It is quite well known that Fenix does not use thick tubes. Well not thick like the Sky Ray 3800 triple XM-L hosts anyway (those are pretty thick as well). Something like Solarforce P60 hosts kind of thickness but bigger in diameter.
What you can do is a fingernail or knuckle rap, lights like Solarforce hosts would give you a "ping" sound. The Balder gives you a dead thud.
I have found a light that has the same "mass" feel and "solidness". It is the Ultrafire C3 stainless steel. Owners of C3 SS would know how solid that that is.
I guess they went for hotspot beam quality rather than throw. It still garnered quite a performance.
Of course if you get whacked hard by the tail-end of a TK70, you probably still get a KO. :D
Edit - ok, maybe i should clarify myself about the Fenix thin tubes. I am referring more to the bigger TK series like TK70/60/45/41 tubes. If they are unloaded and you flick your fingernail against it, it would ring. The smaller flashlights would be much more solid. Nevertheless the quality is still high and it still works great when loaded with D cells.
I know that Fenix tubes in multiple "AA" lights (TK40,45,41,etc.) are thin ...but I wouldn't call them weak. Fenix uses some really strong aluminium, much stronger than typical DX *Fire stuff. I own some of the Fenix lights, including "thin-walled" TK45 and a bomb-proof, thick-walled TA30 and I wouldn't affraid to use them in extreme situations.
Have you seen the tube wall of old Nitecore EZ series ? Now, that's thin ! (a half of milimeter maybe?). And I haven't heard about any failure regarding threads, crushed tubes, etc. It's all about alloy and premium brands seem to use very strong and quality alloys.
Some time ago, I hit the steel tube of garden construction with the old X2000 flood-to-throw flashlight. It wasn't strong hit, but the flashlight felt apart. The tube of X2000 broke into two halves just under the thread :)
Yeah, I think I know what you mean. iTP series also are thin, but since they are small in size hence the reinforcements all round are good. EDCs need to be light <- main factor. Maybe I should say "weak relative to other lights". For my TK70 with its thin walled tube, i am really not sure if in an accident the treads would survive a 1.5m drop with cells loaded inside. I am sure the light would still work, but just that the screwing would be difficult. This is the most common issue/failure, and it happens with professional grade photographic equipment costing 5-figures as well (Mg alloy blah...I have broken a few pcs of equipment).
Of course for most of us who use it as amateur usage, the lights would never be abused to such high levels and it is pretty much academic/on paper. But then again, never say it will never happen, last night i just dropped and broke my glass lens of the BD-4 (I was trying to clean it, it was pretty cloudy some oil film or something), and it is now shattered. S*** happens, 12-hr old glass lens gone. Luckily it is not expensive AR type, and a UCL replacement is available and $5. In my other line which is pro-photography usage, *anything can happen*, and s*** definitely happens. The problem in the pro-PG world is that equipment failure well it is ok, you lose some $$$ and we do factor it in. But one of my friends got sued for 150k for such technical errors. (failure to deliver)...that's a lot of money!
The only flashlights i have dropped are the U80 and Xeno E03. I guess outside of a commercial/professional setting it's really difficult for us to access this. I have procured a couple of those flashlight format HIDs which is being used in another country and they are still ok. The hardest that a flashlight can see is probably a high drop (lots of Gs there), like my U80 in which the bezel has quite a lot of difficulty to be screwed out as one of the impact points was there.
I don't know if those flashlights on DX are using what kind of alloy, but between T6 tempered 6061 and T6 tempered 7075, 7075 is the one with higher tensile strength. Even in that same range, the composition varies a lot.
Too bad I don't have access to a press like the youtube video, else i could try to test how far can i push a Fandyfire to.
Anyway, the info above is just FYI, nothing too serious! :D (free this afternoon!)
Mm.....nope, mine has mode memory, tried a couple of times after i read your post.
But I have read others who condemns mode memory, some condemn no mode memory, some condemns no mode memory H/M/L. Others condemns L/M/H. Some wants strobe and no SOS. Some wants no strobe and no SOS. Some wants.... We flashaholics are a funny lot. LOL! For me I'm ok with whatever they dish out to me, i'm cool. Just give me cool lights!
Nice to know that you like it coolperl, well waiting for the new reflector to come with the next shipment of Shadow or something. Hope can be comfortably past 40k (beam quality always worse with big reflectors, at least in this league).
Hope the UCL lens is able to fit (ordered some of the 54mm and diffusion acylics last Wednesday for the DRY), coz I broke the glass within a few hours. It does fit 53mm (OTR X5) with some space to spare. Now using the Solarforce MPP-1 AR lens.
Can you post some photos with unscrewed bezel? No matter how hard I try, I cannon unscrew the bezel to remove the reflector and glass. I don't even know where is the joint, it's so tightly assembled.
Unscrewed bezel is the front part which is smooth, caution hot surface letterings. It is not the part where there are markings. Try to use a rubber glove to twist. Remember mine is also very hard to turn.
Wow, that's VERY similar! The only significant difference I see is the section with the brand name printed on it and the section just before that is flipped. Now I wonder about the BD-1 and BD-2 :) Maybe adding the silver section to their lights causes enough distraction to make it seem original.
Luckily it is not expensive AR type, and a UCL replacement is available and $5. In my other line which is pro-photography usage, *anything can happen*, and s*** definitely happens. The problem in the pro-PG world is that equipment failure well it is ok, you lose some $$$ and we do factor it in. But one of my friends got sued for 150k for such technical errors. (failure to deliver)...that's a lot of money!
LOL! For me I'm ok with whatever they dish out to me, i'm cool. Just give me cool lights!
