Fenix lights - interest closed, not importing

[choombak]

Folks,

I am into the flashlight scene for about an year now. In my experience, being based in India makes things difficult if you wish to purchase a good flashlight. 4sevens ships lights worldwide for free, but the costs can run quiet high. As a result, I am checking to see how many of you have an interest in Fenix lights, especially the E01 (1xAAA, suitable for EDC) and E21 (2xAA, suitable for home use or bag carry). If there are enough people, I would get a wholesale deal from Fenix, and get these lights into India. My intention is to sell them at a no-profit-no-loss situation - I will recover what I pay for it.

Online costs are ~$15 for the E01, and ~$38 for the E21. I don't know how much will it cost me, but depending on the interest, I will let you know. Definitely less than these prices. Post here, or PM me if you'd buy one light, and if yes, which one (both is a good idea). Thanks.

I have been a very satisfied user of Fenix lights, and they are the best bang for the buck if you are venturing into the flashlight scene. You diversify once you have a taste of Fenix into stainless steel lights, brass lights, tactical, CR123A, multi-mode, titanium, and the possibilities are endless (but dent your pocket quiet a bit! )

-Amarendra

[miss_3006]

I can take 3-5 pieces depending on the price. I have used Fenix and they r indeed awesome bang for the buck.

A hint for you, if you fail to garner enough support for a bulk order with Fenix direct, you can contact the dealers in HK. They are made in China and all distributors are in HK. They can give you very good prices.

[Subal das]

I will buy both

[kanwar76]

Use to own E20's which i gifted away to relatives. Really nice lights. I will have one E21, does it come with holster?

What about shipping?

-Inder

[choombak]

Use to own E20's which i gifted away to relatives. Really nice lights. I will have one E21, does it come with holster?

What about shipping?

-Inder

The initial idea is to place an order directly with Fenix if we reach a quantity of, say, 10 lights each. They will ship to me, and I will then ship those your way. The E01 shall approximately cost ~$10 US/piece, while the E21 will be ~$20 US/piece. Add to it the customs duty, etc. and we shall still be well below their normal selling price of ~$15 US, and $37.50 US.

I had a talk with one of their marketing guys, and they are struggling a lot to get a base in India. They had a dealer in Bangalore, but his prices were prohibitively costly - the E01 was priced at Rs. 1100 (~23 US), which is way too high for anyone from India to purchase that light. As of now, I believe that dealer too is defunct. :-/

Fenix makes really good lights, and I am impressed with their quality. If we can get enough interest and confirmations, we can do a bulk-buy (or so I think).

-Amarendra

[Rajat]

Hello Guys,

Welcome to the world of Flashaholics!

The flashlights we are talking about here are way beyond what we can visualize in comparison to the locally available flashlights or the cheap Chinese LED flashlights.

Fenix is one of the best flashlight manufacturers in the world rivaled only the Surefire. This said there are other good companies too in the market like Jetbeam, Olight, Icon etc. I personally would love to get Fenix or other flashlights of a good make in India, its time we get some good stuff here in India. The only good flashlights we get right now in India are the trusted Maglights: Incadescents as well as LEDs.

The flashlights I own are:

2 x 2016 - Photon Microlights (a few)
1 x AAA - LD01 Fenix, MiniMag
1 x AA - LD10 Fenix
2 x AA - LD20, TK20 both are from Fenix
8 x AA - TK40 This big fella throws and output of 630 Lumens at the Turbo Mode with its Quad core emitter
1 x 3D - Maglite Incadescent + with a LED converter
1 x CR123A - Fenix PD20 & Surefire E1B Backup
2 x CR123A - Surefire LX2 Lumamax

Along with other assorted flashlights of different makes and configurations.

These are all multi-mode flashlights with the LED life span of more or less 50,000 hours. Yes, you got it right Fifty Thousand hours. Which means you do not have to worry about replacing the LED ever (almost). Also these are all waterproof, not dive rated, but you can go for a swim or shower with the Fenix or Surefire flashlights without any problems. In other words: weatherproof.

The Surefires are way more expensive than the Fenix flashlights and are backed by a lifetime warranty and I though I should go in for these when I wanted to opt for the much more expensive CR123A batteries. However there is nothing lacking in the Fenix flashlights.

In my opinion if you plan to Import any Fenix flashlights then give up the idea of the EO1: Replace this with the 1 x AAA LD01 with three modes and the highest output at 85 Lumens compared to the single mode and 10 lumen out put of the E01.

Replace the 2 mode E21 with the 5 mode LD20 (2 x AA) with the highest output at 200 Lumens approx. and a strobe made for those who find it to be of any use. It has a better and anti-roll construction and a nice tactical feel to it.

Have a nice day!

[Moin.]

Just out of curiosity, how do these compare to the maglites...

Thanks
Moin.

[Rajat]

Hello Moin,

A typical 2 x D sized cell Maglite's light output is somewhere around 20 to 25 Lumens and for example the Fenix LD20 2 x AA's output is somewhere around 185 to 200 Lumens. Fenix has a general tendency to slightly overrate its lumens but even then this mini Fenix gives more than 7-10 times the light of the 2 D Maglite.

The Surefires are known for underrating their outputs so the 1 x 123a tiny E1B gives 4 times the light of a 2D Mag and the 2 x 123A LX2 at 200 Lumens gives 10 times more light than the 2D Maglite.

The Maglites are great and trusted lights but the technology is old now and they are trying hard to get back their share of the market by launching new models. The Maglites are worth their value in money as they are priced accordingly too.

If you talk about the TK40 which is the same size as a 2D Maglite: the TK40 gives an output of 630 Lumens compared to the 25 of the MaG

It is really hard to think about it until you have seen one of these. And we are not even talking about the HID's right now.

[Moin.]

If you talk about the TK40 which is the same size as a 2D Maglite: the TK40 gives an output of 630 Lumens compared to the 25 of the MaG

Wow, that'ssome difference. Thanks Rajat for the reply.

Regards
Moin.

[gunrunner]

Hey Guys,
Try the Brite Lite range of flashlights,you possibly wont try anything else.
I personally havent tried Fenix,dint need to as the Brite lIte Challenger more than serves my needs in the bush.
Really awsome,reasonably priced.
Have to see it to believe it.
Members may refer SSC who has recently purchased one.
Happy Gunning
GR

[Rajat]

Hey Guys,
Try the Brite Lite range of flashlights,you possibly wont try anything else.
I personally havent tried Fenix,dint need to as the Brite lIte Challe nger more than serves my needs in the bush.
Really awsome,reasonably priced.
Have to see it to believe it.
Members may refer SSC who has recently purchased one.
Happy Gunning
GR

Yes, I am familiar with the Brite Lite it is available and can be ordered on ebay.in

The main thing is the size vs output factor as most of these (fenix or surefire etc) are pocket able but with tremendous output which beats any flashlight in this category leaving apart the HID's which are another story.

I would like you to try the Fenix flashlights and the Surefires and I guess it will change your views like these changed mine. Surefires are American made flashlights and the company started out with making weapon mounting lights and most flashlights from Fenix can be mounted on Guns too and pressure switches can be added.

They use the best rated emitters from the right bins and the best possible makes like Cree (Q5, R4, XRE etc,). These emitters are unparalleled and simply the best. Combined with this is the intelligent circuitry which keeps the output constant even when the batteries are weak, the output does not dim until the last few minutes. Secondly the opticals (reflectors) are optimized for their specific use: Flood or Throw.

These are not flashlights but are Tools in the true sense are are made for people who need these not for recreation but for work. This is true specially for the brands like the Surefire and Inova Inforce.

[gunrunner]

Hi Rajat,
I stand corrected.
Is there a rechargeable model??? and which model is best (in terms of Light thrown)according to you???
Regards.
GR

[striker]

i have personally used britelite led ,rechargable flashlite and they are the best that i have seen , worth every penny , very sharp long rang light that you will not get at this price in any fenix or other flashlites.

[Rajat]

Hello GunRunner!

First of all let us talk about the problems with the rechargeable flashlights: The battery pack has a certain life i.e. the number of times it can be charged and some of these develop "memories" if charged incorrectly, completely discharged etc. Now if the life of your battery pack is over you are going to have a hard time finding another battery pack here as most of these flashlights do not have and service facilities or sales outlets here.

Now coming to the Fenix AA size battery flashlights: these are rechargeable in the terms that you can simply buy rechargeable AA batteries and a charger and you can buy a couple of extras too to keep with you in case the batteries in your flashlights run out. Its that simple and you never have to worry about the availability of batteries!

In case of the Lithium CR123A battery flashlights, the scene is a bit different. You can buy rechargeable 123A's with chargers and use the Fenix flashlights OR you can buy 18650 Batteries (1 x 18650 = slightly more power and runtime than 2 x CR123A's) most of the Fenix flashlights accommodate these batteries.

BUT Surefire strongly recommends AGAINST using these rechargeable batteries and only advises that batteries from well known companies such as Duracell, Energizer and Surefire should be used. These are high drain flashlights and the local batteries might cause explosions as lithiums are powerful batteries. 1 x CR123A battery costs around Rs 150 so clearly they are not every day use flashlights to use when there are simple power cuts. These flashlights have a different purpose and should only be put to special use.

For everyday use you can always use the AA battery flashlights and the Fenix have different output levels too.

Coming to the output in terms of the distance of light thrown or the "throw": Among the flashlights I own the Fenix TK40 (8 x AA) with an orange peel large reflector at 630 Lumens is the best followed closely the the tiny in comparison Surefire LX2 (2 x CR123A) with its TIR internal reflection special optics and smooth reflector.

The others which have a good reputation but I do not own but know are the Fenix TK45, Deerelight DBS, JetBeam Raptor, Olight M30 warrior, customized flashlights with aspherical lenses along with a dozen others. The Rechargable Magcharger also has a good throw and is available in India at Basecamp.

Then there is WiseLED. They just make two models. Although there are several constraints but they have a super output.

The distance the flashlights throw their light depends upon the purpose they were built for. The good manufactures make different models aimed at different user requirements: Flood or Throw or a combination. This is done with a combination of the reflector tuning, output in lumens, and specially designed reflection systems like the TIR etc.

This was all said with reference to the LED's and Incandescents but not the HID's. If you need REAL throwing power then there are the HID's. The good ones will throw light further than you can even imagine! But this is another story.

It was a pleasure answering your query. Hope this answers your question.

-- Sat Sep 18, 2010 1:24 pm --

i have personally used britelite led ,rechargable flashlite and they are the best that i have seen , worth every penny , very sharp long rang light that you will not get at this price in any fenix or other flashlites.

Striker,

No offence meant but I am just trying to ensure that the right information gets across to our members. The Britelite as you say may be the best that YOU have seen but these are no where near the BEST in the absolute terms.

When I first bought the 3D Maglite a few years ago I too thought that it was the best flashlight ever until I got to know these. No doubt that the Mag is still a great and reliable flashlight. The price of the britelight may be justified and the Surefires and Fenix's may cost way beyond its cost.

But then we are taking about the worlds BEST LED flashlights in the Surefires and WiseLED's and their nearest competitor in Fenix flashlights.

These are in an entirely different league. Although I do not really advice going in for the WiseLED's for several reasons BUT those who need such flashlights do buy these.

Check out http://www.surefire.com, http://www.wiseled.com and http://www.fenixlight or http://www.fenixtactical.com for more information.

I am sure you will get to know what I mean.

[eljefe]

Thats some firepower Rajat, 630 Lumens, by golly!
I've had the Fenix for a while now and can attest to its ruggedness and throw.
I run it on CR123 and have recently discovered the EDI-T line. one AA cell gives upto 200Lumens is what I read and confirmed with the dealer- this is the E4 model.
I have this and a P-18 (3 AAA,approx 200 Lumens) .In a night shooting scenario, I wouldnt go beyond the range of these tiny powerhouses.The best part is, the focus is push-pull on the head. Extremely smooth, friction controlled, and stays like a death grip on a scope mount on my 22 and 223. Both have asperical lens
OT, apologies