Best Flashlight

by Buck
(Oklahoma)

The best flashlight for me is reliable, and small, but powerful! "Dynamite comes in small packages."

When I read about the tiny Fenix LD01 flashlight it had me thinking, "I have got to get me one of those!" This tiny flashlight is "cool", but it's much more than that.

When the first LED lights appeared some years ago I quickly realized they would be a more dependable, longer lasting, light source.

I owned an LED headlamp and two LED flashlights. The batteries last a long time, the bulbs don't burn out; they are very serviceable.

I'll use these three lights for an unscientific comparison to my Fenix LD01. The little Fenix is better, and could easily replace all three.

First: Many flashlight makers increase the output of their LED lights by adding more of the same bulbs. One of my lights pictured has eight bulbs, and uses three AAA cells for power.

It's a decent light with a reasonably bright beam. It has a push button switch and all the contacts needed for three batteries. I sometimes need to shake it to get it to come on.

The Fenix is only a fraction the size of that compact light, it uses only one AAA cell, and one Cree XP-E (R2) bulb. With the Fenix on the default mid. setting it's equal or better in light output, the quality of the Fenix light beam is much better.

With the Fenix on high it "blows away" the other light, three times the light or more. The high setting is said to be 85 Lumens, and the battery to last about 1 hour.

Next: My small LED headlamp which uses three AAA cells with the necessary contacts. It has a sliding switch. Sliding it one way turns on one red LED bulb and the other way two white ones. I was disappointed that it doesn't have a strong enough light beam for following a blood trail.

The headlamp works ok, is small, but with the strap it fills up most of my pocket. I find wearing the strap around my head a little uncomfortable. For backup power I needed to carry three extra batteries.


The Fenix has a clip to attach to a cap. I always wear a cap and I like the clip on the cap better than the headlight strap. The Fenix's light on the default mid. setting is listed at 28 Lumens and 3.5 hours of battery life. It is considerably better, maybe double, the headlamp's light.

I haven't tried yet, but I believe it's good enough to follow a blood trail on this setting, and has the option of more light with the high setting. I carry three extra batteries which gives me considerable backup power.

Then: The third light is similar to the LD01; tiny, single AAA battery, and a simple twist on switch. It's small enough to hold in my mouth with both hands free to work. This little light is very handy, but it only has enough output for close work, or basic navigation in the dark.

The Fenix LD01 is even smaller than that light and it's brighter on the low setting. Fenix says the battery life is 11 hours on the low setting with 9 lumens.

Finally: When added together I paid about $40 for the three lights mentioned above. The LD01 cost that much alone, but I think it's worth it.

The Fenix has a twist/screw switch which should be very reliable. Twist/tighten it to make contact (on), or loosen/unscrew for (off). It starts at the mid-level light output. Do it again for the low setting, and a third time for the high output. It is a little hard to turn when clipped to my cap, but ok. When left off it reverts back to come on at the default mid-power setting.

The Fenix is made of aircraft-grade aluminum and has an o-ring seal which makes it waterproof to IPX-8 standard(?). I would simply say it is light weight, strong, dunk-able, and the best flashlight I've found for me.

Fenix makes lots of other lights which look great, but this one is about perfect for me.


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