 Brightest Light That Runs on AA Batteries |
| Review Date: June 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Menace915, El Paso |
The Fenix TK40 is a great tool comparable to a 10 watt search/rescue HID (high intensity discharge) light, but since it is a LED, it is brighter, more efficient, and its multiple light levels make it more functional and more applicable to different tasks.
PROs:
* EXTREMELY BRIGHT--> up to 630 lumens on turbo mode. However, it also has 13 lumens, 93 lumens, and 277 lumens. This allows you to compromise between brightness and battery life, and to use it for different tasks.
* Runs on inexpensive AA batteries (8 of them), rather than on lithium or 123A's. It can use rechargeable batteries.
* Each intensity (low, medium, high, turbo) has slow flash, fast flash, SOS, and tactical strobe abilities.
* Hard aluminum body, resistant to almost any mishaps you might get this light in.
* Can run on 4 AA batteries if that's all you have.
* The low output is very useful, and it can run for 130 hours.
* Digital regulated output will maintain the brightness stable even when the batteries are low ( will not dim as the batteries become wasted).
* Has an anti-roll design.
*It is waterproof (it was tested by being submerged in 2 meters of water, in which it lasted waterproof for 30 minutes). This means you can use it in the rain without fear of it being damaged).
* Excellent peripheral light and great "throw."
*Includes a nice carrying case, a shoulder strap, wrist lanyard, extra O-rings, and and extra rubber switch boot.
Cons:
* You can only use the turbo mode for no more than 15 minutes at a time (according to manufacturer recommendations).
*If you use lithium batteries, you void the warranty.
* Batteries are NOT included.
* It takes some getting used to the cycling through the different modes. Read the instructions carefully and practice!
* There is NO momentary-on switch.
* The light is pretty big, bulky, and heavy once the batteries are in. It is probably out of the question to buy a holster for it and hang it from your belt.
* The cartridge into which the batteries are inserted is a bit confusing to use, but fortunately the light has protection so that the LED won't be harmed if you insert the batteries wrong.
* The light is VERY bright, but for some reason it still does not outperform my Pelican 7060 in terms of "throw." The 7060 is rated at only 130 lumens, so it must have something to do with the reflector.
Despite its minor flaws, the PROs outweigh the CONs. The light is a bit expensive though. You would think that for $154, they would at least throw in 8 AA batteries, but they did not. So Fenix, if you are reading this, please include a complimentary set of batteries. Other than this, the light is flawless and its ray of light is amazing, you've got to check it out! |
Fenix TK40
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| Review Date: June 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: T. Dennison, |
If you're looking for the brightest flashlight around (and a very fun toy), this is it. I did extensive research on the what people felt was the brightest flashlight on the market. There were no reviews for this one because it's brand new, but with a lumen rating of 630, how could you get anything brighter. So I bought it and I've never regretted it. It has 4 settings and the lowest setting is about equivilant to my 4D maglight. The 2nd setting outshines my 120 lumen Dorcy. The amazing thing about the stream on the highest setting is that the light doesn't disipate with distance, as most other lights do. For example, I pointed it at a stop sign about 800 feet away and it lit it up like a christmas tree. I don't know any other flashlight that will do that. We took it camping recently and put it up against my 1M candlelight spotlight, and my suburban's high beams and it out-shown both. Amazing!
Other notables, it runs off 8AA batteries, but will operate off 4AA batteries with no decrease in light. It has 4 settings, with 4 corresponding strobe functions. The batteries will die on you after about 2 hrs constantly on high, but they'll last for weeks with normal use on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd light settings. It advertises that it's completely submersible to 8 feet, but I'll never do that. It is good to know that it will most likely be perfectly fine in a rain storm though. As far as size, it is a tad big and heavy for a tactical, but I absolutely don't mind. It feels solid and unbreakable and I like that.
I love this flashlight. Do I need a flashlight of this magnitude, no. Fun to play with though, absolutely. Worth the money I spent on it. . . I don't know. I suppose it depends on how much you have and are willing to spend. If you simply want the brightest AA flashlight on the market however, this is it. |
Wow... Just wow...
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| Review Date: May 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Steve, |
This flashlight is the brightest light I have ever used. It puts any stock Mag Light to shame, and most other flashlights out there. If you want something to light up the night, this is a great choice.
What attracted me to this light was the fact that it could run on 4 AA's or 8. I didn't want to bother with special lithium batteries or the 123 cells. This light is extremely bright for a AA light, and no words can describe it, you have to see it in person. It has low, medium, high, and turbo. I find that medium is a good all-around setting and leave it on that until I need to really light things up with turbo.
Overall it's an amazing light, something you need to try to believe, you won't be disappointed. |
Fenix TK40 CREE MC-E LED Flashlight Review
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| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Teruya, Honolulu, HI |
I'm an enthusiast about flashlights and coolers. There are several things that I look for when considering a flashlight. 1) Only flashlights that use AA or AAA batteries are considered. Those two batteries are the cheapest and most readily available batteries. Plus, in an emergency, I do not want to be scrambling for different types of batteries (C, D, 9V, CR123, or any other type of specialized battery). 2) The design has to be shock resistant and waterproof. 3) The longest battery life in proportion to the output. I would like an efficient flashlight. 4) Best combination of durability in ratio to size and weight. This is a review of the Fenix TK40 with a CREE MC-E LED with a maximum output of 630 lumens. It is rather long, so if you want the short of it, skip to the conclusion.
Brightness: The low setting of 13 lumens is slightly brighter than flashlights with Nichia LEDs and having better throw. The runtime is estimated at 150 hours on low. The medium setting of 97 lumens is very powerful, enough for just about any use, including lighting up a room, and has a runtime of about 20 hours. The high of 277 lumens with a runtime of about 6 hours appears slightly brighter than the Fenix LD20 on turbo. The turbo mode with 630 lumens is considerably brighter than the LD20 and the output readings are equivalent to a 10 watt HID spotlight. Took it outside and it performed like a spotlight. Indoors, I could shine the flashlight up at the ceiling and it lit the living room like a ceiling light. It appears that this is truly the brightest flashlight running on AA batteries, which is great as I only consider products that use AA and AAA batteries. The only brighter flashlights are usually the high-power HID lights that use special batteries and have short runtimes.
Color of the light: On some flashlight review websites, they reported the TK40 to have a cool color temperature. However, I find the light produced by the one I have to be a neutral color temperature (neither cool or warm).
Beam: The beam was bright in the middle with a smooth and bright spill beam surrounding the core. This is a characteristic of higher quality flashlights that use textured "orange peel" type of reflectors. What you will notice with lower quality flashlights are dark rings present in the field of light, making the output inconsistent. The TK40 tested had an output that contained no inconsistencies and produced an even smoother and brighter spill beam than the LD20, which is impressive. This is likely to a deeper, wider, and larger reflector along with a quad-die CREE MC-E LED .
Throw: The throw of the light, or how far the light will project is considerable. I was able to light up homes and landscapes that were easily over 100 meters away. The throw of the TK40 was far greater than the LD20.
Efficiency: The CREE LED technology appears to be the most efficient lighting. Incandescent flashlights, including krpyton, xenon, etc. have poor runtime in ratio to lumens. The early Nichia type LEDs had fairly good battery life, but output was limited. The next generation of Luxeon LEDs, were more powerful, but lacked efficiency. CREE LEDs appear to be the most powerful and most efficient light sources in flashlights today. MC-E uses four LEDs placed together in a square formation. While this produces far greater light than a single LED setup, it requires more power and results in a lot more heat produced. After five minutes on turbo, the TK40's head becomes hot, and it is not a surprise that it recommends not running the flashlight on turbo for more than 15 minutes at a time (Several other flashlight makers are trying out arranging 3 or more single CREE LEDs on the head of a flashlight rather than using an MC-E that consists of a 4 die CREE LED setup. The reasoning behind this is the lower current is needed to power single LEDs, which will result in less heat, and thus will be more efficient). Overall, the TK40 appears to have well regulated circuitry that maintains constant current to the light, keeping light output consistent until the batteries are drained.
Build: The TK40 appears to be a well made, medium sized (significantly larger than the 2 AA flashlights, yet much smaller than the spotlights that use 6-volt batteries, but closer to the size of a 2 D maglite), solid flashlight that is too hefty for everyday carry. The TK40 has all of the industry standard features including aircraft-grade aluminum construction, level-III anodized protection, o-rings for waterproofing, and an anti-roll design. Overall, the TK40 looks better in reality than in pictures. The TK40 has a user-friendly operating system that utilizes a click of the rear rubberized-button for off and on, a one-second depression for changing output levels, and double clicks for flash modes. One thing to note is that there is no beam adjustment, which does not appear to be necessary as the output is bright, smooth, and even.
Picky Things: My focus is obviously on light output, beam quality, efficiency, and build. However, other reviewers have been picky about the shoulder strap. This is something very low on my list of desired qualities, but the design could be improved. However, the TK40 comes with a plastic case, which is a nice bonus. Some may also complain about batteries not being included. This is not an issue as I use either the Sanyo Eneloop Rechargeable NiMH or Energizer Rechargeable NiMH with a 15-minute charger. Rechargeable batteries are such an advantage to save on costs and increase power when using flashlights on a frequent basis. I would highly recommend TK40 users to consider rechargeable batteries for the convenience. The last complaint in most cases is only being able to use turbo for 15 minutes at a time. This is a valid complaint, but in most cases, using turbo for more than 15 minutes at a time is not needed.
Conclusion: Overall, the Fenix TK40 is a top quality flashlight with excellent build quality and exceptional/outstanding/impressive light output, and has all the features desired and found in the best flashlights. The power output may be excessive, but is definitely appreciated. I would rate this flashlight a 4.8 out of 5.0. The rating would be higher if turbo could remain on for a longer period and the integration of the shoulder strap was better designed. Other than this, the TK40 is truly the brightest AA powered flashlight. |
Beautiful bright white light, and handsome flashlight
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| Review Date: June 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Luan C. Do, Vienna, VA United States |
The TK40 flashlight is worth the money. Period. The lowest setting is has comparable brightness as my 3-AA LED Maglite. The highest setting is brigher than my headlights on my 2001 sequoia on low beam, though the coverage area is not as wide.
With 8-AA Eneloop rechargeable batteries, the TK40 weights in at 17.5 oz. It somes with a long shoulder strap that seems useless. A wrist strap would be more useful. If I can mount this on my bicycle, it would be sweet!
One thing I find strange is that the instruction manual says to turn the head 2.5 turns, if the light is not going to be used for a while, to prevent battery drain. It appears that some battery power is needed to maintain the memory of the last setting used. In any case, turning 2.5 turns make the light a bit longer, and that make a much tighter fit in the plastic case that is provided with the TK40.
This would make a nice gift to flashlight lovers, in my opinion. I've never heard of Fenix until recently. I'm likely to be an owner of more Fenix products. |
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