Fenix LD05v2.0 or Lumintop IYP365

Looking at the “Fenix LD05 v2.0” vs the “Lumintop IYP365. Both look very nice, though the Nichia in the Lumintop seems to have better specs then Fenix’s Cree XQE HI. Historically, Fenix has produced some high quality lights which have survived years of rough use for me, but my current EDC is a Lumintop Worm which thus far has been a great little light. I have no need for the UV feature of the Fenix and I am strongly leaning towards the IYP365. Thoughts?

Product pages:
http://www.fenixlight.com/ProductMore.aspx?id=3280&tid=10&cid=1#.W363f7hG2Uk
http://www.lumintop.com/iyp365.html

I am also looking at Fenix LD05 v2.0 recent. MT06MD gen 1 is still my favorite at the moment.

Just FYI, the LD02 V2.0 is very warm at 3000K. I suspect they use the same one in the LD05 V2.0. I don’t really like the switch either. It’s too easy to turn it off when you just want to change modes. You said you don’t care about the UV, but all the same, it’s pretty useless. Very underpowered.

Might want to look at Klarus P20 as well.

I haven’t used the Fenix light, but I’ve been using the IYP365 (Nichia) for a quite a while and I continue to be very impressed. I honestly think it would be pretty hard to improve upon.

Prior to the Lumintop, I’ve carried 4Sevens Preon 2 (both warm and cool) and the Thrunite Ti4 (neutral). The IYP365 is my clear favourite so far.

I like it so much I bought a spare (just in case!). That’s ‘flashaholism’ for you. :person_facepalming:

I’m still waiting for lumintop to answer me about the defective tail switches on mine

I have a Nitecore MT06MD, and I like it a lot. I don’t know whether it’s gen 1 or later, though. What’s the difference?

Ergonomically Fenix nailed it with the LD05. It just feels perfect in the hand. If you look close you can see that in the middle of each half it curves in very slightly. Those areas are microgrooves that give good grip without being intrusive. Similar to what 47s tried with the Gen 2 Preon, but Fenix’s execution is better.

The beam is not perfect, a bit ringy but as is typically it’s only really noticeable if you are a white wall hunter. I’m not a fan of the UV being in the main sequence. Just one thing I have to skip past, like blinkies but not as annoying. Unfortunately (for me) it also has mode memory so it’s more likely you’ll have to cycle past UV instead of always starting on low.

Ergonomically I’m not a fan of the Lumintop, the shorter length means the wider area of the head rests against the bottom edge of my palm. So for me it always feels just a little ‘off’. That is of course very much an individual thing and may not be an issue for others. The sequence is M - L - H if that is an issue, but there is no mode memory (which is good for those who find M to be their most used mode anyways).

I love the longer throw of the switch on the Klarus, it feels very old school. My only issue with it (and it’s a big one) is the large knurling under the clip. That means it’s a light I won’t regularly use because clipping it in a pocket is hard on the fabric.

The Nitecore is functionally fine, I’ve just always found the styling to be a bit generic. It gets the job done.

The Manker has blinkies that are too easily accessible, which drives me mad, but is otherwise a solid option. Nice design and a good clip.

I just saw the LD05 and am intrigued by it, especially due to the UV setting. I’ve used a 4Sevens Preon II for years, but the LD05 looks promising to possibly replace it for primary use. I’m concerned though by the lumen ratings, with the Preon being 3 lumens on the lowest setting and the Fenix being 5. The Preon is already borderline too bright, and I’d actually like one that’s dimmer on the lowest setting, and definitely NOT brighter. But I also know these ratings aren’t exact, and so it’s possible they’re the same or the Fenix may even be dimmer. Does anyone have experience with both lights that could offer some insight?

In the spirit of the thread, how about the Thorfire PF04?

Specs don’t look bad, but it’s a tad bigger in diameter than mine, which is already pushing it a bit for a penlight, and if anything I’d want something slightly thinner (which the Fenix is) and/or slightly sloped at the head to make it easier to slide into a small pocket. I do like the lower output of the low mode, not a big fan of the L>H>M cycling but I can see the appeal and it’s not a big deal. The biggest issue I see with it though is the multitude of bad reviews on Amazon, which is even worse when you consider the company apparently sent out free samples for reviews which, lets face it, doesn’t always affect the review but sometimes/often does.

I really liked the 4Sevens (yes, not foursevens, because I bought mine before that happened) lights, and they’ve set a pretty high bar for me in terms of quality and functionality, so I think it will be hard finding replacements/backups, which is why I’m sort of starting to look now even though I have no real need at this time. And like I said, the main draw of the Fenix for me is the UV light, which would mean not having to have a separate one. Also, I have a Fenix P2D, so I’m familiar with their quality as well, though granted that’s several years old now, so things may have changed. Sadly, it seems their designs have mostly changed for the worse. Most of the lights now change modes via a side button, which I don’t like nearly as much as using soft-clicks on the tailcap. And I haven’t seen any new ones with the head twist feature to switch between normal and turbo modes. From what I can tell, the lack of the latter feature and possibly the prior one are due to Surefire’s lawsuit. So that sucks. Guess I need to be really careful not to lose or break my lights. Anyways, I’m getting off-track.

This light is the reason I was looking for the other ones! I really appreciate the form factor, the length and pocket clip work great camping for me as I can keep it close at hand but out of the way and unobtrusive. The 2AAA size also supports this but offers somewhat better performance than single cell lights. Plus its very light weight and takes cheap cells. I REALLY liked my Thorfire but the emitter is very cool white with a poor CRI. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it but there are better options out there now.

Anyways, I picked up a “his and hers” set of the IYP365 a little while ago when Amazon had a “lightning deal” (I think they were like $2 off) and so far I really like this light. Aesthetics are absolutely great, as is the function. My only gripe, albeit a minor one, is the tail clickie. The one-off feel is great, but its a short throw and very easy to turn it off instead of just switching modes. Not a significant problem to me and doesn’t really affect my opinion of the light but would be nice if the switch protruded a little bit and had a little longer press depth. This will make a great camping pocket light and general purpose light for my purposes.

Any thoughts on the nitecore mt06md in this comparison?

I’m not 100% on the matter, but Nitecore tends to have some pretty awful parasitic drain. A look into a thorough review would do you a lot of good before eventually pulling the trigger.