it's just a torch and not even my money being spent on it. I don't want to be a pr*ck about it.
> 
> It's not a 'chip' that bothers me in real life tbh, where I'm actually quite laid back



^ A gentleman's reply. Thank you.

~ Chance


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## Greta (Jun 22, 2014)

Chauncey Gardiner said:


> ^ A gentleman's reply. Thank you.
> 
> ~ Chance



Ditto. Well done


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## pk (Jul 3, 2014)

Gentlemen,
I am so happy to hear all inputs including critiques and I will try to address as many issues as I can with my humble honesty. This is a good opportunity for me to communicate with you all.

1. Value:
If you judge anything by specification, you’ve encountered wrong product.
Many watches do the same function that it tells you the time. But you do accept different price points. How so? You can buy a watch that tells exact time at fraction of cost than others, yet you purchase little different than others at much different costs?
If you compare any product by just their specifications, you might be a little disappointed by not much difference when considering similar class with equivalent power and light source.
PK DESIGN LAB products are much about fine details of Ergonomic, Engineering approach, Design details, Design style, and new fresh Artistic attempts of machining methods for all details in cosmetic pleasure as well, etc. Not your old sand blasted and cheap knurled tube copies of SureFire wanna-be things. I have moved on..

Please be advised, *this light may not be for you at all* to purchase based on SPECIFICATIONS VS. PRICE. I am sure you may be easily satisfied for your requirements in those aspects with many others.
PK products are definitely not designed and targeted for everyone in many respects.
As company motto said, it is “Designed for Cultivated Expectations”.

2. UI:
Programing different reset time is very simple and it does not cost any more.
I do not believe in any products or switch that I can NOT predict what it will do without my true understandings. I call it “unpredictable” switch. How many seconds can you COUNT in real emergency situation? Or Do you must count that seconds or can you afford that? 20 seconds is stable enough for you to know that your switch has been reset and move on. Or do you want to have a switch you don’t know which mode it will come on after whatever short reset time is or was?? I don’t think you want to think about it when bullets are passing through next to you and counting flashlight’s reset time..
Your best UI is your finger and you can control at your command at any time.
That’s the reason my lights don’t have ridiculous SOS or flashings mode function. 
There is no additional cost for program change, but unpredictable switch may cost your life in some serious situation.
Trust your faithful UI finger. Your finger can do it all at your command very successfully without any electronic babble and that’s my UI philosophy.

3. “In God We Trust”:
This goes way beyond Thomas and can be interpreted in many different ways.
I only mean “We believe God will know that we must do right things and God will be behind us”.
There is no political or marketing agenda behind it.
FYI, Outside of package clearly state with BIG letters that it is “Made in China” without shameful small hindering letters.
We, all of my teams, are very proud of what we are doing and that it is right as we know it.
As it said “In God We Trust”, we will trust in God with our commitments.

4. Critics:
I’ve seen and learned many times that criticisms are good, but many of them are expressed with personal attack or emotions that diminish their own merits.
It is sad to see many productive ideas dying due to their lack of true expression.
I’ve been in this arena many years and have gotten used to being treated as a ridiculous idiot.
Many times I’ve introduced new different ideas and gotten criticized with hammers.
Like I’ve introduced hexagonal bezel, $480 M4 big flashlight with 6 X CR123 batteries that gets so hot, L4 head with wide flood beam, big *** HID flashlight, etc.. Oh, my ICON lights with different program that you are not so used to it too.

DIFFERENT is not necessarily WRONG.
This is the way we EVOLVE.

5. Reputation:
Constructive criticism is very good for all manufacturers and users in order to understand what is behind it all. And many times it does support to create better products - or not.

What is so fun or needed about new products coming out that are doing the same thing that you have or are familiar with? Cheaper price? Yes, that has a value too many.
But, I will continue your excitements with more controversial products that are NOT the same as you’ve become comfortable with.. Hey, that’s my excitement and duty that I know of..
I am really happy doing what I do and to have people who criticize and encourage..
I already have a place to sleep and enough food.. oh, sorry - enough to drink too !!  
Are there any other things I need more than my own experienced compelling passion?

Since I have opened my own company PK DESIGN LAB after quitting my old company, I have filed more than 120 patents within the last 2 years. Even this month alone, I’ve filed 5 design patents and 3 utility/invention patents through my consulting companies.
Chances are, you probably are already using my patented products or you will soon or later, whether it is original or copies

I have no intention to sell my products based on MADE IN USA idea, which I’ve never supported it either.
I would be sad to hear if anyone purchases my products for my name sake.
Please purchase my products for their own value and merits for you to appreciate long long time.

6. Packaging:
I have to agree that my initial packaging is not so impressive as much as many suggested.
Definitely, I should make better package then what it is when we can do a larger volume of production. Complete agreement with many that expensive fancy package will enhance product image and project perceive value of product at premium value.

7. Warranty:
We have 1 year limited warranty policy in public statement. Since it is limited production, it is not realistic for us to state that we will provide you with any unrealistic LIFE TIME warranty. 
Limited spare parts have been reserved for repairs and we will support purchased products as much as we can despite stated time frame limitation as much as we can.
Remember “In God We Trust”, we will put our trust in God with our commitments.

These kind of Town Hall conversations are good.
And feel free to email me your personal thoughts here: [email protected].
Respectfully,
pk


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## KITROBASKIN (Jul 3, 2014)

This man is certainly deserving of respect. And with great anticipation we look forward to more beautiful designs from his original mind and capable leadership.


Sent from my iPad using Candlepowerforums


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## viperxp (Jul 3, 2014)

WOW PK, what can I say, can't wait to see whats coming next from you. A really thoughtful answer to all or most of the issues/questions asked or raised here .....
If you already compared with watches branding/functionality .... What watch or maybe car brand would you say PK DESIGN LAB has the same or similar approach or spirit?
Not Citizen/Ford I guess


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## RedForest UK (Jul 8, 2014)

pk said:


> 2. UI:
> Programing different reset time is very simple and it does not cost any more.
> I do not believe in any products or switch that I can NOT predict what it will do without my true understandings. I call it “unpredictable” switch. How many seconds can you COUNT in real emergency situation? Or Do you must count that seconds or can you afford that? 20 seconds is stable enough for you to know that your switch has been reset and move on. Or do you want to have a switch you don’t know which mode it will come on after whatever short reset time is or was?? I don’t think you want to think about it when bullets are passing through next to you and counting flashlight’s reset time..
> Your best UI is your finger and you can control at your command at any time.
> ...



PK, I appreciate your response to the issues raised and apologise for my cynicism about the writing on the tailcap.

I wasn't planning on writing anymore in this thread but find your explanation of the choice of UI interesting but puzzling. I agree entirely with you regarding the notion of predictability, especially for a 'tactical' light, but that is exactly why I raised my original point. 

Don't you think that the rule for what mode it will come on in being: _'high unless this is a double click'_ (a reset time of less than 500ms) is much more predictable than the rule: _'the other mode from the one which the light was in last, unless that was over 20 seconds ago, in which case definitely high'_?

The second rule means that if used repeatedly, half of the time it will come on in the secondary mode before the high mode, and if the break between uses is around 20 seconds it will be very difficult to predict at all. 

I agree that 2-3 second reset times are undesirable, as you pointed out due to the need to 'count' in your head. However, below 2 seconds it becomes very intuitive to just feel if the amount of time has elapsed (probably a temporal equivalent of 'subitising') without the need to count. Whereas, if the time is as high as 20 seconds, that possibility is lost entirely, along with the chance of repeated momentary activation in the primary mode.


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## SuLyMaN (Oct 27, 2014)

viperxp said:


> *Conclusions*
> 
> 
> So ... Features/lumens vise it's not a great hit - many other flashlights give more at a fraction of it's cost. But it you take into account the durability and the value of the flashlight - the fact that it's a result of a work of a real master that influenced the flashlight industry as we see it today, and the fact that the flashlight is a part of limited edition - it may look very different.
> ...



I get it that features wise/lumens wise, its a flop imho. How can you vouch for the durability of the flashlight though? And what exactly do you mean by the value of the flashlight?
Don't get me wrong. For that money which I don't own of course and from my time being there reading, I would trust a HDS light.


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## martinaee (Oct 27, 2014)

viperxp said:


> The manufacturer is proud that the flashlight will not slip from the hand even if you use gloves or hands are wet even with blood.



So this is a flashlight for Hannibal Lector then? :huh:


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## adnj (Oct 28, 2014)

Lots of styling and not much performance, it seems.


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## subwoofer (Oct 28, 2014)

adnj said:


> Lots of styling and not much performance, it seems.



From a general perspective it is not that simple. The more robust and reliable a light is, the lower the performance might be (compared to 'toy' lights), so I wouldn't criticise this light just on its output.

I have no idea how robust it really is, and how well it would perform if used 'in anger', so can't comment on this aspect of the light. What worries me is if this is a light for 'serious' use, then the aggressive styling, though it may give enhanced grip, might snag on pouches or clothing and become a hindrance. Not being military or LEO, I have no direct experience of this, so can only guess.


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## bykfixer (Dec 17, 2015)

My Malkoffs come in bubble wrap. So what? I trust them with my life. 

When my PK arrives I'll do the same. Plain packages are COOL!!!
I do not intend on dropping it from a helicopter. 
But I do know when SHTF this light will be part of my GTHO gear.

Far as cycling goes, my fumble fingers can do the momentary thing to get it where I want it or I know where the switch will be for next time I click. Thank you!

Many times brilliance is misunderstood by the simple. So it is dismissed instead of pondered. This light appears to be one of those cases. Again it's a low production WSHTF light, with details few will notice; less will appreciate.

When I first saw the FL 2 my thought was 'holy cow, gotta have a PK light'...but like many others I studied it and the more I read the tougher it was not to pull the trigger. In many cases the more I study the more I think "nah"...there's usually a thorn in the rose. 

I bought it before knowing "In God We Trust" was on the tail cap. And frankly I'm glad I did not know it was there before purchase was made. Because I bought it for it being a *GREAT* flashlight. Yet you can bet your sweet bippy everybody I show it to will know that slogan is there. 

Ima a Malkoff nut and a Streamlight fanboy. I like cop lights. This one fits that category.
But the more I read about the FL 2 the more I decided this may be the perfect flashlight for me.

Great for household use, search n rescue, punching a bobcat in the face if need be, back scratcher, or taking care of business. C'mon December 23rd....(scheduled arrival data)


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## bykfixer (Dec 26, 2015)

Got the light the other day.

The light was all snuggled in a wrap of foam and the box was easy to open n close.
For the serious collector it's easily kept in mint condition down to the packaging. 





I pulled it out and played with it for about an hour, put it back in the packaging and went online and bought a second one. One will go in the safe, the other will be used...somewhat...
I say somewhat because this thing is not a toy. It's a piece of personal protective gear I hope I _never_ need. 
But I gotta say, when ever I edc it, I feel sorry for the sheath it'll be housed in. Those CNC edges are no joke. I can't imagine how sharp they'd be if they weren't chemically polished...wow.
But that to me is part of the charm of the FL 2. 


The beam won't cook popcorn and the UI won't make hotel reservations. But I'm ok with that. 




^^ yeah, that'll do!

I found the 20 second delay thing very comforting. It surprised me once when it was still on low, but within a 1/4 second was back on high. I'm used to rapid momentary cycling due to some Streamlight UI's and frequent household use of those who-fire? G2x Pro lights....
It was a pleasure to use the FL 2 while I did and I eagerly await the next one. Unless the next one has my favorite number in the S/N it'll be the user. 

I appreciated that if I accidently dropped it, or had to play David vs Goliath with it, the finish would likely be undamaged, or hardly so. 

And the beam...oh my! Imo it was a perfect marriage between the bright hot spot of a C4 refector and the Utopian blend of spot to spill of the M61. Big Ole spot that seemlessly blends into beyond peripheral vision spill. 

It gets warm. Quick. I'm no genious, but that tells me somehow all that excess heat is being vacuum away from the emitter as my other 650-ish lights don't get anywhere near that warm on the outside. 
I feel comfortable knowing all that excess heat is being radiated.... instead of hanging around the _inside_ of the head like those other lights. 

To all the nay sayers I say thank you. That meant there were still some of these fine lights left when I wanted one..or two.




^^ 25 yards, 30 minutes before a rainy day sundown. 
Sunshine on a cloudy day.




^^ at dusk a couple hundred feet away.
Note the lit rain drop caught in motion left of the tree. It was like watching a meteor shower while I checked out the PK.



I pity the fool on the wrong end of this light.


Edit:
PK FL2 LE Popsicle: http://youtu.be/8JvkVrvpp04


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## teak (Mar 18, 2016)

OK, I'm going to bring up this old thread. Something I never do...I have been eyeing the FL2LE since its release. Knowing what Paul has done with Surefire back in the day of good surefire lights, I kept a close on on this on. I did however never pick one up. Mainly because I thought it was going to be too large. Then last week one came up for sale on the mall for a decent price. We then decided to do a trade. I was really wanting to try this thing out. It showed up later and I removed it from the box and was shocked at how small it actually was. I looked it over good and decided to EDC for awhile and see what I thought. I ended up using a 2 way clip from an Armytek Wizard. It works great on the PK and allows me to deep pocket carry this beast. I really like it!, I do not like 15 different mode lights and click this and turn that to get a ridiculous 10 million lumens for a claimed 20 hours. I like simple 2 mode lights that have good output and a usable low. This low being 20 or 40 lumens is very useful for most every task, and a quick press gets you a very nice 600+ lumen floody beam. It feels better to me then any of my Surefires and Malkoffs, which I love BTW. Hard to say if I will be carrying this 2 years from now but there is a good chance it will be in the rotation. To me it's a flashlight, a tool. The fact that it is a limited edition doesn't mean anything to me. It will get bashed and scratched and dropped etc. Just like all my lights. I am glad I was able to score one of these before they were gone. Again, sorry to bring up an old thread on a light that is no longer being made, However I had to throw in my 2 cents!. 

Thank you
TJ


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## bykfixer (Mar 23, 2016)

^^ You pocket carry it? 
⊙▁⊙

That's some mighty tough pockets you got there. 



It was the pinacle of LED flashlight to this user. Still is. I use this one as the benchmark to reference my other LED lights.

Frankly I'm glad you brought it back up Teak. It gave me the urge to use/enjoy mine more.

This one was a unique one (in a good way) in the age of "shiney stuff" and a little time with a search engine can still be found NIP for about $90.

Edit:
The archimedes graph seemingly applies based on time instead of post count there, uh teak.


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## Swedpat (Mar 24, 2016)

I have been aware of PKFL2LE since it was released but didn't find it enough interesting: can't be used with 18650 and I would not describe the design as good looking, ok it's pretty cool maybe...
But then I recently read the review at Flashlightguide and saw that it has great performance with 16650, yes even better at high level than CR123s. And suddenly the light became much more interesting. Apart from that I hate slippery lights and it's no doubt that the design of this light provides a good grip.
Then there is another issue: I read 20s reset time, which is really extreme! I don't find it any reason to be much longer reset time than a second or so.
But then I thought about it and came to the conclusion that it may not be a huge problem when it's only two modes. If I assume that it always starts at high it will not be a big problem if I get the low mode. It's worse if I am prepared for the low mode and it starts at high...

Anyway: finally I pulled the trigger and ordered it. First I tried from Amazon but it didn't work because they don't ship to Sweden. So I got it from eBay. Expected time for delivery is april 8-13.


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## teak (Mar 25, 2016)

bykfixer said:


> ^^ You pocket carry it?
> ⊙▁⊙
> 
> That's some mighty tough pockets you got there.
> ...



Ha... I carry it in my back left pocket, the armytek pocket clip allows it to set low and off to the side so I don't really sit on it. While my a2 or eb1, lx2 etc rides in my left front pocket. I use 16650s in it and it's great. Long runtimes and guilt free lumens. I want to talk about the 20 sec reset back to high. Mine is number 148/1000. Mine does not take 20 seconds to reset back to high. It takes 7 seconds. It still isn't the best for "flash and dash" but with a quick release and press you get back to high. So not totally bad. I will say. If it was a 3 mode light, or low was 5 or 10 lumens. I wouldn't like it as much. It's a great light that offers tough as nails usable light that feels great in the hand. Anyone that was or is on the fence about getting one of these, don't be.. get one while you can and use the crap out if it. Afterall...that's what it was made for.


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## bykfixer (Mar 27, 2016)

My 'user' is #842. Occasionaly I put one of those mega-thin Elzetta lanyard rings and a generic wrist lanyard. The ring is coated, so it thwarts scratching the light and the generic lanyard is useful when travelling uneven/slippery terrain. 
But I do that with most of my baby cop lights.

I just use momentary to cycle it. Knowing it's a hi/lo clicky it was never intended for a flash-n-dash light. I use a TL2 LED or Strion LED for that if need be. 

Frankly I was surprised a PK light had a 2 level UI, but am glad it does. I use it on low 90% of the time. It's only when I have to blind absolutely everything in a 25' yard radius 100'+ away that it goes to high. 

I'll look into that Armytek clip.


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## Crazyeddiethefirst (Mar 27, 2016)

I absolutely love mine! It shares it's place in the EDC rotation, but I have more confidence in it that most of my lights combined. There is a current thread asking what light you would use if your life depended on it-although a "clicky" would very rarely be on that list for me, for this light, no problem, I am that confident in it. When I flew cross country to New York last year my PKFL2LE was in my pocket....'nuff said, thanks PK! Oh yeah, mine is #428...
I think the fact that none of us use this light as a "shelf queen" is strong evidence of the quality of lights PK designs & builds...


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## bykfixer (Mar 27, 2016)

#842 is a shelf _king_ but doesn't stay there long enough to collect dust.
Yet when it's off duty it looks pretty cool near some other classic toys. 





Nearly all my favorire users are displayed in one form or another in their off duty moments.

The ones that aren't is because they are single action that stay at arms length (or less) wherever I am 99.99% of the time.


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## teak (Mar 27, 2016)

Hope this pic isn't too big. I wasn't able to resize. Anyway, here is the armytek wizard clip. It's very secure and fits very tight. Almost like it was made for it. Lol


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## bykfixer (Mar 27, 2016)

^^ Beautiful!!

I tried a ProTac HL clip, and it works but like that dual action one on yours better.


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## teak (Mar 28, 2016)

bykfixer said:


> ^^ Beautiful!!
> 
> I tried a ProTac HL clip, and it works but like that dual action one on yours better.



Thank you.. it just kinda worked out. The armytek wizard comes with the clip and I only use the wizard as a headlamp anyway. So the clip was just sitting there. I didn't expect it to work as good as it does. Maybe possible to just purchase the clip from armytek?


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## kssmith (Mar 28, 2016)

Teak, glad you like the PK, clip looks awesome!!


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## bykfixer (Mar 28, 2016)

teak said:


> Thank you.. it just kinda worked out. The armytek wizard comes with the clip and I only use the wizard as a headlamp anyway. So the clip was just sitting there. I didn't expect it to work as good as it does. Maybe possible to just purchase the clip from armytek?



I saw 'replacement' clips but not being familiar with their model numbers didn't dig in very deep.

The word 'wizard' helps clear _that_ up. 
Thanks for the tip.


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## teak (Mar 28, 2016)

kssmith said:


> Teak, glad you like the PK, clip looks awesome!!



Thanks kevin..I've been using it a lot. 16650s work excellent with it! And the clip just makes it better to carry!


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## Swedpat (Apr 5, 2016)

To be updated.


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## bykfixer (Apr 6, 2016)

^^ Did it arrive yet?


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## Swedpat (Apr 6, 2016)

bykfixer said:


> ^^ Did it arrive yet?



No. But I see it arrived to UK already april 1 so it should be in Sweden at this moment. Will get it any day I hope.


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## Swedpat (Apr 11, 2016)

Today I received the light. Mint condition and it's number 559. And I got two Surefire CR123s, already placed in the light ready to use.

*My impression:*
The first I thought when I held it was that this light hardly will accidently slip out of my hand. I like the feeling of good grip on a flashlight. The finish is excellent and it's no doubt that this is a top-notch quality equipment. The threads of tailcap are well lubricated.

The hotspot is beefy and with a nice white tint. The spill has a bit purple tint, which I think is caused by the anti reflective coating. There is a small corona as well which seems white like the hotspot.
The aggressive knurling and the relatively narrow body size makes the light comfortable to use as well with the whole hand and with cigar style, it will not glide away in the hand when pushing the switch. But I think there is a certain risk to damage a pocket in the long run so I think it's a good idea to carry the light in a case.
Regarding the reset time: I measured it to 15-16s. Even if I don't like such a long time it's really not a big issue with a 2-mode light.

*Summary:* 
PKFL2LE is a powerful light in pretty compact format and I am pleased to be one of the owner of a model offered in only 1000 pieces. And the inscription IN GOD WE TRUST is pretty cool, I like it!
Earlier I didn't have a big interest in this light but I am glad I got it and made the decision to order one. I am looking forward to see what more models Paul Kim will come out with. Maybe an similar design 18650 model and with neutral white tint as an option? 

*Addition:* I just compared PKFL2LE to my Surefire P2X Fury(500lm XM-L version). The beam profiles are pretty similar, Surefire just has smoother beam due to the textured reflector. Both (initial)brightness levels and tints are very similar, as well hotspot and spill. But it's good to know that PKFL2LE is superior when it comes to regulation: higher brightness over longer time. And PKFL2LE excels especially with use of 3,7V Li-ion: while P2X Fury soon looses brightness compared to 2xCR123, PKFL2LE is even better regulated with 3,7 Li-ion than with 2xCR123.
I swapped CR123s and 16650 cell between the lights and compared ceiling bounce lux: with 2xCR123 both lights has almost the same brightness. With 16650 P2X Fury dropped ~20% compared to 2xCR123. PKFL2LE was slightly brighter with 16650 than 2xCR123.


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## bykfixer (Apr 11, 2016)

Sweeeeeeeeeeet!!!!


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## Swedpat (Apr 27, 2016)

This afternoon I performed a runtime test with Keeppower 16650 2500mAh. And it was a bit disappointment. My result was far worse than the performance measured by Flashlightguide. The battery was charged a few weeks ago and showed 4,19V, practically full. 
I held the light firmly in my hand(with the hand around the head) during the entire test and noticed the lux value each 5min. 

Direct from start the lux value was 45(corresponds to 700+lm). After that it had dropped a bit at 5min, increased again at 10, 15 and until 20min. At 20min the brightness was 90% of initial. After 20min the brightness declined slowly but continuously and at 45min it was 80% of initial. Then 69% at 60min, 57% at 65min and 50% at 68min. At that moment I interrupted the test and placed the cell in the charger, it was then 3,35V. 
The brightness never increased again before and around one hour mark like in the review by Flashlightguide and was worse regulated than with 2xCR123 in that review. HERE is the link to the review with the runtime graph.

Any comment about this? How can it be that my Keeppower 2500mAh gives so much worse result than the 2000mAh model in the mentioned review? The charger used and refered to in my case is Keeppower L2.

I wrote a runtime graph based on my measured values(missed to note the 25 min mark, though).

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/pmFtnMaUj]

[/URL]


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## Crazyeddiethefirst (Apr 27, 2016)

Hi Swedpat,
I am at a loss for an explanation off the cuff. I am in the midst of moving or I would try to duplicate your test(to my ability), as I have the same light and battery. Most of the time I have used it have been on the original two primary CR123's. I bought the Keepower to try it out in my PKFL2LE.
Was this a brand new cell? I have read that until at least 3-4 cycles have been done the battery does not retain it full power.I apologize I can't quote chapter & verse where I read that, but perhaps one of our resident battery experts could chime in. It is going to be the better part of a month before I will be able to devote any time to this, so perhaps someone else can offer up a theory. I'm subscribed & will follow with interest.


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## Swedpat (Apr 28, 2016)

Crazyeddiethefirst said:


> Hi Swedpat,
> I am at a loss for an explanation off the cuff. I am in the midst of moving or I would try to duplicate your test(to my ability), as I have the same light and battery. Most of the time I have used it have been on the original two primary CR123's. I bought the Keepower to try it out in my PKFL2LE.
> Was this a brand new cell? I have read that until at least 3-4 cycles have been done the battery does not retain it full power.I apologize I can't quote chapter & verse where I read that, but perhaps one of our resident battery experts could chime in. It is going to be the better part of a month before I will be able to devote any time to this, so perhaps someone else can offer up a theory. I'm subscribed & will follow with interest.



Thanks for comment. Yes, it's a brand new battery, maybe I used it one round or so.
I edited my post and added a runtime graph, which makes it easier to compare to the runtime graph by Flashlightguide. 

What I want to say: my result isn't really bad I think, the brightness is still ~500lm at 1hour, and the average for 1hour should be at least 550lm or so. 
But the difference is very significant compared to Flashlightguides runtime graph so therefore I find it strange even if the capacity of the cell might increase after a few cycles. Well; I can do the test again at a later moment to see if there will be a significant difference after a few cycles. Apart from that I don't know how much difference will be testing with the battery straight out of the charger. But I find it valuable to test when it's not, because in the most cases the battery has been ready in the light or battery case for a while.


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## bykfixer (Apr 28, 2016)

I'm pretty sure I didn't dream it, that PK has a gradual step down built into this one. Like a lumen every so many seconds or something.


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## Swedpat (May 11, 2016)

bykfixer said:


> I'm pretty sure I didn't dream it, that PK has a gradual step down built into this one. Like a lumen every so many seconds or something.



I will do another runtime test, but it will be later this year. The flashlight season is over for this time because the nights are not more dark here. I will come back in august. I long for the autumn already, but will enjoy the summertime with cycle trips.


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## ven (May 11, 2016)

Just a thought swedpat, the cell at 4.19v is not nearly charged, its a 4.35v cell(sanyo 2500mah inside), so could argue 80/85% ish charged................. maybe your disappointment will be short lived


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## Swedpat (May 11, 2016)

ven said:


> Just a thought swedpat, the cell at 4.19v is not nearly charged, its a 4.35v cell(sanyo 2500mah inside), so could argue 80/85% ish charged................. maybe your disappointment will be short lived



Thanks ven,

The Keeppower L2 charger charges all Li-ion cells up to exactly 4,20V according to the screen, and I think at 4,19V it shows 99% charged. Do I need another charger to really make use of the capacity of this cell or does the charger actually charges up to 4,35V?


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## ven (May 11, 2016)

You just need a charger that supports 3.8v(4.35) to get the full capacity out of your cell. Basically its charging the cell to 4.2v(as it does not have the setting)

Now the vp2 may be a bit much for this one cell, so look at something like the xtar sp1 which supports 3.2/3.6(normal 4.2v) and 3.8v(your 4.35v termination needed).

Might be other options a little cheaper still!


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## ven (May 11, 2016)

These i use in my 6p and c2 , on the vp2 to show V. Both cells are sanyo 2500mah 4.35v


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## ven (May 11, 2016)

Deleted as quoted and added the info from ilumn


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## ven (May 11, 2016)

ven said:


> Thats strange, looked up the specs for the KP 2500mah cell, and it shows 4.2v................even though its a sanyo 2500 inside which is a 4.35v cell. The protection is set lower, so they have lost the 0.15v of charge..............I presume your cell is protected?
> 
> That info is of ilumn, other site shows a KP cell, but can be charged to 4.35v !!!
> 
> Maybe get a couple of the sanyo 4.35v 16650's and a 4.35v charger to get better life out of the light/cell.


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## Knoxster (May 18, 2017)

teak said:


> Thanks kevin..I've been using it a lot. 16650s work excellent with it! And the clip just makes it better to carry!



Hi Kevin, 
I couldn't agree more. while 16650s are not the most common batteries around, they do seem to give me a little more run time than any x2 CR123s. Totally stoked that I can run my PKFL2LE and LensLight KOs on the same platform!


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## gander6 (May 26, 2017)

The specs say the PKFL2LE operates with rechargeable batteries under 3.7V. Since they charge to 4.2V, does this mean RCR123s work, or literally 3.7V max?

I guess another question is what is the operating voltage range for the PKFL2LE?


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