team olight or fenix?

vicv said:

It comes with the cell. It's a quality cell. And it's been modified so it can work with their onboard charging. So why is it being proprietary a bad thing?

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The issue is that you have to buy extra cells if that light becomes your most useful one. And, you have to buy the cells NOW. If you wait, you risk the model being discontinued or "Upgraded" and now requiring a newer/different proprietary cell. Unlike, just as an example, a flashlight that takes a generic 18650. If the cell you're using stops working properly, you can easily replace it later on with any 18650 from any brand. No issues regarding availability at all. With a proprietary battery, good luck finding a replacement for it 10 years down the road.

Monocrom said:

The issue is that you have to buy extra cells if that light becomes your most useful one. And, you have to buy the cells NOW. If you wait, you risk the model being discontinued or "Upgraded" and now requiring a newer/different proprietary cell. Unlike, just as an example, a flashlight that takes a generic 18650. If the cell you're using stops working properly, you can easily replace it later on with any 18650 from any brand. No issues regarding availability at all. With a proprietary battery, good luck finding a replacement for it 10 years down the road.

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But I can easily buy cells from olight for multi year old flashlights. They're not gone. And if it's my most useful one? Why would I need to buy more cells now? It's rechargeable? Charge it nightly like your phone. I doubt you're going use up the whole battery in one evening.
Maybe you will though, and in that case the brand probably isn't the right one for you.

Look I get that non proprietary cells are better in some ways for the end user. Especially experienced end users. But the main buying public isn't you or I. It's Ted your Neighbor. He just wants a light that works. He doesn't want to have to decide what's the best 18650, and will it work. He want a reliable light that comes with the cell it needs, and has a very easy way to charge it without worrying about lithium ion safety. Just like his laptop.
That's who olight is perfect for. I think most people who hate proprietary cells are just kinda joining the band wagon. They hear it's bad. So now it's bad. People are just like that. We all follow the crowd and one way or another, in a lot of different things. Even if we don't realize it.

While I would prefer to be able to put any cell in my flashlight, I genuinely think that the issue is overblown. The thing is is that lithium ion cells last a long time now. By the time that proprietary cell finally goes dead, something much better has come out since then. These aren't surefires. They're not great made lights that hold their value 20 years from now. Hardly any new flashlight is. Once you could easily purchase a driver and LED board off the Internet, they're all the same. There's nothing special anymore. So it's not going to last decades like the good vintage lights do. So who cares if the cell dies 10 years from now. The light is garbage by that point

vicv said:

It comes with the cell. It's a quality cell. And it's been modified so it can work with their onboard charging. So why is it being proprietary a bad thing?

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Sorry, but is this a trick question?

If the cell cannot be used in other lights, and I cannot use other cells in the light, it greatly reduces flexibility. Modifications also means added cost, a cost tacked onto the customer. And if / when the cell dies, it suddenly renders the whole light useless.

I personally also don't like onboard charging on any light, as charging a battery inside a flashlight with a random voltage essentially makes it a hand grenade. I always - whenever possible - remove the cell and put it in a proper charger with voltage control. Onboard charging also means another point of failure, a feature that also means added cost, and as it's essentially a hole in the light, there is the increased risk of water ingress.

The better question would be, why do proprietary at all when it does not add any benefits?
Money (greed) is the obvious answer, just look at every single tool manufacturer. No tool battery can be used with any other brand, to lock the customers to their system.

EDIT:

vicv said:

Why would I need to buy more cells now? It's rechargeable? Charge it nightly like your phone.

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I stopped reading after this, because now I know you're joking.
You know that's a fire hazard.

Also, I only charge my phone every Saturday.

PaladinNO said:

Sorry, but is this a trick question?

If the cell cannot be used in other lights, and I cannot use other cells in the light, it greatly reduces flexibility. Modifications also means added cost, a cost tacked onto the customer. And if / when the cell dies, it suddenly renders the whole light useless.

I personally also don't like onboard charging on any light, as charging a battery inside a flashlight with a random voltage essentially makes it a hand grenade. I always - whenever possible - remove the cell and put it in a proper charger with voltage control. Onboard charging also means another point of failure, a feature that also means added cost, and as it's essentially a hole in the light, there is the increased risk of water ingress.

The better question would be, why do proprietary at all when it does not add any benefits?
Money (greed) is the obvious answer, just look at every single tool manufacturer. No tool battery can be used with any other brand, to lock the customers to their system.

EDIT:


I stopped reading after this, because now I know you're joking.
You know that's a fire hazard.

Also, I only charge my phone every Saturday.

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Ok there's a lot to unpack here. But one is you seem to be really scared of lithium ion cells. Maybe you should stick to eneloops.
It won't be a bomb. Good cells don't explode. These are good cells
It's not an unknown voltage. It's a proper charging circuit. A chip to properly charge a cell costs a few cents. So they use one.
An additional point of failure? The charging circuitry is separate from everything else. So even if the charging dies(it won't) the light will still function the same as any light that doesn't have charging.
What modifications?
Why do you want to constantly be swapping cells between different lights. What's wrong with the one that it came with? In 10 years when it loses capacity, buy a new one. It doesn't get any more simple .
There is no hole in the light. It's magnetic contacts. Like seriously are you forming opinions on something you have no knowledge of?
Why propriety with no benefits? Well there are benefits. Onboard charging for one. Electronic tail switches without the need for an extra tube. And I've already explained the ease of choice and function.
You stopped reading because you think charging a phone is a fire hazard? I'm sorry you live in constant paranoia. And if you only charge once a week, you must have that energizer phone shaped like an actual brick. Or a dumb phone. Neither is the norm

vicv said:

I'm sorry you live in constant paranoia.

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Well, I work with IT, so paranoia is pretty much my job description.

You asked me for my opinions, and I gave them. I wasn't trying to push my opinions on anyone else.
I honestly don't know what chemistry the different cells use, and frankly I don't care. "Don't charge cells too high, don't let them drain too low, and don't short-circuit them", that's what I try to follow at all times.

If we don't agree on something, that is fine. All I know is that I haven't had any accidents with any sort of electrical device.

PaladinNO said:

Well, I work with IT, so paranoia is pretty much my job description.

You asked me for my opinions, and I gave them. I wasn't trying to push my opinions on anyone else.
I honestly don't know what chemistry the different cells use, and frankly I don't care. "Don't charge cells too high, don't let them drain too low, and don't short-circuit them", that's what I try to follow at all times.

If we don't agree on something, that is fine. All I know is that I haven't had any accidents with any sort of electrical device.

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That's fair.
In olights, the charger is built into the cable. It attaches via magnets onto the tail cap. It's a sealed system so there's no chance of water ingress, and it's a quality charging cable so it will not overcharge. And the battery is protected from over discharge. It really is a good system, whether a person feels it's worth it for having a proprietary cell. Obviously you don't think it is, as do many others. Which is fine. I just feel the problem can get over blown a bit.

Team both , then nitecore. Klarus and thrunite behind them . Also miss solar force but have a convoy on the way

No more Klarus for me.
They do a good job of pretending to be a good quality brand.
Thrunite is horribly underrated though.

Monocrom said:

No more Klarus for me.
They do a good job of pretending to be a good quality brand.
Thrunite is horribly underrated though.

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I have a couple of Thrunites. The Low low mode is perfect for night time trips. I load them with Lithium primaries and they last forever. I had a Klarus but got rid of it.

My first decent light was a Fenix FD41. I loved it...Until it eventually broke after a year or so of daily use.

Attempts at getting it repaired with Fenix customer support went no where for months and was extremely frustrating. I offered to pay for shipping and parts and whatever else, I just wanted the flashlight to work lol.

Nothing.

I gave up and tossed it in a drawer where it sits to this day. So unless Fenix puts out something exceptional, something that I must have, I'll always be weary of them now unfortunately.

Olight on the other hand.

In a way, I guess I owe Fenix a favor. I need a really solid dual spot/flood for work and losing the FD41 put me in the market. Doing some research and I stumbled on the Mini Marauder.

Don't care about the battery thing at all, I do love the magnetic charger tho. This light does everything I need and then some. I love it.

Funny thing is, one of the LED's burned out last week. I was pretty disappointed. Figured I'd have to buy a new one but I emailed Olight support about the defect and included a pic just incase.

A day later I received a reply. A brand new replacement flashlight is being sent to me.

I'm on Team Olight.

Ordered a mini marauder II last night

dano said:

Of the two....I like Fenix, but HATE the double switch tailcaps.

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Yes! I have tried two of their lights (TK35 and TK35UE v2) with both switches in the tailcap, and I have sold both of them with no regrets. That "UI", if it can even be called that, was only annoying to me.

First light: I tried to turn the light on - no, I was pressing the mode switch.
Second light: I tried to turn the light on - I moved the right lever, but I moved it the wrong way so I locked it out instead.



...I felt so much more calm, cool and collected - even zen, you might say - after both lights were out of the house.

Top tip regarding the switches: check the LD or PD-series, most lights in both series have on-off on the tailcap + mode switch on the side.
I have had an old PD35 on the work belt for years, and it worked perfectly. If I were to buy a new one now, I would look at the PD36R Ace.

I've never used a Olight. I own two of them now, that came free with purchases of other lights from B&H Photo, an i3t (1xAAA) and an imini (USB-A plug built-in) but I've never bothered taking them out of their boxes, since I don't need them and have no uses for them. Eventually, I'll find some friends to whom I can give them away. My current lights are all either Fenix or Nitecore.

I have both.

Olight has had some quality issues on a light that they came forward with well over a year after purchase, they gave me a refund. Kudos. Olight makes some interesting form factors.

Fenix I’ve had more failures (4 years or older).

I have been EDCing Fenix for more than a decade.

My other EDC is a Surefire, but not happy with it.

Just ordered an Olight to try one out.

Neither one nor the other; I have Fenix and Olight flashlights, but I prefer to trust American flashlights like Surefire, Streamlight, Malkoff Devices, and Elzetta