I’ll post some beam shots here soon. But with the FD30 and FD40, I’m not sure if it’s the same design for zoom. FD40 though is rather compact for a 26650 size which is definitely another plus.
FD40
From the pictures of the lights, the FD40 looks like it probably has an LED Lenser style TIR optic. That type of optic consists of a single-piece TIR but with a large pocket in the center. The LED sits on a post that can extend and retract into the optic.
FD30
In contrast, the FD30 appears to be a conventional aluminum reflector split into two sections. The cutaway also clearly shows a flat lens.
- In spot mode, the inner and outer section form one narrow, but very deep reflector. I would expect a fairly large spot and corona, with a small amount of spill. As it is still a very narrow light, I would expect little throw.
- In flood mode, the outer portion of the reflector retracts out of the way behind the innermost reflector section. The result is the light now has a tiny, relatively shallow reflector. I would expect a wide floody beam with generous spill and almost no throw.
The FD30 is the first light using this type of mechanism. I’d be very interested in seeing some white wall shots of it in action. I’m undecided whether to try one myself. I like pocket-sized EDC lights and at 140mm this light is far too long for pocket use. If I gutted it and replaced the innards (assuming I can actually open it… Fenix are usually heavily glued) I might be able to take off a couple cm. But even 120mm is still too long for me to EDC.
Ok I get it. Thanks. They are very different indeed. Maybe I’ll still post some white wall and outdoor pics here simply for reference against the FD30 when/if someone else posts some pics for it. For dealing with glue, do you use strap wrench, vice and blowtorch?
Methods I’ve tried for dealing with glue:
- 2 strap wrenches. Often works quite well and doesn’t damage the light. Downside is trying to work 2 strap wrenches at the same time is awkward (I wish my strap wrenches had some kind of ratcheting mechanism to hold them tight rather than requiring just hands to do so).
- 3M indoor stairway grip tape with pliers. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. Tends to scratch up the finish however.
- Sometimes I’ll also use a vice. Depends on the light though.
Recently I tried opening the head on my Jetbeam II pro titanium for an emitter swap. I couldn’t get the bezel to move with my strap wrenches. I’ll probably need to go the blowtorch route and hope it doesn’t melt anything inside. (I like the light, but tint is too cool for me).
I will post a little review soon, probably tomorrow evening/night (european time ). Fenix germany send me one last week. I made the final outdoorshots tonight, all pictures are done. Finally a light with honest lumen claims according to my little sphere. It was even over 900 lumens. I got the Rofis KR20 as well for a review and that light reached 850 lumens from 1100. Fenix has always honest lumen claims like surefire, Mag Lite and some others. But others than that the Rofis is pretty good for the money i have to say.
Yes the FD30 has a reflector kind of cut in two halves. The upper part can be raised and that results in a deep reflector. So the beamshot is similar to a normal reflector light but definately more like a thrower with a tight spot (fully raised).
Ok. I think I’ll continue with the strap wrench method. I have only started tinkering with mods and just bought a strap wrench to open up an Olight R50 to shave the dome and add resistors. I think I used a vice with a towel, strap wrench and blowtorch because room temperature wasn’t cutting it.
This was only after I tried using a pair of vice grips and a crescent wrench and ended up scratching up the anodizing pretty bad. Lesson learned, on to the next.
I don’t actually have a blowtorch. Think it’s time to head down to OSH and buy one.
Great, I’ll definitely look forward to seeing what you have to say about the FD30. I didn’t even know it existed until I saw this thread. Now I’m intrigued.
Yeah, Fenix, Oligh, Thrunite to name a few are pretty good with lumen claims. I think Nitecore imo is fairly disappointing when they don’t measure up to the claims as they are by no means a budget brand consumer light. I expect this a little with the cheap brands and am ok with it.
My understanding is the lights typically can withstand a lot of heat, but obviously don’t burn into anything you shouldn’t. I had to get the R50 much hotter than I originally intended/wanted to and it was just fine. Glued very tight though. lol
My biggest concern with heat is probably something like the membrane (or whatever) inside the switch under the metal cover to make it waterproof. Who knows how much heat that can take?
Other than that, I recall Vinh had some trouble with some 1xAAA Fenix lights. The blowtorch was hot enough that it was sometimes causing the plastic TIR optic to melt.
When using a blowtorch to heat a head, what do you use to get a grip to unscrew it?
I assume a strap wrench probably isn’t a good idea as the rubber strap could melt. Just use metal pliers and hope its loose enough not to scratch much?
I agree, there’s some risk of unknown if you are having to do a light for the first time and don’t know for sure about it’s structure/materials inside. It’s the proceed with caution zone. The little membranes might shrivel and harden. :cry:
Just keep the strap wrench as far away from the heat as possible.
Uhm, you don’t HAVE to zoom all the way in right? Granted the twisty-zooms are much easier to control this aspect, vs a push-pull.
The thing I dont like about this one is that it does not appear to have much zoom capability. There is still a LOT of spill in the zoomed pic.
Of course there’s a lot of spill, it’s not a zoom light. It uses 2 reflectors to change the beam pattern between focused and non focused.
Here is a little review about it
I said I was going to post some pics of FD40 beam and it’s been a while but here they are. Also have another zoomie which is the Sunwayman T25C. I need to catch up with the news on FD30 as I was curious to see the reaction, so will go do some reading now. Sorry the messy place and bad photography, really need to learn the settings on my camera better.
Control
FD40 flood
FD40 zoom
T25C Flood
T25C zoom
Anyone had the chance to look closer at the FD41 at INTERMEDIATE settings (i.e. BETWEEN spot and flood extremes)?
Also, wondering if anyone had the chance to compare the FD30 and FD41 at intermediate beam settings?
I thought I saw some posts somewhere (not on this forum maybe) that created the impression (in my head, not sure about in reality) that the FD30 is “cleaner” at these settings than the FD41 . . .
From what I’ve seen, the FD41 seems to have a discernible “donut” at the midrange. That said, I am not a “white wall hunter” so if the ’41’s donut is not significant in actual use, it would cease to be a source of concern!
For me, the FD30 would probably be the most generally useful, but the FD41 - based on Fenix’s numbers - yields roughly the peak beam intensity of the standard TK35 (XM-L based). I really like the TK35, but size reduces practical routine “carryability” (40 mm vs 48 mm head diameters).
Either way, these lights are - for my uses - the first really exciting practical innovation I’ve seen in a while (note that is speaking for me/my uses, there are certainly many exciting and fascinating things that have come out, I’m just thinking practical daily applications).
Best wishes,
Tim
Got an FD30 yesterday.
My initial impressions:
- In flood mode, you get a wide (almost 90 degree) beam with a very wide hotspot in the center. This beam pattern is actually quite usable and looks good.
- In spot mode, that center hotspot becomes much tighter. The spillbeam gets slightly narrower and a tiny hotspot appears in the center of the beam. At just 10k lux, the throw from this hotspot is unfortunately quite minimal. This won’t outthrow a purpose-built thrower or modded zoomie, but it’s still better than not having a zoom.
- The beam pattern is very reminiscent of that found in the newer Coast Zoomies. Spot mode consists of a small, but dim, hotspot surrounded by narrow spill, while flood is just a wide circle of light. Overall, I’d rate the FD30’s flood as being a bit superior to a comparable-sized Coast. The small reflector does a lot for boosting the brightness of flood mode. On the other hand, Coast’s TIR optic is far lighter weight and mechanically much simpler. The FD30 feels quite heavy and from the cutaway picture the zooming mechanism looks quite complex.
- The dial to cycle the zoom is interesting. It has no stops. Continue turning it and the beam cycle will reverse. Personally, I’d have preferred having stops at each end so I could tell instantly when I was at max throw or flood. There is an o-ring under the sliding bezel which unfortunately deposits lubricant onto the part of the head revealed when the light is cycled to spot mode. This is not a good thing since if you put your fingers there you’ll get lubricant on them. Fortunately, this area is relatively small and can be fairly easily avoided.
- At 144mm long, the light is pretty huge for a 1x18650 tube light. I find it too big for pocket EDC. I haven’t yet tried to mod it. In my experience Fenix lights are heavily glued and really tough to mod. The FD30 appears to be fully glued and I’m not sure how to take apart the head without damaging the mechanism. I suspect a blowtorch will be needed to break the threadlocker.
If I decide to mod this light and if I can get it apart, mods I might attempt:
- Replace battery tube with shorter one from Sunwayman C20C. Fenix PD32 threads match the Sunwayman and hopefully the FD30’s threads also match. Replacing the battery tube and tailcap switch with the Sunwayman tube without switch would substantially reduce the overall length of the light.
- Replace driver with Mountain Electronics FET e-switch driver.
- Replace cool-white XPL HI with neutral white XPL HI 5A2.
How is it better??
There are flashlights its size with a standard reflector that get nearly 2x its throw…