Fenix TK11

kamagong

kamagong

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Jan 13, 2001
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I just received my SureFire 6PL. I didn't even get to take it out of the packaging before my wife saw it and snatched it away from me. She likes flashlights almost as much as I do and she wanted to know where hers is. She said that I'll get the 6PL back when she gets her light. That's fine, this'll make a fine Valentine's Day present. :D

Here's the problem. I guess that I can always get her another 6PL or maybe even the 6PL Defender, but my wife and I have different priorities when it comes to flashlights. I consider quality of construction and reliability most important and SureFire has that in spades. My wife on the other hand loves lumens. The brighter the better. SureFire makes good stuff, but their lights are far from being the brightest.

I'm taking a look at getting her a Fenix TK11 R2. I know a few of you guys are flashaholics, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions on this light. How does its construction compare to the 6PL? I want to get a light that I think my wife will like, but I won't do so unless the quality is there. My wife will probably carry this in her purse, so there is always the possibility, however remote, that she may use it as a pocket stick. I want something that'll be up to the task.

I noticed that there are a couple of versions of the Fenix TK11, the R2 and the R5. I know the R5 is the newer one, and has 45 more lumens, but are there any other significant differences? I'm inclined to just go with the R2, I know that she'll be thrilled with its 240 lumens.

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
I have a few Fenix lights and am well-pleased with their construction. I find the construction of the Fenix lights to be more or less on par with that of Surefire. The TK10 and 11 are very robust, so don't worry about their construction. I almost exclusively carry Fenix or Quark lights these days. I am about to pull the trigger on a Fenix TK35, but not for EDC.

You will notice virtually no difference between 240 or so lumens and 290, so go with the R2 if it floats your boat.

I think that TK11 will feed on a rechargeable 17670 or possibly an 18650 if you care to go that route.

Consider also one of the 2xAA Quark lights. Good stuff, and tons of lumens.

You should just be happy that Mrs. Kamagong digs flashlights. :thumbup:
 
Admittedly, there are lots of Surefire fans but I am not one of them.

I own more than a dozen of their lights which I purchased many years ago and almost half of them have been plagued with faulty non-functional tailswitches.

The best flashlights I own are all modded mini mags. What I mean by that is I modified them by replacing the lamps with high powered LEDs, changed out the flimsy plastic front lenses with tempered glass, and added after market tail switches. All are super reliable since the mods.

In addition, I have made it a point to seek out all the various colored bodies and limited edition bodies. Not only are these collectable but very functional as well.

I know Maglight makes LED minimags but I think my modded ones are more powerfull and reliable.

I also have several Fenix lights but I find the run times are not as long as advertised. Also, the Fenix lights have an annoying habit of going into a very high frequency strobe as the batteries get depleted.

P.S. Check out 4Sevens.com The Quarks are excellent (at least the one I have is).
Another brand I have had good luck with are Streamlights. I won't buy the rechargeable ones because I want to be able to use the lithium batteries that I have stockpiled. Lithium batteries have a shelf life of about 10 years.

Anyway, good luck on your choice. Just my 2 cents.
 
Last edited:
digdeep said:
I also have several Fenix lights but I find the run times are not as long as advertised. Also, the Fenix lights have an annoying habit of going into a very high frequency strobe as the batteries get depleted.

P.S. Check out 4Sevens.com The Quarks are excellent (at least the one I have is).
Another brand I have had good luck with are Streamlights. I won't buy the rechargeable ones because I want to be able to use the lithium batteries that I have stockpiled. Lithium batteries have a shelf life of about 10 years.

Anyway, good luck on your choice. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

just to offer an opinion on the other side of the fence, but I feel like run time is longer than advertised. I also have not noticed the strobe thing you are talking about

I love my pd20. extremely bright, in a small package, and yet somehow feel like a solid tool on top of that
 
I've had the TK11 and the TK12. I subsequently sold them both when I found something that didn't need two CR123 batteries

They're both excellent lights and have a heft feel to them, the TK12 has 3 different sets of modes, so that's 3 combinations of 2 outputs. The TK11 is simpler with a Medium and a Turbo mode.

What do I recommend? Go for the 4Sevens Maelstrom G5. The TK12 is nice and all, but the reflector is not as deep. If the reflector is deep, it has more throw which translates to a tighter beam. Since you're already going to a TK12, there's no reason why not go for something the same size with more flexibility

There are a lot of positive reviews both in written and video form, the Maelstrom will definitely win you over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kEHCYv9ljc


Edit to add: When I said the Maelstrom didn't need two CR123 batteries, I meant you can use rechargeable batteries such as a 17670 or a 18650 Cell. I can give you recommendations on those as well

Best of luck!
 
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