Today I have in for review a very feature-rich light by Fenix. First off, it’s a 21700 light, which is great. It also has on-board charging (via USB-C), dual switches, and some other cool features. Read on to see how it tests out!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the official product page.

Versions

There’s only one version of this light. Custom Shop finishes by Fenix are available for this model, however.

Price

The light is sale priced at $99.95.

Short Review

I can’t think of a thing to complain about on this light. It meets its specifications, and is a reasonably priced complete package light.

Long Review

The Big Table

* Measurement disclaimer: I am an amateur flashlight reviewer. I don’t have $10,000 or even $1,000 worth of testing equipment. I test output and such in PVC tubes!! Please consider claims within 10% of what I measure to be perfectly reasonable (accurate, even).

What’s Included

Fenix PD36R Flashlight

Fenix 5000mAh 21700

Charge cable (USB to USB-C)

Nylon pouch

Lanyard

Spare o-ring

Spare switch boot

Manual and paperwork

Package and Manual

Typical Fenix black and orange(ish) package.

The manual is good, and displays many (7 or 8) languages.

Build Quality and Disassembly

The PD36R is well built. There’s nothing glaringly bad, and everything works like it should. I like the e-switch cover in particular, as I’m partial to metal switch covers.

The sticker inside the tube is a shade confusing. That’s not a “negative” symbol – don’t put the cell with the negative end here.

The tail end of the light has a big thick spring. This is a two piece body, and best I can tell, it’s not possible to access the mechanical switch.

The head end has only the contact points – no spring.

The threads are appropriately lubed, anodized, and square cut. They’re very smooth threads. Because of the anodizing, it’s possible to mechanically lock the light out (though it’d be meaningless, since the tailswitch is mechanical).

The driver looks to be screwed in, and there are two holes for unscrewing.

Size and Comps

Officially:

Size:

Length: 5.4” (136mm)

Body: 1.0” (25.4mm)

Head: 1.0” (26.4mm)

Weight: 3.0 oz. (85g) excluding battery

Here are a couple other 21700 lights. They have different feature sets; it’s understandable why the PD36R is longer.

Retention and Carry

There’s a nylon pouch included. There’s no good reason the light won’t go in the pouch in either orientation, except the pocket clip…. every time I tried bezel up, the clip caught as seen in the left picture. If you decide to futz with that, then it’ll physically fit.

Also for retaining the light is a two-way friction fit pocket clip, which attaches only on the tail end. It’s quite snug, and can hold the lanyard thorough a hole in the shoulder.

An included lanyard rounds out the package. It may be attached on the pocket clip, or even better, through holes in the tailcap. The photo below gives a good picture of why the light won’t tailstand – the boot is very proud.

Power and Runtime

Fenix includes the cell appropriate for this light. It’s a 21700 cell, in this case a button top. Fenix labels this as a 5000mAh 21700.

Runtimes for Turbo and High follow. The drop off Turbo is fairly quick, then the light holds 1400 lumens for a good 20 minutes, then around 950 lumens for around 100 minutes. The light didn’t shut off, but output became so low, you’ll notice lowered output.

High output is stable for around 20 minutes, then rock solid flat for 320 minutes.

The PD36R includes on-board charging, and impressively it’s via USB-C. A USB to USB-C cable is included.

The charge port cover works fairly well, and stays put when it’s pressed down.

I’m charging here from a USB port capable of around 2.4A, and the USB-C Fenix seems to like it.

I don’t know why the charging bounces around like this, but it still stays at a high current, and charges quickly.

Despite being USB-C, the light can not output power from the port.

Modes and Currents

Mode Mode Claimed Output (lm) Claimed Runtime Measured Lumens Tailcap Amps Turbo 1600 2h50m 1817 4.36 High 800 5h49m 909 1.43 Medium 350 8h24m 374 0.50 Low 150 26h 155 0.2 Eco 30 115h 31 0.04

PWM

This isn’t actually PWM, it’s … that other thing I can never think what it’s called.

For reference, here’s a baseline shot, with all the room lights off and almost nothing hitting the sensor. And here’s the worst PWM light I have ever owned. Also one of the very first lights I ordered directly from China!

User Interface and Operation

There are two switches on the PD36R. The first is a mechanical tail clicky. If this switch is “on”, then the light is on. If this switch is “off” then the light can not turn on.





The second switch is a side, indicating e-switch, made of what looks to be copper, but is likely bronze coated metal. The center of the switch has an indicator behind it.

This is a good dual-switch interface.

Here’s a UI table!

State Action Result Off Click Tail Switch (TS) On (Mode Memory) Off Half press TS Momentary memorized mode* On Click TS Off On Hold SS Strobe Strobe Click SS Previous mode On Click SS Mode advance (L>H direction)

* Modes may be changed with SS while half pressing TS.

LED and Beam

The emitter Fenix chose for this light is a Luminus SST-40. The reflector is smooth and deep.

When the head is tightened down, the indicating switch tells how much power the cell has.

Green Steady: 85-100% power

Green Flashing: 50-85% power

Red Steady: 25-50% power

Red Flashing: 1-25% power

The switch also indicates when the cell power is low during use; red flashing only.

Light is able to escape when the light is headstanding.

These beamshots are always with the following settings: f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure.

Tint vs BLF-348 (Killzone 219b version)

I compare everything to the Killzone 219b BLF-348, because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Conclusion

What I like

Meets and exceeds specification

Good complete package light

Utilizes USB-C for charging

Fast charges the 5000mAh 21700

Metal e-switch cover

Indicating side-switch

What I don’t like

No direct access to low

Overall long light

Can’t tailstand

Notes

This light was provided by Fenix for review. I was not paid to write this review.

This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!

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