In the space of a few weeks I have gone back and forth on these torches like a bit of a madman. Ownership has progressed thus:
PD35 v2.0 black
PD36R
PD35 v2.0 camo
PD35 v2.0 black
PD36R
PD35 v2.0 black
You could say I’m fickle, or perhaps batshit crazy, but in any case I think I can provide an interesting collation of the differences between these two lights and why I have now confirmed (twice) that I much prefer the 35v2.
Hand feel
The 35v2 feels nicer in the hand, in my opinion. It’s only slightly smaller in the body and only very slightly lighter but it feels much more secure when whipping it out and moving it around in my hand.
USB-charging
I’m not too bothered about the USB-C socket on the 36R, it would be convenient when on holiday but it’s not really that big a deal for me. I suspect that the lack of a charging port probably leads to better long-term durability but that’s just a hunch. Also I note that the 35v2 comes with 1 spare for every bit of rubber on it - both o-rings and the switch boot. The 36R does not, it comes with a spare o-ring (it only has one) but no spare switch boot or charging port cover. Perhaps this is because neither of those parts are user-serviceable.
Side switches
The side switch on the 36R is rubbish compared to the 35v2. I have bought and returned two PD36R, one boxed on its own and the other in the new seasonal gift box bundled with an E01. The first one I believe may have been defective because the button was so loose, the second one felt slightly better but nothing like the 35v2 which has a very solid click to it. The button on the 36R does not fill me with confidence for longevity, and I also note that there are scattered reports of the UC35 switch button falling out and it looks like it’s the same one as the 36R. What I find strange is that the 35v2 was released in 2018 but the 36R released in 2019. Why would they regress like this when they clearly already had a much better switch?
Candela/beam focus
The 36R is too floody for my liking. I really like the focused beam of the 35v2, the 36R just feels like it’s throwing light everywhere. I guess that’s what you do when you have more lumens to play with but it just feels like too much. With the 35v2 I can comfortably walk through woods with my daughter and the dogs on turbo mode, but the 36R always felt a bit too much on its turbo setting. I could drop it down to high which would give similar lumen output to the 35v2’s turbo mode, however the difference in beam focus would drop its range significantly compared to the 35v2. Given my apparent preference for a more focused beam I vaguely considered ordering the UC35 but its side switch looks visually similar to the 36Rs so I’m a bit wary and the difference is probably pretty marginal compared to the 35v2.
Lanyard
The camo version of the 35v2 has a much better lanyard than the regular 35v2 or the 36R. I’ve reached out to Fenix to try to buy one of these to use with my black version.
Lowest power mode
35v2 can do 3 lumens, 36R can only go down to 30 lumens. Might be important for some reason. I have no actual use-case for this lowest power mode but for some reason I still like having it.
Just for fun here’s a picture of some trees:
and here is the same trees with the 35v2 pointed at them:
In my capacity as professional flashlight reviewer I note that not only does the 35v2 light up the tree branches allowing you to approximately count them from whatever distance this is, but it also magically turns the sky purple.
Would be interested to hear from anyone else who owns both the 35v2 and the 36R who can also comment on the difference between the switches.